Quantcast
Sponsors
Special Reports
In floating village in Cambodia, talking about ghosts leads to sharing Christ
Nov 24, 2009
By STAFF

FLOAT A Vietnamese family enjoy a meal in their home on the waters of Ton Le Sap Lake, home to the floating village of Kbal Taol. Nearly 350 Vietnamese families and 450 Khmer (or Cambodian) families live here. Fishing is the primary source of income. IMB photo
KBAL TAOL, Cambodia (BP)—David* never imagined he’d use ghosts as a way to share the Gospel.

A Christian worker in Cambodia, David was surveying Vietnamese floating villages on Tonle Sap Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, and needed a boat and driver. Andrew,* whom David had led to Christ 18 months earlier, agreed to take the job.

It was on one of these survey trips to the village of Kbal Taol that David met Tim.* The two began to talk of spiritual things, and David gave Tim a Bible. After several more visits, Tim invited David and Andrew to dinner in his home. Before they arrived, Andrew gave David some advice.

“The way you talk about God is good, but it would be better to start differently,” Andrew said.

“How should I start?” David asked.

“You need to talk about ghosts,” he replied.

“Ghosts? Why ghosts?”

“Because,” Andrew explained, “the people here are afraid of ghosts. They need to know that this Creator God is more powerful than ghosts.”

The close-knit community of Kbal Taol is home to approximately 350 Vietnamese families and 450 Khmer (Cambodian) families. It is two hours by boat from the nearest town—Siem Reap in northern Cambodia. Although some residents may claim Buddhism as the predominant religion, most live in fear of spirits who they believe can cause them harm.

It is difficult for Vietnamese to get land rights in Cambodia, so most choose to live on the water. Since the majority of the men are fishermen, living on the water means they are closer to their work. They go out at night to drop their nets and collect them early the next morning. The women spend their days harvesting fish from the nets. The fish then are taken to Siem Reap to sell.

Bookmark and Share

You must be login before you can leave a comment. Click here to Register if you are a new user.

Login ID:
Password: Forgot password?