Walking the Streets of Battambang

nice pig roast that was offered to the spirits right at our hotel lobby in Battambang

I took a long walk through Battambang early this morning. What I saw was people opening their places of businesses, dusting off their shelves and stands (there is dust everywhere here, even on the shinny cell phone covers that line the front of some electronics display that are clearly visible from a distance). I saw a mother with two little children, all very skinny. The girl had her pants down, she had apparently just relieved herself and was trying to catch up with her mom who was going on ahead. It was apparent that this family lives on the street. 

our team being welcomed by AH staff in Phnom Penh

I walked through the street close to our hotel where a young man lost his life just days ago. He was friends with Kevin and Jill Kane. Last January, the day after we left Battambang, another 18 year old lost his life in a collision with another motorcycle right in front of our hotel. Kevin and Jill tell us that during their time here they have been to too many funerals of young people who have lost their lives in senseless motorbike accidents. More than 25 people they knew or knew about in all. It is a tragedy of enormous proportions. Walking the streets of Battambang remind you that life is indeed transitory. You have to look in all directions at all times and never lose your concentration. Life hangs on the balance and every moment is precious. 

I saw teenage kids riding their bicycles to school. Some wore full masks on their faces... you just wonder how much they can see because there is so much cloth impeding their vision. Some looked trendy in their tight jeans made to conform to the standards of western fashion. This is something new in Battambang. Now all the stores seem to be displaying jeans that insist on hanging on one's hip by a small, almost invisible line that keeps getting lower and lower. They are also made to look old or torn. I looked at some of the men's shorts on display and felt a small feeling of satisfaction as I realized that what I was wearing, believe it or not, looked like the stuff I saw in the stores. I felt "cool" until I remembered how sad it is that we make the world believe that we got the corner on what fashionable is. Girls here dread the idea that their skin may get darker because of the sun, so they cover their arms and faces, trying desperately to look like the Caucasian models they see on the tube. Those who can afford even have plastic surgery to get rid of their typical Asian eyes... imagine that.

On my way back I heard the sounds of chanting and realized that was coming from the Wat (temple). I went inside the courtyard and saw that they were having some kind of a religious meeting going on. They people were sitting on the floor, bowing in unison, while the monks came from the backdoor, sat and began to be served by the people. I came quickly to the hotel and grabbed my camera so I could register this unique moment. I was struck with the picture of the humble spirit with which the people served the monks, who are have made a vow of poverty and thus have to rely on the local population to provide for them. It was somehow the opposite of the idea of "servant leadership" which we cherish so much within the evangelical circles.

All around, though, it was obvious that the people were bowing to idols and repeating chants that didn't appear to communicate to them in a personal level. While I admire their devotion, my heart is so sad that they haven't learned to be free. Jesus awaits the turns of their hearts. He yearns for them to be free and has paid the ultimate sacrifice so they no longer have to be enslaved by the fear of the spirits or of death. Walking through Battambang early this morning gave me a fresh perspective on the kind of challenge that Kevin and Jill face every day as they try to witness to people who have grown up in a society that is totally dominated by Buddhist concepts and practices. The spiritual battle is intense and we must remember to lift our missionaries up to the Lord with fervent prayers.

This country can only be totally free when the people turn to the Messiah. Oh that God would open the hearts of the Cambodian people to hear the Gospel. Oh that some of our children from Grace Place will one day rise to become the spiritual leaders in an arid land that needs the spiritual refreshment that only comes from God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade