The Writings on the Walls
A Story Worth Telling
This is a true story that
encouraged me and brought fresh hope to Christians in Kratie Province. God is
our Heavenly Father and Provider, and we can trust Him.
Three years ago a
teenager in Kratie High School, San, was a persecutor of the Christians. In his
own words, he "hated Jesus." However, God changed his heart and he joined the
Christian church. He told his family about Jesus and, in time, they all became
Christians too.
San's father, Pu, was a guard at the prison. His mother, Ming, a cook at a
roadside food stand. They embraced the Christian faith but they had one real
anxiety. The previous year they had borrowed a large sum of money to pay for
the wedding of their daughter and son-in-law. This debt of $2000 was soon due.
A prison guard and a cook in Cambodia each make about $20 per month, and this
debt was a mountain of unbelievable proportions.
The money was demanded by those owed, but Pu and Ming did not have the cash.
They were given 2 more weeks to pay up. The only "rich" people they knew were
the missionaries. They approached our teammate and asked to borrow $2000 to pay
off the debt. In what was a very difficult decision, the missionary said "No,
because God has a better plan."
About this same time, Ming was challenged from the Bible to give away a tenth of
their income (tithe) to the church every week AND stop working on Sundays! In
the eyes of their neighbors, this was foolishness, the opposite thing to do when
you owe money! It was a trying time and their faith was being severely tested.
The money was soon due. In a moment of weakness, Pu bought sleeping pills in
order to commit suicide. He promised his family, however, that he would wait a
few more days before taking them.
The man who was owed the
money saw Pu and Ming's poverty and decided he would never get his money back.
Retribution of some kind was needed. He organized a mob of armed men with the
objective to kill Pu and Ming.
The mob set out at night but somehow ended up at the wrong house and attacked
the wrong man. Before any serious harm was done they were captured by the
police. According to Cambodian law, because the intent of the mob was to commit
murder, they had to pay a total fine of $3500 to the man they attacked.
Who was the man they mistakenly attacked? Pu and Ming's son-in-law, the husband
of their daughter! Through circumstances orchestrated by God, the man who
wanted Pu and Ming dead had to cancel the
debt, plus he now owed the family an additional $1500. A real God with real
solutions to real life.