She has an amazing testimony. Let me share with you what she shared with me.
She was a strong Buddhist by the age of 10. Everything she knew in her life was about Buddha. She made sacrifices every morning to an alter like all of the Buddhists. When she was in her late twenties, she decided to study the bible, just to see what it was all about. She studied it in depth for about two years and completely fell in love with Christ. She served God throughout the next 5 or 10 years. Thanking Him for what He has done and given her and even sharing Him with others. Then the Khmer Rouge took over and Cambodia was a scary place to live. (If you don’t know anything about the Khmer Rouge, you should look it up. It is one of the HUGE genocide that happened here. People were killing their own people.)
Winn asked God one night what she should do. He very clearly told her that she should go and work in the mine field (left from the Vietnam War). She ignored what God had told her. She still followed God, but was lying to herself about what God had said. It was too dangerous for her to take her and her children into the mine field and work for the Khmer Rouge. About a week later, she prayed again and asked God what He wanted her to do. Again, she got the same answer. So, she ignored Him again. The next night, she was feeling pretty bad about ignoring God. So, she prayed again. Once again, she heard the same thing that God was calling her to. This time, she listened. She asked God only to provide two things for her family… Water and safety. (During that time, water was unavailable and of course, in a mine field during a genocide…it is pretty much unsafe) God provided safety and water as well as many, many more blessings for her obedience. Winn was able to have enough food and clothing to pass out to those displaced from their homes. She was also able to start a few schools because there was not much schooling during the Khmer Rouge, if any. The first thing that was taught in her schools was the Bible. The children learned scripture and worship songs in English BEFORE anything else was taught. Of course, this did not go over well with the community. There were families who would rather their child be uneducated before sending them in to learn about Christ. Winn was very respected though. She also did not give up. She found ways that would help the families and in return, she built relationships with the families. That, of course, allowed her to share with them and they in turn respected her and allowed her to teach the children.
A little while later, (I am sorry I don’t know dates and timeframes. Her English was pretty good, but it was still a little hard to understand) she felt called to go to Canada to visit one of her daughters. While she was in Canada, the mine field families and the genocide got really bad. Many more people were getting killed. The Khmer Rouge was getting close to the end. Winn finally went home after the Khmer Rouge ended.
After a few more years had passed, she started a Christian orphanage. (The one we are working with) Her vision that God has given her now is to have an all funded nursing home. (She called it a old person orphanage- which is the same idea) Here in Cambodia, if you are old and don’t have a family OR if your family can’t take care of you, you live and beg on the street. Most of the people can’t move without aid, so they lay or sit and beg for food and money. Her vision is to take those people in and to give them hope and to share the gospel one last time before they pass away. Her goal is to make sure that she sees these people again in heaven.
Winn’s heart is amazing. We prayed with her and asked God to provide for her and this ministry. Even if this ministry doesn’t come to pass in her lifetime, that the children at the orphanage would have a vision like Winn’s and fulfill what God has placed on her heart. God obviously speaks to her very loud and clear. What He says, will come to pass. I stand firmly with her in proclaiming that our God is all powerful and He has the means to start this thing in Phnom Penh. Amen!
Please be praying for Winn and this dream that she has. God is using her to reach the Buddhists in this town through her amazing testimony and through the life she leads.
