ZERO TO HERO - From Killing Fields to Harvest Fields, Inspirational Stories from the Church in Cambodia
Timothy Tay
Part 2: Pastors Sinai & Somalay
Ed: I first met Pastor Sinai in 2005 and was immediately struck by his soft spokenness and humility which belied the fact that here was a man, an apostle, who probably founded and led the largest
Cambodian network of churches which also include several orphanages, primary and high schools and who also played a leading role in bridging foreign mission efforts in Cambodia with local churches and government and non-government agencies. At the orphanage he ran I noticed the children were reading aloud scriptures in English not only to improve their language proficiency but surely was intended that they be grounded in the words of God. Here's is Ps Sinai's own account of his calling:
I was born to Buddhist parents in 1969 in Battambang Province. I have eight siblings. My father was a Buddhist priest and a farmer before our country was taken over by the Khmer Rouge. The only thing I remember about my childhood was war and running for safety from one place to another. We escaped to Phnom Penh but the Khmer Rouge forced everyone to leave the capital city and go into the countryside to work in the fields. Under the Khmer Rouge, my father became a fisherman and my mother a farmer. All children were separated into age groups and given duties. The duty of my group was to collect cow manure as fertilizer for the fields. We worked long hours and I seldom saw my family. We were given watery porridge twice a day. Many died of hunger and thirst; others were killed for no reason. One time 50 people were tied together and killed before my eyes.
When the Vietnamese came to intervene in 1979 we ran away to escape the now moving Khmer Rouge. Due to confusion my parents became separated, and I held my baby sister in my arms and ran with my mother. Every day we ran from place to place with very little food and water and were sleeping underneath the forest canopy. When we got near the Thai border we stayed in a village guarded by Vietnamese soldiers. There, after three months, we were reunited with our father who had been searching everywhere for us. Under the Vietnamese I was given an opportunity for an education and studied for eight years. After that, I was required to join the Vietnamese army in which many were killed daily in the ongoing clashes with the Khmer Rouge. I was made an accountant in the Vietnamese Army. One day the Khmer Rouge surrounded our village and everyone had to fight. Many people died and the Khmer Rouge cut off their heads and some were gutted. During the battle my face was badly injured, but I was lucky, God saved me. I escaped to a refugee camp with only the clothes I was wearing. It was a tiring journey of several days to get to and cross the border. I was very hungry and had no food, but again, God gave me the strength to make it. The refugee camp was one of the largest in Thailand with over 150,000 people. As I had no family, there was no place for me to stay. A kind man offered to let me stay with him and I accepted his offer. The hand of God must have led me. This man, who was serving as a pastor under Campus Crusade for Christ, introduced me to Jesus but I refused to accept Him as my Savior because it meant betraying my family and our traditional beliefs. So I left him. Another person offered me a place to stay, I accepted, but then discovered he too, was a church leader. At his invitation I attended a church service though I didn’t understand anything about it. Out of obligation, l continued going. On the fourth time, the pastor spoke on love and hope, and the messages touched me. That day I asked the Lord to take my life and I committed my past, present, and future to God. Since then I have found joy and meaning in my life. I thank God for His saving grace in my life. I then witnessed to many friends who were despondent and frustrated, some were suicidal. Life in the refugee camp was difficult. No one could go outside the fence surrounded by land mines. Families were only provided with bamboo, palm leaves, and a small space on which to build a hut. Each person was given two kilos of rice, two cans of fish, two eggs and some vegetables each week. Oil and water were also provided. The only opportunities available were vocational schools which offered diploma courses. But God continued to reveal Himself. Campus Crusade for Christ gave me the opportunity to go to Chiang Mai, Thailand, where I studied Biblical Studies for one year. In 1993 the UNHCR (United Nations) brought us back to Cambodia where we found sanctuary in similar facilities as in the refugee camp. Apart from God’s intervention though, the only future I had was that of farming or joining a Thai company. So I spent three days in prayer and fasting, and the Lord led me to the Phnom Penh Bible College where the director offered me a scholarship. I studied there for three years. Today I serve as senior pastor of the Fellowship Word of Life Church. I am married to Somalay, also a graduate of the Bible School, and have three daughters named Rebecca, Debora and Angela.
Pastor Sinai’s wife Somalay tells the touching story of how God delivered her from certain death brought her to salvation and called her into the ministry.
I was 13 years old when the Khmer Rouge evacuated my family and me from Phnom Penh. Hunted by soldiers commissioned by Pol Pot to exterminate all professionals; my father, a college professor, was in constant danger. My family and I fled into the countryside for safety. The Khmer Rouge soldiers found our family living in a small hut and captured my father. He was tied to a horse and dragged to death as I watched helplessly from hiding. A neighbor took me in for a few hours and then sent me away to hide in the jungle. On the second day, I was very hungry and I saw a tree with fruit on it. I didn’t know if it was safe to eat, so I prayed to the “god of the tree,” asking if the fruit was edible. Just as I prayed, a piece of fruit fell to the ground and a bird started eating it. I decided that it was a sign that I could eat it too. As I look back on that incident, I know that our true God heard my prayer and provided the fruit to sustain me. A woman found me and together we wandered in the jungle for several months. But the lack of food was a constant threat. We separated. On the way through the jungle a cobra (very poisonous snake) bit my leg. I knew that I would die soon, but a great miracle happened next. God sent a couple along on an ox cart during the night. They heard the sound of somebody crying, they stopped and found me; a young girl in the jungle. They saw the snake bite and miraculously had traditional medicine with them to cure me. They told me that I was a lucky girl because the only reason they were out travelling that night was because of a dream someone had told them about. I know it was the hand of God and His purpose to save my life. Later, continual fear and memories of my father’s torture caused me to almost lose my mind. One day I heard a woman talking to some people about Jesus. Listening to the message, I later asked the woman to tell me more. The Christian woman told me that Jesus loved me, would be a Father to me, and He would never leave me. This touched me so much, still grieving for my father; I opened my heart to receive Jesus. I was given a new life of hope; He restored my mind and miraculously reunited me with my remaining family. I later met Sinai at Bible College. Today we’re happily married, have three daughters and minister together.
for more information on how you can assist Pastors Sinai & Somalay's works in Cambodia please check out: