We Never Dreamed - Borey Long
Good morning - in the Khmer language - Chumreapsuor. That means “greetings” in Cambodia. First I want to thank the Lord for an opportunity to share my testimony with you today. Some of you may not know us in person or realize that in this church we have a Cambodian Bible School Class on Sunday, worshiping in our own language among all of you. Some might walk by and hear the different sounds of Khmer music. We count it to be a blessing from the Lord that we have a place to worship freely.
All our Cambodian friends like being in fellowship here at SSBC and want to give thanks very much for the love from God that touched the hearts of the members in this congregation to sponsor many Cambodians to come to this country. Our lives were saved from bondage in Cambodia and for eternity with Christ.
In The Bible there are so many stories that tell us how God showed Himself to his own people. So does my own story that I am going to share with you now. My name is Borey Long. I have lived in Weymouth for 9 years, and attended SSBC since 1981. Looking back on my life I have no doubt that all the blessings that I have are from God, and my family and I are grateful to have begun a new life here in this country. We never dreamed we would come so far from home, but the real joy is that I found the one true God whom I can trust and have peace and hope through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior.
I came as a refugee who immigrated legally to United States in 1981, while my country was being terrorized by the brutal Khmer Rouge Pol Pot regime that killed over half of the Cambodian populations including many of my family members and friends.
My family and I worshiped Buddha before we knew Christ. Buddhism is the main religion in Cambodia and by tradition we went to the temple to worship the Buddha statue that could not hear or see. People would make offerings to the spirits of ancestors. There was no personal connection between us and God, I just followed the culture, and tried to be good to make my parents happy.
My life before the communists took control of my country was good, and I grew up in a middle class family that gave me support in everything. I was a spoiled child in the family. However with all the love and support from my parents, they always taught me to do what was good and right. Obedience and respect for adult people were important in Cambodia, and then one day in April 1975 my country fell under the Communist regime. I learned to live in hard ways; I called this year, a year of zero.
The Communist soldiers took everything from us and forced us into the country side. There was no freedom to talk, no religion, and no school. Everything was shut down completely. They systematically destroyed all religious symbols, including the temples and statues of Buddha. The Communists wanted to kill all professional people such as doctors, teachers, and students, and even those who wore glasses or anyone who had the appearance of being educated. Families were separated into groups; all were forced to do heavy labor in the rice field with little food to eat, and many died of starvation. Only Angka (which was the name given to the Khmer rouge Communist leaders) was to be obeyed. Anyone who refused the orders of Angka would be killed. My whole family was being closely watched by Angka because my father was a teacher. I had hidden my identity because I was a student. I forced myself to work very hard pretending to be a farm girl, doing things that I never had done before.
Many miraculous things happened to me. I faced many dangers but I was spared. I didn’t understand then, but now I see there was a reason for that - God saved my life. I remember clearly in one incident: the Angka were trying to find people who were hiding their background. The leaders who were in charge of my group set up a meeting. They told us that everyone was equal now, and encouraged us one by one in the group to speak up about how we felt. I was young and not thinking, so I stood up and begged the Communist leaders to show mercy to all people. One by one others got up to express their thoughts, but the setting wassituation suddenly changed with when heavy armed guards brought aroundcame and surrounded us. Soon Then I realized that it was all a trap. Some tried to escape and got caught by the guards and were killed that night. I heard they planned to kill me the next day. I was in desperate fear of death. Friends that lived in my group tried to find a way for me to escape, but I was determined not to run away because I was afraid that they would kill all my family when they could not find me.
During that night I prayed silently to the unknown God who created heaven and earth to save my life…even though I did not know him personally. I did not sleep all night praying and fearful what would happen to me the next day. The morning came and I saw the Communist leader in charge of my group talking to two soldiers. He pointed one finger at me, but I did not hear what they said as they walked toward me. In my mind I was thinking what to do so they would shoot me right away. There was no hope of escape. Suddenly one of the girl leaders who guarded me stopped the soldiers and told them not to take me away yet, she said that I was a good worker and if I spoke up again then they could kill me.
I was stunned, and with joy in my heart, fell down on both knees with fear and silently gave thanks to the unknown God who heard my silent voice when I cried out for help. In my heart I believed there was a true God Who I did not know nor fully understand. In those years of hardship, every time that I was in trouble, I always escaped from impossible circumstances.
After three years experiencing the killing fields in Cambodia, at the end of 1978 the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia and forced the Khmer Rouge out of power. I found my family members and was able to be reunited with them. I was married to Paul in 1979, then we escaped together to Thailand seeking more freedom. The saddest thing that we faced was leaving our families behind again. The road was very dangerous, through mine fields and thick forest. Many people did not make it through, but we managed to cross the Cambodian border to Khao-I-Dang camp in Thailand. Sometimes later Paul went back to Cambodia and brought the rest of the families to Thailand.
The first time that I heard the good news of the Gospel was through a missionary in the refugee camp who gave an illustration about the lost sheep and the Good Shepherd. The parable touched my heart deeply. I felt I was a lost sheep - that was what introduced me to Jesus Christ. In my mind I was wondering “who is Jesus Christ? Is He the God who saved my life when I was in danger?” The more I searched for an answer, the more excited I got.
I came to the United States of America in 1981 through an organization called World Relief, and was sponsored by Mrs. Lillian Migliorini a member of this church.
I came to church with my sponsor and learned more about the Gospel and met many wonderful Christian friends here at SSBC. I had lots of questions about the Bible, and
I enjoyed one on one Bible study with Cindy Norton too. But it’s hard to believe that it took me longer than anybody else in my family to fully understand and accept Jesus Christ into my heart. I asked myself why Lord? Why does it take me so long to be sure and ready to accept you.
One night before I went to bed, I meditated and prayed to Jesus to reveal what was wrong with me? Then I opened my Bible to read. I was not prepared for how my eyes focused on Proverbs 3:5-6 (Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight). My heart was trembling; I knew God was with me; I had to admit that I had sinned against God for doubting and not trusting him completely. I sometimes rely on my own understanding and lack trust due to the bad experiences in the past under the Communists. I decided to give my life to Jesus as my Lord and savior that night. Later I was baptized in this church on July 27, 1986. Since that day I have been fervent in my desire to follow and obey Him and have gained great strength through my trust in Jesus.
I know for sure that no one is saved by trying to do good. No other religion is effective in providing a personal relationship with God like Christianity. The Bible says in Romans 3:23 (for all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God). God taught me to humble my heart and seek him first. The thing I enjoy the most is knowing that I am worshipping the one true God and God teaches me to share His love with others. He is in my heart and He has changed me. I use my gifts to help in the Cambodian class by playing guitar for our group on Sunday. We reach out to share with other Cambodian Christian Communities in Lynn, Lowell and all over the New England area. Also when Paul and I went back to visit Cambodia we shared the Good News with our own people and many were saved. Our Cambodian group here still continues to support a ministry in Cambodia called Cambodian New Life Ministry. A Christian’s life does not stop after receiving Christ. Our life goes on through trial, sickness, and hardship as every one’s life does. The difference is that whatever problems come our way, we can take it to the Lord, and He will help us in His time and in His way. Just trust the Lord with all our heart. This is my testimony from the killing fields to the living fields. Amen
