Perhaps it’s not that Cambodians are resistant to the Gospel but that they find it unfamiliar. Since the era of the Chenla Kingdom, Cambodians have walked side by side with monks and the Buddha over the centuries. This long companionship, like water slowly wearing away stone, cannot be overlooked. And so, missionaries have come—crossing mountains and rivers, under starlit skies.
In 1995, news reports of Cambodia’s devastation under the Khmer Rouge regime stirred the heart of Daniel Zwygart. At the time, Daniel was working as a chef in a Swiss five-star hotel. Like Nehemiah, the cupbearer who prayed to God for the opportunity to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls, Daniel prayed and felt called to rebuild. Years later, he arrived in northeastern Cambodia. Together with his Taiwanese wife, Vivian, he began quietly sowing seeds of faith. Yet their companions, though touched by their presence, seemed unready to entrust their lives to Jesus.
“As pioneer missionaries, we may not see the harvest ourselves. Others might. To reap, someone first has to sow, and sowing requires hard work. In fact, before sowing, we might even need to plow the field—clearing away every stone—before any fruit can be borne.”
Like faithful farmers, Daniel and Vivian patiently tend to the fields, unhurried and unwavering. They understand: “My reward isn’t in so-called successful ministry but in God Himself. We’re here not to prove ourselves but to glorify God.”
Source: Reuben Grace, “Preparing the Soil,” OMF International
Read Daniel and Vivian’s prayer update and join in intercession for missionaries and church-planting efforts in Cambodia. (Content in Chinese)
Prayer
Heavenly Father, missionaries in foreign lands are often surrounded by powerful social traditions, like tiny drops of water falling into a vast ocean, seemingly insignificant. Yet the prayers of brothers and sisters are like an invisible army standing alongside them. Open our eyes to see Your chariots of fire surrounding missionaries and prayer warriors on the frontlines. You are our banner and our commander. (2 Kings 6:16) “See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.” (James 5:7) By faith, we look to You, the God who causes all things to grow in their season. We trust that You are at work in the land where Daniel and Vivian have sown and watered seeds. We believe Your kingdom is like a mustard seed—the smallest of all seeds—yet it will grow into a mighty tree in the hearts of the Cambodian people. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
