In soul winning, sometimes it is easy to fall into the trap of self-reliance—feeling that results depend upon our own energy, talents and abilities. We may know intellectually that this is not true, but when the rubber meets the road, we too often look to what we can accomplish for God rather than what He can do through us. I must confess that I have fallen into this trap more than my share. Thankfully, God is using my time in Cambodia to show me a better way. Let me share what I mean.

I want you to meet our friend Hong Kry. Hong Kry is a 18-year-old high-school student who left his family in the province to get an education in Phnom Penh. To survive, Hong Kry lives at one of the Wats (Buddhist temples or pagodas) scattered around Phnom Penh. His job is to help the monks around the pagoda in return for a little food and a tiny room.

Molly and I met Hong Kry one day while attending our first few language classes, which were held on the same grounds as his high school. Somehow, we managed to say a few slightly intelligible words that God took and used to begin a friendship that brought Hong Kry to church, connected him with a Bible Worker and started him studying the Bible.

If I were God and wanted to reach someone here in Phnom Penh, I certainly wouldn’t have chosen someone like me who didn’t know the word for bathroom let alone how to construct and give a gospel presentation in the language. But I guess that’s the point. I am not God, and He doesn’t need me to be.

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