Countdown to Cambodia #5 - Reviewing History

Exodus 34:7 (NLT) I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected – even children in the third and fourth generations.

I arrive in Cambodia on January 2nd for a trip to support survivors of sex trafficking and encourage the fulltime missionaries who serve these women and battle this industry.

In preparation, I’m reading First They Killed My Father, A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers. Loung Ung is a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime led by Pol Pot. She was 5 years old when her family was evacuated from Phnom Penh and was in a child soldier training camp by the time she turned 7. Her tale of starvation, beatings, disappearances, death, and reeducation form a grim tale.

April, 1975

The Khmer Rouge invaded Phnom Penh and began their brutal rule in April, 1975 when I was a 9th grader. That may seem like a long time ago, but it’s not really. Forty years ago this spring.

This period in Khmer history helped shape the current cultural landscape. The prevalence of death and violence desensitized Cambodians whose priority became self preservation. Fear and distrust prevailed. Human life and dignity had little value. The execution of anyone educated left the country with an intellectual deficit. Families were torn apart and new marriages arranged for the sole purpose of producing children for the Angkor regime. Being raised in work camps, the children who survived had no parental role model and yet they are today’s parents and grandparents.

The evil choices of the Pol Pot regime are still affecting the third and fourth generations. I look forward to learning how Cambodia is healing and rebuilding. (tweet this) Join me on my journey!

#seedsofscripture #Cambodia #sextrafficking #khmerrouge #polpot #recovery

Follow details of my upcoming trip in posts #1, #2, #3 and #4.