May 2004

Dear Friends,

Connecting with Cambodia

About the size of the state of Missouri and with a population of almost 13 million people, Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world. While Angkor Wat, one of the world’s man-made wonders, stands as a reminder of a once great and glorious empire (AD 900 - 1300), Cambodia’s more recent history is filled with the tragic results of war, genocide, and political chaos.

With the triumph of North Vietnam and the withdrawal of American forces in 1975, Cambodia was left to the mercy of its communist victors. Unfortunately, there was none. Between1975 and 1979, approximately 1.5 to 3 million people died in Pol Pot’s effort to establish a communist agrarian utopia. Cities were evacuated and schools, hospitals, water, and sewer systems, libraries, factories, bridges, dams, and irrigation systems were destroyed. The Vietnamese invaded in January 1979 and did not withdraw until 1989. The United Nations intervened with the establishment of UNTAC (United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia) and in 1993 elections were held. Since then Hun Sen, leader of the Cambodian People’s Party, has been in control.

During my first visit to Phnom Penh in November of 2002, it became readily apparent that Cambodia is in the early stages of recovery from the devastation brought on by the Khmer Rouge. Many city streets remain unpaved, and proper medical services are not widely available despite the abundance of NGOs (non-governmental organizations). While the country continues to struggle with the challenge of rebuilding the economy after decades of war, my more recent visits to Cambodia have exposed me to many stories of hope, one of which is the story of a Khmer Presbyterian Pastor, Yauk Khunthea Sambo.

New beginnings: A story of hope

Pastor Sambo’s mother became involved with a small group of Christians who met for worship every Sunday in Phnom Penh not long after her husband left her. As a teenager, Pastor Sambo was initially resistant to the teachings of the Christian faith, but he continued to attend church to please his mother. One Sunday, the pastor invited him and several young people to stay after church for further discussion. Although Pastor Sambo didn’t feel that his questions were adequately answered, he sensed God’s Spirit at work in his heart, and so when the pastor asked if anyone in the group wanted to become a Christian he responded immediately. He enrolled at Phnom Penh Bible College and, after his three-year course of study, he became involved with a mission agency. In just a short time, he was instrumental in planting 12 churches. Despite God’s blessing on his ministry, Pastor Sambo struggled with the agency’s leadership style and the foreign cultural practices that he felt were a hindrance to the spread of the gospel. As a result, Pastor Sambo left the agency. Since then he has planted five churches, one of which is in the process of being registered under the Evangelical Fellowship of Cambodia as the Khmer Presbyterian Fellowship Church.

While Pastor Sambo was engaged in church planting, his mother began to take in young boys who needed a home. Some of these children were orphans, others were from large families, and others just needed a place to stay. When I first met Pastor Sambo, his mother was taking care of 12 boys under the age of 17, despite the fact that she was very sick. Since then Pastor Sambo’s mother has died, leaving him with the responsibility of caring for these children.

Over the past year I have had the opportunity to visit all the churches Pastor Sambo has started, to meet his team of leaders, and to visit the home where he and the children—ranging in age from 3 to 17—live. In addition to the group of boys, there are now three girls who have also joined his household. Every morning before school, they meet together for worship during which time they read from the Bible, share what God has taught them, and pray. Chores are divided among them, with the oldest boy doing all the cooking.The same boy is also taking computer classes and learning English. All the children attend school in the morning, and in the afternoon they help each other with their homework.

On March 20th Pastor Sambo married. Together they face the challenge of pastoring the new fellowships that have been planted and mentoring new leaders even while nurturing 15 children—all as a newly married couple!

Please join us in praying for Pastor Sambo and the Khmer Presbyterian Fellowship, “that their love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that they may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11).

We thank you for your partnership in the evangelism of Southeast Asia.

Paul and Carol Friesen