Home visits, for them, our team splits into two groups where we go once in the morning and once in the afternoon. We walk around with our pastor visiting homes that are near to us. Our translator allows us to communicate with these families what we have in our hearts to talk about. Splitting up into two groups makes each visit more personal and a chance for each person to talk and get to know the people we are visiting.
These are what a few of our house visits looked like:
-Blind man, blind from medicine, lay in for 10 years due to his blindness. Grew up Buddhist and now a Christian. Also due to his blindness, hasn’t read the bible in 10 years. His grand daughter is a teacher at our church who knows teach Microsoft Office. The few of us, was able to communicate that through listening and prayer he can talk to God. God has plan for him and that he loves him so much. He smiled.
-Grandmother of 10 grandchildren and 6 children, arranged marriage, married at 20, alive during genocide, ran to village to escape, lived in the same house all her life. She made mats for 50 years which sell for $3 each. Her daughter behind us making a cover for men that wraps around their waist, making about 3 a day for $1 each. Minimum wage for the country of Cambodia is $1 per day. She offered one of her grand daughters to go with us to America, knowing she would have a better life. The buddhist religion includes many sacrifices and one of those is shaving your head in the older age for women. We were able to tell her about Jesus and that he doesn’t need sacrifices to bring anyone closer to him but that he has already made the ultimate sacrifice on the cross.
-Lady who lives alone 74 year old, transitioning over to being a Christian, still practice buddhist routines, her 4 children live in a different city, send her money to support her. They come visit her twice a year. Her joy and happiness was strong and wide. She wanted to go to America with us. We shared with her about Jesus and the freedom that he brings from routines but it’s about a relationship with him and his unfailing love for us.
– 84 year old man lives with his wife and daughter. His cousin stopped by and spoke about the genocide during the late seventies and expressed how she lost 7 family members including her husband. Tude the 84 year old gentleman has a grandson who spoke some English and expressed he wants to be a doctor. Small mango trees waiting to be planted surround us for it is how the family now makes a living. Tude said he used to be a farmer, as what many of the men here do. He was frail, but had a big heart to invite us into his home and talk about life.
Whether the ones we spoke with took into consideration our words, we were obedient in Christ and what he wanted us to say. God is the only one that can save and ultimately begin work in their hearts. Sometimes our presence is all that is needed and God can use even that. I pray these people come to know Christ through our example and our pastor who speaks with them too. It is such a blessing to be a part of God’s works and getting to know people and their stories first hand, it’s not everyday you wake up in Cambodia and sit under tree houses chatting with such precious people and playing with their children.
