Cambodia

A. Introduction

Capital city: Phnom Penh. Area: 181,040 square km2, approximately five times larger than Taiwan. The country is boarded by Vietnam to the east and southeast, Laos to the north, Thailand to the west and northwest and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest. Tropical monsoon is the dominant climate in Cambodia. The dry season is from November to April and the rain season is from May to November. The average temperature is around 33°C. It can be very hot in March and April as the temperature can go up to 30-40°C.

Agriculture, process manufacturing and tourism shape the main structure of the economy in Cambodia. The economy has been growing rapidly in recent years. The industry chain increases dramatically—from apparel to electronics and mobile parts--Cambodia has become one of the new “Tiger Cub Economies” in Asia. The statistic from 2018 census showed that the population in Cambodia is 15,288,489. 2,129,371 people are living in the capital city Phnom Penh. The ancestor of Khmer was originally from Thailand. However, today’s Khmer people had integrated with migrants from India, Malaysia, China and Vietnam. There are 24 ethnicities in the country, 80% of them are Khmer, 3% are Chams, 3% are Chinese (from Guangdong, Fujian, Hainan, Chaozhou—where the majority of them were from), and others are indigenous.

The official language is Khmer, while some people can speak English, French, Mandarin or Teochew. Most of the Cambodian speak and write in Khmer; Chinese people mainly use Teochew or other Chinese dialects; the Chams speaks Chams; Vietnamese people speak Vietnamese. Because Cambodia was colonized by France, French was once the second language widely spoken by the Cambodian. However, it is not the case anymore. Due to the advancement of the economy, Mandarin and English became very popular in Cambodia. Riel is the official currency issued by the Cambodian government. However, US dollars are used more commonly.

B. Religion

Hinayana Buddhism is the official religion in Cambodia (97.9%). The local Chinese mainly believe in Mahayana Buddhism. Vietnamese and most of the residence in major cities believe in Catholicism and Protestantism (0.5%). Chams and Malay believe in Islam (1.1%). A minority of people believe in Animism (0.6%).

C. The development of True Jesus Church

Since 2015, a retired preacher went into Cambodia and preached the salvation gospel of Jesus Christ. It has been 13 years since then. There was work by the Holy Spirit and the workers preached the Scripture, salvation truth and gospel wholeheartedly. The gospel of God’s kingdom allows people in Cambodia to know the true God Jesus Christ. It also guides the members to walk on the path of salvation, so they can enter the spiritual kingdom. 2008 was a critical year as the gospel of the true church was spread starting from the Prey Veng Province in Cambodia. It continued to be preached from district to district and from one province to another. God bestowed the Holy Spirit in every district and province, accompanied by the signs and wonders to confirm the true word.

The Taiwan GA EXCO meeting agreed to be in charge of and pastor Cambodia on February 24, 2018. They started to plan the ministry, calculate the budgets and send out preachers to pastor the churches in 2019. There are six full-time local ministers in Cambodia. There is also a two-year intensive theology and divine work training course. Volunteers from many countries (Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Cambodia) also serve God with all their heart and might to prosper the gospel. We will continue to advocate our aims "Preach the gospel, Pastor the sheep" in the year 2019, so the work of salvation can grow continuously in every province and city of Cambodia.

The administrative division in Cambodia includes 25 provinces and one municipality. The gospel has been spread to ten provinces and the municipality. Up to October 2019, there are 353 members in Cambodia.

1. Phnom Penh Province – 82 members

2. Prey Veng Province – 81 members in

3. Kampong Speu Province – 74 members

4. Kampot Province – 3 members

5. Svay Rieng Province – 29 members

6. Siem Reap Province – 9 members

7. Takeo Province – 11 members

8. Battambang Province – 1 member

9. Kampong Thom Province – 65 members

10. Kampong Chhnang Province – 2 members

11. Preah Vihear Province – 6 members

D. Special notes for attention

 There are two ways to apply for visas (please refer to the internet for application fee):

• Apply for an e-visa online

• Visa upon arrival- if you need multiple entries, you can apply for a business visa upon arrival, and then apply for multiple visa extensions in a year.

Luggage: It’d be good to bring a hard-shell suitcase with wheels and locks. Luggage straps or stickers would make your suitcase stand out more and easier to recognize. To carry your personal clothes and water bottle, we suggest you bring a small carry-on bag.

Medication: Antidiarrheal, cold medicine, motion sickness pills, Tiger Balm, Green Oil (mint oil), band-aid, multivitamin, any other personal medication etc.

Things to bring: clothes, personal medication, sunglasses, hat, umbrella or raincoat, water bottle and torchlight.

Water: You cannot drink tap water in Cambodia, please buy bottled water for drinking purpose.

Clothes: There are dry and rain seasons in Cambodia, so it’d be better to dress accordingly to suit the weather. The sun can be scorching in the day, so only summer clothes would be needed. Local-made clothes are cheap. It’d be best to wear sneakers. Ladies please avoid wearing heels.

Food: Similar to people in Thailand, Cambodians like to eat spicy, sour and sweet food. We have a lot of Chinese now, so we have plenty of Chinese food. It’s not cheap to dine outside, so all the full-time workers in Phnom Penh have to cook their own meal.

Accommodation: We rent a church building in Phnom Penh (rent till June 2021), there’s accommodation and internet available in church. We hold services at members’ houses in other districts. When ministers come for pastoral visits or when there is spiritual evangelistic convocation, the workers have to stay in the cheap hotels nearby.

Time Zone: Cambodia is in UTC+7, same as Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and west Indonesia. It is one hour behind Taiwan.

Voltage: The standard voltage is 230 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz. In Cambodia, the power plugs and sockets are of type A, C and G.

Public security: There are anti-government guerrillas inside and outside of the border of Cambodia. It is not very secure in the country either. Therefore, it is best not to travel alone in the country. Wear simple clothes to stay safe. There are a lot of drug users and dealers in Cambodia. Do not bring any gifts or souvenirs for anyone from Cambodia, so you can stay safe from the trap of trafficking drugs for others. Cambodia does not have advanced medical equipment, so be careful of dengue fever, AIDS and other mosquito-borne diseases.