Day 10 Reflections and Final Post

The mission trip is over and we have arrived in Siem Reap to start our tour of Angkor Wat and Northern Vietnam.

After spending 9 days in rural Cambodia  arriving in Siem Reap is something of a culture shock!  Except for the Chiropractor, his wife, Gloria and a mirror, we have seen only a handful of non-Asians.  Here there are tourists! 

And, although the town is a bit dusty, the shops, restaurants and massage parlors are all geared to tourists.  The streets are relative empty of cars and motorcycles; there are hawkers begging you to come in for a massage or have a ride in the tuk-tuk.  Really quite distracting after the warmth and friendliness in the rural Khmer.

So, what is the real Cambodia?  I guess it is like our country.  If you get off the interstate highways, you will discover the real America.  Siem Reap is really an anomaly.  It is Cambodia’s only tourist destination so they are going to try to squeeze every Dollar/Euro/Pound out of the visitors.  Can’t really blame them.  If you flew directly here with only a plane change in Phnom Penh you would indeed think that this is Cambodia.  It is not.

After starting our trip at the Killing Fields, then working with the common Khmer, now looking into the ancient history at Ankgor Wat, Cambodia is a microcosm of what we human’s lot has been: subsist, survive, grow, thrive, conquer, war, recover or disappear.  Then it starts all over again. This has been going on for 1000’s of years.

So, did our week of medical/dental care make a difference?  We hope so.  These communities are very poor.  After the typhoon three weeks ago, there were still many houses with water in them.  I do not know how these people live like that.  Since our care was based in either a church or an orphanage supported by New Life Church, the villagers know where help can be had.  This approach to life is quite different then it is in the Buddhist world.  This, indeed, is appealing to all.  They do want to learn more about Christianity. 

We did clear many infections and the Khmer are better off for that, but more impactful I feel is the exposure these people have had to a different way of looking at life.  Not haunted by ancestors and evil spirits, but comforted by a peace that comes with a Savior.