I slammed on the brakes hoping it would lessen the impact. Grunchhh! We held our breath as the bottom of the car scraped on the end of yet another rickety bridge. The road was full of them, many not much more than metal beams covered with wooden planks or thick metal sheets, often loose and lifting up at the corners. These archaic structures spanned the many irrigation ditches that crisscrossed the rice fields. The biggest challenge was not so much the bridges themselves but the huge potholes that invariably waited at either end. Obviously, my careful maneuvering wasn’t paying off. “I knew I should have had the car raised before coming,” I thought to myself. From the back seat someone whispered under their breath. “I am praying to God for protection.”

We were on our way from Siem Reap to Banteah Mean Chey near the Cambodia/Thailand border to visit a Cham village and evaluate it as a potential site for us to work. God had arranged for us to meet a Cham man who is responsible for much of the development work being done among the Cham. We had shared with him our desire to do some literacy work among the Cham once our language learning phase was complete, and he had graciously offered to take us to some of the villages where he is currently working. Now, with him, his wife, son, and a mutual friend, I was zigzagging my way the next 105 kilometers to the next village. As we bounced up and down and traded chitchat, the topic of conversation shifted to religion. They wanted to know what I thought about Mary. (I don’t know why, but most of the Muslims I meet ask me about Mary, and I have to assure them that I don’t worship her.)

“I follow the truth of Abraham,” I said. “And I believe in the prophets Moses, David, and Jesus.”

“Oh, we believe in Abraham also,” my friend’s wife said. “We believe that Abraham was going to offer Ishmael on the altar.”
“Mmm,” I mused.

Soon, the son broke in, “Did you say you worship Abraham?” as if to make sure he had heard right.

“No, I seek to follow the truth that Abraham followed,” I said.
“You are like us!” my Cham friend said excitedly!

“I did not know these things,” his wife echoed. “I have learned many things today!” Much too soon, our four-hour adventure was over, and I was praising God for the opportunity I had to share a little of my faith.

A few days later this same Cham friend took us to another province where he has projects. As we pulled up to another village, men in prayer caps and veiled ladies surrounded us. About 80 people had come out to greet us. Their salutations and warm smiles and made us feel welcome. The men shook my hand, and the ladies grabbed my wife’s hand to welcome her. Next came the customary pinching of our children’s white cheeks. Soon, we were ushered onto the porch of the mosque where it seemed like the whole village sat around us for a discussion. We sipped fresh coconut juice as we talked together. My friend gave a few preliminary comments and then invited me to speak. I shared how we wanted to teach English once we had finished our language learning. I asked if they felt a need for this. There were several affirmative nods, and I asked if they had questions for me. “Will we get a certificate at the end of the course?” one man asked.

“Yes, we can do that” I said.

As we continued our conversation, a short, smiley man whom our friend had jokingly introduced to me as Bin Laden informed us that, as long as we taught English, things would be just fine. But if we wanted to change their religion, that would be a problem. Following our conversation and a delightful meal at one of their homes, we bade them farewell and made our journey home. Later, both Molly and I reflected on how warm we had felt at the village in spite of Bin Laden’s comments.

Having visited several provinces and villages, we now feel our dependence on God’s leading more than ever. We don’t have the wisdom to choose the best location or the foresight to know how to reach these dear people with the gospel.

As I was praying about this, God directed my attention to what I had been studying for devotions. Noah had been in the ark for several months and was anxious to hasten the day when he could leave. He began to do all in his power to prepare for that day by sending out first a raven and then a dove. When he was convinced that the waters had receded and the ground was dry, “Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked and indeed the surface of the ground was dry” (Gen. 8:13). The point that struck me, however, was what happened next. Nothing! Nothing happened for a long two months. What was Noah doing? Waiting in the ark. God was the One who had shut Noah and his family in the ark, and now Noah had to wait for God to open the door again.

Molly and I feel that God is the only One who can open up the door for us. We are sending out our ravens and doves and are anxious to tear off the roof, but only God can open the door. Please pray that God will open it wide and make us know when it happens.

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