Po's world had collapsed when she and her family moved into a small home at Place of Peace.

When her husband, Mao, showed obvioius signs of HIV-AIDS, villagers wouldn't allow their two young girls to collect water at the village well. Driven by fear and ignorance, they refused to purchase the coconut desserts Mao made and sold in the market each day. Eventually, even relatives asked them to leave their property.

After some time on the streets of Phnom Penh, this desperate family found a home at Place of Peace.

With a proper diet and very basic health care, Mao's condition improved, for a while. With his artificial leg strapped on, he went for walks through the rice fields with his daughters. He helped construction crews build more houses. He and his family enjoyed the love and support of caregivers and of other patients.

Po and Mao heard about Jesus each day. Soon, they accepted the claims of Jesus and clung to the promise of eternal life. Eventually, the effects of AIDS returned, his condition slowly deteriorated, and he died.

Mao had never actually been tested for HIV-AIDS. She (and we) just assumed she was positive. When the formal test result came back negative, we again assumed it was a mistake. But after two more negative results, we realized Po had been saved by a miracle.

We didn't know what to do with a 'healthy' widow and her two daughters. After all, this was a place for parents who were terminally ill. Po didn't fit.

With more families moving into Place of Peace, we needed a worker on sight 24 hours per day. Po quickly became the logical and perfect candidate. She understood what patients and their families at Place of Peace were going through. She loved Jesus and had a real desire to serve the needs of other people.

Today, Po and her two girls provide leadership and stability. She loves people. She works hard. She has received training. She has taken on additional responsibilities. Her daughters both attend school and enjoy life with so many other children around.

Po's life has been transformed. She was once rejected, useless, and without hope. Now she knows Jesus, is accepted and needed by other people, is developing skills and using them to serve God, family and other people. She is a great mother and roll model for her two young daughters.

Her transformation clearly demonstrates why we serve in Cambodia.