I sat staring at a lifeless list of vocabulary words. I felt strangely restless. Since it was Friday, I hadn’t planned on going for my usual walk through the village, and I was running behind schedule with my other tasks. But something inside urged me to go. I finally gave in. I put away my language study and hurried to a friend’s house.

“Go on in and visit the ladies,” Abdullah beckoned. “They are studying the Quran with Mae Tooun.” Mae Tooun is a religious teacher of women and children.

The ladies welcomed me warmly. For a few minutes, we chatted about crops, babies and weddings. They had already finished their study, but Masah had more questions. Mae Tooun brought out a book written in Arabic and Khmer script. She opened it to a section about the Injeel (the gospels). She read slowly through the section. I heard the words for Jesus and Christian repeated often. Then a heated discussion started. I understood enough to get the gist of the conversation. Mae Tooun was trying to show that Philip and I were just like the other Christians who live in the town near us. She pointed to a list of the four gospels and asked me if we follow them. I assured her that we do. A satisfied look crossed her face as if to say, “See? I told you they are the same as the Christians in town.”

But Masah and Lava protested loudly. “They are different, I tell you! They know much more than those Christians in town. They follow God like we do. They don’t drink alcohol or eat pigs. They have studied a lot!”

Mae Tooun and my friends argued back and forth for some time. Then, to prove their point, Masah asked me if we drink alcohol or eat pork. I assured her we don’t because we follow God.
Mae Tooun was visibly confused. “Do you follow Jesus?” she asked.

“Yes, we follow Jesus.”

“The people who follow Jesus in town drink alcohol and eat pork!” she exclaimed. “But you both follow Jesus. Why are you different?”

“Many people who follow Jesus only follow part of the book,” I explained. “But we are not the same as those people. We follow all of God’s writings.”
“See, they are different!” Lava exclaimed triumphantly.

Mae Tooun quickly changed the subject and soon excused herself. She still seemed to be wrestling with this new perspective about followers of Jesus.

In the Muslim mind, Christianity is synonymous with immorality and Hollywood. Most Muslims have never come in contact with any followers of Jesus who have challenged this view. Every day, we pray that our lives will show the difference. Once in a while, God gives us a peek at what He is doing in the hearts of our beloved friends. Keep praying—it’s working!

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