Dareth & Thida Ly | Cambodia
Dareth Ly was born in Cambodia, an Asian country bordering Thailand and Vietnam. Tragically, his early childhood was marred by one of the darkest periods in Cambodian history. When he was just seven years old, the Khmer Rouge came to power, unleashing a reign of terror that would last four years. The regime subjected the Cambodian people to unimaginable torture, killing, and suffering. Dareth noted that the Khmer Rouge systematically exterminated one-third of the Cambodian population.
Separated from his family, Dareth was forced to toil at a labor camp in brutal conditions in the rice paddy fields alongside other young children.
In 1978, a Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia provided distraction to the Khmer Rouge, and a chance to escape. Dareth, along with few surviving children, managed to flee to Thailand. Shortly thereafter, Dareth was relocated to Minnesota as a foster child through the Child Protective Services (CPS) system.
Dareth endured nightmares of what he had experienced in Cambodia after arriving to MN. However, his life began to change when he was placed with a Christ-following foster family. Later, at Lake Geneva Bible Camp, Dareth had a profound encounter with Jesus. Dareth notes that, “I was grateful because I suddenly just noticed, the nightmares stopped.”
Dareth’s faith journey led him to North Central University. There, he met his wife, Thida, who happened to also be a Cambodian refugee. In his senior year of college, Dareth felt a tug from the Lord to return to Cambodia as a missionary.
Eventually answering the call, Dareth and Thida began planting churches, starting schools, and providing various forms of aid in Cambodia. In the 2000’s, they sought to buy land to build a church and school but struggled to find a place within their budget. They discovered a plot of land that was perfect, yet surprisingly affordable. Later, they learned it was a former killing field, a site of immense pain and suffering.
The transformation was profound. Dareth notes, “What had once been a place where tears of fear and suffering were shed is now a place where tears of joy and worship to the Lord
are experienced.”
