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Transcription

1 etse1tsas I.> I.> a. truin~ asts asise &I sttrn;.al'iurn~'11il'ii.afimw1u6tnru I! 1ii '1 elrumw~i! '-f -. I I Li a I ti Fifi ~ffl!i! ~tj1i:u 111tJ&sittnn.at~'sim.adsrim,euj"1l'iJ1 1 aal'iti"91uiamt.u1ij1fun~ 6elrutj1atfiu'ttnUa"1llU&ai: ~tjl lifli rnntiarnum" riru: nnrurnfhilin i;assi ~ff~m & 1i~tJ&si.,, " tj"ap a a.attamh9~tj1~tlua nfiwtjla&{]utnhsif ~~I! '1 Hfi.atjla Si l?'i1& 111tJ&si.tJ iurua ttn "eru16\.fi;tnl'iuru1uuts111itnu ri1"t Cl u li1"' u -..u lii H'itt&a'l""uliBru~1uf:l11itt19taru1u'1asaaliauairi1"tnnuntJ ~J GI U U C:S'f U L:ij "1 li.am~ffrn~ 1 Cl Cl &siqaji~ffrnff ~tj1a1dru' 1i'siehs1qf:lla tm9miu ~ &si9u:nat1iwttiruum&wfjtj1ehi'i1i"16uanau11~g1ennrum u n,., CJ.._, Fl t9~mu1:m~"tl!itl!giantj 1 ~tj1i:u;~1ruw:i:mr&~rn.atifti ~ffl!ly t"ar;~adl t'1!ff~ttlt'1!funmms1.b&9j" '1 &sicl!fo ur;tt ji~ffao ~mu&~ua'inicaw:tiili~ '1 rnru9~ru~ti{ftttt 9r;rnr;.l!ifoiai 'Uiw1ntmtJ& 11,siehM:6r;t91!J &Sum~ffa~ w " Ui "' Li Cl

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4 ffl5u1em11&aru&urn11e lj HlinruiYne&aruct:BlRn.\!imemtJ CJ W i.)'_, _, I Cl QI Yru&9imR&mru 1 YSMH1.ntltnmerin;&u rnru&m:9msne W I ij' "' I..._,"'f C-.._, -. Cl ~s~m ruie~himtj~6~&gjbi rn&m.\!i&~u~run&9'i ntl~u rn foi fffbigiufiym.\!i:u:&1111yriugnt:h&9lu &simru&bi&bmumtl CJ n I l.j I -. &Bilti&3mf~ruq:rnruru1&rn:rin't!ru~e 1 msy~mjijrm: giru &Uiru9iruG1rn&sioBi9 CJ _, 1 _, 9&siMru&,sffi1M9Yru Li FimsaBi IW n u~~&9ii:;ifi &SYj~i:;ifigiru&ru.\!i 1 ~us&tdrngiru&g 1.,i:ilS'&Bi~ i:;ifigiru&ru.\!i&ifrum &fi9mtlmrunm 1 i:;ifi&ifruyse mmtl _, ~ I _, W 6B~&ifrul,n&ern girudj~~.tj.\!ius~u&g lm}m 6~&gJBi mshisl &9i~ru91.\!i&fiBi~Ylst:h 1 &Bi~&~rum ~tiis&itru~s~ruie~i~ 6urn.,Bi9Mtl&tliru &uufime1 Bilttd 9fl n&~&g c Ll _, C<tw _,w _, WJ 1 H a~i:;ifim'&ys U ~l!j6~&1.,rntl!yli t!jsgj1sgi& '1gJtjlfi~~,\!i&gj.\!i&9iHlltUG~Gifl.5Ul nhisi'.fitiibin &tlirumtrnhnru1tss 1 9finfo:ni&i:;u:m.rna9i Cl W Cl C. _, I I '"11 rngj1l.\!i '&Bi&e;mu~.tieflBiru1~s&g ~fih~hi:i&blrut.yitlrn BilY ~m.ffa yist:h&eitl!rul,'1yg~ruhufi&9'ib'irhlfoj1s 1 BilYGiBi~ &Bil.\!ifi&gj.\!igJls~s.tie Bjri&umn.piru~&e;&run~&gjti ~rnibitl 9Jru~tl&BirueH"3Bitfs~e.::ia&~Y&t\itt1Bi~ti:J 1 111ruyis&9i Brurng1 rn1:cttirinyruat:h&9i &msigscte~ &f:lng'ftitl&gi se LJ c w ~ w &mmbiruruyin 1 mt]girngjyifi~ue &9in7t.ctn&si~t.n&Gi 1 &Y ntjmny111uutdmtdeg1e:;mtd'&bi&rus&i:iln..., _, CJ.Ju ses~lilt 1 &U rnru&si: rn GfSu: &talilf CJ_, rutluiru.\!i Bunn.ti &g'lfj g Gi Bit:h i:i1 sffibi I d I I U Cl Ll _,._. YngruM'16u&s:&g 1 &U1Bi&s:em:&Bimumi:;ruiu''1: &Biruug~ d C. I ~ I un.piru~&e;msa~&y~bru~mru&llit]~&sjltl! 1 &ilrngirumu Sensi i:ibi~tjl s '&Bt1]&g? &giffi 6Sl,'1: s1mfi~stl!l tl!fl.51.,t!iufiw GBiSYSGff fljtljfiu: BruMu&g Se? eusui'i SHlflil fi ~&ruit&sl: n..., CJ l.j I I t:'w _, ' '

5 a ru nrn &cr '1 d c, ~rn.1ii&aru~yis&gjh;.hsitmi:rnn;!l6\tlru ~m&iu1mi;i g nfa rui rua rus fi.\!i AG mtlt'iui;i :H.\!I 91.\!i Gtlfit!!f G&UY., t:iru&!f'firn u u...,qi u. F'1 Cl u Loi..., &u~hgj&simtm'am&t:r1n ffiygfjruu.\!iusm&~gs smsisrun&gj..., ~ ff u..., S&Jtidl &M.,i&iiJgsnfaiu 1M!fffiiuthit:rU!f&rug~1@1@ '1 '&tiruu: ~ 'tj LJ 1 '-11 1csUJ l..j 1 uns&r;&mji&mmu&~yfdrum.t!l~1;t ~fims&nw:mm&gjtmi:rm 9m&r;lf~ yism~&~mam Li;i:yis&~mns:mu&a~ L'1:H~~fi ~&siq~dihnh~:&mu@~!f'lrugfigtlsfilhunlt'l:yism&lyg '1 &sihfaflru u Un UG1:H~ffit:rt:ifit:i~StnMmi:g&su MUtnUGfiruHU!f F1,.., t:i...,.., muij~ &St:rjl?}&MJi&miuniti;i':H~YJSLtHMH!fj~ ~~Y'1Jii ty Lfilt:T&!)~ HfiJi&~i tn&ul~l?j~y1sfi~~&9fi&gj&gjr; Gfi.J!JU!f&!)~ r;&gj&i:rjr; ariuaru&m)&~&~rums~@@ui:r &i:rj~&gjmmomui:r mg~n&aru&~ifjrufi~&lgj~ct'l~g~figlufiuh!fm '1. ~H6i.J1U!l ~fl!'.i Fil rulgl: &Ufi MGlf ~ l?j&'lfim rn fijg ~ g ~ fitn &LGSGfJru~qis&~~&!fj~ mssru&ldl &tliru~ruiru '1. U!fthiJ~ &rus~~@.. &usmruui;i:fii~firn~.. mru9&run&i:r1~&si:9ruru..., F' , ;.J..., m &usyisi:ri:rruui;i:h~mui;i:&ss&sirn~s &si:mmiumcji'aru-..., M F'1...::>... U. -..:I &t:rsfas &r;ilsurui~&i:r1ru ~stlt'iui;i:h~or;~omt:rn&tliru fi&st '""" w _, F'1 Clf &r;ils~ruli;i:h~&i:rjr; ajr;ils~ruli;i:tn1}iruti:r~ ils~rumi Snsimniui;i:H~ &tihffiygfifiuu:uhjtnsstn&tnfigfsini&blrus: F1 d d..., ~ I U'? d L'1:&G~ '1 mufii~~~g~rufilhufimglf ~ l?j~rumi&aru~&9 t:tfi ~ ru5ug1 fi~ fiu!fg.&lyj~g;~~nimm f111 &amni~ ~m ~ Sfi mnit~ :'lijp ruiu1nrn1m.ti ~Li:n s &r;mtub'ltlmtmtlur ~&Lu mi l?jyi am m ct'! ru ~ti ru~h);:}fl: '1 mt:rri&ntnru!f'lstn{!n&runui:rmtt:rj~ L'1:H~mHfils~l?J

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8 HONEYCOMB 2/3 (July 21): 1-15 Meet Sam Sarin SAM Sarin I became an orphan at the age of five. In 1955, at the age of fifteen, I went to live in one of the pagodas in Phnom Penh in order to pursue my studies. As I did not obtain a high school diploma, it was very difficult to find a job that would enable me to make a living. So as a poor young man I quit my studies in 1963 and moved to the countryside in Battambang province. There I met my wife and married in We settled in Pail in until Cambodia fell under the rule of the Khmer Rouge. We were then deported to Phnom ProrDark where my wife and my three children died in In late 1979 I went to Kao I Dang camp in Thailand where Jesus Christ revealed himself to me and I accepted him as the creator of the universe. I first heard his name in 1955, but assumed that he was just another one of the gods of the religions. I started my new life in Christ in January 198, and after baptism in March, was deported to another refugee camp, Sakeo II. In early 1981 I attended a short-term course at a Bible School in Sakeo II and was chosen as church elder. I applied for immigration to the USA but failed my resettlement interview in the Kamput camp in In early 1983 I was deported back to Kao I Dang along with some church materials. Tue leadership role of the church fell on my shoulders entirely.

9 Autobiography: Sam Sarin 11 How I became a Christian Songwriter and Composer I studied music for a while and had enough understanding to compose so~e songs while still a student, but I thought it was not good enough and decided to give it up. I did not even continue singing. I was not really good at playing any one instrument, but played a little bit of this and a little bit of that. However, I was quite good at sight-reading while singing. This allowed me to compose songs according to my skill, and arrange words to notes. Miss Alice Compain, with whom I had become acquainted, knew that I could play violin, and out of the goodness of her heart bought me one that had been made in China. Togeth~ with this she included a large number of songs and asked me to choose some for use in the Khmer church. Some of the songs that Alice gave me prompted me to compose new ones, because when I checked them I found that they were not suitable for Christian singing. I found it interesting to discover that it was easy for me to put music to poetry. Some days I would compose up to five and also add new melodies to some on the same day. I found that although I had not used my musical knowledge for so many years, much of it I recalled and I progressed strongly and quickly. All the songs that I composed I gave to Sister Alice to type in Bangkok where a missionary helped to write the notes by hand. In early 1985 a Khmer hymnal was published containing 166 Khmer folksongs. God's plan for my life When I became a child of God, I reflected on the words of God on my life since I was very small. I knew that my life was in God's hand completely. When I was around six or seven years old I fell from a cart that was loaded with rice bundles. We were crossing a dike at the time. I remember that fact clearly. When the right wheel of the oxcart rolled up the dike, it rocked me to the right. When the left wheel rolled up the dike, it gave a big swing and tossed me to the left until I fell down onto the buttock of the left cow and then to the ground. My neck was very close to the wheel-about one finger's width away. If the wheel had moved

10 12 HONEYCOMB 2/3 (July 21) only a little my head would have been chopped off. As I fell to the ground, both cows suddenly stood still, not even moving their tails until my mother removed me from that dangerous position. This accident did not cause me any injuries. I did not know that God sent his angel to look after me. The angel even stopped the cows from moving forward thus saving me from a certain death. I give him praise and thanks when I recall this because I know he really has a plan for my life. Many things occurred in my life, but one event that stands out above them all is the one that occurred three years and eight months into the reign of the Khmer Rouge. Had God not preserved my life I would have died during that dark period. In 1976 I was hospitalized in one of the Khmer Rouge hospitals where there was neither medicine nor food. My eldest daughter, who was the last remaining member of my family, took care of me during the time I was sick. Many people were dying around me everyday. When I became worse, I said to myself that in five day's time they will carry my body to be buried like the rest, as I was paralyzed from the waist down. I could only move my hands to hold my body. I passed stools very frequently because I had severe dysentery. There was a fortuneteller who "prophesied" for somebody. nearby me. I had one pair of sunglasses left that I wanted to give him as payment so that he could predict my fortune. I did not believe in fortune telling, but I just wanted to ask him to "prophesy" for fun. I asked him if he knew when I would die. He looked in my face and held my hand, looking for the answer in my palm and then he said, "You are not going to die. In two or three days you will be taken east and then be healed." But I said to him that I thought I would die in five days' time; I didn't believe him. But like he said, two days later a truck from Battambang hospital arrived at Phnom Prordak, where I lived, to ask for vegetables and to take some seriously ill people for treatment in Battambang. I pleaded with the head nurse by bringing my palms together in front of my chest in a gesture of respect, asking for a favor to take me as well. She looked at me and said, "Comrade, you are not very sick. We only take the serious ones." But I

11 Autobiography: Sam Sarin 13 insisted, telling her how I felt. She accepted my plea and took me with her. Two nurses carried me to the truck, but I was almost out of breath when they tried to make me stand. My ey.es looked.like bright green stars. I asked them to put me down and crawled to climb up the truck by myself. When I arrived in the hospital my diarrhea and dysentery were gone but my knees were still very weak. I walked up to the higher ground with difficulty. I was discharged from hospital in Battambang and went to stay in Phnom Krapeu. The group leader of my mobile team allowed me to plow in dry land. If they sent me to work in the muddy field like the others, I might not be alive today. Therefore I always praise the Lord for softening the heart of my group leader to show mercy on me while I was so weak. Could the fortuneteller predict my future? Maybe the Lord's angel put his word in that fortuneteller's mouth to encourage me to have hope? I am unable to answer that question even until today. My resettlement in Australia provided me a broad freedom to serve the Lord in the ministry of songwriting. By contrast, if I had resettled in the United States, as many brothers and sisters had tried to help me to do, I believe that the Khmer hymnal may have ended up with only 166 songs. You see, only when the enhanced hymnal was taken to the printing house was my name chosen for resettlement in a third country. I believe that God let me stay in the refugee camp for six years until his plan was fulfilled. In Australia Goa provided me with hi-tech equipment to produce hymnbooks of better quality, such as a computer, music programs, and a Khmer font that enabled me to produce more songs. The number of Khmer songs in the book increased from 166 to 33: It is now easier for Christian Khmers to sing these songs than those that have been translated from foreign languages. I was amazed at the broad and deep meaning God revealed to me in the songs I wrote. As I composed song number 126, "If I Knew God When I was Young," I realized that if I had accepted God when I was young it would have been fantastic! But even though I have served the Lord for twenty years, I still do not know him enough, nor his will or his leading. That is why I lived without

12 14 HONEYCOMB 2/3 (July 21) God's power in my life. God has impressed on me not to treat the hymnbook as my personal accomplishment, since the Holy Spirit encouraged my writing, and I was only the instrument or vessel that he used. Through the gift of song composing, God taught me how to worship him in spirit and in truth and how to communicate directly to him through praise and worship sorigs. He showed me the kind of song that is anointed by the Holy Spirit. When this kind of song is sung it is powerful and the presence of the Lord is known. The weary will be released. The sick will be healed. Now I do not compose songs in the way that I used to. I use poetry to speak directly to God in words that communicate to him more closely. For he showed me clearly that if we are in the presence of the Lord why not speak to him and praise him? Why only speak to each other-shouting and delivering commands among ourselves? The songs that follow our own words have no impact in the presence of the Lord. Some songs that speak about our testimony do not give him praise or glory, but rather encourage us, edify us, and build up our faith. In the presence of the Lord I like to sing in such a way as to express our love for him and the love of God towards us. We may sing songs of intercession, but only at the beginning of a worship service. As we enter the Lord's presence we should use only songs that praise him as we enter into his court with joyful hearts and with hope. We also praise with music and shouts of victory over the enemy (Psalm 1:1, 4). I intend to serve God, not a denomination. I do not wish any fame from what I am doing. All I want is for the name of Jesus to be lifted up on high through the songs that God gives to brothers and sisters through me. I want you all to be blessed as you sing and praise him. Finally, I want to tell my brothers and sisters that I want to live for God, do his will, deny myself carry my cross, and follow him every day. But I believe that I am weak and cannot fulfill all that I have decided to do in r:ny own strength unless the Holy Spirit helps me. I depend only on the Word of God and the enablement of

13 Autobiography: Sam Sarin los the Holy Spirit and his grace. I do not depend on my own abilities. "'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord."