Miracles In the Jungle

Miracles In The Jungle

We were on our way to Stung Treng, in the jungle, when we were stopped by a long line of traffic. The road had given way on one side when a large truck filled with saplings had driven over it.  Though many of the locals had come to help, as they do in Cambodia, we began to realize that this would be a LONG wait.  It was then that we noticed a tractor towing another van down a small road with deep mud.  The road circumvented the truck and passed a small, boarded up school.  After careful consideration we decided to do the same.  While Pastor Setan was being towed our driver decided to try it on his own and became stuck in mud that was deep enough to cover half the vehicle.  Now the main road and the alternative path was barred to us.  

After several hours the truck had been successfully moved, thanks to the combined efforts of the villagers, but our van still sat in the mud.  We  made our way to a little shack on the side of the road that sold water and other necessities for the locals.  There we waited until nightfall when we realized that it was not safe to stay on the jungle road anymore, so it was decided that the women and girls would ride to Stung Treng in the other van, while the men and boys stayed behind.  Stung Treng was two hours away and Pastor Setan and the one remaining van would have to return immediately to rescue the rest of the team.

As we were boarding the van Pastor Setan met the Police Chief of the area driving home.  It had been his road-side store that we had been waiting at.  He was checking on his wife and child on his way to an over night duty and had been concerned about leaving them alone, so he invited the men and boys to spend the night at his house.  This allowed everyone to be safe that night, and an opportunity for them to deliver the truck the next morning.  God had provided for our team, and for the police chief and his family!

The next morning we were on our way to a far-off village in the Stung Treng province.  We were exhausted and still missing half of our team at that point, but it was necessary to deliver the rice to this starving village.  Many of the people at this distribution had travelled many miles to receive their bag of rice and salt.  They came from many tribes, many of them believing in several different Gods, and speaking their own languages.  As Pastor Setan began his sermon we all prayed that God would be glorified and speak through Pastor Setan.  At the invitation to receive Jesus as their personal savior the people began to pour forward.  Group by group they came, until there were only a few people remaining on the outside.  We prayed with over 195 souls that day to be redeemed from their false Gods and tribal fears.  

God allowed us to be a part of his work in his people that day, and he blessed us with miracles in the jungle.