Arrived at last

It was really exciting to arrive, after three hours drive, at the border crossing, with its massive decorative arch declaring 'Kingdom of Cambodia'.
The border itself was fascinating in many different ways. Our rather smart and clean minibus suddenly turned into a side street, clogged with traffic, parked in the middle of the road and, with careful and precise organization, a wooden handcart appeared on which all our luggage was loaded, and pulled, by human muscle, over to the other side of the border to meet us there. It was a collision of cultures, and a meeting of modern technology with the old-fashioned way of doing things.

On the Thai side of the border was a massive market, run, as we understand it, almost entirely by Cambodians. It is a way of selling Cambodian wares to the rather wealthier Thai people, and highlighted what we were later to realize is a great problem: that sometimes Cambodians can be attracted to Thailand to make some money, but also that this juxtaposition of nations and cultures can be the potent mix which produces child trafficking: where children become beggars, labourers and even prostitutes, and are sometimes even sold into slavery by poor parents. The Cambodia Hope Organization has as one of its main aims the rescuing of children from this environment, and the enabling of such children to be educated and given skills which will allow them to find a better way in life.

The other stark reality on the Cambodian side of the border is the large number of Casinos. Gambling is forbidden in Thailand, but encouraged and even trumpeted in Cambodia, and clearly a massive money-maker, and no doubt people-destroyer, in and around the border. We didn’t venture inside any of the casinos!

At the border we were met by Chomno, the man who stepped out in faith to found the Cambodia Hope Organization early this century. It has only been going for a few years, but is amazing. When I met Chomno, I knew I was meeting a ‘level five leader’ - a person who is at the very highest level of leadership. Level five leaders have one characteristic in common above all others- humility. And Chomno has bags of humility. He knows that it is the Lord who has done this work through prayer, and not human effort. When I get home I’ll put up a wee video in which I interview him on this subject. But Chomno has such skills of leadership, utter determination, and ability to seek out and deploy other leaders that the most amazing things have taken place to the glory of God.

To give you a taster, we saw today just briefly: the school for 6-13 year olds; the sewing project; the brick-making project; the farm and horticultural project (some of which had been supported by the Church of Ireland Bishops’ Appeal), the café, the income from which is ploughed back into womens’ projects, and the fish farm (Sadly some of the fish were washed away in the rainy season).

I have to give a word at prayers tomorrow, and the words which sum this place up for me so far are these, from the Letter of James:

‘Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But someone will say: ‘You have faith and I have works’. Show me you faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith...…For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead.’

I think I’ll speak on that.

I’ve also a few thoughts about church-planting rumbling around, as I observe how they do it here. Will tell you more later, but it’s a model pretty close to that of Jesus!