The Joy of Reading God's Word

Greetings from Cambodia!

My name is Neang Navy. I am 32 years old and live in the Tbong Khmum province. Until recently, I could not read or write. I had difficulty getting detailed information from signs, and had to depend on others often, especially to fill in my information on forms.  

When I became a Christian, I joined a cell church with many others who could not read or write. We depended on our cell church leader to read the Bible during our meetings. I always prayed to God for the ability to read His word. One day, I got the courage to ask the Fountain of Hope teacher to conduct a literacy class for my cell church members. He agreed to set aside time for us to learn reading and writing. For the first month, I struggled with memorizing the alphabet and vowels. When I put more effort toward my reading goal, I found myself full of courage to carry on my study. I learned to spell word by word until I could read it by myself. I told myself that “illiteracy cannot stop me from reading once I reach my goal.”

Now, I am a literacy trainer. I train members in my cell church to read and write. When someone struggles with laziness to learn, I share the difficulties I experienced before I knew how to read and write. I also explain that to experience a personal relationship with God, you must know how to read His word and share God’s love with others. 

I thank the FOH staff who are willing to help me with reading and writing. Your training brought an ever-lasting change in my life. And I can always share the knowledge you gave me with those around me. God bless you!