Read an Excerpt
Behind The Scene
By Sovanna Soeung AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2016 Sovanna Soeung
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-5049-5471-6
CHAPTER 1
Mr. Dinn
God can use any of us if he wants us to serve him, to do his will, anytime, anywhere, anyhow. It doesn't matter who you are or what religion you practice, regardless if you like it or not. When he chooses you, you just do it without knowing why.
In 1977 they sent me to work far away from home. I left my seventy-seven year old mother alone with my three year old daughter.
I had severe back pain. After a few days of hard work, the pain continued to increase. The pain would make me sit up in the middle of the night. I could not lie down to sleep. I went down to the headquarters to ask for a few days off or to send me to the care center. When I walked into their place the leaders were in the middle of a discussion. One comrade winked at another as they saw me walking in. It made me realize that they were talking about me.
They asked, "Comrade, what do you come for?"
I told them my back pain was increasing and asked them if they would send me to the care center.
They assured me that they would send me home in two days, and then they started laughing in a ridiculous laugh. I then realized that this was the end of my life, that they would kill me. "Those who can't work don't live." That is their law.
I went back to our shacks and started worrying about what was to become of my mom and my daughter. I was not afraid of being killed because there was no life.
Comrade Dinn, the nurse, came by later that morning to question me about my pain. I had never met him before and did not know him. He mentioned to me that it was very dangerous to have the illness that I had because nobody could see what was wrong with me. If I had a fever or an open wound than it would be obvious that I was sick and they could send me to the care center. After our little talk he left.
I did not pray to God because I did not know him at that time. But I know now that God knew me very well. He knew what was lying ahead waiting for me. He worked behind the scenes to save me.
Later that afternoon Mr. Dinn came back to talk to me again: "If I send you to a care center at headquarters would you stay there?"
"Yes I would."
"You promise?"
"Yes"
"If you don't stay there it will be my life on the line. Do not go home."
"I promise," I answered. He takes off and comes back again.
"Tomorrow at dawn before anybody gets up, you must go out to the road. Don't take anything with you. Walk quickly like you have to go to the bathroom. Do not let anybody see you. There will be a man with an ox and a cart waiting for you. Don't say anything to him. Just get in the cart and go wherever he takes you." God must have been working on Mr. Dinn until that poor man could not rest. He put his own life at risk to help me.
That morning before anybody else got up, I got up and walked to the road as fast as I could, pretending that I had to go to the bathroom. Sure enough a little farther down the road was a man with an oxen hooked to his cart ready to take off . I didn't ask any questions. I just climbed in and he beat the oxen to go as fast as they could.
At that time the Khmer Rouge killed people left and right. Nobody tried to save anybody. I could not figure it out why anyone like them would want to save my life for no reason, until I came to know Jesus very well, know who he is, what he can do, how powerful he is, how much he loves us, so very much! More than a human can. Enough to put himself under human cruelty and still be able to say, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." [Luke 23:34]
He loves us so much that it makes him hold no account of wrongdoing against him. He loves me who knew nothing about him. He goes out of his way to make me safe from the killer. He makes Dinn and his friend put their life on the line. He stirs up Dinn's heart. Dinn cannot rest all day until God's plan is completed.
What else do we need him to do to prove that he loves us and he is capable to take care of us?
Friends! Read this real life story of mine, and think it over and over: Dinn is real. He is alive when I write this chapter. I went back to Cambodia in June 2001 and I searched for him and a miracle took place. I got to talk with him. He does not remember helping me and he does not know why he did it.
I am a stranger to him. What made him plot against his own colleagues risking his own life? If there is no God pushing him around, nothing would make him go back and forth, three times that day, plus he has to go find another person willing to be killed in my place, to run me away with first class escape in the best cart courier. And he did not travel by car, he does it with an old bicycle in the field with no road. If it happened today I would be escaping in a limousine paid by my Heavenly Father. That is how I compare that escape if it happened right now, right here in the United States.
Think back, I feel so much love from my Father in heaven. I feel as a loving princess. I feel the joy and the blessing of being one that I had never been before.
This is a testimony of God's love, of His power and Might. It is not a fairy tale story. It is real and it is true. I am a living testimony.
God is real. He is alive and well. He is Magnificent and all Glorious and Steadfast and Powerful. And he loves every one of us, God-believer or non-believer. Just come to him as you are, he will take care of you.
John 5:21 Even so the son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.
Psalm 9:9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
Psalm 30:6-7 When I felt secure, I said I will never be shaken, O Lord when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm.
Psalm 37:23 If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm, though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
Psalm 91:7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
More than four million people died during the Killing Fields, why was I spared? Now I know. I was saved to tell about Jesus. He is a miracle God.
He is a very powerful God. He knows us by name. He knows our hearts better than we know our own. He wants us to live a better life than we are living now without his help.
To those who live a life full of worry day in and day out like me or have a harder life than I had, I invite you to join a new club called "Jesus' Believers." Try Him!
CHAPTER 2
Where is Mr. Dinn Now?
At this time he is alive. I met and spoke with him when I went back to Cambodia to visit my oldest sister in 2001. I gave him some money and thanked him for saving my life. To this day he still does not know why he risked his life to save a stranger like me. He does not remember me, but I remember him. All I can say is "Thank you God for bringing Mr. Dinn into my life at the right time".
To me, I know deep down in my heart, my Father in heaven has chosen Dinn to do his bidding. That's why I say that God takes care of those who don't even know him.
How can I find him? We met once. That was it. Early 1979 the surviving are once again released from the sheep's pen. Everybody rushes to where they were before the Killing Field takes place, hoping to reunite with the ones they were separated from in 1975. Who knows where Dinn is now? Where did he go? Did his comrades spare his life when he betrayed them to save mine? I do not know. A few days before I went home, I prayed and prayed that the Lord help me find Dinn if he were alive. Yes! The good Lord answered me. While I was walking down the street in Cambodia, I was called by my friend who we met in the time of the Killing Field, and she knows Dinn real well. I asked her if she knows anything about Dinn. "Yes! He just moved here from the capitol about one month ago."
Do you know where he is?" "No, but I have his phone number." God answered my prayer. Isn't it God who put this together? Isn't he the one who makes this possible? He is Mighty God. He is Magnificent and All Glorious and Powerful. He knows what I want and what I need. He knows our thoughts. He knows our hearts. He hears our prayers.
One of my co-worker's life has hit the bottom. Before she married this man she had a house, a car and owned a restaurant. Now she is divorced without a penny in her pocket, no home. She is so miserable, so does anybody that has the same situation. I have introduced her to Lord Jesus many times, even though each time she was mad at God. She said, "If there is God why did he allow my husband to divorce me?" She declared out loud, "There is no God."
Well, we can live miserable with no God or live a better life with God's help. God gives us free will. Some people at our work place were being mean to her, too. One morning I put one foot into the door. She looked at me and I looked straight at her face seeing the tears all over her and I say out of the blue, "Carolyn, if it would be me, I'd give my life to Jesus! In your case you do not have anything to lose but you might gain something a lot better." She wiped her tears and we both started to work side by side throughout the day. A few days later she said to me, "You know what, Sovanna?"
"What?"
"I tell my daughter about what you often tell me and my daughter said "Mommy, maybe she is right! If there is no God, what makes you get out of that situation?" I give her a smile. In my heart, there is a big reward of joy. I am happy to see the seed that I have planted sprout now. I am happy that sooner or later her life will have a lot less to carry around, and she'll be able to enjoy it. I hope that one day she comes to know her God and get herself close to him.
"Why struggle alone when prayers can help?"
CHAPTER 3
God Sends Me a Speaker
The man with the ox cart took me to the care center. There were only two patients, a lady of the village and me. We stayed in the same room. We didn't talk to each other much because she was considered a first class citizen while I was a third class resident. She held me in disdain. I don't remember how many days I stayed there. One day I found myself walking into the headquarter office while my roommate came in from the other side. When she saw me, she told the leader that she was surprised about my case. She staunchly defended me to my surprise. She mentioned that at first she thought I was healthy and not sick at all but just a lazy woman who did not want to work. But she said she noticed that I was in a lot of pain each night and could not sleep. She turned to the lady of higher authority and said, "I cannot sleep, so I observe her every move. She is not faking. She really is in pain."
That night an elderly man brought his folding bed and placed it in between my bed and my roommate's bed. He came to observe me. He is considered a medicine man of that village. It was fortunate for me that my back pain was very bad that night. I could not lie still and squirmed from pain. The man got up and gave me back massage. He said to my roommate "It is good that you told us about her condition! She would have been killed. Headquarters has already decided her case."
He turned to me, "You are a very lucky lady. If your roommate had not spoken for you, you would have been killed the next day. Tomorrow I will get the medicine for you."
In the morning he made the report to headquarters. He brought me a bitter murky solution of roots that he had brewed for me to drink. That was the limit of the medical care that I got. They let me rest there for three weeks. Then they sent me back to my village where they just had a mass killing. Is it a coincidence or God's miracle?
If we cannot acknowledge God's hands working in our lives, then we are blind. God watches over every breath we take and takes care of every hair on our heads. Thank you, Lord that you raised that lady up to be a powerful witness for me. You can turn the killer into your strongest ally. How powerful you are Lord! You take control of every situation. Thank you that you used that lady to speak for me when I could not. You saved my life even when I did not know you. Who am I? I am the meek, the weak, and the helpless, and you love me and watch over me every day.
Psalm 18:16-19 He reached down from on high and took hold of me, he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place. He rescued me because he delighted in me.
Psalm 27:5 For in the day of trouble, He will keep me safe in his dwelling.
Psalm 37:23 If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm, though he stumble, he will not fall for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
Matthew 10:19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Glory to the father, to the son and to the Holy Spirit.
CHAPTER 4
Mother's Dream Comes to Pass
One morning my mom woke me to tell me about her dream. "Honey, help me solve this dream. I do not understand it. I was walking away from the pond with Honey (my oldest daughter] and a lot of panicked voices were shouting "Tiger! Tiger!" I turned around to see what was going on. I was so scared. Right behind me was a great big tiger. All of a sudden the tiger got to us and lowered its back and let me and my granddaughter get on. We rode the tiger home. That was when I woke up. What can this mean?" she said with a worried look on her face.
We could not interpret the dream, but we were sure it had meaning.
A few nights later I was working in the garden, drawing water from the well to water the vegetables. The full moon was out. I heard two voices calling me from the entrance. I quickly put my bucket down and walked to the house. I did not want anybody to see me working because of my back pain, but I had to tend the garden because without it we would die of starvation.
I walked to the door and met Thuong and Heng. Thuong and his whole family liked us very much. They would do anything that they could to help us. Not like Heng, he hates us, many times, he intended to harm us, but so far he has not succeeded. Thuong loudly shouted out in a joke. "Comrade Ream, were you a farmer or a gardener?" He gave me a hint into the inquisition. The question opened the door wide for me to know ahead of time. God immediately gave me the wisdom. I get what Thuong hands me. I know there must be something dangerous about this visit.
I quickly replied, "I was a rice farmer, comrades." There is a big difference in being a farmer or a gardener. One was a peasant tilling the fields, while the other was a city dweller with a little high class position. Being one saved your life while the other was doomed for death.
Thuong was the friendly one. He wanted to give me the hint. He made sure he was the one doing all of the questioning. He did not give his partner any chance to ask me any questions. Thuong joked and asked me questions unrelated to the interview. We talked and laughed. He had such a good sense of humor. It gave me a chance to invent a funny story about how I met my husband. They giggled and laughed. I told them I used to climb the coconut tree and look into the next village whenever I wanted to see my husband. He did the same whenever he wanted to see me. I served them tobacco which I had planted. They were very satisfied with my interview and returned home with the joy of bringing home some tobacco.
I had no idea that they had been interviewing from house to house. My house was the last one on the edge of the forest so I was the last to be interviewed. The very next morning people were rounded from their houses and taken to be killed. My family was one of the very few who survived.
God's hand of protection was on me and my family. Even though I did not know my creator, he knew me. The tiger had lowered its back for us and allowed us to ride to safety. My mother's dream came to pass. God can harden people's hearts. He can soften them, too. God uses common people to display his glory. God turns the dangerous enemy to be the best defense attorney. Who else can do a better job than God Almighty?
Psalm 30:1 I will exalt you, O Lord, for you lift me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
Psalm 37:32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous seeking their very lives, but the Lord will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
Psalm 91:10-11 Then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent, for he will command his angels concerning you to guard you.
He is a very powerful God, he can give, and he can take away. We have no control over anything. God is in control of every situation.
Since I am living under his care now. I tell you nothing can change my mind, nothing can take away my faith in God. Nothing can come between me and my wonderful Father, my God, my Savior. He is all I need.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Behind The Scene by Sovanna Soeung. Copyright © 2016 Sovanna Soeung. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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