The day Ms. Litha’s life changed
Global Coffee Break gives people the tools to read, understand, and dig into the Bible.
“Why are you different?”
Dishes clanked as Ms. Litha scooped rice noodles into a bowl. A cook at Chhay Villa Restaurant, she was preparing num banh chok, a traditional Cambodian dish, as she posed her question to owners John and Anna.
John is the son of Ly Chhay and Navy Chann-Chhay, Resonate Global Mission missionaries who have supporting church partners in Canada. Ms. Litha knows that John, Anna and their family are Christians, but they weren’t like the Christians Ms. Litha has met before.
Like most people in Cambodia, Ms. Litha was a devoted Buddhist. In a country where Buddhist temples and shrines are on nearly every street corner, Christians are few and far between. Ms. Litha saw one of her neighbours, Bible in hand, hop on her motorbike to head to church every Sunday – but this neighbour was often mean and judgemental.
When Ms. Litha asked John and Anna why they were different, the couple shared that because God loved them, they seek to love those around them in any way they can. They asked Ms. Litha if she wanted to learn more about God.
She said, “yes.”
John and Anna invited Ms. Litha to a Global Coffee Break Bible study that Resonate missionaries Navy and Ly lead. A Resonate program, Global Coffee Break gives people the tools to read, understand and dig into what the Bible says and means for their lives today.
Led by Resonate missionaries and surrounded by a community of believers, Ms. Litha started reading the Bible for the first time. She was captivated by the God in the Bible – but she had been a Buddhist for as long as she could remember. How could she be certain about the truth?
And then one of Ms. Litha’s friends was in a horrible car accident. The doctor told Ms. Litha that her friend’s injuries were critical – and that Ms. Litha should say good-bye to her friend. At work that day, John and Anna noticed that something was off with Ms. Litha. Anna gently asked if everything was okay. Ms. Litha shared about the accident and the doctor’s diagnosis.
“We should pray for your friend,” said Anna.
For the first time since hearing about her friend’s accident, Ms. Litha felt hopeful. She had been reading about God’s work and plan to renew all things – maybe God could heal her friend.
When Ms. Litha went to visit her friend the next day, she learned that her friend was no longer in critical condition. The doctor could hardly believe it, but it looked like Ms. Litha’s friend was going to pull through.
Ms. Litha’s friend has made a full recovery, and Ms. Litha continues to grow as a disciple of Christ as Resonate missionaries continue to study the Bible with her using Global Coffee Break Bible study materials.
“I have decided to dedicate myself to the Father, and I always pray and study his Word,” said Ms. Litha.
This article is made possible through a partnership with CRC Ministries within Canada.
