Last Day in Phnom Penh

Today was our last day in Phnom Penh.  After riding about 325k or 200 miles throughout this country, I'm exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally.  I've seen so many sides of the daily lives of people at a level I would have only dreamt.  Even still I know that there are so many more sides to see.

The red line indicated our travels not our biking.  We drove a bunch too. 

As one of my last goals for this trip, I wrestled with the idea of visiting the World Vision Offices. They still have a large presents here with focuses on child welfare, health and education.  I have a lot of respect for what this organization has done for the people of my country and for me individually and would like in some way to make contact with them.   At the same time, I have been hesitant to do this as well.  I recognize that my involvement with World Vision was a long time ago, and in the grand scheme of things was not a major "mission," it was barely a dot on the timeline of this organization, given the number of projects they have conducted.

Dr. Stan Mooneyham (President of World Vision 1969 - 1982) was creative and driven to save peoples lives.  In one of his speeches he talked about "Marching off the map" referring to early maps of the world.  The known world was represented with lands and people, the unknown world, off the map, was thought to be the realm of sea monsters and dragons. 

 National Library of Sweden,

www.worldvision.org.sg/st_wvsingapore.php

Dr. Mooneyham believed that if you voyage into those uncharted waters, "off the map" in the quest for good, other will follow.  Project Sea Sweep was one of these journeys.  Against the advice of the World Vision Board of Directors, multiple Governments and NGO, Dr. Mooneyham organized a mission to aid and rescue the Vietnamese Boat People (People fleeing Vietnam in "boats" after the communist take over) in the South China Sea. Giving supplies to "boats" that needed them and rescuing people in "boats" that shouldn't still be floating.  Soon after he proved it could be done, other countries and organizations followed. 

He focused on projects, as he put it, "that are so large they could only succeed with help from God." He was a visionary with the exclusive goal to care for the poor and needy.   I am one of those people.  He personally flew into Phnom Penh with the possibility of not flying out. As the plane landed, the specter of war was all around.  Black smoke could be seen, and it was known the Communist forces were pushing toward the city on the verge of victory.  Once the plane landed they had less than thirty minutes to unload five tons of medical supplies. Load the orphans.  We were brought out in vans, racing across the open tarmac.  Each van spaced 100 feet apart for safety.  We were loaded in baskets onto the plane by volunteers and team members in helmets and flak jackets.  I’ve been told that shortly after we left, the Khmer Rouge destroy the airport and no more planes were able to leave.

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It is not hyperbole to stay that World Vision, Stan Mooneyham and the other volunteers saved my life and the lives of twenty other orphans.  

Although the Khmer Rouge were welcome into the city by the citizenry, as marking the end of the civil war, that claimed hundreds of thousands.  The truth was revealed, as the population was forced out of the cities to the countryside. Those who could not keep up, those not seen as not useful or those thought to be disloyal to the Angkar (the organization) and its goals, were left for dead or outright murdered…this would have been my fate.

I feel incredibly lucky to have survived.  Although the actual numbers are unknown,  the Khmer Rouge is responsible for the deaths of between 1.5 and 3 million people.  (Most reported number are between 1.5 and 2 million people, but the when speaking to Cambodians, the number is always 3 million).  Roughly 1/3 of the population. 

World Vision has always been special to me.  As I’ve been on this quest, I have felt the need to include World Vision as part of it.  At the same time, I’ve been apprehensive about contacting them as well…Over the years, I’ve attempted to get information from them, but have for the most part, received little attention.   My fear of rejections and abandonment permeates all aspects of my life. 

World Vision has been active in Cambodia for a very long time (nearly 50 years est. 1962).  They have several offices around the country, with the largest in Phnom Penh. I wanted to visit the offices, but I wasn’t sure what would happen...if someone would be able to or even want to talk to me.

As it happens, they were very interested in what I had to say. Phearun Kuch, the public engagement manager and Chea Chanthany, the Editorial Coordinator came down to meet us.  Neither of them had much knowledge of our rescue, which is not too surprising.  But they were intrigued by the story I told them.  They wanted as much information as I could give them…Although there wasn’t much, it seemed to make the wheels turn.  The excitement I was feeling, just speaking to them, was being reflected on their faces.  I had mentioned the fact that I had found most of the orphans, and that we hoped to meet someday soon…we even had dreams of coming to Cambodia together…

In 2022 World Vision Cambodia will be celebrating their 50 year anniversary, and stories like ours would be perfect.  We ended our talk with fantasies and dream of what could be…and promised to keep in touch. 

This is when my mind started working on just how to get this done… I guess I’ve found my next big project...HEY, GATES, BEZOES, BALMER, SCHULTZ...What do you think?