This is a letter written by a 22 year old white, American girl to my family I will never forget in Cambodia. I don’t take the term “my family” lightly, but you sincerely are and now I want to share with you what you’ve taught me and how you’ve lovingly challenged me in a time where I was coasting with my walk with God. You are a family far from coasting and have sharpened me with your story. This is a letter for you but I’m sharing it with the world so that it can impact everyone’s lives the way it has impacted mine.
My dearest family from Cambodia,
You are a family focused on joyful sacrifice. Sacrifice is you, grandma, giving up your wooden bed to make space for 6 world racers to sleep on your floor. You do this because your family has a heartbeat on sharing Gods love on an island where you are one of the only Christian families. We had the amazing opportunity to join your heartbeat this month. Your family makes $50/month on your farm and you give it all to the church. You heard me, all; not 10%, not even a generous 20%, but 100%. God told you to give it all and so you did. When you have nothing you see the needs that others have and trust God provides for you and He does every single time.
You are a family centered on faithfulness. Grandpa, you have overwhelming streams of faith. You had faith that with no money in your wallet that God would heal your daughter since you couldn’t afford heart surgery. This is a daughter who had a hole in her heart, a girl who should have died years ago. However, because of your faith she was healed. Today she is alive and shouldn’t be, but you had radical faith and trusted God and He provided.
You, brother, know who is your Healer. When your leg got so injured you couldn’t walk on it for two years after a moto accident you never stopped ceasing to pray to your Healer. You fiercely prayed in front of your church week after week. One day that prayer was answered, your leg was healed, and everyone in the church got to rejoice by seeing the testimony of God’s miraculousness.
You are a family that has seen past the trinkets of this world and focus on eternal treasures. Grandma, you have been called crazy and physically hit by your neighbors for what you believe in, but your faithfulness has never faded, but grown stronger. You walk in confidence and boldness to love neighbors that have persecuted you. Grandpa, you have been deeply affected by the Khmer Rouge genocide along with 3 million others. Your father and seven siblings were horrifically killed. You had to secretly steal food in order to stay alive and not be found by the Khmer Rouge. You’ve showed me to look above for eternal treasures and turn to the one who answers your outcry when in mourning. You’ve shown me when you cry out, God isn’t only with you but is crying out to you through it all.
You are a family of radiant obedience. When you, brother, left your well paying job in the city to start a church back in your village you didn’t even look back. You are giving it your whole heart because of how deeply you care about others on this island. When you, sister, got peace from God about starting an English school, with little knowledge of the language, you obeyed. God gave you a mind and the gifts after you submitted and now you are fluent in English. People thought you were not smart for teaching English for free but you obeyed and look at the fruit it’s producing. When our team shared our testimonies and I got to share the gospel with them, one of your students accepted Jesus Christ into His life! They don’t just come to learn English, but they come because they see outflowing love and life in your heart. It’s contagious like wildfire, setting fires ablaze in the hearts of children and it is because you obeyed.
You all have taught me what family truly is. Family isn’t about what skin you have, native tongue you speak, or what food you eat. You are a family of joyful sacrifice, faithfulness, treasures eternally focused, and radiant obedience. This isn’t just a “mission statement” for your family, you walk this out for all people in the world and that is what you’ve done for our team from the first day we were strangers. Late one night you asked me, a white girl, who knows three words in Khmer to be a part of your family and stay to make your family ten instead of nine. To some this would be a joke but I know that you meant it grandma. I’ve found a family on the opposite side of the world that has showed me how “faith expresses itself through love”. I will never take this story and just let it go one ear and out the other. Your family has radically opened up my hands to my Creator and let Him do with my life as He pleases and this month He has took advantage of that invitation. Thank you for showing me and not simply telling me. Your story matters and I have gotten the privilege to see you live this story every single day.
With lots of love from your American daughter,
Colleen Widmaier
