Last Thursday night was another pizza night in our household, with Joseph & his wife Makara and their two boys, who had flown in from Cambodia to Hong Kong for his graduation. For the three travelers, it was their first time ever in an airplane, and the kids were duly impressed by the colossal skyscrapers of Hong Kong. For two long years.... let me repeat that, two loooooong years Joseph's wife had managed their household back home. For two long years, "Daddy" was just a voice on the telephone for their two boys, the older (10) looking serious and somber, the younger, (4) full of mischief, doing somersaults and cartwheels in our little living room.
We found out that Joseph and Makara are each first generation Christians. Makara was first to the faith! She spent some years in an orphanage, and the kindness of the Christians who came and visited made her want to find out more about this Jesus. When she heard that Jesus had willingly died for his friends, she found that such a radical idea, that she believed in him as the Lord of Life, and began to share that story of hope with others... including the man who was to become her husband -- Joseph!
Now, through Joseph's advanced training at the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Hong Kong, he will be better equipped to lead Christian churches in Cambodia, including showing love and hospitality to Buddhist students who come in from the countryside to study at universities in the city. Joseph's vision includes the desire that future political, business, and educational leaders of his country might have first-hand experience of the love of Christ for them and their people.
Keep on caring for each other as the Lord's followers should. Be sure to welcome strangers into your home. By doing this, some people have welcomed angels as guests, without even knowing it. -- from The Letter to the Hebrews 13:1-2
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