It is so rewarding to see the people we have prayed for and served giving their lives to Jesus! Just over a month ago, three of our friends—two former Buddhists and one former Muslim—sealed their faith in Jesus by baptism.
Tia-ree is a woman who lives two houses down from our clinic. We helped two years ago when she was battling tuberculosis. After getting to know her, we invited her to join us for worship. On one occasion, her husband Met was upset that she was worshiping with us. He stood outside and shouted for Tia-ree to come home. Despite Met’s protests, Tia-ree still sometimes joined us.
Then one day Met had a terrible accident that left him in a coma for a month and permanently damaged his brain. When he came home from the hospital, we prayed for him and helped with his care. Miraculously, he regained his ability to speak and move, though he is still wheelchair-bound. Knowing about our prayers for him, he credited God with his healing.
All the while, Tia-ree was studying with us and finally decided to be baptized. Met has also been worshipping with us and has intimated that he also would like to prepare for baptism!
Tia-ree is a warrior. She is extremely poor and takes care of her three daughters and her husband who is now unable to work. When people tell her to leave her husband, she replies firmly that she will not abandon him, despite his open unfaithfulness to her before his accident. She is a precious daughter of God.
In Cambodia, you call people brother, sister, aunt, uncle, grandma or grandpa. The word for aunt is Ming. Ming Nayung joined our Bible study/worship group through the influence of Ming Nee. Ming Nee gave her heart to Jesus and was baptized last year. Since then she has been a missionary, and several people have come to study with us because of her! Ming Nayung was Buddhist but was somewhat familiar with who Jesus is and wanted to learn more. By God’s grace, she gained the victory over alcohol while studying with us and also decided to give her life to Jesus and be baptized! We are so thankful to know Ming Nayung.
Gaw-tiat is a young Muslim man who is related to Navee, the first baptized believer among the Great River people. Gaw-tiat is a welder by trade and helped build some metalwork around our house. He has a very open and kind spirit. Navee has shared his faith with Gaw-tiat for some time, and this fueled a deep interest in Gaw-tiat’s heart. He began coming to worship with our study group on Sabbath, and it has been a huge blessing to watch his faith deepen. He, too, decided to be washed from his sins and be baptized.
We have been honored to build on the witness of those who came before us and play a part in the lives of these new brothers and sisters. We praise God for His Word as we watch it speak hope and faith into the hearts of those who study its sacred pages. Thank you for your investment in heavenly treasure through your prayers and finances. Please continue to pray that we will be empowered through God’s Spirit to faithfully love people, serve them and make disciples for our Savior.
