Noticing a Buddhist Amulet String Led to the Resurrection of "Wasted" Assets: When God Reuses Everything
Dear Friends and Partners,
Have you ever looked at a season of your life—a degree you never used, a language you’ve mostly forgotten, or a project that seemed to lead nowhere—and wondered if it was "wasted"? Please, allow me to share a story that stretches back over three decades to my first Spanish class in 9th Grade.
Lately, I’ve been reminded that in God’s economy, there is no such thing as a wasted asset. He is a master of the "long game," and he is currently dusting off skills and resources I haven’t used in years to unlock doors I didn't even know existed.
Biblical Case Studies: Natural Talents and Secular Skills
We often think God only uses our "religious" side (Bible knowledge, etc.), but Scripture tells a different story. God consistently uses our “secular” (nothing is truly secular; every good gift comes from God) talents, skills, and attributes to pivot history. For example: Nehemiah’s project management and administrative skills, Bezalel's craftsmanship skills, Esther’s character and beauty, Lydia‘s business skills, and Luke’s medical training.
My 30-Year-Old Path to Spain
I started studying Spanish in the 9th grade, and in college, I earned a minor in Spanish. For 26 years in Cambodia, that skill felt like a "dormant seed." But recently, as I was walking out of the auditorium, I noticed an elderly man wearing a red Buddhist amulet string, who I had never met before. So, I greeted him and found out that he was from Spain but his English was limited, so I dusted off my Spanish on the spot-some words mixed with my Cambodian language.
Example String: Source Reddit
He asked to meet with me to discuss Christianity. At our meeting, he told me that he had rejected Christianity because of the state-mandated Catholic attendance of his youth in Franco’s Spain. Using my "rusty" Spanish and sometimes his limited English, we had a deep, hours-long conversation about apologetics, evolution, and the classic question: "What about those who never heard about Jesus?" I answered this question in Spanish using Romans 1 (God seen in creation) and 2 (conscience) as well as Acts 8 (Ethiopian official) and 17 (God determined the times and locations of our lives so that perhaps we will reach out to Him). He even mentioned the late Christopher Hitchens, the famous atheist.
God had gone before us. Twenty-five years ago, I wrote an apologetics booklet called “Answers to Difficult Questions” for Cambodian university students. I had discovered that most evangelistic materials started with the New Testament and John 3:16. However, many Cambodian Buddhists didn't yet believe in a Creator or the historical reality of Jesus. Those materials were like trying to build a house from the roof down; I needed to start with preparing the soil and laying the foundation.
Twenty-five years ago, because of my Spanish, I befriended a recently arrived missionary family from Guatemala who didn’t speak English or Khmer yet. We worked together to translate that booklet into Spanish so they would have an evangelistic bridge from Spanish to Khmer. I’ve had that Spanish version sitting in my files ever since. That family went on to plant a lasting church in the same rural town where Kayo and I lived when Benjamin was a toddler. They have mentored and paved the way for other Latin Americans to come to Cambodia as missionaries as well.
God didn't just give me a conversation with this man; He gave me a specific key—going back to my ninth-grade Spanish class and my own doubts about the truth of Christianity, which led to independent research and formal apologetics training—to unlock a specific door.
After our meeting, I met the man’s Cambodian Buddhist wife and gave her a bilingual Reasons book and a Khmer “Answers” booklet. Please pray for this "bonus" opportunity to plant seeds!
An Encore Opportunity: A couple of days ago, I remembered that more than 10 years ago, another Guatemalan brother, who lives in Japan, helped me make two short apologetics/evangelistic videos on the evidence for God as the Creator and on the historical life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I sent the YouTube links to this man, and he thanked me.
Reflection: Are there any "ancient keys" in your life that God wants to use today? Is God cutting a key in your life right now—a process that can be painful—that may lie dormant until a “for such a time as this” opportunity arises decades from now?
"Coaches" vs. "Performers"
On March 29, I preached during a baptism service. Because they baptized seven people, the service ran nearly until the very end (a blessed problem to have). I felt some time pressure and spoke faster than normal, but I was able to connect to Ephesians 4, emphasizing that a leader’s success isn’t being the "performer" on stage. Rather, a leader is a coach who equips the "players" (the congregation) to be ambassadors in their daily lives, instead of passive spectators in the pews.
New Players on the Field:
The Workplace Evangelist: A brother from the Philippines, who is being discipled by our Men’s Ministry coordinator, was baptized on March 29. He immediately started a Bible study at his workplace in his mother tongue. I was able to send him my YouTube channels, my Reasons for Faith book, and that long-forgotten “Answers” booklet in English. It was his request that reminded me of this booklet!
The Christianity: Reason for Faith book I coauthored with a medical doctor-missionary 16 years ago.
The Young Apologist: A young Cambodian woman invited more than 20 non-Christian Cambodian family members and friends to her baptism. I used the word “apologetics” in my sermon on the day she was baptized. I was surprised when she used the word “apologetics” a week later, when asking me for materials to share with her family. I shared my Khmer YouTube channel, the Reasons book, and the “Answers” booklet with her. A friend from Light Times Magazine even helped convert the old, obsolete Khmer font into a modern, readable format. I also encouraged a mature Cambodian woman (my former Apologetics student at the Bible school) to disciple her. Later when this new believer thanked me and said everything was clear and helpful, I felt led to tell her, "You are the best missionary your family and friends will ever meet."
The 12th Graders: Two young Cambodian men are currently navigating high-pressure national exams with tutoring schedules that make church attendance very difficult. I sent them the “Answers” booklet to keep them rooted. I previously shared my YouTube Channel and the Reasons book with them and taught their pre-baptism class. One shared that his family is now “somewhat okay” with his new faith. Please pray for them to get plugged into a church and for more discipleship. I am doing what I can, but they need mature male Cambodian role models.
The Men’s Ministry Singing, “How Great Thou Art.”
Other Ministry Updates:
Men’s Ministry: On April 12, our Men’s Ministry—a group I helped spark 2.5 years ago—took over every volunteer role at church, from ushering to the worship team. Kayo and I were sick, so I wasn't even there. It was a beautiful victory; the team executed the game plan perfectly without the coach!
The "Roof-Tearers": Just as the friends in Mark 2 tore open a roof to get a paralyzed man to Jesus, our Home Care Groups are becoming "first responders." We recently saw peers intervene in a marriage crisis with culturally sensitive care that shifted a dangerous trajectory toward healing. I have also facilitated two other Christian couples whose marriages have already been destroyed by the strains of ministry (with some hope of restoration) to a well-experienced pastor who recently arrived here.
Kayo’s Ministries: Kayo is using her Master’s in Bible Exposition to train women dealing with domestic violence, poverty, and trauma. She also equips the staff of the Precious Women Organization to be “Roof-Tearers” for women at risk of exploitation in the nightclub industry.
Benjamin: He is finishing 11th grade and is busy with university applications, SAT prep, and volunteering at Bethel Mission to serve families living in urban poor areas.
How You Can Partner in Prayer
Our Health:
Kayo: Please pray for relief from fatigue caused by a weeks-long cold, 100-degree heat, and an intense ministry schedule.
Darryl: Pray for my sleep and leg cramps, likely caused by the heat and the aftermath of my Guillain-Barré Syndrome. I am also recovering from an inflamed eye, an ear problem, and food poisoning.
My Weight Control: Since losing 143 pounds (late 2023 to mid-2024, I have gradually regained 12. Please pray for the strength to maintain my diet (ministry-related meals, etc.) and exercise despite stress and another chronic health issue (which I am doing everything possible to manage, and I have better and much more affordable care in Cambodia than in the US, but still, this issue adds stress to Kayo, Benjamin, and my life). Thankfully, it only has a minimal impact on my ministry activities here. So, these are some thorns, but His “grace is sufficient…”
Specific Souls:
The "Chair" (The man from India in the last update): We have had many hours of conversation. I have shown him that "the Chair" (Christ) is real and strong enough to support him. However, the chair is useless until he decides to put his entire weight on it. Pray he moves from intellectual belief to saving faith.
The Seeker from Spain: Pray that the Spanish and Khmer resources and future conversations will heal old religious wounds for him and his wife.
Financial Stability: With the Japanese Yen at historic lows and prices rising, our past budget projections are being challenged. We trust God, our Provider, to meet our needs.
Thank you for being the "roof-tearers" who support us through your prayers and giving. You are a vital part of this "coaching staff."
In Christ,
Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin
Login To Leave Comment