“Savanah ooh na na” the sweet sound of Chhady, our house keeper, anytime we enter the same room.
I sing back with “Chhady like a melody” *to the tune of Replay by Iyaz*
Chhady might be in charge of making sure everything in the house is working, but she is so much more than that to me.
She is a friend and a sister.
We laugh together, tell stories, cook, laugh some more and even cry.
Here’s some reasons I love Chhady:
She makes other feel welcomed.
You can always be yourself when you’re with her. You can be super goofy, and she might call you crazy, but it’s all out of love. You can also be serious and she will listen.
She is so confident.
It is not rare to hear others put themselves down based on appearance, I’m guilty of this, but almost every time you are with Chhady, you will here her tell you she is beautiful. Can you imagine if we all walked with that same confidence? Chhady doesn’t speak in vein when she speaks about her beauty either; she just knows her true identity in the Lord and has a firm foundation in knowing that truth.
She is obedient.
While walking in a relationship with the Lord, He has put callings on her heart that didn’t make much sense to her. God told her to be a teacher. She hated kids and did not want to teach. But rather than being disobedient, Chhady prayed for patience and love and ended up becoming the children’s favorite teacher. They noticed something different- Jesus’ love through her.
She has hope and lives a life of unashamed faith.
In a predominately buddhist country, Chhady still boldly walks in the light, unshaken by any persecution that comes her way. No one in Chhady’s family is a Christian. But she remains hopeful in Jesus and never stops praying for her family to one day know the Lord. The other day Chhady approached my team with some amazing news: Her mom asked for prayer and Chhady was able to speak to her about Jesus. Praise the Lord!! By Chhady boldly sharing, her mother is one step closer to walking in the freedom that Jesus has to offer!!
I’ve spent more time with Chhady in the past week than the entire time I’ve been in Cambodia and I’m enjoying every second of getting to know her. She is also teaching me a lot about the redemption and love of the Lord through her testimony. One of the best parts of my day is getting ready for bed. I know when I walk up the stairs and turn the corner, Chhady is already going to be sitting on my bed ready to share her day with me. Sometimes we have deep talks or we just laugh about the goofy, little things.
I love that she has invited me into not only her home, but her life. She really is a blessing to us all. Everyone needs a Chhady in their life.
