"Now I Get It!"

It seems ironic that Thailand means “Land of the Free” yet fear and superstition are entwined in the daily experience of the Thai people. The idea of a loving, caring God is an unknown concept here. One day our team showed a film depicting Jesus’ miracles in a local village. Afterward, an old lady asked for prayer for her painful feet, but she was worried that if our God healed her, she would have to do something to placate Him. That we suggested she give her life to Him didn’t help. After a long and twisted conversation she refused prayer. Her background with vicious spirits left her terrified that this god would take revenge on her for not repaying him.

On another day a truck crashed into some houses in our village. No one was seriously injured, but everyone tried to figure out why such a misfortune had occurred. They decided that some member of the three families involved must have committed a misdeed. Therefore, each family must give a substantial merit-making offering to the temple to cover all possibilities.

While everyone was outside discussing the accident, a priest told a lady named One that she must make a big offering to the temple or her son would be killed in an accident. (Sometimes these death curses are fulfilled.) One previously had been very open to the Lord, and our team members spent much time with her. She read every book we gave her and displayed an ongoing hunger for the things of God. But after the threat, she was filled with fear. Sadly, she made the offerings that were demanded of her and turned away from God.

Despite the confusion and darkness, God is at work, and we see fruit from our labor of love here. Our house girl gave her life to Jesus. She told us about a worship song that spoke to her heart, then to our amazement she prayed loudly and boldly asking Jesus to come into her life and change her. She wept and said, "If only I had known Jesus before, my mother and sister might not have died in torment."

Later her husband attended the church and was deeply moved by the worship and fellowship. This couple was considering divorce, but we believe God wants to do a work of restoration.

Yom is a new believer who has great faith. She says that every time she prays, God listens. Her son “T” had a tumor removed and developed a massive infection in the incision. He suffered severe pain. “T” prayed for God to heal him, and immediately the pain was gone. He made a complete recovery. It was a joy to be present when Yom was recently baptized.

We recently received a tract response from a man named Jakrit who wanted to know Jesus. Jakrit had opened himself up to many confusing spiritual influences and struggled to focus during our visit. But after later visits, we saw a drastic change in him. We gave him a video showing several Thais whose lives were changed by Jesus. Afterward he said, "Now I get it! I understand! When will you come back and visit me? Please come back." We pray that God will give us time and personnel to honor his request.

One day two of our team members walked through a village inviting people to an outreach event. They saw an emaciated man lying on a bed in a house. Walking past, one of them felt strongly that they should go back and talk to him. Since he was alone in the house, they found a neighbor who went in with them. The man had been sick for three years and was so weak he could not move or speak. His legs were severely swollen and covered with huge open sores. They prayed for him, carefully explaining the gospel. They asked if he would like to pray to God for forgiveness and new life. He was too weak to speak, but he moved his lips and looked intently at their faces throughout the prayer. When his wife returned home she was shocked to find people in her house speaking with her husband. After they explained what was happening she was very happy. She is one of the merchants they meet regularly at the weekly markets where our team evangelizes. That evening she, her neighbor and her second daughter attended the outreach.

The next morning, I received a phone call saying the man had died. We believe God waited until the man had a chance to hear the truth and be welcomed into the arms of Jesus before he died. That evening we returned to the house to attend the first evening of the funeral service. Thais generally connect death to all kinds of weird things, and we were afraid they would blame us for this man's death. Instead, the wife and neighbors said he had been fighting death, but after we prayed with him, he was at peace to die.

The wife and daughters appear to be deeply touched by the tenderness of God demonstrated through these events. Unlike the deep grief and unsettling disturbance in our spirits that we feel at most local funerals, we felt a deep peace and assurance. We pray for the wife, her three daughters, and the close neighbors who heard the gospel, that God will continue to reveal His love to them and will help us to be His tools in bringing spiritual light to this family.

It seems that the people here in our village are beginning to respond more to us, either positively or negatively. We see more and more a presence of God in this place. In the last couple of months three people gave their lives to Jesus and brought their spouses to church. On a home visit we met an old lady who was feeling unwell and aching all over. She could not straighten her back and was walking around with her head down. We prayed for her, and halfway through the prayer she interrupted us with a big smile saying she was feeling a lot better. Then she busied herself walking back and forth to bring snacks for everyone. It’s so much fun partnering with God! We never know what is going to happen next.

The Thai people have much sorrow, yet culturally and religiously they are told to maintain attitudes of detachment. They are hungry for relationships and long for someone to listen to them. Many are very lonely. It is not unusual for vendors to sell their goods next to one another without ever building a relationship with fellow vendors. Perhaps this example can help convey how difficult it is for them to grasp the concept of having a relationship with God. Their religious teachers preach messages in a sacred language nobody understands. They are expected to listen, not necessarily to understand.

Our task is to introduce them to God—the One who cares deeply and is intimately interested in the hurting and the lost. We pray continually that the Holy Spirit would reveal Him to the people we reach out to. We teach simply, by having people read a passage of scripture from a common language translation, and asking questions about it. The readers are frequently amazed and say such things as, “I can really understand this!” As God continues to shine the light of His truth into their hearts, we see an amazing change take place. It is a great joy to witness transformation in the lives of those who meet the living God who has revealed Himself to them and made them truly free.

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