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| Joseph and Mary Chhun at their business, Baker Boys Donuts. (12-19-11) - (DEBBIE NODA/dnoda@modbee.com) |
Sat, Dec. 24, 2011
The Modesto Bee (Modesto, California, USA)
Joseph and Mary Chhun of Modesto were born in Cambodia and fled to refugee camps in Thailand in 1979 to escape the violence of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. They were distantly related, but didn't really know each other until they both ended up in Stockton in 1982. "My sister and her brother married. That's how I met her," Joseph said.
Joseph and Mary — both chose their biblical names before they reached Stockton — married, moved to Modesto and began attending a Cambodian Christian church. But Joseph's relatives remained Buddhist.
In 1994, his 73-year-old mother cracked a bone in her foot. X-rays revealed a long split, Joseph said. The doctor said her age prevented her from healing. She often cried because of the pain.
Joseph had talked with her about his Christian faith before, "but she didn't want to give up her religion," he said.
But because of her ongoing pain, his mom said she would try anything. "She said if God healed her, she would believe in the American God," Joseph said. His five siblings agreed: If God would heal their mom, they would believe in God.
One Saturday night, Joseph and Mary took his mom to their pastor's home. After a Bible study, the pastor asked anybody who needed prayer for healing to come forward.
"My mom got up and went," Joseph said. "The pastor and everybody began to lay hands on her and prayed."
Afterward, his mother said she felt heat going through her body and added that she didn't feel any pain in her foot.
"We wanted to see how long it would last," Joseph said. "One week, two weeks, three weeks, no more pain. All my brothers and sisters started to believe in God."
His mother returned to the doctor for another X-ray. "The doctor said he couldn't even find where a crack had been. He didn't know why."
Sakhan Tan lived for another decade before her death in 2004.
Joseph and Mary have owned Baker Boys Donuts at Tully and Bowen since 1986. It hasn't always been a smooth experience, Mary and Joseph said, but the miracle deepened their faith.
"Since that time, I have a lot of joy," Joseph said. "In my life, I used to fear a lot. And at this time in the economy, I have a lot a stress. But when I look at the Lord, all my stress and worry goes away. He always loves us and meets our needs."
Mike Johnson, a Davis High teacher, contributed to this story.
16 comments:
Propaganda, christianism is a deficit business and need marketing to be developped ;)
Khmer Israel has received slaps and disappeared ?
A miracle in 1994 ? This is the reheated soup. Is she died in christian sheep ?
Why Christian try to be a little Buddhism? Buddhist a peaceful religion. Go and pick on Muslim or something!
KI Media now is a religious propaganda for Christianity website-an anti Buddhism. Go to Khmerization for real news!!!
khmer israel in the process of getting drunk with the blood of Christ on the riverside. Eat flesh and drink the blood of God...Crazy people
Anonymous said...
"I prefer to get a bowl of rice from a good Buddhist or anyone who has the kindness to do so whether they believe in your Jesus or not.
Being a Khmer who wants to be an Israelian and coming here to preach, but having done nothing concrete to help other people, you sound like a preacher who is as good as nothing!
Didn't your Jesus say and I quote: "Judge not, lest thou shall be judged by your father in heaven"?
All of your writings here are full of judgement and you have no clue about the concept of Bhudhism and you have got the gut to attack others who believe in a different faith from you which indicates clearly your lack of tolerance. You are the one who needs help the most from Jesus!
Preach to yourself and practise what you preach first before even opening your mouth to preach to others. What church do you belong to? I feel sorry for that church since you are doing your church a disservice to their cause. Give me their name, address and phone number so I can contact them to ask them about you!
Israel is still at war with the Palestinians and you talk like Cambodians suffer because they don't believe in your Jesus. What percentage of Americans believe in Jesus? Don't tell me that American prosperity is due to the belief in your Jesus.
How about the Japanese people who believe in Buddhism, why are they living in prosperity? You probably drive Japanese car, don't you? You shouldn't drive a car made by a race that does not believe in your god lest he gets mad and send you in that car into the abyss!
You are the devil, yourself who makes every good Christian look stupid with your god-damned judgement of others.
Just make sure you are in heaven! I don't want to go there. Next time before you open your mouth to attack Buddhism about heaven, read what Lord Buddha says first about Karma and don't come here and be such a stupid person.
From me, a former bible translator and interpreter who does not believe in Jesus, but respests lots of his teachings on how to be kind to one another.
Believing in Jesus is a personal choice and your mothod of preaching is horrible"
Will this person or others please explain to me how I got my first bad karma, to be such a "stupid, judgmental and intolorance of other beliefs?"
Khmer Israel
don't confuse people about crazy healing and praying power of a confusing preacher with the true spirit of salvation, forgiveness and love.
there are numerous false buddhists and christians...
Yes, "I have done nothing concrete to be of help to others." I'm glad that you took noticed of my actions, you must be very wise like lord, Buddha.
Besides, I think you are living in a dream world. Judgment is coming and has been released upon nations and will only progress worse from here on.
Japan economy has been given a blow and been in decline since the late '90s. With the earthquakes of late and the drowning of Bangkok, where a lot of Japanese factories were manafacturing import products, Japan is tattering economicaly. For that matter, the world is tattering altogether.
Khmer Israel
suffering occurs in any person of any religion. But Buddhism is your own thing. if khmer do not change the habit of changing, khmer will
disappear soon.
Who created a nation for Khmer tribes? Indians from South of India.
They brought in their own religion called Hindu.
Many men claimed to be related to Varaman (Indian name) including Jayavaraman VII himself who was also Hindu. He assumed the throne as a Hindu then why did he change it to Buddhism after so many wars he went through?
Some said Jayavaraman VII heard the news of powerful Khan of Mongolia. Buddhism may help his people to be more tolerance with peace & love -not to raise arm against Khan, the mighty emperor of the world.
Khmers became Buddhists, but are they real Buddhists? I doubt it.
Buddhists but they also practice Witch craft, T'mub and App.
Now many Khmers became Christians, some believed for real because they have experiences, some for the sake of food and help.
Khmer Buddhists today are many jerks. They do not follow Buddha, but they are fake and they can be butchers worse than non-Buddhists.
Justb look at two Buddhist nations Thailand and Cambodia. They hate and they kill each others. But Thais many now becoming Christians and many arr Catholic Priests, only Khmers and Laostians are still primitive.
To all khmer, remind yourself of ours original ancestors
who was worshipping the Creator until the buddhism
came from Nepal who was a tribe under the control of
India at the time. research the full document to see if
buddha was a real khmer's gods. By seeing his people
suffering under the control of India, he decide to
sepperated himself leaving behind a wife and two son.
actually, he is not a son of the king but a son of tribal
leader in the present Nepal.
People on earth or Khmer people should be free to believe what they want to believe. Lord Buddha left humans Dharma or how to end "SUFFERINGS" means to stop the "REBIRTH". GOD is for the Universe.
Buddha was not Khmer but a foreigner. Buddha helped humans to end the 'Sufferings". To me I think Buddha was sent from heaven to help us, but GOD is the Almighty One.
True that Khmer Buddhists are fake. The real Buddhist followers are Tibetan Buddhists.
Khmers believed in Preah(GODs): Preah Atith(Sun), Preah Thorani(Earth or Universe including water) and Preah Chan (Moon) before Buddhism was forced to be adopted by King Jayavaraman 7. The Khmers became weaker and weaker after that. Jayavaraman 7's son in law took the nake Jayavaraman 8 became King then he persecuted the Buddhists and burned down hundred of Temples, many escaped to join enemy (Siem). That was the time Khmer empire declined until today.
I winder if they sticked with GODs they may be still powerful.
Uneducated people believe and change their own religion to Christian. They forget their root and their ancestors. They also try to convert other people to Christian. I don't believe much in any religion as long as I do good myself and don't harm others.
Religions just make people to walk the good path and guide them to do good thing.
Some of my Cambodian friends became Christian and tried to convert me as well. I told them if Christian good. Why don't you get a good job? You need to help yourself first and no god helps you to succeed.
This stupid couple try to tell us their mother got heal after praying. That is 100% bull shit and lying. Joseph and Mary, when you get sick, go to your god and pray yourself. You will see haven soon. I, myself, will go to see the best doctor, not God for my healing. Don't be stupid and preach us that crab.
If you don't spend 10 to 12 hours at your donut shop, will you be success? or you pray for God to help you getting rich.
How many churches in the US open the door every day? A lot... Do you know why? The answer is those who study bible with BS or MS degree. What are they going to do with their degree? They need to open the church to get members to pay for their salary.
I'm still believing in Buddhism, no matter what.
Khmer in East coast
2:36 Buddha can not end the suffering but cause the suffering, Why? by sepperated him self from the society instead of facing it (run for own life), by not taking his responsible for his two children and wife, indeed he make his own family had a very heavy burden
to deal with day and night. He thought he can sepperated himself from society, but he not - after 40days sit under the shad tree without food he passed out almost die and his follower go around start begging foot from the society that he escapted from to feed him
to shame to go back to the family that he don't care by stating meditated in the forest and his follower go around begging food.
In America, you have to paid your child support.
you can not bring your child in to the world and left
them to face the suffering and have your own easy life.
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