Cambodia Mission Trip
Daniel Perea
February 11, 2005

First I would just like to thank you for your support of me during this trip.  Many times during my trip to Cambodia I was sustained not by the rice I was eating, but by your very prayers.  This time was used to stretch my view of Jesus and His body, the Church. 

Throughout the trip I had the opportunity to spend time with missionaries and native Christians.  Through them I saw things that are frankly shocking to most western Christians: families living in the city dumps; four-month-old orphans dying of AIDS/HIV; 14-year-old girls sold into sexual slavery by their families; men, women and children maimed by landmines.  Everyday I saw the effects of genocide on families and culture.  I saw the open graves and prison cells of some of the 1.3 million killed by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970’s.  Walking along a path in the killing fields, I stubbed my foot on the remains of a person killed some 24 years ago.

Everywhere I turned it seemed hopeless.  But repeatedly, in spite of everything wrong, there was Hope.  Not a worldly hope that is found in man’s abilities to fix things, but a Heavenly hope found in the person of Jesus Christ.  One example of this hope was found at John Castledine’s place.  After several successful years of ministry at a large church in Australia, John knew God had called him and his wife to Cambodia in order to spread the Gospel.  They spent almost a year sleeping on the street before Jesus provided a building and a home to work out of. As a result of that obedience, John feeds 1500 children every Sunday.  I saw hope in the face of the people who were fed every Sunday.

People sacrificed much to extend the hands and feet of Jesus to their countrymen.  Some of them have suffered greatly at the hands of those they are trying to reach.  They show through their lives that they count as loss the things of this world when compared to the unsurpassed riches of Christ.