After dinner yesterday, I borrowed grandma’s bike and headed down the dusty red road, flat tire and all. As I looked at the Cambodian sunset, I began praying. With the wind blowing through my hair, I thought of how wonderful my God is, who paints sunsets across the sky and creates the smiling people who wave as I pass.
All the beautiful waving people came with a price. As they passed on their bikes and mopeds, dirt flew in my eyes and I was unable to continue riding. So I turned off the road and found myself riding into a Buddhist temple sanctuary. I thought of turning back, for maybe I was not welcome in such a place. But hearing the Hold Spirit, I kept pedaling towards the divine appointment Jesus has already established.
Not knowing what I was doing at a Buddhist temple, I decided to do “prayer ride”. So I prayed that the temples, shrines, and idols would be thrown into the sea of fire; Not tomorrow or at the end of time, but that very day. I asked Jesus to enter that place, to defeat Satan. I invited the Holy Spirit to have His way… And He did.
I passed a couple of monks sitting on a concrete picnic table. One of them said, “What are you doing here?!” in broken English. I played the dumb American card and said, “Hello!” with a big stupid grin on my face. I quickly pedaled on, but of course came to a dead end and had to pass the monks again. This time one of them yelled, “Come here! I want to talk with you!”. So I relented and joined them at the table.
As Jesus had planned, I talked with Wichet and his older friend for an hour. I told them my testimony and they probed me with many different questions (religious and non religious). One of which was, “Do you have a boyfriend?”, which I thought was a very ironic question considering their current situation.
As the sun was setting, I told them I had to leave because it was getting dark. But before I left, I asked them if they had a Bible in their language. They both said that they did not, but that they would like one. My heart leaped inside of me, because I could tell that they were serious about the God I was sharing with them… They had true interest in Him and the Holy Spirit was really there and present.
I told them I would return the next day, with a Bible for each of them. They said they would be waiting. I hopped on my bike, and turned around to say one last goodbye. When I looked at them in their orange cloaks, I didn’t see monks; I saw future men of God. I saw men who would soon be hungry for the truth and stop at nothing to get it. I saw God’s beloveds.
As I returned home on that dusty road, with the sunset beaming on my face, I remembered why I am alive…
Ok, so this isn’t grandma’s bike… Much too tall for her. But I rode this one to the temple as well.
Wichet and I in front of Buddha.
Cambodian sunsets are the best…
