Pean’s Story

During our second week of teaching in the villages I had the opportunity to join one of the women’s Bible studies. There were just a few of us in attendance so we sat on a tarp and listened as Peach taught the Bible. As Peach spoke Vicky told us the one lady’s story who was sitting with us.
There was a time when she had many tumors in her neck and death was likely. It was at this point in her sickness that the team took the time to share the gospel with her. She was interested in the team’s message so they gave her a radio that she could listen to the Bible on. After eagerly listening to the Bible stories she became a Christian and was also miraculously healed of her tumors. After this incident, her neighbors were curious to know why she was doing so well and looking so healthy. She was able to tell them that it was only because of Jesus.
Despite her amazing testimony, there was a woman in her village who was displeased with her confession and began to stir up the people until they began to persecute her. This discouraged Pean and she began to feel sick again and because she thought she was the only Christian in her village she felt extremely lonely in her faith. She finally decided that she would no longer follow Jesus and went back to the team to let them know of her decision and return her bible radio. Of course, the team was saddened when they heard her news. They prayed for her and asked God to give her hope to continue following Jesus despite the hardships she was experiencing. They also gave her some medicine to help with her sickness. When she walked back home she was still faithfully carrying the Bible radio and hadn’t renounced her faith in Jesus and once again she began listening to God’s word.
When the team returned three days later she was like a different person. God had answered her prayer! Her next-door neighbor had come to her to tell her that she had been a Christian secretly for several years and wanted to tell her not to give up. She went on to share her testimony with Pean. She had had cataracts in her eyes so she needed to travel to the hospital in Siem Reap to have them removed. However, she only had enough money for the surgery in one eye. She was going to return home but before she left the hospital a group of Christians that had been praying for other patients asked if they could pray for her eye. She was healed in answer to that prayer. Because of her healing that day she decided to follow Jesus but was too fearful to tell anyone of her decision. Throughout the years of these Christian sisters living beside each other, she chose the very week that Pean was asking God for hope to come and encourage her in her faith and let her know she wasn’t alone. After the Bible study was over we shared a watermelon on the tarp, said goodbye to the women, and left to go to the next place.