Family Giving

On Facebook today I read about a friend, Billy Redd, his wife and their two young children who will become full-time missionaries to Cambodia. This is somewhat of a change from the work he has been doing. Since 2005, Billy has been a pastor for a campus church at a university in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Once the family spent a summer in Cambodia working alongside missionaries, they were hooked. They labored in many different capacities just to get an idea what living there may be like. The entire family absolutely loved it.

Billy has had many people ask him, "Why Cambodia?" His answer is: "That is where our hearts are; that is where our family fits."  He tells stories of all the victories and miracles as a result of their visit. When they return to Cambodia, they will begin by learning the language, building contacts, and planning their first church plant.

He and his wife, Meredith, became interested in Cambodia when they began studying it and discovered that it was a country that was torn from the inside out during the 1970's. The Khmer Rouge seized power in 1975 and established a new constitution with a new flag under the official name, Democratic Kampuchea. As the new ruler, Pol Pot, set about transforming the country into his vision of an agrarian utopia, cities were evacuated, factories and schools were closed, and currency and private property was abolished.

Anyone believed to be an intellectual, such as someone who spoke a foreign language, was immediately killed. Skilled workers were also killed, in addition to anyone caught in possession of eyeglasses, a wristwatch, or any other modern technology. The millions who failed to escape Cambodia were herded onto rural collective farms.

Between 1975 and 1978, an estimated two million Cambodians died by execution, forced labor, and famine. In 1978, Vietnamese troops invaded Cambodia, capturing Phnom Penh in early 1979. A moderate Communist government was established, and Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge retreated back into the jungle.

The current culture is still trying to regain ground that was lost in the 70's. Virtually all skilled professions were demolished. As a result, there are very few teachers, doctors, artists, etc. The people are only recently beginning to build up these professions again.

My gift for today was to donate to the Redds in Cambodia. The Redds have raised 75% of their fundraising goal. I can’t wait to hear about the blessings they receive from being such a giving family and the difference they make in a country that needs so much.

In Giving,

Robin