News & stories Darkness and light in Cambodia Members of the 05 - 06 Cambodia YES team: Anna Showalter, Julia Mickley, Derek Schwartz, Laurie Keener (team leader) & Justin Eberly During the recent Chinese New Year, Laurie Keener and Anna Showalter from the Cambodia YES team went to visit the home of three of their Cambodian friends. They say, “We had a great time but we also experienced a little of the darker side of Cambodia. Our friend Rotha’s family is Buddhist and faithfully practiced the New Year’s ceremonies. They had numerous altars throughout the house and had prepared a very special meal to be sacrificed. The smell of incense filled the air. We watched as the family threw paper representing gold, silver, and food into a small fire. They were asking the spirits to give them success in their work. “In the evening we went on an outing to the river. As we were pulling our boat to shore, we noticed three women crying in the boat beside us. They were holding another woman who had been stabbed in the chest. The tool was still deeply embedded. Our Khmer friends immediately tried to find medical help. Crowds started to swarm. Rotha grabbed us, and we knelt by the woman, laid hands on her and prayed. Chaos swirled around us, but we continued praying. Eventually a van came and took the woman to a hospital. We’ll never forget the look of despair in people’s eyes. We wished Jesus would have been there to calm all fears and give true hope. Then we realized that he was there – through us, his followers. “The next day we visited a house that had a sick man in it. To get there we had to walk through the main room where ten Buddhist monks were performing a healing ceremony. All his family and friends were there to participate. There was lots of chanting and incense. We found the sick man lying in a hammock. We circled around and prayed for his healing and salvation. As we were praying in the name of Jesus, the monks in the next room continued their Buddhist rituals. We prayed not only for the man, but for the whole household. Our Khmer Christian friends spoke softly to the man – sharing about Jesus. When they finished, Rotha was in tears. She explained that the man had chosen to believe in Jesus. God was victorious even in the midst of great darkness. But why should we be surprised or amazed. Isn’t that what he promises? “We come away from these experiences and others with a greater awareness of the dark and hopeless state of this world. But above that we have a great awareness that God is victorious in it all.” Pray that those who minister in Cambodia would clearly shine the light of Jesus in the midst of darkness and suffering.