Cycling around Phnom Penh
One of my most stressful experiences so far – cycling in the midst of the chaotic traffic! To keep myself sane from the stress, I had to do it early in the morning, i.e. at 6 am when traffic is at its minimum.. still it was enough to cause me much distress..!
Campus ministry – personal evangelism*
Visited the Royal University of Phnom Penh with Chenda the last two days. The plan was to follow her around and observe what she does on campus, namely personal evangelism to students around and following up with some CCC students. The strategy for personal evangelism is to look for students who are sitting by themselves or in pairs, spend a few minutes building rapport, and then share the gospel** using the 4 spiritual laws***.
First, we prayed, and then she turned to me and said “Jessica, I’m meeting one my CCC students now. Why don’t you go and talk to that girl sitting over there, and I’ll come by afterwards?”
“What? You’re leaving me all alone?!”, I screamed in my head. I hesitated for a while, but said “Ok, but I’ll need to pray some more!!”
So I approached the unsuspecting girl, and plopped myself next to her. She looked stunned (“what’s this foreigner trying to do?!”), but after some introduction, we started conversing. It went for a good 15 minutes, and I was getting anxious because Chenda was still talking to her student! I had already briefly told the girl that I was here to help out in a Methodist school, but haven’t yet mentioned that I was Christian!
I can’t even remember whether I prayed for help at that moment, but I was definitely battling in my mind whether I should go ahead and share the gospel in English anyway! Almost immediately, the girl turned and asked me in forgetfulness “So what are you doing here in Cambodia ?”
Ah hah! The door was opened! Told her I was Christian, and I’m helping out in the Methodist school. She said “Oh, you’re Christian!” and then she asked “Why do you believe in Christian?”
Ah hah! Door number two! So I did a spiel of the gospel, and then asked whether she believed. She said she thinks about Christianity sometimes, but she’s Buddhist, because she’s Cambodian. Tried to probe for more of what she believed in Buddhism, but she struggled to explain to me in English. She then had to leave to the library to do some work.
Well, so much for my first attempt at personal evangelism to a total stranger! But it was a really good experience as I definitely feel much bolder having done it once! Thank God that I was able to catch her again later in the morning as she was riding home on her motorbike, and gave her a gospel tract in Khmer which I got from Chenda. Pray that she’d read it and believe!
My second attempt with another girl wasn’t too bad either. I was more direct this time, asking “Can I share with you about Christianity?” to which she responded with a smile “Why not?”
She had thoughts like “All religions are good and they all lead to heaven”. Told her that Jesus claims to be the only way to God… But I was especially intrigued by her question “Why do Christians like to tell others about their religion? I don’t see other religions doing that.”
For apparently, earlier this year, someone had already given her the same gospel tract and explained to her in Khmer.. and later on, someone even gave her a Bible to read! So I wasn’t the first person. But I was amazed that she was still willing to sit and listen, and even asked me to go through the tract again, in English!
You never know till you’ve given it a go…
I benefited greatly from this two attempts at personal evangelism. I was rather ashamed to tell So Krun, another staffworker that this was only my third time sharing the gospel so directly with a total stranger! But in all humility, God has given me one of the best experiences I have so far. It is true that most people are more opened to listening to what we have to share than we think they are. So I agree with Nike – JUST DO IT!
Up close and personal…
Also had a chance to talk to one of the staffworkers about her background. Like many in Cambodia , she came from a broken family and her life was filled with lots of hardships and trials, yet also of God’s timely provision in many ways. She left her province to Phnom Penh in pursuit of honour for her family by getting a degree in Physics, yet her tight financial conditions threatened her means to continue many times. But God simply made a way each time through the generosity of others.
She came to know Jesus through an American missionary, her English teacher (what wonders English teachers can do!), and continued to grow in her faith despite rejection from family. Her decision to become a CCC staffworker also meant sacrificing the ability to support her needy family, and brought even more ‘dishonour’ in human terms to her family.
But till now, she has stayed so firmly in her decision to follow God’s ways and has become an inspiration to many other students who has similar backgrounds. What an encouragement!
Praise and prayer points
- Thank God for guiding and providing the opportunities for my evangelism attempts.
- Thank God for the encouraging testimony from the staffworker. May God continue to strengthen her faith in Him.
- Please pray for Keary and Serrainon, the two Cambodian girls I talked to. Pray that God may convict them of the truth in Jesus.
* evangelism = sharing the news about who Jesus is
** gospel = good news about Jesus
** gospel = good news about Jesus
*** The 4 spiritual laws:
Law 1: God loves you, and offers a wonderful plan for your life.
Law 2: Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God’s love and plan for his life.
Law 3: Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through him you can know and experience God’s love and plan for your life.
Law 4: We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord; then we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives.
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