Over and over, I have seen AFM student missionaries return to the States completely changed. Material things that used to absorb them have lost their interest. They feel a new urgency to finish school, and they choose their courses carefully. They begin streamlining their lives like athletes preparing for the Olympics. Their old values are eclipsed by a new passion.

Kara Wixwat, who served as a student missionary in Cambodia, has a deep sense of calling to go back after she finishes nursing and midwifery school. Listen to her share about her passion:

“One day when I was helping my friend Kaak sell her vegetables at the lowland market, a customer asked me why I was there. Her look said, What in the world are you doing helping a worthless Pnong? I was taken aback for a moment, and then I answered, ‘She is family. This is my sister.’ The love that radiated from Kaak’s smiling face is one of my dearest memories. In that moment, I understood missions and the whole reason I was there—to actively demonstrate the incredible love of God to a people who have never known anything like it.”

Kaak came to church for the first time about a month before Kara left Cambodia in 2011. God continues to draw Kaak, her husband, Chumpri, and their children. This December, the Greenfields wrote about hearing Chumpri dedicate his daughter’s education to God in his first public prayer.

Another SM who asked to remain anonymous said:

“A Muslim dorm-mate I had only known for a few months knocked on my door one Sabbath morning and said he wanted to go to my church with me. He came and was very pleased, especially when the pastor invited us to spend the afternoon with his family. My friend insisted we invite the pastor to our dorm for dinner. The pastor ate with us and the other guys in our dorm, and even played table tennis with us.”

When God is there, even a simple social visit becomes the first line of someone’s salvation story. As an SM in Cambodia, I saw miracles over and over when I prayed simple prayers for the sick. These Muslims were experienced in formal worship but had never thought to approach God as a caring Father. In need, they welcomed prayer. Together we had the opportunity to test and confirm that God hears us when we call on Him as His children.

I pray that this year’s group of AFM student missionaries will walk into heaven hand in hand with a great crowd of those they have helped along the way.

As you read the stories in these pages and are inspired by them, I invite you to prayerfully consider giving to the SM fund. Your giving really does make a difference in the world, and most importantly, in heaven. What a great investment!

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