Love Story at Logos

My friend Mindy wrote this, but I wanted to share it because it makes me really happy because Phanit and Lyda are both such sweet people and hard workers.  Their cheerful smiles and warm greetings have encouraged me on many a sleepy morning!  I knew Lyda didn't plan to get married, so it was a fun surprise to find out they're engaged.

"When I was a guard at Logos, I watched her walk in and out of the gate every day. I started to become interested in her." -Phanit

"He would always joke with me and say, 'If there was someone who loved you, would you love them back?' I answered, 'No way. I don't want to get married.'" -Lyda

Lyda grew up as the oldest child of 5 in Kampong Cham province. She moved to Phnom Penh to study at university. Her dream was to become a journalist so that she could share the stories of poor people in
Cambodia. However, when her father became very ill with a heart disease, she decided to stop studying in order to save money and support her family. She worked a number of jobs in the city, and at one point was working 16 hours a day in order to support her family.

During this time, a friend from university introduced Lyda to Jesus and gave her a Bible. She believed in Jesus, but her life was still very difficult. While she was working at an organization for children, a foreigner named Steve noticed her strong work ethic and felt sorry for her because she walked through the rain every day to work. Steve
invited Lyda to work for his family, and eventually helped her to get a job at Logos. Lyda continued to support her family, and through her sacrificial giving all four of her younger siblings finished university, found good jobs, and met Jesus! Lyda has worked as a cleaner at Logos for 6 years.

Phanit is from a poor family in Takeo province. He started working at Logos three years ago as a guard, and now he works in the kitchen. When he started working at Logos, he wasn't a Christian, but he learned about Jesus through Robert and Chantorn (two of the Khmer administrators at Logos). He became interested in Lyda through seeing her at Logos every day and talking to each other. Phanit volunteered to help do work at Lyda's house, and would often invite himself over for dinner. Lyda says that Phanit encouraged her through difficult and lonely times in her life. Although she used to think that she would never get married, she slowly changed her mind and started to love Phanit.

Lyda and Phanit were engaged three months ago. They will be married on December 1, 2012!