John's latest blog fom Cambodia.....I am so blessed, even if he forgot this blog entry of his was titled exactly what my entire blg is titled:"From ashes to beauty""Honestly, I don't even know where to start. Each day has been so full, it seems like it's been a week since I last posted. And unfortunately, I don't have nearly enough time right now to give an adequate overview. But here goes nothing.
Yesterday I took the team to Tuol Sleng prison, once a torture and interrogation facility, now a genocide museum. The halls are filled with the grisly artifacts of the Khmer Rouge regime. Most distressing are the thousands of photos -- mugshots of the victims taken upon admittance to this hell on earth some have called the Asian Auschweitz. Men, women, boys, girls -- even babies -- were brutally tortured. Those who survived were taken outside the city to the "killing fields" and clubbed, hacked or shot to death.
To call Tuol Sleng horrific is inadequate. In fact, words escape me. Do a search and you'll find others who have described it better. Perhaps I've even got a post or two about it if you search this blog.
At any rate, we all left Tuol Sleng feeling sad and angry and confused. All of our tidy theological equations that factor in "evil" and "free will" don't seem so satisfying when you've walked on the horrid, hallowed ground of a place like that. Our visit reminded us that evil is real, and that Satan hates mankind and revels in its destruction. Truly Satan succeeded in making a hell on earth.
After lunch, a trip to the market and a short rest, we got to visit heaven. After, that is, an hour in purgatory -- I got lost taking a 'short cut' Dave Atkins recommended and then our car broke down. Lovely.
Okay. Back to heaven.
When we finally arrived at the orphan home, the kids were ecstatic. They mobbed our car and lavished us with the most joyous greetings imaginable. When I opened the back of the truck and pulled out two suitcases, they began to chatter to each other excitedly. They guessed it -- gifts!
I took the suitcases in to the office and revealed the contents to Narun. "Too much for one day," he wisely suggested. We chose one toy for each child and put them in a box, which we carried out to the foyer. I asked the kids to line up -- boys on one side, girls on the other. They scrambled to their places, arranging themselves from youngest to oldest.
Each child received a ball, a doll or a stuffed animal. Each child was thrilled. Just wait til you see the pictures! (It'll be a few days...sorry) It was like Christmas morning, only with less whining.
We played for what seemed like hours, until it was time for the younger kids to get ready for bed. Jeff and Jordan somehow translated Rock-Scissors-Paper into Khmer, and the kids quickly became experts, besting me almost every time.
As we packed our bags and pulled away from the orphan home, I felt like I had just gotten a preview of heaven, God's Kingdom come on earth. Guys, I can't even begin to express my gratitude for all of you -- what a privilege to represent you to these kids. And what a contrast from our morning at Tuol Sleng.
The darkness is truly dark. But the light is coming, it's breaking through, and it's spreading. And the epicenter is a little townhouse on Street 95 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
!!!"
~ John McCullumn
