God's Word in Action

The impact of your partnership in Cambodia

His wife and children feared him until he accepted Christ.

Everyone in Munh's village knew his reputation. He was cruel to his family, and frequently drunk. Over the years, police arrested him five times because he threatened and fought with his neighbors. When he was finally sentenced to three months in jail, it was later extended to six months because of his bad behavior.

“I was ashamed after my release to go back home,” Munh says. “I was even too ashamed to go to the Buddhist temple to seek help.” Left with no other choice, he fled to Phnom Penh. But God found him, even as he tried to escape his shame.

In the city, Munh was hired for a construction job that was near a Christian church. Out of curiosity, he attended a few worship services, and heard about Jesus for the first time. Even though he didn't understand the message, a small seed of faith was planted.

One day Munh decided it was time to go home. “But I behaved even worse than before!” he exclaims. “I began to drink two to three times as much. My wife and children were afraid of me when I was drunk and violent. They would leave when I went on a rampage.”

Munh’s wife had accepted Jesus while Munh was gone, and began to pray in earnest for her husband. She and their son held Bible studies in their home, and Munh could hear them praying and worshipping. He remembered the worship services in Phnom Penh, and began to listen as the pastor—a Bible League-trained Christian—explained the Bible lessons.

“For the first time I understood about my sin and what Christ could do to save me,” he says.
“I stopped drinking wine, and returned things to my neighbors that I had taken. Now my eyes are open, and I have confidence and assurance from Jesus!”