Editorial June 2011 RECORDS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS U.S. Center for World Mission 1605 East Elizabeth Street Dear Praying Friends, Pasadena, CA 91104-2721 Tel: (626) 398-2249 Th ere are only 28 unreached [email protected] people groups in all of Cambodia MANAGING EDITOR (in contrast to the 43 in Texas). Keith Carey Many of these individual groups are small in size, but God has not ASSISTANT EDITOR Paula Fern forgotten about them. Th ey are precious in His sight. It is impor- WRITERS tant to pray for the Cambodian Glenn Culbertson Patricia Depew people groups this month because almost all of Cambodia’s Patti Ediger 15 million people in this relatively mono-ethnic country Chris Hansen are part of an unreached people group. Th ey remain faith- Wesley Kawato ful to the false gods who have dominated their lives for many Arlene Knickerbocker Esther Jerome-Dharmaraj centuries. Day after day this month you will be praying for Christopher Lane diff erent peoples who appease spirits that they believe will Annabeth Lewis protect them in times of danger. But what will the people Charles Newcombe Ted Proffi tt who fall into this trap do when the true Lord bares His arm Jeff Rockwell on the fi nal day and the time comes to meet their maker? It’s Jean Smith frightening to consider. Jane Sveska Nancy Watta Th is February as the writers are submitting their stories DAILY BIBLE COMMENTARIES about the Cambodian people to the Global Prayer Digest Dave Dougherty, Director of Plans (GPD), Cambodian and Th ai military forces have begun and Training, OMF Intl. fi ghting over their poorly defi ned border. Please pray for Keith Carey, Managing Editor, GPD the peoples of Cambodia this month. For those of you who CUSTOMER SERVICE would like to continue to pray for Cambodia, there is an ex- Dan Eddy, Alberta Cowell cellent prayer guide called, “Peoples of Cambodia.” Go to: GRAPHICS www.newhouseonline.com. Amanda Valloza

In Christ, PRINTER Diversifi ed Printers , La Mirada, CA

WEB SITE www.globalprayerdigest.org

ISSN 1045-9731 Keith Carey, managing editor, GPD Contents of the Global Prayer Digest © 2011 U.S. Center for World Mission PS—Have you visited our web site yet? You can download 1605 East Elizabeth Street for free past and even current and future issues of the GPD. Pasadena, CA 91104 Go to: globalprayerdigest.org Contents of this booklet may be reproduced if appropriate credit and Th ere are also free podcasts for those of you who wish to subscription information are given. hear our daily entries on the web. We value your feedback on For subscription information, these new podcasts. Are they useful for your needs? You can call (626) 398-2249. get a free subscription to them at iTunes. Search for: Global For comments on content, call (626) 398-2241. Prayer Digest Cover photo: 2 ©iStockphoto.com/mikadx Feature of the Month

Pray for the Kingdom of God to Extend to All Cambodian Peoples

THAILAND LAOS

CAMBODIA

Phnom Penh

VIETNAM

Gulf of Thailand

3 To Help You Pray Better www.newhousesonline.com the taken from —excerpts 4 Cambodia Prayer Guide

Background, Moving Beyond theKillingFields Cambodia: P new minefi new theirwaythrough topick slowasCambodianstry painfully beenrestored.any senseofnormalcy True progress hasbeen come multitudes ofobstacles. inthelast10-15years has Only God forothers. Th His followers tojoinHimincompassionandprayer to 9:36-38). (Matthew massesofsociety wandering Hecalled Jesus’ was broken withcompassionwhenHesawthe heart government offi honest farmerandcorrupt abusedmother.unemployed fatherandevery Heloves every parent. worried happy childandevery Heknowsevery families andcultures forages. develop Heknowsevery God loves thepeoplesofCambodia. Hehaswatchedtheir toform. bondsoftrust new andsocial But itwilltakespiritual the fi “killing from to move forward. Today away Cambodiaismovingforward the Khmersendured ofweak kings, aseries internalrivalries, thisgreat empireAfter wasoverthrown inthe 14thCentury, 2007 Wonders Seven “New ofthe World” contest. theAngkor Watincluding Temple complex, afi gorgeoustemples, andconstructed systems irrigation cate Khmer Empire in the9thCentury. Th Cambodia’s ofthe totherise betracedback can heritage ofCambodia A BriefHistory for thenations. Th thatprays blessing tothenationsishavingabroken heart last 30 years has been an enormous struggle toover-last 30years hasbeenanenormousstruggle 15millionpeople.nearly Lifeforthesepeople inthe resent dayCambodiaboastsagrowing populationof elds of corruption andexploitationinaneff elds ofcorruption at is the purpose ofthisprayer guide. atisthepurpose e fi elds” future. ofthe1970stowards abrighter rst stepofobedienceinbecominga transformation forhealthy isempire builtintri- cial. Continued onpage41 nalist inthe ort ort Become a Daily World Christian

What is the Global Prayer Digest? Loose Change Adds Up! Th e Global Prayer Digest is a unique devotion- In adapting the Burma Plan to our culture, al booklet. Each day it gives a glimpse we have simply subsituted loose change of what God is doing around the world for rice and have added this educational and what still remains to be done. Daily and inspirational Global Prayer Digest. One prayer for that still-unfi nished task is at person’s loose change will average about the heart of the Adopt-A-People move- $100 per year exclusively for frontier mis- ment. Condensed missionary stories, sions! When the national goal of one mil- biblical challenges, urgent reports, and lion Adopt-A-People Prayer Partners is exciting descriptions of unreached peo- reached, that will mean $100 million more ples provide a digest of rich fuel for your per year for the frontiers! own times of prayer for the world. Become a Daily World Christian Th e Global Prayer Digest is a key tool in a Devotional Ideas movement to help fulfi ll Christ’s com- How can you make the most of this prayer digest: mission to make disciples of all the peo- ples of the earth. Th is movement involves • Some people use it as a a daily discipline of learning, praying, and supplement to their regular giving to help reach the world’s nearly devotional time. 10,000 unreached people groups. Un- • Others enjoy reading and reached peoples are those groups which praying around the dinner table do not yet have a strong church in their with the entire family. own cultural and social setting. • We encourage you to gather Myanmar, Mothers and the monthly with other Christ Frontier Fellowship Movement friends who are involved in this Th e Frontier Fellowship Movement movement. is an adaptation of a custom among • Join the “Frontier Fellowship tribal Christians in Burma (now called movement” (left), a version of Myanmar) and elsewhere. As the the Burma Plan, to fi nancially mother in each family prepares meals support frontier missions. for her family, she sets aside a hand- Every day at the top of the page ful of rice in a special container, and you’ll fi nd the name of an unreached prays for their church’s missionaries to people group for which to pray. Th e unreached people groups. Rice from small maps will help you locate the families in the church is sold to support day’s feature. their frontier missionaries.

5 Day 1 1 Timothy 4:8 Missionary Biography-Kreg and Jenny Mallow

reg Mallow loves sports, but he loves Jesus even For physical training is of more. Born in Independence, Missouri, in 1962 some value, but godliness K to a Christian family, he was baptized at age 10. But has value for all things, he was in high school before he really committed his holding promise for both life to Jesus through the ministry of the Fellowship the present life and the life of Christian Athletes. Th ough he loved wrestling and to come. football, everything had to be under the lordship of All of us need physical training Jesus Christ now, even his love of sports. Th is new love for the Lord gave him the perspective he needed. if we are going to stay healthy. This is one of the key ways we In college Kreg graduated with a BS in business maintain our physical health. administration. Th en he studied dentistry at Loyola University Dental School in Chicago. Over the next But Paul makes it clear that couple of years Kreg felt God’s call to serve Him in godliness has eternal value mission. Mission conferences and short term mission which is even better! trips helped direct him. Th e Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course had a tremendous Pray that you will be able to impact on his life. (http://www.perspectives.org) maintain a balance between In 1989, Kreg volunteered his summer to work in a your physical and your Cambodian refugee camp in Th ailand. spiritual health. Thank the Lord for people like Kreg Mallow Later that same year, Kreg met Samphos, now who have found that balance. known as Jenny, at a Chicago church service. Th e next year they were married, and they began a ministry in Cambodia in 1991.

Pray for the Lord to use the many short term mission trips this summer to reveal His perfect will to those who go.—KC

6 Day 2 Missionary Biography, Continued 1 Timothy 2:1-2

enny was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 1961, I urge you, fi rst of all, and was raised in a Buddhist family. As a child she J that requests, prayers, knew little about Jesus. She was a teenager during intercession and the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime that drove Jenny and her family to a refugee camp in Th ailand. Th ere thanksgiving be made for she heard more about Christ, and she was attracted everyone—for kings and to His teachings. In 1981, at the age of 20, Jenny, her all those in authority, that widowed mother, and fi ve siblings immigrated to we may live peaceful and Chicago to start a new life. quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. After marrying Kreg in 1990, the two of them began a 12-year ministry in Cambodia in health, literacy, At fi rst glance, it seems that water purifi cation projects, and evangelistic Bible Paul was being naïve, but studies through World Concern. Some of these we must remember that he evangelistic Bible studies were conducted among lived under the thumb of the the unreached Krung people group. Th e Mallows were fi rst able to work among the unreached Krung Roman Empire. What about through a training project for Cambodian nurses wicked and depraved “kings who were learning to do basic dental care (See day and all those in authority” 17). In 1996, the Mallows began a literacy project in like the Khmer Rouge? Do we partnership with another mission. Since the Krungs pray for them as well? Will previously had no writing system, missionaries had we really live “godly, peaceful, to develop one. Th ey also developed literacy primers and holy” lives if we pray for which the teachers used in the newly established classes. For the fi rst time the Krung people started to them? Yes, but only if we pray read and write in their own language. Th is opened the as the Holy Spirit directs us. door for the Bible to be translated later into Krung. Only then can the Holy Spirit In 2001 the Mallows went on sabbatical. During this transform our minds so that time Kreg earned an MA in Th eology and Missions we can pray for evil leaders as from Wheaton College Graduate School. we should.

Pray that our minds will be Pray for God to move through missionary families on transformed to conform to the sabbatical.—KM ways of God as we pray for those in authority, even those who are wicked to the core.

7 Day 3 Galatians 6:9 Missionary Biography, Continued

fter returning to Cambodia in 2003, the Let us not become weary in Mallows resumed their ministry through doing good, for at the proper A Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF Int’l.) among time we will reap a harvest if the Krung people. Th e Lord began a work among we do not give up. the Krung people in 1994 through dental worker Taking the gospel to a people training. Th e handful of believers had been sharing who have never heard it can the gospel in surrounding villages. Often the gospel message spread through extended families, from be demanding—physically, one relative to another. Small house churches began mentally, emotionally, and springing up. most of all spiritually. And the However, the new believers came from an animistic harvest sometimes comes background and had little biblical understanding. only after months and years None of their small house churches had a trained of sowing seed. Satan’s major leader who could teach Bible or disciple others. Th ere weapons—discouragement, was a great need for discipleship and training. In division, disease, and delay— 2005, Kreg and Jenny began to work in discipleship are often aimed at those who and Bible training full time among the Krung house labor on the front lines of churches to help meet this need. Kreg also worked alongside Krung believers, helping them publish a the advance of the gospel. worship hymnal using their own indigenous melodies. The apostle Paul needed the prayers of the saints. So do the Currently, there are small house churches in seven or eight villages. Because there are so few Krung frontier missionaries of today! believers, they are still considered unreached. Pray that missionaries like However, believers continue to share the good news, the Mallows who have taken and the church is slowly, but steadily growing. the gospel to the unreached Today the Mallows are in Chicago helping ailing will not become weary in parents. Kreg is working as a dentist. Th ey hope doing good. to return to Cambodia to resume their ministry. “I’ll do whatever it takes to strengthen the church,” comments Kreg.

Pray that the Lord will send the Mallows and other dedi- cated workers back to Cambodia, and pray that God will raise up godly Krung evangelists and pastors.—KM

8 Day 4 Khmer People Philippians 3:13-14

hea Chan lit Forgetting what is behind a Buddhist C and straining toward what memorial off ering of is ahead, I press on toward incense, coconut, and lotus fl owers. He wept, the goal to win the prize for praying in his Buddhist which God has called me way for relief from the heavenward in Christ Jesus. Edwards tormenting anxiety he Is the prize, the upward felt since he lost his little brother. Th e child was killed calling, the focus of our lives? along with 370 others in a horrible stampede of people on Phnom Penh’s Diamond Island during the annual If so, then let us pursue Water Festival of 2010. Chea Chan had been unable the goal. What is this goal to save him. which God has established Nearly a thousand years ago, the Khmer people of and which Paul describes? Cambodia were one of most infl uential people in South It is an increasingly intimate East Asia. Today, they are still the predominant ethnic knowledge of Himself in group in Cambodia, accounting for about 90 percent of which we experience the its estimated 15 million people. War, hardships, and the power of His resurrection and Khmer Rouge reign of terror in the late 1970s crushed the fellowship of sharing in the Khmer peoples, and only recently have they begun His suff erings (v. 10). Such to come out of the nightmare. an experiential knowledge Th e Khmers remain loyal to their style of Buddhism, of God will inevitably lead us which blends elements of Th eravada Buddhism, into sacrifi cial service for the Hinduism, animism, and ancestor-spirit worship. peoples of the earth—the Th eir 12th Century Angkor Wat (City Temple) is the religious pride of Khmers, and it draws thousands of men and women like the tourists to Cambodia each year. Khmers for whom Jesus died. In 1990, there were only 10 Evangelical churches in Pray that the Lord will call Cambodia attended by the Khmers. Today there are thousands of Khmer believers about 200,000 believers in over 2000 churches. into sacrifi cial service.

Th ank the Lord for this rapid church growth! Pray for the continued growth, maturity, and outreach among Khmer believers. Pray for God to shower His mercy on the Khmer people this decade.—PD

9 Day 5 Colossians 4:3 Khmer Keh People

idden deep in the almost impenetrable jungles And pray for us, too, that and mountains of northeastern Cambodia are God might open a door for H eight villages. Th ey are home to the 5,200 Khmer our message. Keh people. Th eir remote location has traditionally Closed doors can come in the kept the Khmer Keh people isolated. Th ey were form of geographic barriers further isolated by the brutal actions of the Khmer Rouge regime when guerrillas kept outsiders away by such as jungles, thick forests spreading land mines near the villages. and high mountains. But as you can see from today’s Today they are far less isolated. Th e Cambodian government has removed the land mines and built reading, such barriers can be new roads. In spite of not having electric power, removed. Today, there is a some young people have obtained cell phones. A few great opportunity for believers Khmer Keh people even have motorbikes. With the to reach the Khmer Keh availability of transportation, some now sell their people, who previously lived hand-woven articles in nearby cities and are able to in isolation. buy things. Khmer Keh people have always been able to provide Pray that the Lord will thrust for their own basic needs by growing rice, raising farm forth His workers through animals, fi shing, and gathering fruit from the forest. the open doors that now Most of them still live in simple wooden houses on stand between them and the stilts. Education is very limited for their children. Khmer Keh people. Traditionally their religion has been animistic with a strong Buddhist infl uence. Although most younger Khmer Keh do not believe in spirit worship, the older people still perform a special ceremony each year, which involves dancing to invite the spirits so the people can give them off erings. Th ere are a small number of believers among them.

Pray that as the Khmer Keh see some modern changes in their way of life, they will also be enriched with the greatest gift of all, knowing the love and grace of the Lord!—PD

10 Day 6 Northern Khmer People Ephesians 5:15-18

orthern Khmer’s “ Be very careful, then, aren’t real Isaans, nor N how you live… making are they like us Lao. Th ey are black-hearted.” Th is the most of every description by a Lao taxi opportunity… understand driver is a stereotype given what the Lord’s will is… to the estimated 1,250,000 be fi lled with the Spirit. Northern Khmers. Th ough Those who go to peoples some live in Cambodia, they CHINA without Christ must always VIETNAM primarily live in Th ailand’s LAOS northeastern Isaan region, be very careful how they live. Vientiene MYANMAR bordering Laos. They must live moral lives

THAILAND In many ways the Northern that will draw others to our Lord. The Northern Khmer CAMBODIA Khmers are similar to their neighbors. Th ey practice people are Buddhists, and Th eravada Buddhism, and their religion teaches them their primary source of income some good moral principles. is from wet rice agriculture. Th eir society, music, dress, The good morals of Buddhism food, history, and physical characteristics are somewhat diff erent, but what makes them most identifi able is their might help them maintain language. Determined to provide education for their social control, but they do not children, most Northern Khmers in Th ailand are now transform the human heart. bilingual, speaking the Th ai language, which is used in all Th ai schools. Some educated Northern Khmers have Pray that God will become successful teachers and government offi cials transform Northern Khmer in Th ailand. Gradually more of their young people are communities through those moving to the cities for work, leaving fewer rural villages. who go to them with the knowledge of God’s will. Northern Khmer Buddhist monks try to maintain social control over the population. Th ey have rules which include the forbidding of lying, stealing, drinking alcohol, adultery, and murder; but alcoholism is still a problem in their communities. Th ere are only a few followers of Christ among the Northern Khmer.

Pray for God to send out strong, dedicated believers who can reach these people with God’s Word. Pray especially for His Word to penetrate the hearts of Northern Khmer monks so they can lead their people to salvation in Christ.—PD

11 Day 7 Philippians 2:5-11 Kampuchea Krom People

ampuchea Krom or “Lower Cambodian,” is the (Jesus) made Himself noth- name given by Cambodia to a million Khmers ing, taking the very nature K living in southern Vietnam. Th is was a region in the of a servant… He humbled Mekong Delta that was “given” to Vietnam, along Himself and became obedi- with their inhabitants, by the French in 1949. Th ere ent to death…. Therefore are about 250,000 Kampuchea Krom people from this God exalted Him to the region who have tried to migrate back to Cambodia highest place. where they are often treated like foreigners with Because of the humble restricted rights. Th e Cambodian government has not accepted a large number of them because they obedience of Jesus, the claim that they are illegal in Cambodia. As a result, Father exalted Him. Jesus many have returned to Vietnam where they continue did not humble Himself that to endure ongoing persecution, discrimination, and He might be exalted, but pressure to assimilate into the Vietnamese society. in order that man might be Th ey are even encouraged to give up speaking the redeemed through His death. Khmer language. Some escape to Th ailand. In the How human it is for us to fall of 2010, three Kampuchea Krom monks who had seek ways to become great, been imprisoned by the Vietnamese met with leaders even at personal sacrifi ce from America’s State Department. Th ey pleaded for and pain. Yet the ones God help. Th ey hoped the meeting would bring actions that would help give more rights for Kampuchea Kroms exalts are those who have who seek to live in Cambodia. Th ey also stressed the given up personal ambition need to stop the persecution of their people by the and pride because they have Vietnamese government. understood His heart and will. If our Master had to humble Th ere are over 560 Khmer Buddhist temples in Vietnam where the Kampuchea Krom can give Himself and learn obedience material off erings and prayers in hopes of obtaining in order to redeem men, so nirvana. Nirvana is described as a state where the His disciples also must humble person is free from suff ering, reincarnation, and the themselves in obedience in earthly life. Th ere are only a few thousand followers order to reveal His glory and of Christ among these people. goodness to others. Pray that God will release the Kampuchea Kroms from Pray that the oppressed their oppressive lives and bring them into a new, abun- Kampuchean Krom people dant life in Jesus Christ.—PD will soon become “great” in God’s eyes by humbly following His ways. 12 Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF) Day 8 Work in Cambodia Philippians 2:10

ambodia is a land of tremendous need as well …that at the name of as amazing opportunities. Overseas Missionary C Jesus every knee should Fellowship (OMF) is prepared to meet these needs bow, in heaven and on and opportunities head-on. earth and under the earth, Many Cambodians have never heard of Jesus; yet and every tongue confess those who do hear are very receptive. Churches are that Jesus Christ is Lord, to actively training teachers to meet their needs and the glory of God the Father. to tell others about Jesus. A missionary couple from Th ailand started one of these churches in 1995. Ever since OMF’s founding Under the sponsorship of OMF, this couple began by Hudson Taylor in 1865, working among the Cambodian people, off ering they have been working to teach English and Th ai to them. Th us began the tirelessly to see “every tongue Metreypheap Church, just west of Phnom Penh. From confess that Jesus Christ is its small beginning, this church has trained cell group leaders, cross-cultural missionaries to the Muslim Lord” among the peoples of Cham people, and children’s workers. East Asia. They started with an eff ort to take His Name OMF states its mission: “Th rough God’s grace we long to see the transformation of Cambodia through to every province of China. the proclamation and demonstration of the good news This happened within 40 of Jesus Christ.” Khmer believers at the Metreypheap years. Though they were church are doing this by modeling Christ in their forced out of China when the daily lives. Th ey demonstrate compassion, train Communists came to power, disciples, establish churches, equip leaders, and God used Chinese believers mobilize the church for local and cross-cultural to extend His Kingdom much missions. Th rough the diligent training of local believers, the Khmer people are relying less and less further within the Middle on OMF missionaries and doing more of the outreach Kingdom. Meanwhile, on their own. OMF continues their work elsewhere in East Asia. Pray for the Lord to raise up thousands of Cambodian be- lievers to extend this work beyond what outsiders can do. Pray for God to do a Pray for God to empower homegrown missionaries to reach powerful work through OMF Cambodia for Christ.—CH in Cambodia, just as He did in China.

13 Day 9 Mark 3:27 Pnong People

ut no one can enter the strong man’s house and But no one can enter the plunder his property unless he fi rst binds the strong man’s house and B strong man, and then he will plunder his house” plunder his property unless (Mark 3:27). he fi rst binds the strong man, and then he will Devil spirits, as the Cambodian Pnong people call plunder his house. them, control the lives of the Pnong minority group, resulting in the sacrifi ce of dogs, chickens, and even Once Satan, the strong man, buff alos to appease them. Th ese precious people need is bound, then it is time to to be set free and learn that Jesus Christ has already plunder what he has taken sacrifi ced Himself for their salvation and deliverance through theft and deceit. How from the spirit world. do we bind the strong man? New Life Fellowship of Churches in Cambodia Through prayer! And that is taking the gospel message to the remote Pnong is what you are doing each villages. One of its new outreach points is in Borbuoy, a village along the road to Mundulkiri Province. On day as you intercede for the several visits the missionaries have done outreach nations in the GPD. to children and evangelism work. Another Pnong village is Sre Noun in the jungle. Fortunately both Pray that each of us will be village chiefs have welcomed the missionaries and faithful to intercede each day invited them back. As is the case in many cultures, for those who remain captive often the key to acceptance of the gospel message is to the strong man. Pray that the chief’s approval. So far none have made decisions God will answer our prayers for Christ, but they are hearing the good news, and and that unevangelized they are welcoming God’s messengers. people groups will be given an opportunity to hear the gospel and fl ee to the loving Pray that the Lord will bind the demonic spirits control- arms of Jesus Christ. ling the Pnong people. Pray for their deliverance and for a mighty movement of His Holy Spirit which will draw all Pnong people to Christ, resulting in the extension of His Kingdom.—JS

14 Day 10 Night Light Work in Cambodia Mark 3:34b

ixty percent of Here are my mother and foreign men S my brothers! Whoever does who visit Th ailand God’s will is my brother and participate in the sex industry, and sister and mother. 75 percent of Th ai It’s encouraging to know that men surveyed in whoever is doing God’s will a Harvard study Pray for prostitutes in Cambodia is in Christ’s family. For some, admitted they had been with a prostitute. Both Th ailand and Cambodia that might mean risking their have huge sex industries, enslaving millions of women lives rescuing prostitutes and children. Th ese prostituted people need to know from the clutches of evil men. they have value and worth. Some victims are sold into For others, that might mean prostitution; others feel they have no other means of praying for their release, so support, and even others have been raped and may feel that they can be free to serve that they have brought shame on their families. the Lord. AIDS and other diseases are rampant. Other related illnesses include acute anxiety, depression, insomnia, Pray that the Lord will show and emotional numbing. Coping mechanisms may you what your part is in His include alcohol and drug abuse, or even suicide. family. Pray that He will show the rescued former One organization trying to make a diff erence prostitutes in Cambodia His and combat this national disgrace is Nightlight, will for their lives. which is focused on “bringing light to women and children through physical and spiritual healing, and through economic development.” Its goals include providing employment, off ering opportunities for life transformation and re-entry into society, providing emergency relief and protecting children, and building public awareness of the issues of prostitution and human traffi cking. Th rough Nightlight, former victims are now involved in economic and vocational training projects.

Pray for Nightlight and other similar organizations to be successful in rescuing many victims and in exposing the evils of human traffi cking.—JS

15 Day 11 Ephesians 3:6 Thai People in Cambodia

n an August 2010 edition …the Gentiles are heirs of the Bangkok Post there together with Israel, I is a story of a man named members together of one Ling and his two friends body, and sharers together in who went hunting in the the promise in Christ Jesus. jungles near home and got arrested by the Cambodian It’s very common for the Thai Army. Th at shocked the men to believe that “to be Thai is to because they were Th ai and be Buddhist.” This attitude can CHINA thought they were still in exclude a Thai from having VIETNAM Th ailand. Ling had relatives LAOS complete devotion to Christ. Vientiene living near the town where MYANMAR In Ephesians 3:6, we hear God the jail was located. He THAILAND speak through Paul, and the hoped they would hear of CAMBODIA his arrest and do something message is very clear. Gentiles, to get them out of jail. including the Thai, can share Meanwhile, all the three men in the promises and love of could do was sit in their cell Christ. They will become one and wait for someone to come and help them. body with other believers. No one really knows how many ethnic Th ai live in Cambodia. Th at’s because the border between the two Pray that Thai people in countries is poorly defi ned, which is one of the reasons Thailand and Cambodia will for the sporadic skirmishes between Cambodian totally embrace Jesus Christ and Th ai forces last February. In the past the border so that they can share in His regions between Cambodia and Th ailand had been the promises. home base of some Communist guerilla groups, and land mines had kept many people out of this region. But now the guerilla groups have disbanded and the land mines have been removed. Accidental border crossings have become more common in recent years. Th e Th ai are a Buddhist people group. Th ere are very few followers of Christ among them.

Ask God to open the hearts of the Th ai in Cambodia to the true and living God who loves them. May this people group realize that Jesus Christ is the only real source of sal- vation. Ask God to break the hold that Buddhism has on the Th ai living in Cambodia.—WK

16 Day 12 Lao People in Cambodia Ecclesiastes 12:13

t used to be that “ Now all has been heard; we could see what I here is the conclusion of we feared,” said the old the matter: fear God and Lao farmer in northern Cambodia. He then keep His commandments, talked about the bad old for this is the whole duty days, when Communist of man. guerillas terrorized much After describing just about of Cambodia. Th e farmer everything that people strive continued, “Now the things we fear are things for as “meaningless,” the we can’t see.” He then writer ends Ecclesiastes with AMO the statement in 12:13. A A Lao girl talked about how life had changed. Th e children had healthy fear of God leading left the village to fi nd jobs in the city. “I’m wondering to obedience is crucial for who will work my land after I’m gone. Buddha seems all of mankind. By contrast, to have no answer.” the Lao peoples fear spirits Th e Lao are a Buddhist people group. Most live in that they cannot see, hear or Laos, located just north of Cambodia. Th e Lao also touch. They believe that such fear nature spirits and worship their ancestors. Th e spirits control their lives and Lao commonly abuse rice wine. Holidays such as New destinies, when in fact, it’s Year’s, which is celebrated in April, and Harvest are excuses to get drunk. Th e Buddhist wat, (temple) is God who holds the future. the center of village life for many Lao people living Pray that the Lao peoples in Cambodia. Th ere are very few who follow Christ will soon understand that among this people group. God holds their future, so that they will begin Ask God to raise up people willing to share the message of to fear Him, keep His salvation with the Lao living in Cambodia. Pray that commandments, and give missionaries will reach out to them with the love of Christ. Him their lives. Ask God to prepare the hearts of this people group to see Jesus Christ as the only true source of salvation. May God use dreams and visions to reveal Himself to the Lao people living in Cambodia.—WK

17 Day 13 Ephesians 2:13 Brao People of Cambodia

f a Brao man hunts a tiger in the forest, he cannot But now in Christ Jesus you walk directly from the forest to the river. Th at is who once were far away I taboo. He must return to his home before he goes to have been brought near the river. Th is is one small aspect of the Brao’s view through the blood of Christ. of the spirit world. Many taboos and customs dictate In this chapter, the apostle their lifestyle. Brao refers to several sub-sets of peoples in northeast Cambodia and southern Laos. Paul uses a number of terms Th eir slash-and-burn agriculture causes them to to describe the conditions of become semi-nomadic within this mountain region. those without Christ: dead, worldly, sons of disobedience, Brao history documents a long series of outside attempts to control and dominate them. Nearby children of wrath, separated countries, including the Lao and the Khmer, plus from Christ, excluded, strang- the French, all tried and failed. Th e Brao resisted all ers, people without hope and eff orts to be engulfed by someone else’s culture. without God. What a litany In 1992 missionary work began among the Brao. of pain and sorrow! We, who In the past 20 years an estimated 200 people have experience so much of God’s placed their faith in Jesus Christ. One team has goodness and grace, must translated about one third of the Bible into Brao. never forget that there are Will these missionary outsiders break the pattern? people groups in the world like Will the Holy Spirit soften their hearts so that they the Brao for whom this de- will allow the wonderful Lord to enter their lives? scription is absolutely accurate. Pray that the Holy Spirit will guide missionary workers Pray that the Lord will move among the Brao to respect their culture while introduc- students, churches, and ing them to Christ. Pray that the elders among the Brao mission agencies to unite in villages will open their hearts to the believers and to the bringing the good news to Holy Spirit’s work in their region.—GEC those who are far off like the Brao, so that these people groups can be brought near to the One who shed His blood to pay for their sin.

18 Day 14 Kravet Brao People Psalm 145:20

s I entered the Kravet village, I stepped through The Lord watches over all a tall square gate. Unattached, it could not repel A who love Him, but all the an attack. I saw no barrier to open or close. If my wicked He will destroy. guide had not mentioned it, I may not have noticed the two bamboo posts on either side of the path The Kravet people have looked attached with cross beams above and below. My guide to the spirits to defend their told me it is a spirit gate. Th e elders feel certain that villages in dangerous times. the spirit living in it protects them. During the war in nearby Vietnam and later during the rampages of They believe that the spirits the Khmer Rouge, their village went untouched. Th ey protected them during the believe the spirit in their gate protected them, so they wars that ravished Southeast remain devoted to that spirit. Th ey use a small patch Asia in the 60s and 70s. What of land nearby to sacrifi ce water buff alos to appease they don’t know is that there this spirit. is a wonderful God who loves Th is represents one part of the belief system of the them and wants to have a Kravet, a sub-section of the Brao people group. Th eir personal relationship with religion involves many taboos, as well as appeasement them. He is patient with for good and bad spirits. those who do not know of His goodness and mercy. But He Pray that missionaries can win the trust of Kravet village will also avenge the wicked. elders. Pray that the Holy Spirit will soften the hearts of Kravet elders and shamans so that they can see the holi- Will the Kravet people depend ness, righteousness, and sovereignty of Jesus. Pray that the on fallen spirits to defend them loving kindness of Christ will prove more attractive to the in the future, or will they look Kravet people than the power of village spirits.—GEC to the One who watches over those who love Him?

Pray that Kravet people will recognize the One who looks over His children, and fl ee from wickedness that separates them from Christ.

19 Day 15 Galatians 5:6 Western Cham People

mall, but strong and secure—that is how you For in Christ Jesus could describe the ancient Kingdom of Champa, neither circumcision nor S which existed in what is now the southern part of uncircumcision has any Vietnam. Th ough often at war, it fl ourished until value. The only thing that 1471, when the Vietnamese attacked from the north, counts is faith expressing eventually conquering Champa. Freemen, aristocrats itself through love. and many other Cham people fl ed to their west and The Cham people express their settled in Cambodia. Th is group is now known as the Western Cham people. devotion to Islam by following Arabic forms of worship and Th e Chams thrived until 1969 when war between obedience. For example, the government and the Communist Khmer Rouge began. In 1975, the Khmer Rouge emerged Cham Muslims who want to victorious. Th ey tried to eliminate religion, and truly understand the Qur’an, people who showed any religious inclination were their holy book, must study targeted for extermination, including the Muslim it in seventh century Arabic. Chams. Th eir population was decimated by the time By contrast, Paul stresses in the Khmer Rouge lost power in 1979. this passage that it is not our Originally the Cham people were Hindu, but in the cultural heritage that makes 15th century a Muslim trader convinced the king of us acceptable to God, but our Champa to embrace Islam. Th e king declared Islam heart response. Isn’t that good the offi cial religion for the whole country. Today news to non-Arab Muslims most Western Cham practice a basic form of Islam. In 1999 one believer in Christ was identifi ed, but by like the Chams? 2002 there were only two believers. Pray that soon there will be Cham fellowships fi lled with Pray the Lord will reveal Himself to the Western Cham grateful people who worship through visions and dreams. Th e JESUS Film and gospel the true and living God. recordings are available in the Western Cham language. Pray for these tools to be widely distributed in their com- munities. May the Lord lead missionaries to live and work among the Western Chams.—JWS

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‰ Please send a gift subscription of the Global Prayer Digest to: Name: Address: City/State/Zip: Phone: ? Day 16 Kraol People I Kings 8:27b

ambath, a small Kraol lad, woke up to the steady The heavens, even the sound of monsoon rains. Rubbing his eyes with S highest heaven, cannot the last ounce of sleep still lingering, he ambled to the contain You. How much less window. Th e sky was as gray as the ash from beneath the previous night’s embers and it presaged another this temple I have built! wet day. His parents had awoken at the fi rst fl ush of King Solomon understood dawn and were talking in hushed tones in the adjacent something that very few really room. Sambath tiptoed to the door for he wanted to understand. The one who hear what they were saying. created 300 sextillion stars “Th is monsoon is more unusual than any...” said his cannot be contained in a man- father before adding, “at least any monsoon I can made building, no matter how remember.” “Will the rice crop be destroyed?” asked his wife, alarm written all over her face. magnifi cent it looks to us! That same Creator can bring on Catching Sambath’s head through the corner of his monsoons, or drive them away eyes, he dodged that question, for he didn’t want to stoke any more fear in his family. Instead he asked as He sees fi t. Sambath, “Boy, shouldn’t you be getting ready for Pray that the Kraol people school?” Th e little boy came out shaking his head. will understand that they He muttered to his wife, “Oh, I forgot. Th e Khmer need to seek only the God teacher comes here only a few days in a month. With of Solomon, who cannot be an education like that, I worry that his life will be just contained by any temple. as hard as mine.” Besides physical hardships, most Kraol people of Cambodia don’t have the hope of salvation through Christ because they haven’t heard of Him yet.

Pray that Christ’s followers would soon take the mes- sage of hope for this life and life everlasting to the Kraol people.—EJD

25 Day 17 1 Kings 8:35 Krung People

s the sun set behind the tall towering mountains, When … there is no rain the birds noisily retreated to their nests and because your people have A people trudged homeward, their heads bent low and sinned against you, and their shoulders slumped. It had been yet another day when they pray toward of hoping for rain. this place and confess Your Name and turn from their “If the gods don’t water the plants, they will surely be sin… then hear from destroyed,” said a raspy voice. “We have been praying for and expecting rains for the past few weeks, I am heaven and forgive the sin very worried,” said another. “Could it be that the of your servants…. gods are punishing us for taking on the ways of the King Solomon’s prayer during Westerners?” added a wrinkled old man, every line the dedication of the Temple on his face a testament to the harsh life he had lived. is especially important for the Th is aging Krung man had taken so many hard knock all his life that he had stopped being hopeful. peoples of Cambodia who He looked upon everyone and every situation with live in a climate where there suspicion. His quiet life in the secluded mountains is either too much or too little had been brutally interrupted by the Khmer Rouge rain. The Krung people seek the who stormed into power in the 1970s. His wife forgiveness of spirits that have and two of his four sons were killed. He had barely no control over their lives, while escaped death. Th is scarred man looks upon every ignoring the One who controls foreigner as he would the Khmer Rouge. His heart was just about warming to the gentle White man the entire Universe! who spoke of such hope and freedom in Christ. Pray that the Krung people However, the recent dry spell which threatens his will soon realize that they crops has aroused the old adversaries of Christ: fear are seeking favor from the and distrust. wrong god. Pray that the Krung people of Cambodia will fi nd heal- ing in the message of a loving God that missionaries take to them.—EJD

26 Day 18 Kuy People 1 Corinthians 1:26-27

hewing his fi ngernails, David looked out at Brothers, think of what you the rice paddy. It was ripe for harvest, and he C were when you were called. wondered if that could be a fi tting description for the Not many of you were wise Kuy people of Cambodia whose lives were plagued by hardship and despondent hopelessness. Th e Kuy are by human standards; not looked down upon by the Khmer. Th e government does many were infl uential; not not provide them with proper health care, and their lack many were of noble birth. of clean drinking water leaves a lot to be desired. But God chose the foolish things of the world to Standing in the sun, David apprehensively shame the wise. remembered how he had invited a room full of eager young believers to go on a mission trip to the The Corinthian church was Kuy people. Th e next few weeks were a hazy blur of not a “beautiful people” feverish preparation. On the day of their departure church. But Paul explained he had announced, “For the next few days we will be that God had chosen them to tutoring the Kuy children. Hopefully that will give us a chance to meet the adults.” “Four days have already reveal the folly and weakness passed since we arrived,” sighed David. of the wise and strong of this world. In today’s world, Suddenly, a cheery voice interrupted his train of fretful thoughts. David turned to see where the voice came there are hundreds of people from. Out of the blinding sunlight emerged a little old groups like the Kuys who man. Shading his eyes with his hands, David walked are considered by others up to the man whose beaming smile showed his beetle as inferior. But God has a nut stained teeth. purpose for each individual “My granddaughter has been telling me about the and people group. good work that you are doing,” wheezed the old man. “Could you teach us as well?” Pray that God will soon bring Kuy people to the Throne Pray that God would raise committed long-term workers of Grace and use them to who will share the message of Christ with the Kuy people “shame” those who think in a way that they can readily understand.—EJD of themselves as wise by introducing them to the only wise God.

27 Day 19 1 Timothy 2:5-6b The Mel People, A Pearic Tribe

he Khmer businessman looked the cow over For there is one God and one carefully. After deeming it worthy of his mediator between God and T investment, he asked the tribesman how much he mankind, the man Christ wanted for the animal. Th e tribesman stared blankly Jesus, who gave Himself as a at him before turning to the Mel man standing ransom for all people. beside him. Th e Mel translated the question, listened There is only one mediator to the answer, and then told the businessman the price. At that point the bargaining began in earnest. between God and mankind, Th e Mel man acted as a go-between until they came the man Jesus Christ. He is to an agreement. calling many of His followers Th is is precisely where the Mel people fi nd to introduce the lost to the themselves today: in between two cultures. Even as mediator! The Mel, the Kroal, the 3000 people in this group are being assimilated the T’moan, and other Pearic into Khmer society, they continue to act as tribes still need to meet this representatives for the more remote Pearic tribes mediator. But someone needs such as the Kroal and T’moan, helping them to buy to be willing to go. and sell livestock and goods. Although historically animistic, the Mel have Pray for willing vessels to go now adopted Buddhism, as their lives have been and introduce the Mel tribe increasingly impacted by modern culture. Perhaps, to Jesus, the only mediator if the Mel could hear about Jesus, they would turn between God and man. their lives over to Him. Th ey could continue to act as mediators between the more remote animistic Pearic tribes of Cambodia and the Buddhist Khmer peoples; and, perhaps, they could be the key to drawing members of both peoples into a relationship with Christ.

Pray for the salvation of members of this small, but stra- tegically located tribe. Ask the Lord to use them to bring reconciliation between the people groups of Cambodia and their Creator.—CL

28 Day 20 Tampuan People 2 Corinthians 4:4

e will need to see Lom if this keeps up,” “ The god of this age has Maly told her brother as she watched the W blinded the minds of torrential rain. Her brother nodded, then went back to unbelievers, so that they playing his fl ute. He stopped in the middle of his song when thunder echoed outside the hut. He abruptly cannot see the light of the stood up and said, “Let’s get Lom to speak to the gospel that displays the spirits for us.” glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Like most animists, the Tampuan people live in constant fear of the spirit world. Th ey believe spirits For thousands of years inhabit all things and must be appeased through peoples like the Tampuans spirit mediums and animal sacrifi ces. If fl oods come, have looked to spirits that they assume the spirits of the sky and rain are angry. are in rebellion against the In response, they consult a medium who, for a price, Creator. If they could see more beats his or her drum, goes into a trance, and is possessed by the spirits in question. Th e medium clearly, they would realize will sacrifi ce livestock to convince the spirit to stop that the only spirit worthy of plaguing them with trouble. their devotion is the One who As one old Cambodian saying describes it, “Th e Chinese created them and all they chase the Khmer. Th e Khmer chase the tribal people. see around them. But they Th e tribal people chase the spirits. And the spirits live cannot think clearly on such in the mountains.” Imagine, thinking that you are matters until the Holy Spirit being chased by the spirits of the mountains. Th at is intervenes. the terrifying situation in which the Tampuan fi nd themselves. Most of them have no hope or future because Pray for the Holy Spirit to they have no knowledge of the God that loves them. intervene in the spiritual lives of the Tampuan people Pray for workers to go to the Tampuan and provide them so that they can see the light with the good news that they can be set free from the bond- of the gospel. age to spirits, forgiven of their sins, and become part of the family of the One who created them.—CL

29 Day 21 Philippians 4:19 Eastern Pear People

he Eastern Pear people are indigenous to a And my God will meet all mountainous area wracked by civil war as your needs according to His T recently as 13 years ago. Th ey are still struggling with glorious riches in Christ Jesus. other peoples regarding individual and communal Peoples like Cambodia’s Pearic land titles because many of the Pearic groups fl ed tribes typically seek the spirit their homes in order to save their lives during the civil unrest. When they returned to their lands later, world to meet their physical they found others living on it. Now many live outside needs. They are blinded to their their traditional districts. spiritual needs and the tragic Th eir languages and culture diff er from those of eternal results from neglecting other Cambodians. Some live in Th ailand. Wherever to seek and fi nd their true possible, their economy is based on rice farming. Provider and Redeemer. For hundreds of years they have been collecting and selling cardamom and ginger. Th ey share a number As we pray for God to meet of these traits with tomorrow’s people group, as well the physical needs of the as other Pearic tribes. Eastern Pear people, pray that He will use His children Th e Eastern Pear have managed to survive because to meet their spiritual needs of their willingness to move and change as the need as well. arises. Th e Khmer peoples have dominated them since the Angkor Kingdom in the 13th century A.D. Th rough the centuries they have become more and more like the Khmer peoples. Like the Khmer, they are an animistic Buddhist people who appease forest spirits to insure a good harvest of the ginger they collect in the mountains. As far as we know, there are no followers of Christ among this little known unreached people group.

Pray for a peaceful and just resolution to land title issues and the establishment of viable land tenure systems. Pray for Cambodian believers to evangelize the Pearic peoples. Pray for the Eastern Pear to soon have their own Bible and gospel recordings.—TP

30 Day 22 Sa’och People 2 Corinthians 10:14-16

he Pearic tribes are similar, so how do you keep For we did get as far as from saying the same thing about each one? T you with the gospel of Th e Sa’och people look almost Negroid, setting them Christ…. Our hope is that, apart from the others. Th e Khmer peoples look down on them because of their Negroid features. Th eir as your faith continues to original economy was based on the sale of cardamom grow, our area of activity and ginger collected in the mountains. Th at is now among you will greatly supplemented with monsoonal rice farming. expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the Th e Sa’och people scattered during the Khmer Rouge regions beyond you. years. When Khmer Rouge rule ended in 1979, they returned home to fi nd that others had taken their Was the apostle Paul too lands. Th ey never managed to get their ancestral lands proud to preach the gospel back. Today the Sa’ochs show little or no interest in where it had already been preserving either their language or culture. Th ey are proclaimed? No, that was not being assimilated into Khmer society, and almost all speak Khmer in lieu of their Pearic language. Th ey are the issue. He simply wanted fast forgetting their folklore, language, and animistic to make the best use of his beliefs, although they still fear mountain spirits. life and spend his energies in Ironically, it is Westerners, not the Sa’och people, who planting churches where they seek to preserve their language. Th ese circumstances had not yet been established. may actually open them up to the gospel. Pray that the Father will Pray that the changes that this people group has experi- keep us from complacency enced will lead them to faith in Jesus. Pray that they will and satisfaction with fi nd their identity in Him. Pray for a concerted eff ort on what has already been the part of God’s people to reach the Sa’och with the good accomplished in world news that Jesus is more powerful than the spirits they seek evangelization. Pray that He to appease.—TP will lead us to pray for, send missionaries to, and go to the regions beyond.

31 Day 23 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 Somray People

ima, a young Somray woman, held her God… through us spreads throbbing head as she stumbled to the everywhere the fragrance N witchdoctor’s one-room leaf house. She would have of the knowledge of Him. to sacrifi ce to the powerful and now angry spirit, For we are to God the Neak Ta. She reminded herself that next time she aroma of Christ among must be more careful about following Neak Ta’s those who are being “rules” when collecting cardamom in the forest. She saved and those who are couldn’t aff ord to get lazy, and risk his wrath. She perishing. To the one… had to collect the precious spice to support her death; to the other… life. impoverished family, while her husband practiced subsistence rice farming. Perhaps if she worshiped Note the two facts Neak Ta better, she thought, he might hold back his especially relevant to the rage against her extended family. frontier mission movement: Th is woman’s Somray tribe is one of the poorest missionaries bring the in the world. Th ey are scattered in tiny pockets in fragrant gospel of Jesus Christ, Cambodia and Th ailand. Looked down upon by the and that message brings both Khmer majority, the Somrays live in small, remote, life…and death! As workers isolated villages that are found in heavily forested fan out around the world into areas west of the Mekong River. Th e 4300-member every unreached people group, tribe remains in tremendous need. Th ey are without a sweet spiritual fragrance is education, health care, a Bible, a church, and anyone who can tell them the good news. released! Many people will be attracted to the marvelous, Pray that the Lord will reveal Himself to the Somray in compelling gospel, and will such a way that they will know that He is loving, righ- embrace new life. But to those teous, and all-powerful. Th e true God is far diff erent who reject the message, there from the evil spirits that torment them. Pray that spirit will be death. beings like Neak Ta will be discredited in the minds of the Somray people.—LMR Pray that the Somray people will reject the stench and decay of death in the spirit world, and embrace the aroma of life given to those who follow Christ.

32 Day 24 Suoy People Malachi 1:11

he Suoy youth had just fi nished their day’s work My name will be great collecting bananas and resin from the jungle T among the nations, from to supplement their family’s struggling rice farm. the rising to the setting Th ey discussed how tomorrow they would patrol the community’s property to guard it against illegal of the sun. In every place logging. Land-grabbing scams from agribusiness, incense and pure off erings illegal logging, and climate change are threatening the will be brought to my Name, Suoy’s way of life. “We are some of the poorest people because my Name will be in the world, and now we’re going to be poorer still,” great among the nations. these subsistence farmers bemoan. Imagine what it must be like Th e Suoy people are among the most poor and to spend your life appeasing despised people in Cambodia. With only 1,000 Suoy a fear-driven spirit world like people remaining in the world, their culture is dying. the Suoy people do. Wouldn’t Considered outsiders, they are ethnically distinct from the Khmer majority. Th eir youth strive to assimilate into you like nothing better than Khmer society, speaking Khmer and dressing Western. to give your devotion to a God who’s Name is great among Unfortunately, access to Western clothes does not bring access to a saving knowledge of God. Without all nations? He is also loving Scripture, a church, or workers to tell them, they put and gentle to those who are their hope in an animistic, fear-driven spirit world. part of His family. Th e Suoys sacrifi ce off erings to appease the powerful spirits, for only a handful of them know about the Pray that the Suoy people loving, omnipotent God who created them. will soon understand that the gods they worship only Pray that our Loving God will give the Suoy people true stand in the way of them fi nding the True and Living hope that comes only from Jesus. Pray that He will conquer God whose Name is great the spiritual darkness that convinces them they are poor among every nation. and despised. Pray that He will give them dreams, visions, and a longing to know Him so they will be ready when someone comes to tell them the good news about the true and living God.—LMR

33 Day 25 Philippians 1:21 Mainland Chinese People in Cambodia

e’re off !” Baojia said For to me, to live is Christ “ to his friend in his and to die is gain. W native Mandarin, as their What a testimony, what an plane lifted off from Phnom inspiration! The apostle Paul Penh’s runway. “We will soon be back in China to celebrate may have been thinking of the [Chinese] New Year with Jesus’ words, “The Son of our families!” Man came… to minister and Baojia is one of perhaps 30,000 to give His life a ransom for Mainland Chinese expatriates many.” In a way, a pioneer A Mainland Chinese living in Cambodia. With businessman in Cambodia missionary gives his life as China’s doors opening wider a ransom for the people to the outside world, more Chinese mainlanders cross to whom he is sent. His borders seeking higher salaries and better living conditions ambition is to bring the good wherever they can fi nd it. Th ey don’t come as immigrants, however. Th ose who go to Cambodia usually stay only news so that people, yet in a couple of years. Most come as businessmen, garment darkness, can experience factory workers, or Chinese language teachers. God’s salvation. What is More modern thinking and technologically adept than your ambition? What is the other ethnic Chinese people groups in Cambodia, surpassing goal of your life? Is these expatriates see themselves as higher class than it the same as Christ’s, or are their countrymen. Lacking close relationships with you focused on lesser things? other Chinese groups or Khmers, Mainland Chinese keep to themselves. Much of their free time is spent at Pray that Jesus will give us health clubs, coff ee shops, bars, and shopping malls. a new vision of Himself in Some practice ancestor worship, spirit veneration, and all His beauty and holiness. Buddhism. But the “modern god” of most is success Pray that He will fi ll us with and wealth. Materialism and atheism dominate their a passion for His glory in all worldview. Being apart from family and friends, the earth. however, allows them to be more open to new ideas about faith and religion, making them potentially more receptive to the gospel.

Pray that Chinese believers will connect with this people group eff ectively, and that they will see Jesus as a true friend and fi nd their true wealth in Him. Pray that a church-planting movement will be sparked among this im- portant people group.—CN

34 Day 26 Cantonese Speakers in Cambodia Philippians 4:15

’ll bet $100 it’s going to “ Not one church shared with rain today!” Chun-Kit I me in the matter of giving and said in his native Cantonese. receiving, except you only. “I’ll bet $200,” Jok-Yu replied. “It’s not going to Money and other resources rain,” Ka-Ho chimed in. that we “have” actually are “I’ll put up $500 to show on loan from the Lord. He you both how sure I am.” gives everyone, believer and Th e Cantonese love to unbeliever, the ability to gamble as much or more A Cantonese man produce wealth. Some fritter it than other ethnic groups in Cambodia. It’s not uncommon for elderly Cantonese away with frivolous gambling, men to loll away their mornings in coff ee shops betting like the Cantonese people we on the rain. Bets often soar into the hundreds of dollars. read about today. Though this It is also not uncommon to fi nd a wall in Cantonese is an obvious example of the homes covered with altars to an array of gods, misuse of God’s resources, can endowed with food sacrifi ces and burning incense. you think of any way that you It is out of fear, however, not devotion, that the are misusing the resources He Cantonese serve these gods. Not to do so invites has entrusted to you? disaster—poverty, sickness, and bad luck. Th eir real god is that of wealth. Pray that you and your congregation will be lead to Th e Cantonese make up about 10 percent of the use the wealth we “have” Chinese population in Cambodia. Most reside in in a way that is pleasing to Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital and largest city. the Lord. Most are mechanics, appliance repairmen, craftsmen, and carpenters. Th ey’re hard workers, struggling to make ends meet. Th ey rarely take time off from their jobs, except for the Chinese New Year when most take three to four days off to celebrate.

Ask God to break down spiritual strongholds among the Cantonese, and remove their focus on gaining wealth, a barrier that keeps them from responding to the good news of Jesus. Pray that they will put their trust in Him for their real satisfaction.—CN

35 Day 27 Galatians 4:7, 8 Hainanese People in Cambodia

hey purposely cut So you are no longer “ their tongues?” a slave, but a son…. T asked someone in the Formerly, when you did not congregation. know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are “Yes,” the visiting speaker not gods. answered, “Th e Hainanese people worship a territorial Many argue against spirit called Bentougong. Th eir worship ceremonies missionary work today by A Hainanese woman pointing out that it can cause involve spirit possession and tongue cutting. After slicing their tongues, they lives to be disrupted by lick pieces of paper that have a symbol of fortune changing their religion. Paul or blessing. Th ey then hang this amulet above the rightly argued that bringing door of their homes or in their shops. Th ey believe the good news of the gospel that Bentougong will then bless their families and changes lives. It liberates men businesses with good luck and prosperity.” and women from cruel slavery Th e Hainanese migrated to Cambodia more than to gods that are not gods. 500 years ago from one of China’s southern islands. Modern believers often do not Th ey settled in Kampot Province on the Cambodian realize the torturing fear of coast. Originally they came as farmers, establishing large pepper plantations. Later, they focused their spirits that many peoples like attention on salt production. the Hainanese feel. Only Christ Today many Hainanese people still live in Kampot can deliver them from this Province. One can fi nd a large number of them in fear. Only He can set them free Phnom Penh. Th ey work hard, rarely taking time off to worship and serve the living from work. Th ey have distinguished themselves as and true God. experts in the food catering business. Many manage coff ee shops, Chinese noodle houses, and other Pray that the Lord will help businesses in the food industry. Parents encourage us to see the people groups their children to study hard in school. With much of of this world with His eyes! their time spent in school or at work, the Hainanese have little time for entertainment or socializing.

Pray for believers in Cambodia to make friends with Hainanese people. Pray that God will break their bond- age to the territorial spirit, Bentougong. Pray that the Hainanese will accept Jesus, their true God, and rely on the Holy Spirit for their blessing and prosperity.—CN 36 Day 28 Hakka Chinese People of Cambodia Colossians 1:5-6

ou have had the gospel for upwards of 1800 “ ...the gospel... has come to years; we have had it for only eight days.… You Y you. All over the world this must therefore bear with us for the present, and we gospel is producing fruit will gradually improve. We are determined to uproot idolatry and plant Christianity in its place.” and growing. So said the Hakka leader Chung Wang, in the 1800s What a thrill to know that the as he implored missionaries to have patience with his gospel continues to bear fruit people. At that time there were nearly 500,000 Hakka throughout the world! What Chinese in Cambodia. Because of past wars and a confi rmation that the power migration, there are only about 28,000 of these people of the gospel does not lie in in Cambodia today. Th ough there are Hakka believers human ingenuity! Today one of elsewhere, less than one percent of those living in Cambodia follow Christ. Th e rest are non-religious or the greatest forces in spreading practice Chinese folk religions. the gospel is the wave of developing world missionaries Characteristically, the Hakkas have been folk dentists, shoemakers or Chinese medicine merchants. Today who are crossing cultural many Hakka families have started the popular noodle barriers to proclaim Christ. shops that line city streets in Cambodia. Hakka Their testimony, added to that noodles, or Hakka Mee, are yellow noodles topped of their Western colleagues, by minced chicken or pork and condiments. Hakka is producing fruit in people food is so delicious there are now Hakka Chinese group after people group. restaurants dotting the West. Pray that Asian missionaries Pray that the hearts and minds of the Hakka people in will overcome any diffi culties Cambodia will be opened to the good news of Jesus. Pray that they may face in that the Bible translation they already have will be widely moving out and sharing distributed and accepted. Pray that the business-minded Christ with peoples who Hakka will recognize that they have the chance to glorify have never heard the gospel. their Creator by dedicating their lives and their shops to the ways of Jesus Christ.—PE

37 Day 29 Ephesians 1:3 Hokkien Chinese People in Cambodia

hile 90-95 percent Praise be to … God, who of the Cambodian has blessed us … with W people are ethnically every spiritual blessing. Khmer, the remaining How grateful we are for the percentage is mostly from blessings the apostle details Chinese people groups. Th e Hokkien are among in this passage! Have we ever these minorities. Th ere are considered why God has only about 5,000 Hokkien blessed us? The immediate A Hokkien woman living in Cambodia today context suggests that we are because most of them blessed so others will praise have integrated into the Khmer society, and tens of His glory (vs. 6, 12, 14). But thousands of them were wiped out in the 1970s by what does that mean in our war. Th e fact that the Hokkien valued education and lives? God’s original covenant sought good jobs was a key reason that they were one of the most decimated of the ethnic groups when the with Abraham promised him Khmer Rouge sought to exterminate the ruling class. blessings, and those blessings Th e Khmer Rouge felt that they were too “Western.” were to be regarded as What little religion they practice today is mainly resources to carry out a mission a blend of Buddhism and folk religion, including to bless all the families of the demon and ancestor worship. Sadly, they are bound earth (Zech. 14:17). Blessings by a constant series of actions that they feel they must are not for us alone, but to take in order to protect themselves and appease these equip us to carry the good hostile forces. Fear permeates many of their lives. news of Jesus Christ to those who have never heard. Pray that these economically privileged, but spiritually impoverished people will be loosed from the spirits that Pray that the Father will bind them. Pray that the veil might be lifted from their make us a blessing to those eyes, and that they will comprehend the love and abun- we pray for like the Hokkien dant life that is off ered them through Jesus Christ. Pray Chinese people in Cambodia. that the Lord will call workers to boldly, yet sensitively, present the gospel of Jesus Christ to them. Pray that their eyes will see, their ears will hear, and their hearts will follow the Lord God who loves them.—PE

38 Day 30 Teochiu Chinese People in Cambodia Ephesians 6:12

ei peeked around For our struggle is not the corner into the W against fl esh and blood, kitchen and saw that his but against the rulers, grandmother was sweeping the fl oor, so he sat in against the authorities, front of the god-wall and against the powers of this quickly scooped some of dark world and against the the steaming rice from the spiritual forces of evil in the off ering bowl into his mouth. heavenly realms. A Teochiu woman “Aaaaaayeeeee!” We fool ourselves if we think Grandmother Ming Yue came running, swinging her world evangelization is simply a broom at the nine-year-old. “Th at is an off ering for task requiring more eff ort. The the gods! You cannot eat it.” “Which god?” Wei asked, proclamation of God’s Kingdom quickly replacing the bowl. “Th e whole wall is covered with them.” is a frontal attack on rebel- controlled territory that will And so it is. Th e Teochiu Chinese people are very meet Satan’s fi ercest resistance superstitious and have entire walls covered in altars to various gods. Th eir biggest fear is lack of monetary and opposition. The battle prosperity. Money is actually the main idol in the is essentially spiritual. If you home. Th e Teochiu people serve their gods out of fear, intend to involve yourself in the not out of love or devotion. battle—as a sender, mobilizer, missionary or as a faithful Pray that the 180,000 Teochiu Chinese living in intercessor—be prepared for Cambodia will soon be presented with the Word of the One attacks greater than you’ve ever True God and be freed from a life of fear and idolatry. experienced before. Th ey are the only Chinese people group living in Cambodia that actually has a church, although the number of believ- Pray that the Lord will give us ers are thought to be less than 100. Pray that these believers wisdom and protection as we will grow strong in the faith. Pray that they will be pro- enter into the spiritual confl ict. tected and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, and that the light of their faith will shine brighter and brighter until their people have seen the glory of the living Christ.—PE

39 New Books! fromfrom William Carey Library

Suff ering: Christian Refl ections on the Buddhist Dukkha

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What is dukkha? In Buddhism this word encompasses the concepts of disease, unsteadiness, sorrow, and lack of inner calm. In English it is usually translated simply as “suff ering”. However it is defi ned, dukkha is central to understanding Buddhism. Th is is a collection of articles by global Christ followers for those who want to delve deeper into one important aspect of Buddhist worldview. It is written for the practitioner privileged to live and serve in the Buddhist context, and for the Buddhist seeking to understand the Christian perspective on existence in today’s world where suff ering is our ever-present reality.

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40 t continued from page 4 Cambodia: Moving Beyond the Killing Fields and continual warfare with the Th ai until succumbing to French colonial rule in the late 1800s. However, in 1953, the French installed Norodom Sihanouk as king, who led Cambodia peacefully to independence. King Sihanouk was the country’s leader for 17 years before being ousted in a coup d’état led by General Lon Nol. In 1970, following the coup, Cambodia quickly descended into civil war.… During the early part of the civil war (1970-75), Sihanouk entered into an alliance with the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot. Th e Khmer Rouge was a small guerrilla force, but it grew into a large army in just a few weeks. On April 17, 1975, Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge, and a new phase of Cambodian history was ushered in. Th e objective of the Khmer Rouge was to introduce a pure Maoist agrarian society. To “purify” the people they executed all military and public service personnel, the educated, intellectuals, those believed to be loyal to the old government, professional workers, and religious leaders. A conservative estimate of deaths as a direct result of Khmer Rouge actions is slightly over one million, about one in every seven Khmer. Khmer Rouge forces boldly began fi ghting with neighboring Vietnam. Responding to these armed incursions, Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1978 and installed a new government, forcing the Khmer Rouge to fl ee to the jungles along the Th ai border. From the border regions, the Khmer Rouge conducted a guerrilla war against the government throughout the late 1970s and 80s. Following the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia, individuals who had fl ed to Th ai- land to save their lives from the Khmer Rouge staggered back to their homeland or made haste to refugee camps along the Th ai-Cambodian border. Th is mass migra- tion left the rice harvest unattended. Famine swept across the country in 1979-80. Vietnam helped Cambodia in the diffi cult task of rebuilding the country. For a 10-year period Vietnam led Cambodia to institute various reforms. Th ese reforms reestablished Khmer institutions and paved the way for a pattern of future reforms. In 1990, Cambodia’s fi ghting parties agreed to form a legitimate authority that could aid Cambodia in forming a new government. In May, 1993, the United Nations-administered elections led to a new constitution and the reinstatement of Sihanouk as king. Th e result of the 1993 election was an uneasy coalition, and the unifi ed government fell apart violently in July, 1997. Following two shaky decades and the decimation of the culture, infrastructure, social structure, and government, a new reconstruction has begun.

41 Cambodia: Moving Beyond the Killing Fields

Pray for Cambodia’s Challenges Today Poverty—Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world. Over one- third of the country lives on less than 45 cents a day. Cambodia’s average income is rising, but still well behind other nations in the region. Part of the problem is that the country’s policies and history of instability do not foster trust among businesses and foreign investment. Health Care—Unsanitary conditions and malnutrition contribute to the poor health of Cambodians. Most children are severely under weight and height. According to a survey authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO), 75 percent of adult Cambodians who lived through the Khmer Rouge era suff er from extreme stress or post-traumatic stress disorder. Chil- dren of that generation do not fare much better. Families—Families are fractured in Cambodia. It is not uncommon to fi nd families without fathers. Mothers tell familiar stories that their husbands left them for another wife in another village. Gambling and domestic violence often plague families. Drugs—Cambodia faces narcotics-related corruption. Cambodia is vulnera- ble to money laundering due to its cash-based economy and porous borders. Many young Cambodians turn to street drugs to deal with stress. Human Traffi cking—Women and children are often traffi cked to Th ailand and Malaysia for forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation. Men are often sent to Th ailand for labor exploitation in the construction and fi shing industries. Education—Only 37 percent of Cambodia’s adult population is function- ally literate. Religious Freedom—Buddhism is the national religion of Cambodia. Khmer are not forbidden to convert to other religions; however, at a local level, social pressures are an obstacle to conversion. In some rural settings, villagers blame Christians for bad luck and unfavorable weather conditions. Families often feel rejected when a family member becomes a believer. Pray for the Church in Cambodia Th e fi rst Christian contact with Cambodia was made by Portuguese Domini- cans in 1555. Th e fi rst Evangelical missionaries didn’t arrive until 1923 when two Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) families were able to enter the country. Response to the gospel was slow, although by 1935 there were Chris-

4242 Cambodia: Moving Beyond the Killing Fields tians ministering in 11 of Cambodia’s 14 provinces. However, new believers were often persecuted. In his book, Killing Fields, Living Fields, Don Cormack writes, “To be a Christian in Cambodian society was to be a social pariah, misunder- stood, and ill-treated, a convenient scapegoat for blame and abuse.” … Th e church has grown signifi cantly in the last 15 years. From a small rem- nant that survived the Khmer Rouge genocide, it is now estimated by Opera- tion World that there are approximately 471,000 believers, almost three per- cent of the population. Th e church is young and enthusiastic with a natural fl are for evangelism. Although written resources are scarce, there is a wealth of indigenous songs and hymns of worship. –Such rapid growth presents challenges in the areas of discipleship and lead- ership. Th e quantity may be increasing, but quality and depth still seem to be lacking. Many of those who profess faith in Christ seem to fall away at the fi rst sign of diffi culty. Pray for lifelong commitment to Christ. Although the church in Cambodia is growing, the challenge of reaching the unreached remains. Most of Cambodia’s cities, towns, and district centers now have a church. But the rural areas where most of the people live still have little Christian witness. Th ere are signifi cant Christian populations among a few of Cambodia’s tribal people such as the Jarai; but many of the other people groups have few or no believers. Pray for a complete harvest among each of Cambodia’s ethnic groups. Pray that the reached tribes will send out workers to those that remain without the gospel. –Th e presence of foreign missions and the funds they bring with them has led to its own set of problems. Inappropriate use of foreign funding has left many churches dependent on outside help, slowing down the move towards self-suf- fi ciency and self-governance. Disunity, fragmentation and competitiveness for these funds continue to aff ect the church. Th ere are current attempts to unite under umbrella groups such as the Evangelical Fellowship of Cambodia. Pray for further strides towards unity. Pray for the Holy Spirit to direct mission eff orts to use funds to extend the Kingdom of God rather than for denominational goals. Pray that the church in Cambodia will unite under the banner of Christ and spread His Kingdom.GPD

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