“When I Decided to Forgive, I Felt Peace”

“What is that sound?” Phan Phon asked his wife after a loud explosion shook their neighborhood in Phnom Penh.

“Maybe the neighbor is burning something,” she responded. A second explosion soon followed, and a neighbor ran to tell Phan and his wife that the home behind them was burning.

The couple ran to bring water but could not put the fire out. It spread quickly, and soon Phan’s home was also ablaze. Phan could think of only one thing: saving his three grandchildren who were inside. Smoke began pouring out the windows as Phan ran into the home, found his grandchildren, and pulled them to safety.

As Phan stood with his family and watched their home burn to the ground, he felt hopeless. The day after the fire, they knelt as a family and prayed. “We asked the Lord to show us the way to be able to find a new home,” Phan said. “I was weeping while praying to the Lord, but I trusted that He would help me.”

Phan was angry with the neighbor who caused the fire. He and other neighbors affected by the fire discussed making an official complaint to the government, which would have forced the person responsible to pay for all of the damage. Some neighbors had gone so far as to draft the letter and asked Phan to sign. “He didn’t intend to start the fire. If I made him pay, he would be in trouble, and I would still feel hatred,” Phan said. “I remembered the word of the Lord that we should love our neighbor. I felt that I should forgive.” Phan declined to sign the letter. “When I decided to forgive,” Phan said, “I felt peace.”

Phan also encouraged the other neighbors to forgive the accident, and most did. “My neighbor was happy I forgave him,” Phan said. “My family is more happy too.”

Phan Phon and his family

Church members and other neighbors contributed what they could to help Phan and his family rebuild. Despite the difficulty that he and his family had experienced, Phan also gave what he could to support others. “I received a lot of rice and shared it with others,” Phan said. When others asked how he could continue to give during such trying circumstances, Phan reminded them of the strength we find in serving others. “When I serve others,” Phan said, “I serve the Lord. I want to give to Him because He made many miracles happen in my life.”

Phan and his family were able to find a new home. “We have a beautiful home,” Phan said, “better than the one that burned down.”