Let me set the setting for you.
My teammate Chris and I are at this Mexican restaurant in Seim Reap, Cambodia. Where the beer costs 75 cents and the water costs 1.50. Makes sense right. We are blogging and updating pictures for all of you to read and enjoy, when Chris looks up at me and she doesn’t look happy. Since we had Internet access she messaged me from across the table to tell me the two men next to us were talking about us. The older gentlemen had pointed to us to say we have never felt what it is like to be hungry. He may have been right, yet it still ticked me off; my own arrogance did not like being called spoiled. I had already figured out he was German from his accent. So I rip of my headphone in frustration and said hello, making small talk about Germany. The other man was young and from India. Not really sure what I was going to say, but I wanted them to know we were not spoiled little American. God had a different plan. (He always does) The men asked Chris and I what we are doing in Cambodia, which sparked the conversation around God. We get the opportunity to learn about these two men, about their lives, what they believe in, their goals in life as well as their struggles in life. The young Indian man shares his heart with us and opens up asking questions about Jesus and who He is. We share our faith and tell how Jesus works in our lives, and that He loves us just as much as He loves each of them. Who would have thought? God used my anger to get us talking. Oh God has a sense of humor, doesn’t He?
I told you that during this time I learned about these men’s struggles in life, the terrible things that have happened to them throughout their life. They were heart wrenching and hard to comprehend.
I think sometimes having hard things happen in life that are horrible, makes believing in God that much harder. When we as Christians talk about how good God is, yet bad things still happen, people do not understand. Questions as why do people die young, why do so many people suffer, why is my life so hard, God must not exist, these are common questions and thoughts people around the world carry.
In this moment when talking to these men, I felt God preparing me to share my story of my mother, it just was unclear how. I share a little about how my mother died and how God has taught me to trust Him in the hardest situations. It was then, the older German man shares that when he returns to Germany he was to have eye surgery, and if it failed to fix his eyes, leaving him blind, he is going to kill himself. My heart dropped and I froze. I felt like I knew what God wanted me to say. He didn’t want me to say no don’t do it, or make him feel guilty about his daughter that he would leave behind. No it was to agree that this mans life was hard, and it was to just show how much God loved him. To tell him it was not a coincidence that we met today, that God had us meet at this Mexican restaurant. To show just how big God is, and how He creates everything for His glory. Just because we believe in God, doesn’t make our life easy or without struggles. God loves us enough to carry our burdens, to be our comforter and rescuer, if we allow Him too.
“ I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
The young Indian man was filled with excitement. He said he believed in Jesus. Then says to Chris and I “How do I become a Christian?” I replied, “this is something you need to think about, it will change your life”. Thirty minutes later God allowed Chris and I to help this young Indian man become a follower of the Kings of Kings. Praise Jesus for His plan that allowed us to meet these wonderful men and share the good news. His plans are far greater than ours; Chris and I could not have woken up that morning planning something like that. I am so grateful that God used us to help spread His kingdom.
“For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
