One of the great blessings God has provided for me Oma in Cambodia is Bora, my faithful tuk tuk driver. While he certainly takes me where I need to go, his role has become so much more than transportation.
Bora has become my “right-hand helper” for many of my day-to-day needs. Many mornings he arrives with a cup of coffee or a bowl of warm rice porridge, knowing those simple acts of kindness help start my day. He gladly runs errands, searches the local markets for teaching supplies, and helps replace ministry materials that are difficult for me to find on my own. His willingness to help has become an invaluable part of my ministry and a daily reminder of the generosity that is woven into Khmer culture.
Bora is also a devoted family man. He and his wife have two grown children. Their son, Tola, is married and has blessed them with a precious granddaughter. Their daughter is completing her final year of high school, and the family looks forward with hope to what lies ahead for her. His wife works at the local guest house I stayed at the first year I returned to Cambodia alone.
Tola is a barber with a modest two-chair shop just down the street from my room in town. Recently, Bora and Tola came to us with a wonderful idea. Tola would bring one of his barbering students into Taros Village and set up beneath the metal canopy in the church courtyard, offering haircuts to anyone who came. The student would gain valuable hands-on experience while practicing the techniques he has learned, and the villagers would receive a service that is simply unavailable where they live.
To appreciate why this opportunity is so meaningful, it helps to understand life in Taros Village. There are no neighborhood conveniences that many of us take for granted. There is no coffee shop, no fruit or vegetable stand, no salon, and no barber. Even the simplest services require traveling to another community.
For many families, a haircut is not simply inconvenient—it is an expense that must wait. When every available dollar is needed for food, school costs, and the necessities of daily life, a haircut naturally falls to the bottom of the list. As a result, many children and adults go months without one.
Word of mouth is the best advertisement in a village like Taros. It won’t take long before children gather to watch, neighbors begin arriving, and the news spreads from one home to another that the barber has come to the village.
To many of us, a haircut may seem like an ordinary part of life. In Taros Village, it is something much more. It is a gift of care, dignity, and community.
One of the things I have grown to love most about Cambodia is the warmth of the Khmer people. Time and again I have experienced their generosity, hospitality, and willingness to help others, often expecting nothing in return. Bora and Tola are Buddhists, yet their kindness and compassion are beautiful expressions of the caring spirit that is so deeply rooted in their culture. Their desire to bring this opportunity into the village is simply because they want to serve their neighbors.
That spirit of generosity creates a wonderful partnership. The church is able to open its courtyard as a welcoming place for the community, Tola’s student gains valuable experience, and villagers receive a service that many would otherwise go without. Relationships are strengthened, conversations naturally unfold, laughter is shared, and trust continues to grow.
Moments like these remind me that God is always at work, often through the simple kindness of ordinary people. A tuk tuk driver who brings coffee. A son who brings his barber chair. A church courtyard filled with neighbors.
These may seem like small things, but together they are helping weave the fabric of community in Taros Village. They create opportunities to love our neighbors well, to build lasting friendships, and, in God’s perfect timing, to share the hope we have in Christ.
This article honors Bora and Tola for who they are, celebrates the beauty of Khmer hospitality, and allows you to see that the church is not simply serving Christians—it is living among and loving its Buddhist neighbors. That, in many ways, is the Gospel before the Gospel is spoken.
My dear khmer son Bora. A smiling young guy getting a haircut, so precious!