Healing makes believers of family [The life of Cambodian Christians in Modesto]

DEBBIE NODA/dnoda@modbee.com - Joseph and Mary Chhun at their business, Baker Boys Donuts. (12-19-11)

The Modesto Bee
Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011

Joseph and Mary Chhun of Modesto were born in Cambodia and fled to refugee camps in Thailand in 1979 to escape the violence of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. They were distantly related, but didn't really know each other until they both ended up in Stockton in 1982. "My sister and her brother married. That's how I met her," Joseph said.

Joseph and Mary — both chose their biblical names before they reached Stockton — married, moved to Modesto and began attending a Cambodian Christian church. But Joseph's relatives remained Buddhist.In 1994, his 73-year-old mother cracked a bone in her foot. X-rays revealed a long split, Joseph said. The doctor said her age prevented her from healing. She often cried because of the pain.

Joseph had talked with her about his Christian faith before, "but she didn't want to give up her religion," he said.

But because of her ongoing pain, his mom said she would try anything. "She said if God healed her, she would believe in the American God," Joseph said. His five siblings agreed: If God would heal their mom, they would believe in God.One Saturday night, Joseph and Mary took his mom to their pastor's home. After a Bible study, the pastor asked anybody who needed prayer for healing to come forward.

"My mom got up and went," Joseph said. "The pastor and everybody began to lay hands on her and prayed."Afterward, his mother said she felt heat going through her body and added that she didn't feel any pain in her foot.

"We wanted to see how long it would last," Joseph said. "One week, two weeks, three weeks, no more pain. All my brothers and sisters started to believe in God.

"His mother returned to the doctor for another X-ray. "The doctor said he couldn't even find where a crack had been. He didn't know why.

"Sakhan Tan lived for another decade before her death in 2004.Joseph and Mary have owned Baker Boys Donuts at Tully and Bowen since 1986. It hasn't always been a smooth experience, Mary and Joseph said, but the miracle deepened their faith.

"Since that time, I have a lot of joy," Joseph said. "In my life, I used to fear a lot. And at this time in the economy, I have a lot a stress. But when I look at the Lord, all my stress and worry goes away. He always loves us and meets our needs."Mike Johnson, a Davis High teacher, contributed to this story.