All Things Possible Ministries has been doing counter trafficking, recovery, and restoration work in Cambodia for years.

… On this day in history, the U.S. Postmaster General ordered all homes to get mailboxes or relinquish delivery of mail (1922).

The Jesus Revolution is Thriving in Cambodia

This year, a small but thriving community of Cambodian Christians celebrated their 100th anniversary of Protestant Christianity in Cambodia.

The Cambodia Gospel Centennial Celebration took place over two days earlier this year in Phnom Penh. The festival?commemorated?the arrival of the first Protestant missionaries in 1923.?

Flocks of believers traveled to the Cambodian capital’s Diamond Island district to eat, pray and attend the exhibitions, concerts, dances and children’s activities.?Roughly 10,000 people attended the event each night.?

For the first time, Cambodian Christians were the driving force, who gave of their money and time in bringing this event to fruition — a departure from other large Christian events that have typically been funded by overseas organizations.

According to the World Christian Database, between 2000 and 2015,?Cambodia’s Christian population grew more than any other Southeast Asian country. In fact, roughly 3 percent of Cambodia’s population is now Christian. While this percentage is still rather small, the trend demonstrates a dramatic and exciting shift for Cambodia’s communities of faith.

Over the last century,?there has been an organized effort to eliminate Protestant Christians in Cambodia. At two particularly low points in recent history, the number of Protestants in the country dropped close to zero.

For Protestants, it has been a long, hard road. One hundred years ago, two American missionary couples from the Christian Missionary Alliance (CMA) brought the gospel to Cambodia. The couples traveled to Phnom Penh to plant churches and translate the Bible into the Khmer language.

Prior to this, French colonial leadership forbade Protestant missionaries from even entering the country. While there was a Protestant ban in effect, a small Roman Catholic community was allowed to remain.

Christian communities started to flourish in the country over the next 40 years,?but in 1965, all North American Protestant missionaries were expelled from the country?due to rising anti-Western sentiment, leaving many concerned that the churches they left behind might not be sustainable.

The very opposite happened. Protestantism took off in the late '60s and early '70s as North American Protestants began returning to Cambodia. Then, in 1975, the Khmer Rouge regime took over, terrorizing Cambodians with forced relocations, violence and murder — once again, disrupting and decimating Christian communities.?

Thankfully, by 1979, the Khmer Rouge was out of power, and?the resilient Cambodian Christianity experienced yet another rebirth. Believers reemerged and began spreading the gospel throughout the refugee camps along the border.

Inspirational Insight

All Things Possible Ministries has been doing counter trafficking, recovery and restoration work in Cambodia for years. Recently, we heard some encouraging news.?

In late 2022, Cambodian Christians and other people of faith agreed to come together to discuss the?human trafficking crisis?in Cambodia. An estimated 1,500 Christians, Buddhists and Muslims attended an interfaith anti-trafficking forum.

During the event, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen asked people of all religions to work together to fight human trafficking. As an organization deeply involved in helping victims of trafficking in Cambodia, we see this as a step in the right direction.

Our?Cambodia Restoration Center?or House of Refuge, offers a safe place for young victims of trafficking and sexual assault to live.?This faith-filled community of trauma survivors is thriving and bringing the love of Jesus Christ to new survivors?thanks to the camaraderie and support of our staff and one another.?

Last week, we featured the story of Bella, a young woman who came to the House of Refuge as a child. She, like many of the survivors we’ve helped in Cambodia, has grown to know the Lord, thanks to the powerful Christian community of survivors built within the walls of the safe house.?

Jesus is moving in Cambodia. The centennial Protestant anniversary demonstrates the endurance of this small Christian community. We are truly excited for the Cambodian people and ask that our readers pray that the spirit continues moving inside the walls of ATP’s House of Refuge and across the country.

The most beautiful thing in Cambodia isn't the country — it's the Cambodian people. — Rithy Panh

The Daily Inspirational Brief —?The DIB is a thoughtfully curated daily memo with special, uplifting commentary delivered each weekday. In addition to bringing you interesting and newsworthy articles, we offer?something you won’t find in most mainstream news:?HOPE.

Subscribe today for free at?victormarx.com/dibpremium

Help support the mission at?https://lnkd.in/gQQ5RQ98

#faith?#hope?#love?#freedom?#women?#children?#survivors?#justice?#lawenforcement?#veterans?#intelligence?#discipleship?#leadership