Sadly, Mealea is just one of many Cambodians who have lost their entire family during the genocide that ravaged their country from 1975 -1979. It is estimated that over 2,000,000 Cambodians were killed during this time which was about 20% of the total population.
Much like the Nazi concentration camps, families were separated by sexes and age then forced to do hard labor in the fields with little food under extremely unsanitary conditions. The children were forced to sleep in small areas where they were lined up similar to the slaves in the 19th century slave ships- alternating head to toe on the floor. They were given small pots to relieve themselves in but were not allowed to leave the room. The lack of baths caused their hair to be matted and filled with lice.
Mealea recounts her experience during this time and says: “I was a very young girl, 8 years old, during the Pol Pot regime. My younger brother and I were with my grandparents. My parents had been in another province called Siem Reap having been drafted for military duty. I lived with a group of children who were the same age. They gave us limited food, 3-4 spoons of rice per meal, only two meals a day. They made us work very, very hard every day with no weekend or rest for almost 4 years. We slept in camps that were wet with urine and stool. We had lice all over our head and skin. The hardest part was that my whole family- my parents, one sister and two brothers- were all killed by the Pol Pot regime.” As she said these words, tears kept flooding out of her eyes leaving her almost unable to converse.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” she apologized as she spoke. “It’s just so hard for me to remember and talk about the most painful part of my life. I want to forget it all.” Then she added, “The Khmer Rouge starved my little brother to death. He was only 5-years-old. I miss him.”
Obviously, a country that undergoes such trauma is left with incalculable needs particularly with the top leaders of the country all dead or deported to other countries. God provided for some of those necessities through the arrival of several missionaries in 1992. For Mealea, this was the beginning of hope in her life. Their bitterness was transformed into joy as she and her husband made Jesus their Lord and were baptized as a result of their outreach efforts.
Though Pol Pot killed Mealea’s entire family through unbearable torture, there is no longer any bitterness and anger in her heart. More than that, she has been able to let go of the fear and loneliness as well. God has given her a new family in Christ with her husband being at her side. HOPE worldwide’s efforts to build a hospital in Phnom Penh has enabled her husband, Dr. Kim Meng Tan to serve as a doctor at the facility as well as play a key role in training up new Cambodian doctors.
Mealea has two teenage daughters who are both Christians. Her son is attending the Goldstone School of HOPE worldwide. Her life has been blessed spiritually, emotionally and physically. God has blessed her life in more ways than she can count. She says, “I thank God everyday because I cannot believe how blessed I am right now. I can’t imagine where my life would be at right now without Him!”
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