Phnom Penh, Cambodia - January 31, 2018

We made it to the airport without incident and boarded our prop plane to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. All went remarkable well.

We were whisked through immigration at the airport which is why using a travel agent is always a good idea when traveling a developing or third world country,

My impression of Cambodia? It's heart-breaking.

Keam, our guide, and our driver met us and took us straight to Cheung Ek. The drive from the airport through the outskirts of Phnom Penh to the countryside took about an hour. Cheung Ek was made famous by the movie, "The Killing Fields," and is now a large memorial to commemorate the 17,000 people (men, women and children) who were executed here on this site under the reign of Khmer Rouge leader, Pol Pot.

It is horrible, just horrible. Tears flowed down my face as I saw one collection of 8,000 skulls of people, formerly professionals, doctors, educators, lawyers and their families who were first held, interrogated and tortured by the Khmer Rouge for 3-4 months then brought to this or one of many other killing places. In the years the Khmer Rouge was in power (so recently in our history!!) People were brought here for the sole purpose of execution with eyes bound. To prevent peoples in surrounding areas from hearing or seeing what was going on, the prisoners were killed savagely at night by executioners with knives, sticks, bamboo spears, or cleaning rods. No bullets; they were too valuable. The heads of children were smashed against a broad tree trunk - all this happened between 1975 and 1979. During this time, millions of Cambodian intellectuals and their families who were suspected of not supporting the Khmer Rouge government were killed in many execution fields very much like this former Chinese cemetery at Cheung Ek.

I'm sick.

Maybe this is only my first impression. Granted, I may change perspectives tomorrow. But from what I saw today, life in Cambodia is not a great deal better than that 30 years ago. The people here are suppressed. If they speak badly of the government - former military leaders of Khmer Rouge - they can be put in jail. A member of the opposition force was elected into power in their last election but the ruling party enacted new laws that allowed them to jail the newly elected leader. So what the heck??? He is still in jail.

People in high positions with the government and their families drive Land Rovers and Rolls Royce. We saw them. Just today we saw grand palaces that seem to glower over public housing and hovels. They flaunt their wealth gained through corruption.

These people are suppressed. Their hands are tied. They have no way out. I am sad; I am troubled; I have seen and heard the sound of their desperation. Now if I say nothing, I am a part of the problem.

Dear Lord, please help me, please help us all.

The moon was exceptionally rare tonight night. All the planets were in alignment. If you looked out and if the sky were clear you would see what we saw; a super blue blood moon in phases of total eclipse. I almost wet my pants! It was a once in a lifetime sight and there it was . . . just outside our window, huge and straight from God, himself, here in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.