How does a nation come against the bondage of fear?

When the Khmer Rouge regime was in power in Cambodia, they eliminated everyone of intelligence, including doctors, dentists, lawyers, professors, and teachers and their families; they emptied libraries, burned books, and shut down schools. I recently read a first-hand account of a 12-year-old boy who tells his story of surviving the killing fields. In The Tears of My Soul, Sokreaksa Himm recalls how the Khmer Rouge soldiers would use the terminology “sent to study” and “sent to school” as code words to mean execution for individuals and families. As a result, Cambodians lived in constant fear under the regime of saying or doing something wrong, and therefore being “sent to school.”

I was truly stunned. Of all of the phrases they could have used, they chose to inflict fear associated with knowledge, intelligence, and education.

Yet here we are, decades later. Schools have reopened. The country is rebuilding and healing from the effects of the genocide. The current children are two generations removed from the Khmer Rouge. Yet, if the cycle of fear is not broken, it could trickle down for generations to come.

However, I personally know of some courageous Cambodian children, and they love going to school. They love studying. In fact, I have personally heard the cries of children praying to God for sponsorship so that they too can go to school. In our Education Empowerment Program, sponsors provide at-risk children from the slums with a good meal and an opportunity to go to school. Many of our sponsored children are in the top of their class due to their diligence in studying and working hard. These are the same students who tell their classmates and teachers about Jesus and see prayers of healing and miracles answered consistently. Children of faith. Children of integrity. Children of courage. Yes, this is the generation moving in the opposite spirit of the generational fear saying, “I want to go to school. I want to study.”

One day while I was with some of the children in the Kids Justice House of Prayer, a little girl who boldly professes her desire to be a doctor one day stood up to testify: “I was afraid before taking my exam. I prayed to Jesus to help me pass. I passed the exam.” We all erupted in clapping and cheering, and I was so touched deep down in my heart at this little girl’s courage and faith.

A nation is changed and bondages are broken one life at a time, from the inside out, casting out all fear with God’s perfect love.

If you would like to be a part of seeing the cycle of poverty and fear broken by sponsoring a child, follow this link for more information: http://www.extremelove.com/education-empowerment-program/

 Written by: Cathy Cupp

Published on 6/20/17