They Need a Savior

“No one in my life has ever loved me like you,” Nee said as he sat next to me sobbing. Nee and his wife Mari are some of the builders making our house, and oh, there are times I’ve wished they were gone so we could have a little peace! I’ve had to practice conflict resolution and grace working with them, but through it all, I’ve become a brother, and they’ve seen Jesus. 

Nee and Mari are in daily misery due to unsurmountable debt. They contracted to build a school and were not paid a cent. They tried to sue, but no police or lawyers would look at them — their opponent was too well connected. Mari’s mom took out a title loan to pay workers and to pay for hardware store accounts. Nee was mad sick and wanted revenge. They borrowed again to make passports for their family of six with the promise of work in Malaysia. With Mari sewing and Nee in construction, they didn’t make enough for food, rent and loan payments. When their travel documents expired, they couldn’t afford to renew them. Now, every time they see police, they hide in alleys and on rooftops, skin pale and hearts racing. 

Mari’s rented sewing machine kept needing expensive repairs. Nee’s construction job was halted because the client ran out of money. They smuggled their kids back to their grandparents in Cambodia. Without kids, they took on extra hours. Debt payments came too soon. They borrowed to make their payments. It was impossible to find enough money. 

They tried to leave for Cambodia and got halfway across Thailand by rail before being arrested and taken off the train. They were separated and thrown in cells — one for women and one for men. They only ate on days when eggs were served, as pork was usually in everything. Sometimes they would trade their pork for two plain rice balls, swallow them with water and go straight to bed. They slept like cordwood laid out on the floor, head to toe. For 45 days, they had no communication except when they could pay a guard to take a letter. To buy their freedom, they had to borrow to pay a huge fine, adding more debt to their other payments that were still due, like a metronome constantly ticking. They finally made it back to Cambodia penniless and more in debt than when they left. 

That’s when they started working for me. Nee wasn’t my first choice for a builder. We had completed our house plans just before Ramadan, and with only three months till furlough, we were in a hurry to get started. Nee was the only one who would come. He is actually a Khmer who converted to Islam, I think just so that he could marry his wife. So he isn’t particularly devout. Also, he didn’t have the luxury of fasting for a month. 

Nee and Mari scraped and chipped out the foundation of our house by hand through rock-hard soil. And they have never touched their pay except when a debt payment is due or if they have a family member sick. Every day is a choice between hunger or debt payments. 

Our relationship has deepened and fast-forwarded over the last few months through one crucible after another. First, Nee’s mom died, and he sold their family motorbike, their only source of transportation, to chip in for the funeral. Now Mari’s dad brings them to work in the morning, home and back for lunch, picks up all the kids and drops them off at their various schools, and brings them home at night. His motorcycle is so old all of the plastic parts have worn away. 

Next, Nee’s sister lost a baby at three months pregnant. Then, one after another, four or five other family members got sick and were hospitalized around the country. Nee asked me if I could give work to his little brother, whom he hadn’t seen in five years. He came but wasn’t respectful and responsible. It seems he had been picking up bad habits. Nee and Mari’s third child a boy, had previous corrective surgery on his intestines and needed follow-up care. The fact that they don’t have the means to take him weighs heavily on both parents. They live in a tent cobbled together from scraps of blankets and a tarp with a dirt floor. All night long, they move away from the mist, huddled together and wet, as the wind turns heavy rain in all directions. 

The pressure of it all is making them snap. 

Nee’s brother, Chip, whose work has been disappointing, would talk back, and they’d get into yelling matches. Chip would then take the rest of the day off to sulk. Then, just days before a debt payment was due, Chip got sick with a deadly abscess. If Nee took time off to stay with him in the hospital, they’d come up short. Mari forbade him to go. Actually, she said, “Go. But don’t ever come back.” Nee called her heartless, among other words. Did she want his brother to die? She hurt so bad her body shook. They both lost their minds right in front of all the workers. I almost needed to call the police. The argument lasted for hours while Chip sat in agony, getting more critical by the minute. 

I’ve spent a lot of time helping them talk through their difficulties. I have won their trust. I shared the gospel with Nee as the only solution, and he prayed, accepting Jesus as King of his life. I went and visited with Mari early in the morning after a big fight when she smashed their smartphone in anger and threw Nee out of the house. I listened as she poured out enough hurt for ten lifetimes. 

I’ve shared the gospel with her boldly. She surprised me by saying her mom was a Christian when she was a girl. She used to have Bible study groups in their house and show the Jesus film with a projector on their wall. Then she got sick, and none of her Muslim friends and family would lift a finger to help her. “If your Jesus is so great,” they said, “let him help you.” When the prejudice became unbearable, her mom reverted to Islam. 

Their family is broken and in deep darkness. Debilitating addiction is on all sides. There is no taking responsibility for mistakes, no unconditional love, and no solution for anger but violence. Mari has smashed their smartphone against a bed rail in desperation to feel value. Nee has lost his temper and hit the wall so hard that he had severe pain for weeks. Nee has a bother who is so irresponsible that no one wants him around. He’s probably a drug addict. Mari has a brother who lives in a shack next to theirs, paints his lips red and dresses like a girl. 

Their story could be anyone’s right on down the road. Or across the country. Sometimes, I want to send them away from me. I just want a job site with no drama. Then I remember they need a Savior. These are the ones we came here to serve. So instead of scolding, I’ve picked up the hundreds of cigarette butts all around the job site, gently pleading with Nee and the others not to live a lifestyle they will regret later. Mornings, instead of rushing straight into work, I’ve gathered them around me to hear one of God’s stories and pray for their safety and the health of their families. I try to show grace when mistakes are made. When I lose my cool, I apologize. I say, “I don’t blame you. I know the mistakes are only because my house is different from anything you are used to. My tongue also gets stiff when speaking your language. I have a hard time making myself understood. Thank you for being patient with me.”

We play with their kids and have them over for meals. We tell them we love them so much, and God loves them even more. And our love comes from God, who loved so much He died for the whole world. That’s why we can love when life hurts and you are sobbing.

Please pray for them as we leave on furlough. And many others like them. We hope to see many of you while we are in the States. Below is our speaking/visiting schedule. We leave June 5. We appreciate your prayers for health and traveling mercies. 

Furlough Schedule: 

June 22-East Ridge SDA Church Attending Sabbath School & church and giving a short 20 minute mission report between SS & Church 

Address: 2105 Dabney Dr, East Ridge, TN 37412

 

June 29-Adairsville SDA Church 11 am. Church service 

Address: 1193 Highway 140 NW, Adairsville, GA 30103

 

June 29-South Bay SDA Church 7pm Vespers 

Address: 4605 Redlands Dr. Chattanooga TN 37416

 

July 13- Huntsville Central SDA Church 9:30 am Sabbath School program

Address: 3001 Whitesburg Dr, Huntsville, AL 35802

 

July 26-Aug 4-Hope Campmeeting BC Canada Attending

Address: Canada 

Aug 24-Milton Freewater SDA Church 10:45 am Church Service 

Address: 1244 Elizabeth St. Milton Freewater, OR 97862 

Aug 31-Orofino SDA Church 10:40am Church Service 

Address: 46418 US-12, Orofino, ID 83544

 

Sept 7-Meadow Vista SDA Church 10:45am Church Service 

Address: 1461 Meadow Vista Rd. Meadow Vista, CA 95722

 

Sept 14-Hopland Branch Church 11:15am Church Service 

Address: Services are held in the Hopland First Baptist Church 51 Hwy 175, Hopland, CA 95449

If you have any questions or would like to write to us, please email us! We love getting your notes. Nathan remembers getting mail last furlough and is looking forward to checking the mailbox again already at Grandma's house. (: 

Love from your missionaries, 

Joshua, Stephanie, Nathan, & Alyssa Lewis