A Greater Poverty
The urban sprawl of Phnom Penh slowly made way to rice paddies as Haggai leader Bua* traveled from the capital city of Cambodia to the rural villages. The dependence on waterways for agriculture meant that the villages developed in a linear pattern, and she passed several before stopping at one she had not yet visited. It was in one of the poorer communities where the houses stood on wooden pilings topped with thatched roofs.
She exited her moto and made some enquiries before some locals invited her into their house. The walls were made of palm matting and the floors were woven bamboo strips resting on bamboo joists. They offered her a seat and Bua extended her hand to thank them for their hospitality. Surprised that she would want to shake their “dirty” hands, the locals went on to share openly about their poverty and drug addictions.
Bua spent many hours talking with these locals and found them receptive to someone eager to listen to their stories. This opened the door for her to share the stories of Jesus, a man who sat among tax collectors and sinners and showed them mercy. As they talked about their hunger and homelessness, she told them about the greater poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for and that this was why Jesus had come. Jesus was the only one who could change their lives.
After sharing the Gospel, Bua prayed with the locals and asked for wisdom to know how to help them and the youths in the village who were also turning to drugs. On the journey back to the city, Bua got the idea to share the Gospel with the youth by playing sports with them. Within a few weeks, she’d started a football team and began mentoring them, meeting their physical and spiritual needs.
She shares, “God does not reveal Himself cloaked in worldly power and wealth but rather in weakness and poverty. Love makes us similar; it creates equality; it breaks down walls and eliminates distances. God did this with us.” Bua continues to travel from village to village sharing the Gospel because she knows: “God can change their lives, but we need to listen to their voices in our noisy world. We need to pray for those people who have nobody to pray for them.”
*name changed to protect identity
Written by Carolyn Grant
A Greater Poverty
The urban sprawl of Phnom Penh slowly made way to rice paddies as Haggai leader Bua* traveled from the capital city of Cambodia to the rural villages. The dependence on waterways for agriculture meant that the villages developed in a linear pattern, and she passed several before stopping at one she had not yet visited. It was in one of the poorer communities where the houses stood on wooden pilings topped with thatched roofs.
She exited her moto and made some enquiries before some locals invited her into their house. The walls were made of palm matting and the floors were woven bamboo strips resting on bamboo joists. They offered her a seat and Bua extended her hand to thank them for their hospitality. Surprised that she would want to shake their “dirty” hands, the locals went on to share openly about their poverty and drug addictions.
Bua spent many hours talking with these locals and found them receptive to someone eager to listen to their stories. This opened the door for her to share the stories of Jesus, a man who sat among tax collectors and sinners and showed them mercy. As they talked about their hunger and homelessness, she told them about the greater poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for and that this was why Jesus had come. Jesus was the only one who could change their lives.
After sharing the Gospel, Bua prayed with the locals and asked for wisdom to know how to help them and the youths in the village who were also turning to drugs. On the journey back to the city, Bua got the idea to share the Gospel with the youth by playing sports with them. Within a few weeks, she’d started a football team and began mentoring them, meeting their physical and spiritual needs.
She shares, “God does not reveal Himself cloaked in worldly power and wealth but rather in weakness and poverty. Love makes us similar; it creates equality; it breaks down walls and eliminates distances. God did this with us.” Bua continues to travel from village to village sharing the Gospel because she knows: “God can change their lives, but we need to listen to their voices in our noisy world. We need to pray for those people who have nobody to pray for them.”
*name changed to protect identity
Written by Carolyn Grant
A Greater Poverty
The urban sprawl of Phnom Penh slowly made way to rice paddies as Haggai leader Bua* traveled from the capital city of Cambodia to the rural villages. The dependence on waterways for agriculture meant that the villages developed in a linear pattern, and she passed several before stopping at one she had not yet visited. It was in one of the poorer communities where the houses stood on wooden pilings topped with thatched roofs.
She exited her moto and made some enquiries before some locals invited her into their house. The walls were made of palm matting and the floors were woven bamboo strips resting on bamboo joists. They offered her a seat and Bua extended her hand to thank them for their hospitality. Surprised that she would want to shake their “dirty” hands, the locals went on to share openly about their poverty and drug addictions.
Bua spent many hours talking with these locals and found them receptive to someone eager to listen to their stories. This opened the door for her to share the stories of Jesus, a man who sat among tax collectors and sinners and showed them mercy. As they talked about their hunger and homelessness, she told them about the greater poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for and that this was why Jesus had come. Jesus was the only one who could change their lives.
After sharing the Gospel, Bua prayed with the locals and asked for wisdom to know how to help them and the youths in the village who were also turning to drugs. On the journey back to the city, Bua got the idea to share the Gospel with the youth by playing sports with them. Within a few weeks, she’d started a football team and began mentoring them, meeting their physical and spiritual needs.
She shares, “God does not reveal Himself cloaked in worldly power and wealth but rather in weakness and poverty. Love makes us similar; it creates equality; it breaks down walls and eliminates distances. God did this with us.” Bua continues to travel from village to village sharing the Gospel because she knows: “God can change their lives, but we need to listen to their voices in our noisy world. We need to pray for those people who have nobody to pray for them.”
*name changed to protect identity
Written by Carolyn Grant
