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A quiet miracle in Cambodia – 16 May 2009

I was in Cambodia in February and witnessed the quiet miracle that is taking place. Hidden from the gaze of the world, small vibrant churches are springing up.

During the genocide, almost 2 million people were killed, the country was devastated and the tiny handful of Christians in this Buddhist country were almost wiped out. But now, less than 30 years later, there are an estimated 270,000 Christians (two per cent of the population) and the country is beginning to develop.

I spent a week visiting church leaders and our Christian partners to find out how this miraculous transformation had come about.

“The village of Pun Lu is extremely poor but things are changing now because of these Christians” the village chief, Eng Keng, a Buddhist, explained to me. “At first we were very suspicious of people in our village who were Christians. We thought they had abandoned the religion and traditions of their ancestors. However they are now helping to improve our village and we are working together in peace.”

The local church in this community supported by Tearfund has been demonstrating faith in action. The local pastor Jam Rahn has encouraged her church to work with their neighbours to improve their school, ensure all the households have clean water and that the people affected by disability and HIV are being looked after. As a result, the church is thriving. “Many of our Buddhist neighbours now want to know more about our faith”, says Pastor Rahn.

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