Jon sat by the small motorcycle, struggling to repair yet another flat tire. His co-worker Kit looked on sympathetically as Jon wiped his sweaty hands on his pants in an attempt to get a better grip on the multi-tool. His every movement sent dust floating off to settle on the vegetation by the side of the road.
The tools that would have made fixing the tires so much easier had accidentally made their way back to the city with the man who’d guided them the day before. That left Jon with only his well-used multi-tool, a large crescent wrench and a pair of surgical scissors.
What was supposed to have been a four-hour trip was quickly stretching to eight. Jon tried to push aside feelings of frustration as he focused on the job at hand. He and Kit had come so far - they had to get there.
Together, they had ridden for hours on roads that made their teeth bang together with every unexpected pothole. Before that they had walked miles carrying heavy packs that made their shirts stick to their tired backs. They had even ventured a few rides in tippy dugout canoes, trying to keep their balance so as to not end up in the water. Why would they willingly endure so much?
Jon Smedley and Kit Putrakul, NTM missionaries in Cambodia, were determined to visit the Brao and Kavet people groups. They needed to discover if any mission work was already being done and, if not, to begin the process of deciding which group to work with.
When Jon and Kit finally reached their destination, the destitute condition of many of the people amazed them. “They are struggling just to survive each day, hovering above extinction with no hope and no knowledge of God whatsoever,” Jon said.
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