Hello everyone and welcome to my Cambodia blog!  This is my first post in a series I will be doing to help educate you and give you a brief overview of what Cambodia is like including the history, culture, and people.  In each post I will talk about something specific in Cambodia and have a short video clip that I took my first time there.  My hope is that these blogs will be short, sweet, and open your eyes to the place I will be serving in for two years.  I will also post prayer requests and concerns that I would love for you to join me in praying for.  Ok, now for a little intro to one of Cambodia’s most prized possessions, Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat at sunrise

Angkor What?  This is a common reaction to anyone who hears about the ancient religious complex in Cambodia for the first time.  Angkor Wat is located just outside the city of Siem Reap in the Northwest part of the country.  The words “Angkor Wat” can be translated to “Temple City” and the complex consists of many different temples over a large area.  It is the largest religious complex in the world and is also one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  Cambodians are very proud of Angkor Wat and it has become a national symbol that is depicted on the Cambodian flag.  This pride of the temple complex is rooted in Cambodia’s “Golden Age” when the Khmer (Cambodian word for Cambodian) Empire ruled Southeast Asia from the 9^th-14^th centuries.  The Khmer Empire's reign was really the last time Cambodia has had any influence or power not only in the world, but also in Southeast Asia.

Cambodia's Flag with Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat was originally built as a temple for the Hindu god Vishnu, but has since changed to a Buddhist temple.  Buddhism is the main religion in Cambodia representing 83.34% of the population. 

Angkor Wat is also the country’s number one tourist attraction which leads many Khmer people to search for work in the temple area.  As you can see in my video below, many children are sent by their families to sell things to tourists in order to bring money home to the family.  This can take away from the child’s education and can put the children at risk as well.  The kids also learn English pretty quickly because the better they are at communicating, the more money they will potentially make.

Prayer requests (info from Operation World) 

• Children at risk. The genocide of the 1970s and 1980s created a very young nation where 60% of the population are 24 years old or younger. But many of this generation are sadly exploited by others.
• Child laborers. Poverty forces over 1.5 million children under age 15 to work to survive and supplement their family’s meager income, often at the price of their education, their health or even their lives.
• The Buddhist majority. Buddhism has lost some of its monopolistic grip on the people, but reactionary forces are moving against the clearly noticeable growth of the Church.

I took the below video on my visit to Angkor Wat in 2012. This girl and her friend gave me a tour and explained what they knew about the ruins. This is an example of the many child laborers working the complex of Angkor Wat.