It is my final Saturday in Phnom Penh before I go home on Tuesday. What a beautiful day it was.
The day began with an early morning men’s Bible study I again had the privilege of leading. We worked our way, verse by verse, through the amazing chapter of John 6. The entire passage is about eternal life–Jesus, calls himself the Bread of Life.
We had a compelling discussion about men who are believers in Jesus, yet are married or joined with unbelieving Buddhists.
We determined that Jesus is teaching believing men to be the spiritual leaders in their homes, and while hard, Jesus requires complete commitment.
Jesus is exclusive. No one comes to the Father, except through Him. Believing men cannot allow idols or false gods into their homes.
I encouraged these men to lead their wives and children–Attend a Bible teaching church as a family and lead their family in the way of the Lord. Spiritual leadership is difficult and may cause division in families, but eternal life is at stake. It was a thought provoking discussion.
After Bible study, we moved on to purchase a bicycle for Sa, the man I described in an earlier post. Four of us boarded a Tuktuk I had rented for the day; Chantha, Sam, Sa and me. Mout rode ahead of us on his moto. It was hot–we were sweating and continually drinking water–we stopped for coconut water along the way to the bike shop.
We found a street with shop after shop of used bikes. I’ve never seen so many bicycles on one street. After thirty-minutes of testing several bikes, Sa found the one he liked, and we made the package deal with the shop owner of bike, helmet, headlight and taillight, a cable lock and a pump. We tied the bike onto the back of our Tuktuk and headed off for our next adventure of the day, a hospital visit.
In one of the local hospitals there was a young man recovering from leg surgery. A drunk driver hit him two nights ago and knocked him off his motorcycle. His leg was injured and his head suffered an abrasion. He was wearing a helmet.
The young man is Kahn. I introduced him in a previous post. Several days ago I was praying for him and his friends at his house, now he is in a hospital bed with a plate and several screws in his leg.
Hospitals are never fun, but this one was depressing. A once impressive stairway–wooden, dirty, worn, with hazards on nearly every step–led to his room. The hallway could be used as a set for a horror movie. A World War II era gurney sat against the wall. I couldn’t help but wonder how many people had lain on it. Sa commented, “I bet people have died on that.”
We entered Kahn’s room through an old wooden, army green door way. The room was a drab beige with a dirty tile floor. There was no AC–a fan next to his bed kept the air moving on this hot day. His room was shared by another patient.
He was happy to see us and eager to be discharged.
With little money and no health insurance, Kahn is on his own. The drunk driver came to his room and threw money at him saying, “I’m doing this as a favor. You will need to pay me back.”
Kahn told us he has to pay for everything that is done for him. Every bandage, each redressing of his bandage, every shot, every IV. They even charged him twenty-dollars to be carried up the stairs to his room.
The hospital staff gave him a thin cloth to wear around his waist–his sheets were not crisp and clean as expected.
We tried to encourage him–I read one of my favorite hospital Psalms, Psalm 127. I placed my hand on his shoulder and we all bowed and prayed for him. My heart went out to him.
He thanked us for coming, and later text message’d us with his thanks.
It was a hospital visit none of us will forget. Pray for Kahn, for his physical and spiritual healing. He is a good man.
Our team of four made our way back to my hotel where we ate lunch at the local Mexican restaurant; I had eaten there two times before. I had enchiladas, and they were delicious.
Our day together moved Sa’s spirit. Since coming to Cambodia he has had little contact with Christian men. Today, he got to travel with us and be a part of our team. This evening he wrote to Chantha via a text message (In his own words):
“I want to say I am very greatful, you guys really put hope back into my heart, at first I almost give up on myself and let go. But you and Christ gave back that hope. When I got home I cryed and thank our God, for your love and care…I love you guys. From you brother Sa…Today was the happiest day of my life, thank to you my brother.”
What a moving message. It touched me when I read it.
The only thing that will help and encourage a person is the love of Jesus Christ and His Word. That is what we all tried to do today–show the love of Jesus. He is our only hope. I am honored to team up with my brothers (Mout, Sam, Chantha, Sa) and be a part of the Lord’s work.
I can’t wait for tomorrow. We get to hear the Word of Christ preached at Calvary Chapel in the morning. I will share, during the service, about Hope Now and our work.
Thank you for reading my posts. They are posted in love, to encourage you. I hope they will. Thank you for your prayers.
Please leave a comment before you go.
Pastor Roger's Cambodia Report 