REDEMPTION

THe last stronghold

Pailin is renown for being the last stronghold of the Khmer Rouge genocide. About 75% of the men over 70 years old in Pailin are ex-Khmer Rouge soldiers. They chose Pailin because of the jungle they turned to timber and the natural gemstones found in the rivers they could pillage to fund the genocide that ended up killing 25% of the population. Welcomed back to be a part of Cambodia in 1998, they’ve had a slow recovery, and stand as one of the least developed provinces of Cambodia.

Christianity in Pailin

There are about 350 Christians in this province of 95,000 people making it less than 1% Christian.. not even a half of a percent Christian. This is why we came to Pailin - to see the redemption of the Lord happen in the darkest corner of Cambodia. The first church was planted in 2o01, and since then 21 other churches have sprouted up. The beauty of Isaiah 61 verses 1-3 is that it is those who were in captivity that are redeemed and used to bring more redemption that we see in verses 4-7. The Lord is establishing oaks of righteousness to grow and bear fruit that will bring such transformation that testifies, “Only God could have done that!”.

 

Other Fun Facts

  • It has beautiful waterfalls tucked into the mountains, there is a yeay yat statue Buddhists will travel around the country to worship, beautiful gemstones to buy, and an international border crossing to Thailand.

  • About 80% of the population in Pailin still farm! It is an agrarian society with all sorts of farms; mango, longan, rambutan, corn, potatoes, durian, start fruit, and the list goes on. Cambodia is one of the slowest urbanizing countries in the world!

  • Having freedom of religion has aloud us to preach the gospel publicly and worship freely. We believe God is raising up Khmer missionaries to go across the borders into the closed nations around us. God is strategic!

  • Pailin uses three currencies! The US Dollar, the Thai Baht, and the Khmer Riel. Be ready to do math when you come here :)

  • There is no University in Pailin, so most youth drop out in 2nd or 7th grade because they know they will not have the means to live in another province to study. Illiteracy is also 70% around the countryside. However, many people in Pailin can speak Khmer, Thai, some English, Vietnamese, and others Chinese.