Outreach - Global

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Cambodia

Cambodia is a beautiful, tropical country located in Southeast Asia bordered by Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. With over 15 million people, the population is predominantly Buddhist (~83%). This people are extremely warm and welcoming, but desperately need the Gospel as only 1.6% are considered Evangelical Christians. Many are "open" to hearing and responding to the Gospel of hope, as much of their recent history has been without hope.

KHMER ROUGE
In the mid to late 70's, Cambodia was taken over by a Communist Regime, known as the Khmer Rouge. Their goal was to apply agricultural reform and develop self sufficiency as a country. During the four years of Khmer Rouge control, over 2 million Cambodians were killed and 60,000 died or lost limbs due to landmines. This has left much of the Cambodian population over the age of 30 in desperate need of deep physical, emotional and spiritual healing.

SEX TRAFFICKING
In addition to the atrocities of the past, Cambodia now suffers from a new epidemic, human and sex trafficking. Cambodia is a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking. Those involved in trafficking humans are not only organized crime cells, but also parents, relatives, friends and neighbors. Men trafficked are usually used for labor in various arenas, while women and children are often driven into the sex trade. Many, again, are without hope.

CAMBODIA SHORT-TERM MISSION TRIP 2011
This past summer COS sent its fifth Short-Term Mission team to Cambodia. The trip provided the opportunity to continue building strong relationships with the following organizations that we have partnered with in the past: White Lotus, Destiny Rescue, the Shalom Center, and Place of Rescue. Our goal when meeting with each of these ministries was to provide for their practical needs and, more importantly, share the Gospel. These goals were accomplished with each ministry. One of the best examples of our team meeting a practical need would be the women of our team provided hygiene gift bags to each of the girls and provided a class on how to correctly use the toiletries. The girls were extremely attentive and by afternoon many had already started using the soap and shampoo. Also, at each of the ministries the Gospel was clearly communicated through a Gospel message or skit. Approximately 200 children and young adults were presented the Gospel in our two-weeks in Cambodia.

OPPORTUNITIES TO GET INVOLVED
Cambodia, also known as "the Kingdom of Wonders", has so much to offer, yet still has so much need. There are many ways to meet these needs, where there is a willing heart and a sensitive Spirit. First, is thru prayer. Pray for the nation of Cambodia and its people. Pray for God to make His Son known to them. Also, pray for the government, that they would make difficult stands against evil and corruption within the country. Last, pray for how God might be calling you to get more practically involved in His greater plan in Cambodia. Second, is to provide practically to the physical and financial needs of Cambodia. This could be done through purchasing Cambodian goods provided by Christian organizations. It could also be manifest through sending donations to the various Christian organizations with children in need. Or, it could be through financially supporting a COS sponsored missionary in Cambodia. Finally, consider whether God may be leading you to go Short-Term or Long-Term to Cambodia. The spiritual harvest is truly plentiful in Cambodia, but the workers are few. The Cambodian people desperately desire to learn about English, computer skills, American culture, and most importantly the Gospel. Please consider your role in God's greater plan.



REFERENCE SITES
Operation World on Cambodia: http://www.operationworld.org/camb
Human Trafficking.org: http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/cambodia

CONTACTS
To learn more about Cambodia and ways to get involved, to contact or get more information on the COS Missionaries to Cambodia, or to get more information on the various Christian organizations we partner with, please contact Adam Summers at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Updated October 19, 2011