by Sokion (edited by Katie)

I grew up in a Buddhist family in Cambodia and as a child I never expected that I would be the one to make a big change in my faith. My family was Buddhist and everyone in my village was born and raised to follow Buddhism. This is the way it is with all Khmer people, especially in that time. When I was a teenager, at least eight of my friends even became monks. Before I was 12 years old, I’d never even heard of Jesus.

The truth is I came to know Jesus because of someone who wasn’t a believer herself, my mom. When I was in fifth grade, missionaries planted a Christian church in my village and my mom told me to go to church. I went with my little brother. They gave us free snacks. And they taught me songs every Sunday. They shared God’s Word in my language. I felt God’s love from the people there. Even though they weren’t my family, they treated me like family. At that time, I put my faith in Jesus and that changed my life. I even went to four years of Bible college later and became a pastor. 

Sometimes I imagine what my life would be like if no one had ever planted a church in my village and shared the gospel with me. I might have become a monk instead of a pastor! My only hope would be that I could be good enough in this life to have a better life when I die and get reborn. I definitely would not have married a Christian woman or be teaching my children about Jesus. I might think, like a lot Cambodians do, that Christianity is just a foreigner’s religion, not something for me personally. If no one had shared Jesus with me, I wouldn’t know the treasure of God’s Word and have the Holy Spirit to guide me. My life would have been totally different!

But thanks to the generous people who had a heart to bring the gospel to my village, here I am today very thankful to them and to God. God used not just one, but many people to bring me to faith in him. I believe that God put in my heart to do the same for others in my country. Still many people in Cambodia need to know the real gospel. Over 95% are Buddhist, and they don’t know that Jesus is for Khmer people too, not just for foreigners. I want my life to be an example to them. I want to help my Khmer brothers and sisters to experience God’s love and blessing in this life and have true hope for the next life through Jesus. 

At the Bible college where I studied in Cambodia, they have this motto from Matthew 10:8:

“Freely you have received, freely give.”

This is my calling, to share the gospel freely with others as others have done for me.