Whack! The hard blow knocked twelve-year-old Sovath to the ground. “Thief! Thief! Thief!” The guard who had struck him called for backup.

“Don’t kill me, please! I’m so hungry!” Sovath begged as they dragged him into the office of the Khmer Rouge and interrogated him. His friend had suggested they steal some corn to quiet their starving stomachs. When they started to rustle the dry stalks of corn, they were caught. Sovath was terrified. It didn’t take much to give the Khmer Rouge a reason to kill, especially in cases of stealing. A soldier put a machete to Sovath’s neck and cut the string that held a wooden Buddha charm. “Why are you wearing this? You don’t need this anymore.” Sovath gulped. “You’re lucky I didn’t kill you,” the soldier barked. They pushed Sovath into an empty room and chained his ankles. He spent the night crying and fearing for his life. At dawn, the soldier came back and released him. Relieved, Sovath ran back to his work camp and quickly mingled with the other kids. He caught the eye of his friend who also had miraculously survived the night. It had been a close call.

Sovath experienced other close calls, like when he escaped from the work camp, walked miles to find his family, nearly died of starvation and dysentery, and was later smuggled into Thailand’s refugee camps under a pile of straw in the back of a truck. But through it all, he survived. God had a plan for his life.

Sovath learned about Jesus through missionaries in the refugee camp. Now, Eric and I want to go back and give other Cambodians like my dad, Sovath, the chance to learn about Jesus and to find hope in His gospel.

We have nearly reached our goals that will enable us to launch to Cambodia in the next couple of months. We are looking for partners who feel called to invest in the salvation of the Great River people just as missionaries invested in my dad. Would you prayerfully consider joining us on this journey to bring hope to Cambodia through your monthly giving?

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