Mission - Louise Barker
Louise Barker - Cambodia



Cambodia in SE Asia is home to 12 million Khmer people, Cham, Vietnamese, Chinese and minority hill tribes. The capital city, Phnom Penh, is set beside the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers, with a population of just over one million. The vast majority of Cambodians live in rural areas, working as subsistence farmers and fishermen. Though the infamous Pol Pot years of the killing Fields took place in the 1970's, the effects of war and famine remain very evident to even a casual visitor to the region. The infrastructure remains poor as does the education and health systems. Mental scars remain in the lives of many. The Cambodian people are generally resilient and hardy, with a cheerful disposition. Their worldview is shaped by their religion, a mixture of animism, Hinduism and Buddhism.



I arrived in Cambodia in April 1998, my present home being in Phnom Penh beside the grilled chicken market! There are nearly 70 of us in our OMF International team here. We come from across the world, with approximately half of us from Asia. We work in both church planting and development work. My role within OMF is Coordinator for Orientation and Training of new members. We receive on average 12 new members a year, who feel the call of God to come and help build His Kingdom in this land. Their first year is spent in full time language study and cultural orientation. My role has many practical aspects to it, but also a pastoral and spiritual component. My desire is that whilst undergoing great loss and change these new cross- cultural workers nevertheless thrive.



It is difficult to know the size of the Christian church in Cambodia. It is growing rapidly, however, with an estimated 200,000 believers presently. That is only 2%of the population but 5 years ago the church was half that number! Still, there are many thousands of villages and whole people groups who have never heard the gospel. The Evangelical Fellowship of Cambodia’s vision is to see a church in every village by the year 2020.



You can find out more about OMF International, our vision, mission and values, by visiting our website.

This page was created on Friday 02 May 08 and last updated on Sunday 08 February 09