My Sister Samphy

BY ABIGAIL KOO

Among the many faces that I love from Cambodia, after serving as a missionary there for five years, I recall Samphy’s. Her face reflected a certain seriousness.

She was always hard-working and studious. When other young people laughed and played around, she busied herself in making sure that all the dishes were done, the trash was taken out, and the tiled kitchen floor was clean. She would shoo away the rats that were bigger than cats! She wasn’t afraid of them, nor snakes, huge cockroaches, spiders, nor other crawling creatures that gave me goosebumps. When I squealed at the site of some of these creepy crawlies, Samphy would always come to the rescue. When I screamed at the sight of a huge rat stuck in a too-small mouse trap, Samphy immediately showed up, grabbed the trap with her bare hands, and threw it in the dumpster. She won my heart! With my limited Khmer and her limited English, we managed to become great friends. However, Samphy never called me “friend” because I was older and a foreigner. She respectfully called me “Teacher” and I called her “younger sister.” As I got to know her better, my love for Samphy grew and she became like a daughter to me. I found out that she wasn’t afraid of the dark because she was used to walking before dawn to help her parents on their farm. Even at an early age, she had to learn to cook, clean, and look after her siblings. She had a strong desire to study and learn, but her parents pressured her to quit school and help them with home duties instead.

A few years before I met her, Samphy had learned about a neighbor who operated a small school for children who could not afford to attend public school. (Although Cambodian public schools are supposed to be free, teachers charge fees for many things.) Teacher Bunleng and his wife, Teacher Vanna, ran this little literacy school with support from ASAP Ministries. To attract older students, they offered English classes despite their own limited English skills. Samphy took full advantage of their school and even went to Teacher Bunleng and Vanna’s free Sabbath program. She sang songs and heard stories about Jesus. This was Samphy’s first time hearing the wonderful name of Christ.

When Teachers Bunleng and Vanna asked Samphy if she would like to study the Bible, she eagerly said yes! The Saturday program was interesting to her and she wanted to know more about her Savior. After one month of Bible studies, she decided to give her life to Jesus. She brought her younger sister, Sampha, to study with her. Eventually, Samphy got baptized, and later on my husband, Pr. MC Shin had the privilege of baptizing Sampha. Their parents are still strong Buddhists and they don’t want their daughters to go to church except to study English. Samphy and Sampha are hopeful that God will move on their hearts, and they pray for their parents without ceasing.

Samphy is currently studying to be a teacher at an Adventist school and loves to participate in evangelism outreach activities and lead out in church service. Though accepting Christ did not rid Samphy’s life of hardship, the gospel message that she and Sampha learned in the ASAP school brought them to hope for a much better life eternally.

I served in Cambodia with the General Conference Center of Influence in Battambang, yet while there I also saw the crucial role ASAP Ministries plays in the advancement of the gospel work in that country. When I moved to Michigan and became even more connected with ASAP Ministries, I learned more about the vastness of its wholistic ministry in Southeast Asia and beyond. There are over 6,000 students like Samphy who are learning about Jesus through ASAP-sponsored teachers. I praise God that He chooses to use people, instead of only angels, to spread the Good News of Jesus. The Lord is calling you, dear reader, to join in this divinely ordained gospel work. Whether it is by praying, joining an ASAP mission trip, or sponsoring an ASAP missionary, school, classroom, or student, I sincerely pray that you will say “yes” to His calling and join the work of transforming lives from marginalized to missionary. This is not only a temporal work but a work for eternity.