Saturday, October 13, 2007

Feeding the Dead

Katherine:

When I’m in the traffic these days I see so many people dressed up in nice clothes carrying cylindrical containers. The women are all wearing lacy white tops and colourful silk skirts like they wear to weddings. What is happening?

Kimsoeun:


In Cambodia right now, people are having a major religious festival, called Pjum Ben, when people go to Wat (Buddhist temple) to offer food for their dead ancestors, whom they believe to become hungry souls (called Pret), kept and tortured in hell, and allowed to come to earth only 15 days a year, that is, these last 2 weeks.

The hungry souls will go around to 7 Wats to eat food offered by their living relatives. If they find food they will bless their family, if not they will curse. This is very important festival. People are making sure that they take food to a Wat at least once.

Please pray for Cambodian Christians that we would stand firm and remain faithful to God, and not being tempted to do otherwise.


Pray for those who are being forced to offer food to Wat or insulted by their family or relatives, that they too will have wisdom to do what is right before God.

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