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July 2006 Why Does Everyone Want to Leave?I wonder how many of you reading this have ever really considered leaving your homeland to live in another country. I suspect the number would be quite small. However, this morning I was thinking about how the situation in Cambodia is quite the opposite. I'm hard pressed to think of anyone I know here that wouldn't leave in a heartbeat if given the opportunity to live almost anywhere else. Why is this? What brought on such poor living conditions that would make everyone want to up and leave? Isn't life better now. After all, the genocide of the Khmer Rouge and past civil wars are history - well... The memories are still fresh for most people over 30. But Cambodia's a free democratic country now - well... Could it be that it's because everyone's so poor? Despite receiving more financial aid per capita in the last 15 years than any other country in the world, Cambodia remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Public services, roads, health care, schools and power and water infrastructure are largely supported by foreign entities, if at all. Yet, not all poor societies have the itch to move away.
In short, the above mentioned are simply manifestations of society gone mad brought on by the wickedness of the human heart. I sometimes describe Cambodia as a place where sin has been allowed to roam free for far too long, nation on the edge of a black hole of utter oblivion. Everyone wants to see Cambodia get back on it's feet and be a place where it's people don't live in fear. So what will it take to reverse the tide? It will take more than money and education and social services.
Jesus is the only way. He's the only One that can change the condition of our hearts, purify us from our sin, one heart at a time. He's the only One who can give the people hope for a better tomorrow. He's the only One who can provide food and healing in desperate times. He's the only One who can give the moral compass to make straight roads. He's the only One that can provide the kind of motivation to bring about the kind of changes necessary. And this is happening in Cambodia, but there is still much to do. The total number of Christians remains small and they have so much to learn. Their needs remain staggering. For almost 15 years, the door has been open for servants to come and harvest fruit and prepare it for the Master's table. More workers and resources are still needed to get the job done while it is still light. We are glad to have the opportunity to play our small part in God's greater plan for Cambodia. Come and join us if you will.
So, why does everyone want to leave? Perhaps it's because living in a cesspool of sin has so overwhelmed the image of God in the Cambodian people that they all just want out. Perhaps not. |
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