You may have heard it said that we may not know the fruitfulness of our work for God’s kingdom until we get to Heaven. But sometimes we get a glimpse of the lives that have changed on this side of eternity.

Such is the story of Srey Em. The fourth of five children, Srey Em grew up in a village called Tayong in Takeo province in southern Cambodia. Because educational resources are limited and most families in this region are quite poor, only one or two children (and most likely the boys) from each family could attend school.

But in the first of many interventions in Srey Em’s life, the Takeo School opened near her village and she and her siblings were encouraged to enroll. Srey Em received a sponsor, giving her the confidence and encouragement.

Srey Em received benefits immediately: because the school provided uniforms, shoes, and school supplies, her family could focus more of its finances on purchasing more nutritious food.

The school’s regular health screenings gave Srey Em access to deworming medicine and lice soap, items sorely needed to address chronic health problems in the area. Not only were these medicines too expensive for her parents to purchase, they simply weren’t available in her rural village.

Unlike many of her classmates who were finally able to start school at age 10 or 12, Srey Em enrolled when she was 6 – early enough to make up for the lack of preschool or kindergarten support. Because her immediate physical needs were met, Srey Em could focus on her education.

Each week, the teachers would teach her class about the Bible. In 6th grade, Srey Em was invited into a “cell group,” where they would study stories from the Bible more thoroughly. “It helped me understand the Bible more,” Srey Em said, “and I went because I wanted to know more.”

When Mission of Mercy helped open a junior high school in the area, Srey Em was able to continue her education. As a 9th grader, she began attending the church that partnered with the school; the project director was the pastor.

One day the pastor asked if there was anyone who had not yet given their lives to Jesus and wanted to give their life completely to Him. Srey Em explained, “The Pastor said that if we gave our life to Jesus and he was our Lord then we did not have to be afraid of evil spirits,” which is a common, oppressive belief in rural Cambodia.

“I did not want to be afraid of spirits anymore,” Srey Em shared. She decided giving her life to Jesus was something she needed to do, and from that day on, Srey Em was a different girl. “Before when my parents would try to tell me something or ask me to do something, I would just argue or talk bad to them. The same with my teachers at school. After I gave my life to Jesus I did not do that anymore but obeyed.”

Her work ethic changed as well. She worked harder in school and became more involved in the lives of others. She was growing spiritually and started to help lead worship during the services. She also started helping with the children in school and at church.

Near the end of her senior year, one of the missionaries asked Srey Em what she thought the Lord wanted her to do when she graduated. “He explained that there was a Bible School, and at that time something touched my heart and mind. I wanted to know the Bible much more, both for me personally but also so that I could teach others and share the good news more effectively.”

With one semester of Bible school completed, the fruit in Srey Em’s life is evident. She has a heart for the children and recently helped a missionary team with outreach projects in two very poor areas of Phnom Penh. “At one outreach we had 70 children, and each day was a different program. I did different parts, one day telling Bible stories, the next day leading games. I also led the singing and one of the response times.”

Her life is utterly different from even what little six-year-old Srey Em dreamed. Although she is the only Christian in her family, she has hope. Her mother is starting to attend church with her, which has encouraged Srey Em’s heart.

Srey Em’s testimony could represent many of the older children you and Mission of Mercy support. Can you see the fruit of your ministry to your sponsored child? If you have yet to see your impact, please take heart. One of our project staff explained that “it often takes some time, but when they see the life of a true Christian over a long period of time, then it starts to have impact.”