Giving Thanks: Trip Summary

I have had two days to rest from my trip. I guess I did a good job at resting because its almost 1 am and I am wide awake. In a few hours, I go back to work. Since I can't sleep, I figured I would put the time to good use and finish typing my last two trip related blogs.

I wanted to use this blog to summarize what was accomplished during my time overseas and it's kingdom significance. I also want to highlight what I have learned or my take-aways from this time.

How does one summarize the trip of a lifetime? Well this Tower of Babel is going to try..... (I'll give you a minute... haha)


First, I want to address why I went. I went to teach accounting. There may be folks out there who don't think that teaching accounting qualifies as a mission trip. Prior to this trip, I was one of them. And I was wrong. In Exodus 31:3, God is speaking about an individual and He says: "I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and with all kinds of skills." If God is the One Who creates us with these skills, it makes sense that He would have a plan to use them. During my time in Cambodia, I not only taught accounting, I reinforced why it was important. First, Southeast Asia Prayer Center is a nonprofit organization based in the US. These types of organizations are subject to audits. The more detailed and well-kept their financial records are, the better the rating they receive. Often, when people are choosing where to donate money, they will look to systems such as Charity Navigator to investigate the financial integrity or rating of the organization. By improving the accounting and financial records, the door is open for more donors and sponsors for the orphans of Cambodia. Additionally, a detailed report of income vs expenses, allows SEAPC to be wise stewards of the funds they receive.

In addition to teaching accounting and its importance, I was able to encourage the SEAPC Cambodia staff. I know from experience how easy it is to get caught up in the day to day mundane tasks and forget why you're doing the work. In my own office, it does not take long for me to begin drowning in the minutia of data and soon forget my higher level goals and the mission of the company. In my office, this is remedied by having 30 minute meetings with my supervisor twice a month. He is an excellent encourager and our chats help me to stay focused and aware of goals.
I was able to encourage the staff and remind them that even though they are not working directly with the children, their work has a direct impact on the help the children receive. The better their accounting, the more funds can be brought in, the more methods can be improved, and more children benefit from the ministry.

The rest of my time in Cambodia offered multiple ways to bless the people. I was able to give gifts to my sponsored children and they now know that there is a real person behind the letters they receive. On Sunday afternoon, a group of us purchased soap and food to distribute to an impoverished area of Phnom Penh. Lastly, I was able to encourage and bless the hotel workers and our tuk-tuk driver. The driver works 7 days a week. He only takes a day off for national holidays. He was helpful and cheerful and served us well for a week. After my last ride, I was able to bless him with a little extra tip and demonstrate the Biblical principle that a workman is worthy of his hire. 1 Timothy 5:18.

Similarly, in Thailand, Bill and I worked together to streamline the accounting. Tomorrow, I will have the opportunity to meet his bookkeeper here in the States and show her a few tweaks that we made. Like SEAPC, this can open the door for more donors as financial records are improved. In Thailand, it served two more purposes. Bill and Susie are in Thailand to minister to the kids under their care. I still am awed by the sweet relationships they have with the kids. Bill does not need to spend time swimming through financial data. By cleaning it up it frees him to focus on the kids and on higher level financial decisions. Additionally, by standardizing procedures, we began to create a legacy plan for when the ministry is passed on to others.

During my time in Thailand, I was able to encourage some of the kids in the home.

Ages ago, in Bible College, I took the Spiritual Gifts test. It revealed that my two most dominant gifts were encouragement and intercession.
During this trip, I was able to use my gift of encouragement several times. The trip also equipped me to be a better intercessor. During the time spent in both places, I was able to see more closely where the needs are and I know better how to pray specifically for both places and people groups.

I have spent the above paragraphs summarizing the work that God allowed me to do in Asia. However, I want to be very clear. I received a million times more than I gave. The time with precious friends, the new friendships made, the learning, the experiences, the fun ... was all more than I could ever have asked for or imagined. From learning about the evil genocide that ravaged the nation of Cambodia and seeing the demonic temple painted white in Thailand to all the fun places I visited and activities I did (I rode an elephant!). Most precious to me is the time I spent worshiping Jesus in both Khmer and Thai.

I've already rambled too long and I've yet to discuss my take aways. To be brief, I will say that I have learned to trust God more, to have more peace about His plan for my life, and to really know in my heart what Pastor Kent shared in December: What God initiates, He permeates.

Visiting The Dark Side

Warning: This is not a "fun" blog. It won't make you laugh, smile, or get excited. I wasn't even sure if I should post it, but I decided to do so because it is real. As Christians, we need to be knowledgeable about

Friday was my last day in Thailand and Bill and Susie took me to see some of the sights in Chiang Rai. The first place we went is the City Navel Pillar. Google the name and read the brief description from Wikipedia. (my blogs are long enough). The site was interesting and contained some history, which I love. It was also sad. It was sad because it showed the efforts of human beings desperately trying to get to God all the while oblivious to the reality that God already came to man. People have placed colorful ribbons on all of the pillars. They buy flowers to lay before the gods. The spirits are supposedly drawn to color and aroma so these people bring items in an attempt to draw spirits and receive blessing. Around this pillar are various vendors selling items that people can purchase and leave on the altar for the gods to keep.

As we walked to the other side of the hill and viewed some other temples, we saw some statues and dragons and such. As I looked at some of the faces on these statues, I said: "they look demonic". Bill replied: "they ARE demonic".

I felt sad and angry at the same time. As I walked around these objects, I remembered something Matt Geppert said to me as I made a pitiful attempt to walk around Angkor Wat in Cambodia. As I was getting discouraged because I was physically unable to walk through the whole structure, Matt encouraged me by saying: "Raquel, you brought the presence of the Lord to Angkor Wat. The Ark is parked". He was referring to the Ark of the Covenant. When a person is saved and has the Spirit of God in them, they bring the Spirit of God wherever they go. The group of us were not just sight seeing. We prayer walked and brought the presence of God to that place.

Apparently, that was just an appetizer. I could never have imagined what I would see at our next stop.

After stopping for the imperative iced coffee, they took me to a place called The White Temple. When you drive near the place, it looks spectacular. It's huge. As the name would imply its sparkling white - all of it. It looks like something from a children's fairy tale - you expect a queen or princess to come out in regal attire.

It is a temple and also a tourist attraction and there were a ton of people there. When you first walk in it still looks pretty. The grounds are impeccably kept and the setting is park like. They had two white arches over two walkways and I noticed a ton of shiny silver things hanging off the ceiling. I found out that each silver ornament was purchased by someone and a prayer request was written on it and hung on the lattice. There must have been tens of thousands of them. Shiny silver ornaments hanging off bright while structures. As we walked further, we noticed more and more of these. We witnessed people buying new ones and putting their prayer requests on a tree and praying to the gods.

All of this was surrounding the main temple. We had yet to go near the main temple and you had to pay to do so. After paying for the admission ticket and walking in the main section, we had to take off our shoes to continue the journey.

We walked in and got in line to enter the temple and that's when I saw the reality of the place. Surrounding the temple were the most gruesome, ugliest, horrific sculptures I have ever seen. Skulls, demons of every kind, monster looking heads. At the gate leading up to the temple were two huge creatures, one with a sword in his hand and his finger pointing at the folks entering. There were twisted tree limbs that had tormented faces carved into them. The worst part for me was the hands. They had thousands of hands reaching up from the ground - representing tortured souls trying desperately to escape eternal hell. Everything I saw had been painted white, yet it was the darkness thing I have ever experienced.

I was overwhelmed with the evil around me. I literally felt like I was standing at the gates of hell. I probably was. Inside the inner temple there was a statue of a buddha and people were kneeling and burning incense. I didn't look too long. On the walls of the inner temple, they had more gruesome paintings. The one which stood out to me was a picture of the burning towers of the World Trade Center and a demon was coming out of the black smoke from the fire. Accurate depiction.

As my eyes took in all this evil, there was only one thing I could say. I just kept saying the Name that is above every name - Jesus. It was the only thing I could say that could overcome what my eyes were seeing. I then remembered the story that Amy Smith shared with the church about why she wrote the song "Matchless". She had been in a temple in Thailand and was overcome by the darkness she experienced. She began to call the name of Jesus and through that experience she wrote that song.

I was glad I had something to sing. For the rest of my time in that place, which was not long, I just kept singing "matchless is the Name that covers me..."

As we left, I told Bill and Susie that the day before when they took me to that restaurant with such a spectacular view of the mountains, I felt like they took me to heaven... and today, they took me to hell.

But I was glad they took me and you should be glad I am telling you about it. Why? Because it is real. Our enemy is real. The enemy wants to keep as many people as he possibly can from having a relationship with Jesus and being saved and eternally secure. One of the main ways he accomplishes his goal is through deception. He deceives people with religion. He deceives folks by making evil look like its beautiful. He deceives people by causing them to believe if they just do a few spiritual acts... burn incense, go to church, tithe, sing, kneel.... if they just do enough good things then they are fine. Tragically, the people who buy the lie become one of the thousands of hands reaching up from the fires of hell longing to be rescued from the torture.

I will not post the pictures on this blog site, but I wish everyone could see what I saw, especially the sea of hands. It might just be the wake up call we need.

Visiting the White Temple in Chiang Rai, Thailand gave me the tools to be a more equipped prayer warrior. I will be praying for all those within the grip of the enemy. I will be praying that their eyes will be opened and they will see beyond the white wash to what is real. The Bible says that Lucifer was the most beautiful angel. The Bible tells us that he masquerades as the angel of light. So it's no surprise that the enemy would take what is evil and paint it white and cause it to look amazingly brilliant from a distance. As the church, it is our job to expose him. It is our job to let the truth shine forth and dispel the darkness.

Just as we were called out of darkness and into His marvelous Light, so we must also call people out of darkness with prayer. Let's get serious about this so that there may be less hands looking to be lifted out of hell and more hands raised to Jesus in worship.

Thailand: Wednesday and Thursday

My purpose for coming to Thailand was to help Bill with his accounting for his ministry. Most of Wednesday and Thursday were spent in front of a computer doing accounting work. Unless you're an accountant, a blog about accounting would be boring. So I will spare you the accounting details.

I'm excited to share all the ways that God showed up with His loving heart and hand in the details of my time here. On Tuesday evening, the swelling in my legs, ankles and feet became severe. The skin was stretching and pulling and I started to have discoloration in my feet. Walking became difficult and I couldn't feel my toes. I was starting to get scared and when I went to bed I put a prayer request on Facebook. The next morning, the swelling was barely reduced and I was disappointed. I just didn't want this situation to distract me or cause me to be unable to focus on the work I am doing here. Out of nowhere a thought came to me. I remembered I had compression socks with me that I wear when I am flying. So I put them on and within minutes the pain started to diminish. I wore them all day Wednesday and by the afternoon most of the swelling was gone. By Thursday morning it was 98% gone and I felt no pain. I believe the prayers of my friends worked and God gave me the idea to try the socks. I am thankful that this situation did not hinder me here.

Another obstacle on Wednesday occurred during the accounting work. I hit a few snags and was unsure of what to do. I was getting concerned that I would not be able to give Bill the help he needed. We took a break for lunch and we went to this little outdoor restaurant and met this dear Thai woman. She bragged to Bill about her son and grandchildren. Her soup was delicious and I enjoyed the experience. When we returned, we decided to pray about the accounting situation. Susie prayed that when I returned to my computer that the answer would be staring me right in the face.
No joke - I logged back into Quickbooks, looked at what I had worked on, and immediately saw what needed to change. One little tweak and the obstacle was overcome.

The best part of Wednesday was the evening. Each Wednesday evening, Bill and Susie eat dinner with their kids and afterwards they have a time of worship and a devotional. They had asked me to lead the devotional this time. The food was good and I got to experience things I never could have imagined. The best part was the worship. To see these high school and college aged kids worship with all their heart was just amazing. They really love Jesus and it shows. For the devotional, I talked about my favorite subject - the difference between religion and relationship. I used my own testimony as an example and I brought out the same trivial pursuit playing pieces that I used in Cambodia.

After the devotional, Bill asked the kids if they wanted to ask me questions. At first, everyone was shy and quiet. Bill kept prodding them and eventually they started to open up. At first, the guys were the ones asking me questions. Then, one of the girls got brave and began to ask me very well thought out questions. The challenge for these kids was the they had to ask the questions in English. They all can speak English but they are intimidated to do so. Seeing them challenge themselves and be brave was wonderful. Pretty soon they were smiling and laughing and I really believe Jesus was smiling and laughing right along with us. He loves to see His kids enjoying themselves. I have quoted my friend Veronica Reilly many times and I will quote her again: "its important that we benefit from the riches God has placed in each of us." The evening was very rich as I shared with my new friends.


Thursday morning was more accounting work. When we left for lunch, I had no idea what was in store. Bill and Susie took me to a place that took my breath away. It was a cute, Victorian, well decorated restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. The inside was like something you would find at Volant Mills. When we got to the outdoor dining area, I gasped. It was all I could do to not scream or squeal like a school girl. The dining area had the most gorgeous view of the Chiang Rai mountains. It was literally the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I love mountains and Susie knew that and she knew I would go nuts over the view. I could not stop taking pictures and videos. The food was AMAZING!!!! I started off with butterscotch iced coffee. I had spinach and cheese samosas for an appetizer. I then had a yummy salad followed by Sea Bass and veggies in a white cream sauce. All while staring at the most beautiful mountain range. You could see the colorful roofs of Thai homes and there were plants and shrubs with flowers that gave a pop of color. But I could not stop staring at the mountains. I honestly expected to see Jesus physically appear over the top of the mountain and walk toward me. The place was heavenly. After seeing that I was ready to be raptured! I figured I could be like Enoch and just walk with Jesus over the mountain range and disappear. I realize I am being dramatic but I really was beside myself with joy. I think I have more pictures of the place than the rest of my trip combined.

We returned home and after a few hours all of the accounting work was finished. Bill and I accomplished everything we desired to do.

After dinner, Bill and Susie gather the kids to take pictures with me. They are all wonderful kids and I just LOVE the relationship that Bill and Susie have with each one of them.

One of the girls, Lydia, is studying art and she is a painter. She does EXCELLENT work. I asked Bill and Susie if I could buy one of her paintings. I would love to have one and I also wanted to encourage her. She agreed to sell one to me - which Susie will have to ship to me - too big to pack. After I had picked one, the sweet girl decided to give me another one!

Words honestly cannot describe how precious of a gift this trip has been for me. I have been blessed far beyond any way that I have been a blessing. I have had the chance to meet the most amazing people and experience things that I could have only dreamed about. I believe this trip was a gift from God. It was also a gift from the many people who sent me here, both with finances and especially prayer.

I thank God and I thank all of you.

Tomorrow is my last day in Thailand. Bill and Susie have scheduled for me to see some sites and I fly out in the evening. I will not blog again until I am home. Thank you all for following along with me on this trip of a lifetime.

Thailand: First Full Day

Tuesday morning I woke up ready for my first full day in Thailand. On Tuesdays, Susie joins a group of ladies who meet for coffee and then do prayer walking in various places in Chiang Rai. So I was blessed to be able to go along. Obviously any day that starts with coffee is a good day. In the coffee shop they were having a promotion and if you ordered a cold drink you got a free mug with their logo. Its like they knew I was coming!

I finally got to meet Esther Hoagland in person. Her family are long time North Way missionaries here in Thailand and I have heard about them for quite some time. I also met three other lovely ladies.

The place they chose for prayer walking was amazing. It was a former airport and its runway was being used for an upcoming carnival and many vendors were there setting up rides, booths, etc. It was a large stretch of road with lots going on. So we prayed as a group and then split into two groups and we walked up and down half the runway and prayed. We prayed for the safety of the workers, that the families would be able to earn a good income, that the attendees would be safe and especially that children would be protected from traffickers and other harmful situations. What a privilege to pray for those people and this country!

We then went to lunch at an outdoor restaurant and had delicious food! Susie took me to the market - similar to the Russian Market in Phnom Penh but smaller. There I had the most delicious pineapple ever! I have never tasted such a sweet pineapple in the states.

By 2pm it was time to get me home and get me working on the reason I came - to help Bill with the accounting.


For those of you reading this blog who don't know Bill and Susie or what they do here in Thailand, they run a ministry for high school and college students. High School is not free in Thailand and some parents cannot afford to pay tuition for their child to attend high school. Bill and Susie built two homes for these students (one boys home and one girls home) and they find sponsors for them. The kids live in the dorms during the school session.

It is wonderful to see the relationships Bill and Susie have with these kids. The kids love them. They come to get hugs before going to school and they get good night hugs before bed. It is precious.

Speaking of precious, I had an opportunity Tuesday evening to spend time with one of the college aged girls. She is studying Accounting! Bill had arranged for me to help her and demonstrate some accounting principles. The challenge was translation. She knew little English and of course I don't know Thai so several folks had to help translate.

More time was spent with translation than accounting so I was unsure if the time was helpful to her or not. But I love how God works. He only asks us to be obedient. We simply need to do what He asks of us and leave the results to Him - and trust me, His results are better than anything we can produce. I had a great time with her but I wondered if the time was profitable. I went to bed afterwards and the next morning Bill told me that my time with her had caused her to get excited and to open up about her dreams for her future. She and Bill had a father/daughter type conversation unlike any they had had before and it was extremely meaningful for both of them. Somehow, God had used a clunky accounting lesson to spark a young girl to open up to Bill and all parties were blessed. I love when God starts our simple steps of obedience and does wonders with them.

It just amazes me that God can use something like accounting to further His kingdom. So grateful for this journey.

Journey to Thailand

Early Monday morning local time (Sunday evening EST), I left Cambodia to come to Thailand. I was sad to leave Cambodia but it helped that I was coming to see my good friends Bill and Susie Antolec.

Although I am getting better at it, I am still a novice traveler and navigating foreign airports alone is definitely a learning experience. I flew from Phnom Penh to Bangkok where I had a 3 hour layover. It took some time to get through immigration and then find my gate for my next flight. I wanted some coffee (didn't have any in Phnom Penh) and the first few shops I went to did not take American money nor my Visa card. Finally at the 4th store they took my cash and I got some coffee. After finding my gate and sitting for about 45 minutes, they announced that they had changed the gate. Even though they were speaking English, the accent made it very difficult to understand. I had to walk up to the worker and use my fingers to determine the proper gate number. I was being changed from gate 33 to gate 75. That meant a good, long walk.

As I walked, I starting feeling some pain in my feet and legs and notice that my calves, ankles and feet had started to swell. My first flight was only an hour and 10 minutes so that should not have caused it. When I got to the new gate, I attempted to take up two seats to elevate my feet. That worked for about 30 minutes but then more people began to show up and I could not be rude and take two seats.

The pain was increasing and this was one of those flights that you board a bus that takes you to the plane and you walk up the steps. By the time I got to my seat on the plane, I was hot and hurting. I started to get really cranky. Heat and pain are not my friends.

As soon as I recognized that I was getting cranky I began to pray. I had just had the best week of my life in Cambodia and now I had the gift of visiting another country and seeing my friends. No room for crankiness. The last thing I wanted to do was have Bill and Susie welcome a cranky guest into their home.

As an answer to prayer, as soon as I met them in the airport the joy of seeing them removed the crankiness. Susie had brought some flowers and put them around my neck like they do in Hawaii. Bill was a gentleman and took my near 50 pound luggage from me.

Chiang Rai is a town situated near mountains and it is absolutely gorgeous. We got to their house and they brought me to my room - and Susie had a large floral arrangement with a card welcoming me. (who can be cranky now)

It was 4:30 in the afternoon and they gave me an hour to unpack and rest. The swelling in was getting worse so the rest was much needed.

At 5:30 they took me into town to show me the Night Bazaar. Lots of outdoor food vendors and souvenir shopping. The food was delicious! The best part was a dessert called Rotee or Roti. I wish I would have gotten a picture.

Our evening was cut a bit short due to my pain and swelling - it was getting harder to walk. But I did get to see the area they lived in before they built their current home, as well as other cool sights in the town. Tuesday would be a full day and I needed to rest.

I had a wonderful welcome and a great first night in Thailand.

Cambodia Day 6: The Grand Finale

Sunday, January 21st was my last full day in Cambodia and my friends made sure it was truly memorable. After breakfast, we headed to church. As we were walking in the door, I recognized the tune of the song. They were singing How Great is Our God. So I was able to sing in English while they sang in Khmer. I loved the various ages of people all worshiping the Lord. After worship, Pastor Sinai was giving announcements but obviously I could not understand a word. Thankfully, Oudom began to translate for me. It was humorous because Pastor Sinai said a few words about me and I never would have known if Oudom was not translating.

There was another American couple visiting and the woman was going to preach the sermon with Pastor Sinai translating. About 2 minutes in to her message, it was all I could do to not yell "really?!". The subject of her message was "I Am". You seriously can't make this stuff up. Those of you who understand are laughing now. For the rest of you, that particular name of God played a pivotal part in my first trip to Cambodia. It was unreal to hear it again there, but it was also sweet - a reminder of what the Lord has done for me.

After church I was able to speak with Pastor Sinai and his wife Somalay. I met them over 20 years ago in the church I got saved in. I shared with Pastor Sinai what the Lord had laid on my heart during this trip and how I will be praying going forward until the Lord gives me a next step.

Then it was time to say good-bye to my friends from Banteay Meanchey. I was so grateful for my time with them.


Oudom, Sarah, Phearom, and I left for lunch and Oudom had an idea. He told me that there was a section of Phnom Penh that was extremely impoverished. He thought we could go there and pass out soap and some food items. So we went to the market and then to this area. The place we visited was indescribable. It was like those places they show you on commercials when they are trying to raise funds. I won't go into detail about the living conditions there. It's another thing you can't fully understand unless you see it yourself. As we handed out soap and food to small children and a few adults, I couldn't help but notice something amazing. Yes, it was slums. No human should have to live in conditions like that. However, I also noticed that the people all loved each other and had each others backs. A few times, we went to hand items to someone and they declined, telling us to give to those who needed it more. The children all seemed to be loved. In one of the poorest places I could ever imagine, I found the people to be rich in love.


After lunch they took me to Pagoda Mountain and then for some final shopping (and another iced coffee of course). As we rode in the tuk tuk, I was trying to find a way to stop time. I didn't want the day to end. I couldn't find a way to thank these folks enough for all they did for me. I came there to serve and bless them and they spent an entire week catering to me, making sure I felt safe and comfortable and had everything I needed. They brought me so much joy and they will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful at stopping time and the day had to end. As we hugged and said good-bye, it was so hard to hold back the tears. As they left and I walked to the elevator, I was thinking that once I got in the elevator I could let the tears fall. The elevator opened and a hotel staff member stepped on with me. UGH! The young man seem to try to hold back a chuckle at my attempt to hold back tears.

Back in my room I began to pack and let the tears fall. There was a mixture of many emotions in those tears. Some sadness that my time in Cambodia was over, but mostly joy for one of the best weeks of my life, and just feeling overwhelmed at the precious gift I was given by the Lord and by my friends there.

I don't know what the Lord's plans are for me in the future. At this time, I do not feel called to full time missions. But I have a feeling this was not my last trip, at least I hope not.

The Cambodian people are the richest people I have ever met. Rich in love, rich in kindness, rich in joy. I miss them already - but I am forever grateful for my time with them.

Cambodia Day 5: A Reunion of Friends and So Much More

After working all week in the SEAPC Cambodia office, Saturday was a play day. Another huge blessing for me on this trip was my two dear friends, Sambo and Sreyda, who I met on my first trip to Cambodia, took an long overnight bus ride from the Banteay Meanchey province in northwest Cambodia to see me in Phnom Penh. Sambo was my translator when we taught English in the public schools of Banteay Meanchey. I love that girl to pieces. She is humbly fierce. She is quiet and sweet but when she works in ministry she is strong and passionate. She loves Jesus with all her heart and she holds a special place in my heart. Sreyda is just pure joy. She exudes joy like no one else I know. She is always smiling and it is impossible to be down when you are around her. I have pictures of her in my home and in my office to remind myself to be joyful like she is. Both ladies are so rich in the Lord and I was richly blessed to spend a weekend with them in a reunion of friends.

Even though I was not working today, the Lord was at work. His agenda for me included increasing my knowledge of Cambodian history and deepening my love and respect for the Cambodian people.

Our first stop was visiting the Genocide Museum. I had known about Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge and the horrific genocide that took place in this country, but knowing about it and seeing it are altogether different. The Genocide museum was the actual place where imprisonments, tortures, and executions occurred. We walked through the actual buildings where thousands of humans were chained and held in indescribable conditions. Some of the actual chains and instruments of brutality are still there. There were many pictures of the prisoners. Young and old, men, women, and children - each one suffered for nothing. Their only crime was that they existed and this evil man was an Asian version of Adolph Hitler.
The photos were gruesome. I won't go into further detail because hearing it from me does it no justice. You cannot understand unless you see and experience it for yourself. Outside the buildings are graves of the some of the victims. Monuments with their names inscribed are there too.

In the final room, they had a memorial and many ways to pay your respects to the victims. They had a book, similar to one at a funeral home, where you can write a note. They also had note cards with strings that you can write something on and hang on a tree. In the book, many people wrote things like "never again - nowhere on earth". I wrote words that my aunt had spoken a few years ago in regards to our family, but they applied to this situation as well. I wrote: "we cannot change the past, but we can build a better future". And that is exactly what is happening in Cambodia. There future is bright.

After the tour came the most precious experience. Two survivors of the Khmer Rouge, now elderly gentlemen, were sitting outside with some of their family members. They had written books and I got to sit next to them and I bought their book. I was a real honor.


My friends and I then went to another place which was one of the discovered killing fields where they dumped the bodies of victims. We saw human remains and learned more about the atrocities.


Lunch and some rest was in order next. After some rest, Oudom joined us and they took me to the river and we had a nice cruise on a river boat. We then visited the Phnom Penh Night Market and got some ice cream in a coconut bowl. Oudom asked the tuk tuk driver to drive through Diamond Island, a tourist attraction.

I had a wonderful time with my friends as my respect and love for the people grew.