Dareth Ly and his wife, Thida, are Assembly of God missionaries to their native Cambodia. From left are Dareth, Thida, Sophie, 15, Sabrina, 11, and Saidah, 4. Dareth will speak at Crossroads Church Sunday, Nov. 22. Submitted PhotoNovember 20 2009
By Molly Miron
The Bemidji Pioneer (Minnesota, USA)
Dareth Ly spent his childhood in Cambodia under the deadly 1975-1979 rule of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.
His father was among the 1.5 to 2.5 million people who died directly on the Killings Fields or from starvation and disease.
His mother survived, but they were separated when he was 7 in 1975. He was sent to a child labor camp, and she was sent to an adult labor camp.
When the Vietnamese army liberated the camps in 1979, he walked to Thailand and was put in a refugee camp.
“They didn’t know what to do with us, so they asked different countries to take us,” Ly said in a telephone interview from his Eagan, Minn., home.
He was sent to St. Paul when he was 11 and grew up in a foster home.
“I didn’t speak a word of English,” he said.
He said he had no idea where he was going at the time, but he knew it had to be better than where he was.
Now, with his wife, Thida, he is an Assembly of God missionary to Cambodia. Ly will be the featured speaker Sunday, Nov. 22, at Crossroads Church. Ly will share his story during both the morning worship service at 10:30 a.m. and the Missions Banquet at 5:30 p.m. The Missions Banquet will also feature a potluck, ethnic dinner and a question-and-answer time with Ly. Crossroads Pastor John Hubert and the congregation invite the public to attend.
Ly said he returned to Cambodia and found his mother in 1992. He said she is still living in her home country. He then returned to Cambodia as a missionary in 1996 and began working in an orphanage and starting churches and schools in rural Cambodia. He and his wife have built schools, provided school meals for students, as well as school supplies and uniforms.
“We basically go back and offer the people in that country – who have suffered so much – hope,” Ly said.
He said the Assembly of God as a denomination focuses on mission outreach and is a fast-growing church worldwide. He said he and his wife and daughters, Thida, Saidah and Sabrina, plan to return to Cambodia next summer. Meanwhile, he travels to churches to present the message of what God is doing and raise funds for the mission.
His father was among the 1.5 to 2.5 million people who died directly on the Killings Fields or from starvation and disease.
His mother survived, but they were separated when he was 7 in 1975. He was sent to a child labor camp, and she was sent to an adult labor camp.
When the Vietnamese army liberated the camps in 1979, he walked to Thailand and was put in a refugee camp.
“They didn’t know what to do with us, so they asked different countries to take us,” Ly said in a telephone interview from his Eagan, Minn., home.
He was sent to St. Paul when he was 11 and grew up in a foster home.
“I didn’t speak a word of English,” he said.
He said he had no idea where he was going at the time, but he knew it had to be better than where he was.
Now, with his wife, Thida, he is an Assembly of God missionary to Cambodia. Ly will be the featured speaker Sunday, Nov. 22, at Crossroads Church. Ly will share his story during both the morning worship service at 10:30 a.m. and the Missions Banquet at 5:30 p.m. The Missions Banquet will also feature a potluck, ethnic dinner and a question-and-answer time with Ly. Crossroads Pastor John Hubert and the congregation invite the public to attend.
Ly said he returned to Cambodia and found his mother in 1992. He said she is still living in her home country. He then returned to Cambodia as a missionary in 1996 and began working in an orphanage and starting churches and schools in rural Cambodia. He and his wife have built schools, provided school meals for students, as well as school supplies and uniforms.
“We basically go back and offer the people in that country – who have suffered so much – hope,” Ly said.
He said the Assembly of God as a denomination focuses on mission outreach and is a fast-growing church worldwide. He said he and his wife and daughters, Thida, Saidah and Sabrina, plan to return to Cambodia next summer. Meanwhile, he travels to churches to present the message of what God is doing and raise funds for the mission.
14 comments:
Unless you found Jesus God, it's very very hard for Cambodian to smile the way the Ly did. Here they are no longer a lost soul. They have found true peace and happiness on this earth and out there eternity in Heaven. May heavenly father forever bless this family.
Come on! You don't need Jesus to be able to smile. You simply need to believe in yourself and work hard and is willing to accept what comes your way.
Believe in yourself, work hard and learn to accept the reality of this world, then you can smile.
Where was Jesus when the killing took place in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge period?
Don't tell me that the whole population of Cambodia was worse sinners than others in this world and therefore deserve to receive such punishment.
Jesus wasn't there, because none believe in him.
God has said, if there's just one true believer, he will heals your lands and people, cambodia is a better country these day, thank god for his power, may god almighty continue to bless my beloved cambodia...
War! and famine! happening during Pol Pot's regims was a wake up called for cambodian people, God has said, i will scatter you all out to around the world, and making people get to know him!...bless those who believed in him! and judgment day to those who still rejected him...!
Hope you go to heaven sooner!
Hi Darethand Thida! I have not seen you since I had attended your wedding cerimony at Sutmmitt Church in Ssint Paul, MN. Now you have three children; you have a great family and wondderful life in Cambodia. God bless you.
will see you someday,
From MN
My dear friend 4:33am! we're all will be going to heaven, as long as we place our faith in him!, our lord savior "jesus Christ", the son of God..!
look heaven is for everyone who do good deeds! you don't need to believe in Jesus to go. in fact, if heaven is boring, i rather reincarnate as human again. That what i hate about those Jesus believers, always try to brainwash people, try to convert people. Any statements from Jesus believers are GOD, GOD, GOD!I thankful for God for taking me to USA, thank you god for putting this foods on the tables. HellO??!! God don't put foods on the table, is YOU!
where is heaven? why should anyone too worry about planning their final trip to heaven? Who puts food on your table? Wasn't the money you had collected was from the people? Why there was a wooden crucified statue? Why there was a cement buddha statue? Why some kill in order to get to heaven to receive 72 virgin women?
Do good receive good. Do bad receive bad.
The demon and God.
3.56,
believe in yourself? come on how can you believe in yourself when you are trying to copy everything from someone else all the time and still not correct either.
Khmer people are very funny, some is trying to believe in himself but many are believing in viet and follow viet everything.
God bless you and keep you & family as the apple of His eyes, as you set out to reach those who hunger for the Truth.
from a brother in Christ.
We are all sinners.
and learder aand ruler had rejected God and enslaved and oppress his people. So loving and righteous God sent calmity to give us a lesson to go back to him and repent and walk in his way.
Rejecting God, without God's help you build the house and the house will be torn down.With God all things are possible.
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