Thanks for stopping by to give post #19 a read! A happy hump day to you, you’ve almost made it through another work week and I couldn’t be more proud of you!! Welcome to day 5 of my 11 day country series featuring my entire route where my squad and I will have the opportunity of doing ministry while on The Race. We will be spending February in this month and who knows, I may even eat a tarantula while in this country because apparently you can do that here… Let’s give it up for… CAMBODIA!!
GEOGRAPHY & POPULATION:
Cambodia is a sovereign state located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. The country of Cambodia has a population of 15.76 Million people.
LANGUAGE:
The official language of Cambodia is Khmer. English and French are known as the “languages of education” and are taught in many of the schools and universities within Cambodia. Cambodia’s minority groups speak a variety of languages, including Cham, Vietnamese, Tumpoon, Lao, Jarai, Yue Chinese, and many other indigenous mon-Khmer languages.
RELIGION:
Theravada Buddhism is the official religion of Cambodia, and it is practiced by more than 95% of the population. Cambodian Buddhism is pervaded by Hinduism, Tantrism, and native animism. Islam is followed by about 2% of the population and comes in three varieties.
LIFE EXPECTANCY:
Male- 67.3, Female- 71.2, Total Life Expectancy- 69.4
FOOD:
Khmer cuisine, or more generally Cambodian cuisine, is all about the contrasts- sweet and bitter, salty and sour, fresh and cooked! Some staples you don’t want to miss in Cambodian cuisine include Khmer red curry, nom banh cook, kdam chaa, bai sach chrouk, and lap Khmer.
FUN FACTS:
*The country of Cambodia has quite a young population with around half of its population younger than 15 years old and a lack of people over the age of 50.
*There has never been a McDonald’s in Cambodia.
*The Cambodian flag is the only flag in the world to feature a building. The building of course is the country’s famous world wonder: Angkor Wat.
PRAYER POINTS:
*PRAY for justice and healing from the Khmer Rouge genocide of the late 1970s.
*PRAY for a display of God’s power and continued unprecedented growth within the Cambodian church.
*PRAY for deliverance and salvation for the millions of children in bondage to forced labor, human trafficking, and the sex trade.
*PRAY for the Buddhist majority. Buddhism has lost some of its monopolistic grip on the Cambodian people, but reactionary forces are moving against the clearly noticeable growth of the church.
*PRAY for the indigenous and tribal peoples of Cambodia. Only among the Mnong, Jarai, Krueng, and Stieng have significant numbers come to Christ. A further 18 Southeast Asian people groups can be considered unevangelized; PRAY for loving and appropriate witness to these people.
-Meagan
