We‘ve been given a gift

Hello! We’re officially in Thailand!!! Last week we said our goodbyes to our ministry hosts, and new Cambodian friends. Afterwards we headed to a hostel in the city for the weekend to rest, debrief, and process what the Lord has been showing us over the last month and a half. Monday morning we took a bus to get us over the border to Thailand, and an overnight train to get us to our final destination! Ministry here in Thailand started on Thursday, and we will have our first full week of ministry with our new hosts starting on Monday!

Last week we woke up Monday morning energized, and ready to soak up the last few days of ministry in the Cambodian villages. We all collected in the house ready to go, and make the usual hour drive to the village with our ministry hosts and our van driver Brandon that we had gotten to know and love over the past 3 weeks. I walked in the room and our ministry host informed us that Brandon was in debt, so he decided to sell his van and move to Thailand with his wife while his children stayed in Cambodia. We were all shocked that all of this had taken place in just a weekend. Later we found out this is quite a common occurrence for people to all the sudden pick up, and move to Thailand in order to make more money. As we rode to the village with our new driver I just couldn’t stop thinking about how quickly all of this transpired, and if their was anything I would have done differently. Did I ever actually share with him?

A few days later we were in the market browsing through the stands and shops. We were looking through a particular shop when the woman who owed it struck up a conversation with us. She asked us where we were from, how long we were  staying, what we were doing here, etc. We answered all her questions, and after she heard that part of what we did here in Cambodia was teaching English she asked if any of us knew anything about autism. One of the girls in our group piped up and said that she did. She explained to the woman that had a degree in education and an endorsement in special education. For the next 20 minutes the woman shared with us her struggles of being a special needs parent, and sought out advice on how she can better help her son and provide him with more opportunities. We were all blown away by her vulnerability, and willingness to learn.

Once the conversation died down we asked if we could pray over her before we left. She looked at us confused, and said she didn’t know what that was. It was silent for a few seconds, and then I asked her the question…“have you ever heard of Jesus.” She said she had heard the name, but she didn’t know what that meant or who he was. I asked her if I could explain it to her, and she said yes but asked us to come to the back of her store. We all shuffled our way into the back, and I began to share the gospel with her. As I finished sharing I asked if we could pray with her, and she said we could! After we finished she quickly walked back to the front of the store, and grabbed a basket of handmade bracelets. With a big smile on her face she insisted on each of us taking one before we left, and thanked us for everything.

I could keep going with all these little stories, and while they’re beautiful it isn’t quite the point I’m trying to make. As a believer you have been given the most precious given anyone could ever give you, the gift of knowing the truth. And everyday we get the opportunity to share piece  that precious gift. I have no doubt that the Lord would’ve placed someone in Savanna’s life to share the gospel with her if it wasn’t for us. The Lord doesn’t need us to share, but he did gift us with the opportunity to do so! We can look at this gift of truth as a burden to share, or a blessing. If the gospel truly changed your life, why wouldn’t you want to share it?!

Prayer requests: Pray for Savanna’s continued curiosity of Jesus, and for the Lord to place more people in her life to continue to share the good news!