A number of religious groups in Cambodia are employing the use of dormitories to recruit Bible students. The idea has been successful because it provides free accommodation to students wishing to study at the Phnom Penh universities. The Bethezer funded Dorm does its best to ensure that the students who come in are interested in furthering their understanding of the Scriptures, and in fact is producing results. In one day we witnessed 5 baptisms, more than doubling the number of Cambodian believers.
The Dorm itself is a four story house out a little from the main city centre making the rental a little cheaper. It is solidly built, and is in good condition, and of very similar design to the house being used as the base for the BEC. The architecture is essentially French and the design repeated all over the city. The Dormers sleep on bunks and eat a common diet which is basic and little more than subsistence food, rice with some little amounts of protein. During our stay they were introduced to peanut butter on bread which they promptly labelled, “foreigner food”: however they all admitted to having quite an affection for it.
I have had the privilege of assisting in their instruction and I am amazed at what they have learnt, despite the difficulties of language, religious pre-conviction and cultural heritage. The syllabus prepared by the teachers is comprehensive and very Bible-based. The level of instruction and the level of understanding have been similar to what we would expect for and from an Australian baptismal candidate.
I am constantly being told by students, “I am hungry for this Word of God”. You can teach them for an hour and they will want more. If Nirann has time he will drop in and ask to sit and talk about the Scriptures. I hope I do not run out of topics.
Bethezer which has established the Dorm, has also appointed Nirann (I know he will forgive any misspelling!) to manage the affairs of the Dorm. He is wise beyond his 26+ years and leads the dorm with love and kindness. He and his lovely wife Sithy (he tells me constantly, “I love her very much”) live on site and lead the activities and duties with vigour and intelligence.
We have conducted a little interview with Nirann and his wife Sithy, a beautiful, quietly strong woman of 23. The interview gives a great deal of insight into the wonderful character of these two in Christ. Both of them were born into very poor homes in the provinces. Nirann describes his house as made from boards and covered in thatch. Once they were married they were subsidised to come to Phnom Penh where they have studied. Sithy is now completing her Masters in “Human Trafficking” which is a great problem here in Cambodia.
Nirann is working on his Business Management degree. The young men in the Dorm respect him greatly and also show a great deal of love for one another.
Despite the enormous problems of lack of money and support for their studies they are positive and maintain a love of God that is exemplary; there is an unshakable conviction that God is working to help achieve a level of understanding of Himself in this struggling country.
Three mornings a week at 6:00 am the teachers of BEC go to the Dorm and begin the day with them around a Bible talk; usually an hour. During the day some of the students then come to the BEC building where they receive individual or group instruction depending upon their level of commitment and how they can fit the lessons into their study week. It is gratifying beyond expression to witness their enthusiasm, their application and dedication. Despite the common fears of witch-craft, sorcery, magic and the presence of demons and the church-taught doctrines of satan and the devil (beliefs widely held), the immortality of the soul and the trinity, the truth is building in intensity and a sturdy self-sustaining foundation of Cambodian Brothers and Sisters is being established, ready to spread the Word beyond the boundaries of Phnom Penh and into the far provinces.
The Cambodians I have met and interacted with are all beautiful people. Once the Word gets a hold on their lives they are insatiable. They put those of us from Western society to shame! Just this morning, one of the very interested young men, Vannak, brought 5 new students to meet us and to arrange lessons in the Bible. Two of these men are law students and one an IT student. Each is highly intelligent and more than capable of receiving divine ideas.
Cambodians are a very tactile people and touch each other without fear or embarrassment, and once they get to know you display a wicked sense of humour not dissimilar to our own. Big Steve (who is affectionately known by his students as “Borng Thom” ie; Big Older Brother), a buffoon of legendary proportions at home, seems to have tapped into this sense of humour and has them laughing at the drop of a hat.
When I consider the horrors of the Pol Pot regime and the effect it has had on every living person in Cambodia I am amazed that they can exhibit such loving, gentle characters. Perhaps that was why Pol Pot was able to do what he did. I have not been able to bring myself to visit the “killing fields” and have no intention of doing so. I have seen too much in the eyes of the people I have met to seek some sort of grim fascination by visiting the tourist site.
Max and Mitzi spent four weeks in Cambodia...we will post more of their thoughts and feelings in later blogs....God bless you both!
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Borng Thom and Lynne