Here, rambutan trees hang heavy with fruit, and after an afternoon thunderstorm, you can feel the tender, primal warmth of the land as your feet sink into the soft, muddy ground. Those who are uneducated and destitute show no trace of sadness or shame on their faces, accepting the imperfections of life with quiet grace. The Khmer people are like resilient blades of grass, bending with extraordinary flexibility.

The Khmer Rouge regime is often cited by officials as the reason for Cambodia’s persistent struggles. Yet, although the oppressive rule ended in 1979, it has been replaced by corruption, inequality, and the silent continuation of suffering for the people.

Once described with vibrancy in the Customs of Cambodia by the Chinese envoy Zhou Daguan of the Yuan dynasty, this land captured the imaginations of later French explorers who rediscovered the Angkor Wat ruins buried in the jungle. This magnificent complex of Hindu temples, converted to Buddhist monasteries, later bore the scars of fierce religious conflict, with defaced Buddhist statues testifying to anti-Buddhist backlash. As Mahayana Buddhism waned, Theravada Buddhism arrived from neighboring Thailand and Myanmar. In the 19th century, King Ang Duong revitalized Theravada Buddhism by sending monks to Thailand to study and bring back its teachings.

Folk Buddhism in Cambodia has long embraced elements of Hinduism and animism. Yet Cambodians hold monks in special esteem, viewing them as the nation’s intellectuals—keepers of ancient and modern knowledge, educators of literacy and values in temple schools, resistors of French colonialism, and protectors of orphans during the Khmer Rouge massacres. The bond between Cambodians and their temples is as intimate as the historic connection between ancient Western societies and their churches.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, today, through the perspective of the Cambodian people, we witness the relentless power of time to shape and transform even the hardest stone. May you raise up many missionaries to surround the people of Cambodia, walking alongside them through life’s every detail. Let the love of Christ permeate their daily lives, spreading the fragrance of your presence and drawing many Cambodians to love and seek you. May your gracious rain soften hearts, allowing the nutrients of the gospel to penetrate deeply and transform the soil of their souls. You, Lord, have said, “A bruised reed you will not break, and a smoldering wick you will not snuff out.” (Isaiah 42:3, Matthew 12:20) We ask for your healing hand to mend the wounds inflicted on Cambodia by its history and politics. Rebuild its foundations with justice as the measuring line and righteousness as the plumb line. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.