Meet Marin. His polio prevents him from walking on two feet so instead he crawls about on all fours (see brief video below). Marin lives in the Svay Reing Province of Cambodia, just minutes from the Vietnam border. He and his wife have four children, two of which have severe physical handicaps as well. Marin supports his family without begging for help. He crawls in the muddy fields, planting vegetables and rice. One year we gave him money to buy a new wheelchair to replace the rickety, old thing he could barely get around in. We found out later that he bought a new chair and gave it to his handicapped daughter.
Marin is a beggar but not the kind we would naturally assume him to be. He is a beggar telling other beggars where to get the bread: that is he tells the lost about Jesus, the Bread of Life. He is a passionate preacher for Jesus. Marin attends all of our LeaderCare seminars when we travel to the Vietnam border, and he is one of the most knowledgeable Bible students around.
We meet so many in Cambodia who inspire us. And we aspire to be like them in their devotion, commitment, and love for Jesus. Some drive us to “all fours” in humility and gratitude.
Be sure to watch this 30 second video showing how Marin lives day to day. His hand gesture is not that of begging, but rather that is the normal/formal way Cambodians greet others.
The flooding in Cambodia this year caused a lot of damage. Crops were washed out, homes, buildings and roads were damaged, and things were very chaotic. But God works in all things!
On the second day of teaching in a mostly Muslim village, this woman really made me nervous. Her expression never changed – she just stared at me. She sat in the same spot and did not move during the class sessions. I was clueless as to what she thought about our teachings about Jesus, but she did not seem very happy to be in the room. As we shared Jesus with these precious souls many laughed at our illustrative stories while others seemed to show great interest in the One we called Jesus. But this Muslim woman just stared at me.
Terrence owned a mobile phone installation business and had everything going his way until alcohol and drugs interrupted the good life. His life spiraled out of control until he bumped into Jesus and was baptized. Terrence still lives in transition today, looking for life to break the right way for him. Most of his money is actually made by recycling the cans and bottles he finds on his “route” that he rides on his bicycle everyday. Recently, Terrence was touched by the story of the floods in Cambodia and commented on the abundance around him. He gave 60 dollars to feed families in Cambodia. That’s a lot of cans and bottles!
I met Chamnan April 20, 2012 – I thought Sokhom had lost his mind. He and I were conducting a three day seminar for village house church leaders along with our Cambodia Bible School (CBS) students. As I glanced across the room it looked like we had some very capable men to equip with God’s word. Then I noticed this frail, 90 pound guy who was partially hunched over with crippled up hands. He spoke broken English with the squeakiest voice I’d ever heard. I asked Sokhom why he would bring this unimpressive house church leader to the seminar when funds and space were so limited. Sokhom said, “He is not a house church leader brother. He is a new full-time preaching student.” Then I really thought he was off his rocker.
One of the greatest honors and privileges in the world for a Christian is to share Jesus with those who do not know Him. This is commonplace in Cambodia where over 90% of the people are Buddhists. Some have heard of Jesus but most know little or nothing about Him!
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