It is dry season in Cambodia, and we enjoy walking around a local lake called Tonle Sapa, which is greatly reduced in size this time of year. Recently as Arnold and I were driving along the shore, I noticed an aluminum washbasin bobbing out in the water. As I watched, a person’s head surfaced beside it, and they began to swim and drag the washbasin toward the shore.

As the person stood up and waded closer, I saw that it was a young woman. Her long black hair was matted to her drenched clothes, and she dragged the washbasin by a length of rope tied around her waist. The exhaustion on her face touched my heart as she strained against her load. Reaching dry ground, she plopped down and started sorting through the contents of her washbasin. Arnold and I grabbed a bottle of water and some GLOW tracts in Khmer from our van and went out to meet her.

Her name was Socheat, and she was quite surprised when we approach her and offered the water. Thirstily, she gulped down half the bottle. While she was drinking, I looked into her tub. It was about a fifth full of small freshwater clams, a local delicacy. As Socheat talked with us, she continued sorting and cleaning her bounty. She told us that twice a week she spends the entire day combing the lake bottom for edible treasure. It is exhausting work, but she has a husband and two small children to feed.

We asked her if she could read, and she said she could a little. So we gave her the GLOW tract, telling her it contained a map to where she could find treasure that would last for eternity. Her eyes brightened as she pondered these words, and a smile pushed the exhaustion from her face. Please pray that Socheat and her family will seek after the Lord.

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