By Dr. MIKE MORGAN
Zanesville Times Recorder (Ohio, USA)
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Our first month in Cambodia has been unlike any period of time in our lives. Mary Lee and I have seen much happiness in the smiles and faces of the humble people we are associating with, as well as the worst state of poverty we have ever experienced.
On July 3 we toured the "Genocide High School," which was a previous high school in Phnom Penh, that was converted into a combined interrogation, torture and murder site for the Khmer Rouge (Cambodian Communist Party) to destroy approximately 2-4 million Cambodians.
On July 4, we toured the "Killing Fields," which was the site where the bodies were buried and many were also tortured and killed. It consisted of an unknown number of shallow, mass graves (about 75). Most were dug by the people who were killed and buried in the graves. There were a number of "Killing Fields" scattered around the country.
I am embarrassed to say that while all this was going on from 1975 to 1979 (only 30 years ago), I remembered very little about the entire event. The dictator Pol Pot desired to eliminate anyone who could oppose him in his dominance of the country. He killed businessmen, religious leaders, educators, doctors and in essence anyone who could stop his control. In 1975, Pol Pot evacuated all cities, closed hospitals, schools, monasteries, and factories, and abolished the use of money. For nearly four years the country was in a prison-camp state.
Our Cambodian landlord and his 15-year-old son (his first time) took us to see the "killing fields." Our landlord had both his parents and two brothers killed in the massacre. Almost every Cambodian we meet has had a relative killed in the massacre. It was a very sobering experience and we have no desire to return for a second visit.
We have worked very hard treating patients with a portable dental unit that we set up in the churches. There are always large lines of people seeking treatment, both before and after we are finished for the day. We are doing emergency dentistry with a little hygiene education.
Most of the mouths we treat are in need of a great deal of work, but we can only eliminate real problems, and then move on to another. The patients are so stoic and appreciative. There is no screaming or squirming; even small children just sit there and take the procedures.
The people are working for as little as $1 a day. Most are making about $100 a month and getting by. We have visited some church members who live in little tarp-covered shanties. They have dirt floors and no doors. They do have electricity, but many do not have refrigeration or bathrooms. When we visit, many do not have chairs, and we sit on the floor or stand up.
We visited an orphanage with about 30 children ages 4 to 17. As I got out of the car, they ran up to me, patted my belly and yelled, "Santa Claus, Santa Claus." It is good luck to rub Buddha's belly. When I walk through one of the market areas, people come up to me, smile and pat my belly. I think I am the fattest person in Cambodia.
We attended a Cambodian wedding. The bride and groom wore at least five changes of clothing throughout the event. Their costumes consisted of very bright colors and ornate decorations. They prepared and served a five-course meal for everyone.
I had a difficult time eating all of the different foods. I have a policy: If I don't know what it is, I don't eat it. I have had some difficulties eating everything that is served. I am certain that I have lost weight.
After the wedding vows were pronounced, the Elder said, you may now kiss as husband and wife. The wife would not let him kiss her. In Cambodia, public affection is frowned upon. The Elder finally was able to convince her to let the groom give her a peck on the cheek. Those in attendance really had to chuckle.
We are adjusting to our new life, but it has not been without discouragement and stress. The one really stabilizing force that keeps us going is our faith in the Savior Jesus Christ and the knowledge that we do have trust, hope and a future-something that the Cambodian people have had taken away from them.
I believe that as future generations of Cambodians come along and put the genocide behind them, this country will once again prosper. I have really had my faith in the freedoms we enjoy strengthened. I am so grateful to be an American and enjoy the benefits of a democratic form of government, without fear of reprisals. It is a real privilege to be able to pay taxes and know that some of the money is going to assist those in need. God bless America!
Mike and Mary Lee Morgan are serving an 18-month mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Phnom Penh Cambodian mission. They practiced family dentistry in Zanesville for 41 years and are now doing part-time dentistry and missionary work in Cambodia.
On July 3 we toured the "Genocide High School," which was a previous high school in Phnom Penh, that was converted into a combined interrogation, torture and murder site for the Khmer Rouge (Cambodian Communist Party) to destroy approximately 2-4 million Cambodians.
On July 4, we toured the "Killing Fields," which was the site where the bodies were buried and many were also tortured and killed. It consisted of an unknown number of shallow, mass graves (about 75). Most were dug by the people who were killed and buried in the graves. There were a number of "Killing Fields" scattered around the country.
I am embarrassed to say that while all this was going on from 1975 to 1979 (only 30 years ago), I remembered very little about the entire event. The dictator Pol Pot desired to eliminate anyone who could oppose him in his dominance of the country. He killed businessmen, religious leaders, educators, doctors and in essence anyone who could stop his control. In 1975, Pol Pot evacuated all cities, closed hospitals, schools, monasteries, and factories, and abolished the use of money. For nearly four years the country was in a prison-camp state.
Our Cambodian landlord and his 15-year-old son (his first time) took us to see the "killing fields." Our landlord had both his parents and two brothers killed in the massacre. Almost every Cambodian we meet has had a relative killed in the massacre. It was a very sobering experience and we have no desire to return for a second visit.
We have worked very hard treating patients with a portable dental unit that we set up in the churches. There are always large lines of people seeking treatment, both before and after we are finished for the day. We are doing emergency dentistry with a little hygiene education.
Most of the mouths we treat are in need of a great deal of work, but we can only eliminate real problems, and then move on to another. The patients are so stoic and appreciative. There is no screaming or squirming; even small children just sit there and take the procedures.
The people are working for as little as $1 a day. Most are making about $100 a month and getting by. We have visited some church members who live in little tarp-covered shanties. They have dirt floors and no doors. They do have electricity, but many do not have refrigeration or bathrooms. When we visit, many do not have chairs, and we sit on the floor or stand up.
We visited an orphanage with about 30 children ages 4 to 17. As I got out of the car, they ran up to me, patted my belly and yelled, "Santa Claus, Santa Claus." It is good luck to rub Buddha's belly. When I walk through one of the market areas, people come up to me, smile and pat my belly. I think I am the fattest person in Cambodia.
We attended a Cambodian wedding. The bride and groom wore at least five changes of clothing throughout the event. Their costumes consisted of very bright colors and ornate decorations. They prepared and served a five-course meal for everyone.
I had a difficult time eating all of the different foods. I have a policy: If I don't know what it is, I don't eat it. I have had some difficulties eating everything that is served. I am certain that I have lost weight.
After the wedding vows were pronounced, the Elder said, you may now kiss as husband and wife. The wife would not let him kiss her. In Cambodia, public affection is frowned upon. The Elder finally was able to convince her to let the groom give her a peck on the cheek. Those in attendance really had to chuckle.
We are adjusting to our new life, but it has not been without discouragement and stress. The one really stabilizing force that keeps us going is our faith in the Savior Jesus Christ and the knowledge that we do have trust, hope and a future-something that the Cambodian people have had taken away from them.
I believe that as future generations of Cambodians come along and put the genocide behind them, this country will once again prosper. I have really had my faith in the freedoms we enjoy strengthened. I am so grateful to be an American and enjoy the benefits of a democratic form of government, without fear of reprisals. It is a real privilege to be able to pay taxes and know that some of the money is going to assist those in need. God bless America!
Mike and Mary Lee Morgan are serving an 18-month mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Phnom Penh Cambodian mission. They practiced family dentistry in Zanesville for 41 years and are now doing part-time dentistry and missionary work in Cambodia.
3 comments:
Go home and take your religion back with you.
Christian missionaries are destroying Khmer culture.
Prefer youn communist Vietname in stead? 12:37AM go back to Hanoi and take nothing from Cambodia with you.
"I am so grateful to be an American ... It is a real privilege to be able to pay taxes and know that some of the money is going to assist those in need."
Do they really think that they are making a difference in Cambodia?
I mean where were they when the B52s dropped 2 millions tons of bomb on those people and killing 600 000 innocents villagers which led to the worst genocide in recent history?
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