More Conversations!!!

I wanted to share a few more conversations from my missions trip (because I had lots! lol)

One of the days near the beginning of my trip, actually the day right after I fell down the stairs, I was able to talk with an 83 year old man named Chearn. Lindsey and I went over and I started speaking the limited Thai I knew to see if him or his family (wife and son) spoke any English. They didn’t, so Lindsey went and grabbed Kung to translate but I was surprised that we were able to talk by ourselves for a little while. When Kung came, I was able to explain the dramas and how Jesus was represented by the man in the white shirt. Chearn had a bit of knowledge about Christians however he told me how he was too busy to go to church. He had to run the family restaurant. Nevertheless we continued talking and I asked him if he had heard the testimony I had shared during the dramas. He hadn’t heard so I was able to share about all the health problems that I’d encountered since coming to Thailand and how the devil had been attacking me in that way because he didn’t want the message of Jesus to be heard. I asked him if he had any struggles in his life. He told me that he did struggle and I asked if it was alright if I prayed for him. It was very cool to pray in English and have someone translating the words into Thai. I not only prayed for his struggles but also that he would seek after truth and I hope that he finds that truth is God. I hope that you would continue to pray this prayer alongside of me. We continued to talk casually after that, he seemed like a very sweet old man with a very sweet family and I just pray that they can find hope, joy and truth in Jesus.

Another conversation I had on the first night of ministry was with an older lady named Choosri. I started talking with her and for some reason told her that the previous day was my birthday. As soon as the words left my mouth, I thought, “Why did I say that? It doesn’t matter that it was my birthday yesterday.” But she informed me it was her birthday TODAY! Throughout our conversation she told me how she was a Buddist and also how her son was in Switzerland and different things about her life. She told me she was very accepting of other religions but she was a Buddist. We had a bunch of bibles that we could give away and even though I didn’t feel the conversation was going very far; I asked her something before she left. I said, this may be random but can I give you a birthday present? Can I give you a bible so that you can read more about this Jesus who we came to share about? You can read it or you don’t have to but I just want to give it to you as a gift, would that be okay? And she said sure. She thanked me and said she had to go. But later I saw her talking with P’Natti. When I was out of the dramas she came over to me with a bag of apples. This is for your team, she said. Such a sweet lady to have my first conversation with… And even though I don’t feel like I said much or explained much to her about God; I feel like God still used me. She has a bible in her possession and it isn’t about the words that I say anyways. It’s about how God moves and works in people’s lives and hearts. We are just the people she encounters along the way. So if God can use me when I started talking about my birthday; He can use you even if you’re talking about jellybeans (yup – Lillian – jellybeans ;) hehe).

I had an unexpected conversation at a market we had performed at last year. We had just finished a drama set and I just felt like I needed to sit and pray this time. So I didn’t go out looking for any conversations or people to talk to, I stayed with the stuff and was just praying for the other conversations. Not too long after I decided this in my head, Jess came over and told me this girl she was talking to remembered me from last year. I was surprised at this! So I went over and joined their conversation and met Sprite. I was able to share with her and her friend about my struggles and how Jesus is victorious in the end (of the spiritual battle between good and evil). Nuu was our translator and he was able to share his testimony as well. From what it sounded like Joyce (the guy) had a Christian friend who had invited him to church before. He gave us his contact information so we can get him some more information about local churches. We also asked if they wanted bibles and Jess and I both wrote a verse for them in their bibles. Nuu translated the chapter into Thai characters so they could look it up. It looked like they both were really interested in reading them. They opened it while we were still there! So I pray that God uses His word to speak to these students. I’m so glad he used both Sprite remembering me and Jess bringing me over to gently nudge me to get involved in this conversation.

Another special conversation occurred in the rain, undercover but in the rain nonetheless. There were a big group of kids watching the dramas so I knelt down to start talking to one little boy. “Sawatdee ka! Khun sebai dee mai ka?” (Hello! how are you?) He smiled at me. I wanted to ask him what he thought of the dramas but I didn’t know how to say that. Jess had one of the Jesus story tracks in hand so I gave it to the little boy and his two friends but soon realized they probably were too young to be able to read it and I certainly couldn’t read Thai. Jaeng was standing nearby, and so I asked her if she could read the story of Jesus to these three children that I had tried to talk to. She did and at the end of the book it asks if they want to receive Christ into their hearts. The two boys raised their hands and so Jaeng prayed with them to ask Jesus into their hearts. So very very exciting! I just pray that they can find someone to teach them more about who they just invited into their lives. We couldn’t give them a bible to learn more because they couldn’t read it and I don’t think their parents were Christians, so just keep these boys in your prayer. They are in God’s hands - as all little children of God are.

I felt so blessed that this missions trip was filled with more children and babies than my last missions trip to Thailand. I got to hold baby Organ, and see these two boys come to Christ, perform at an elementary school, and just sit and play and read with children at a community centre library in a poorer area after we had performed a couple dramas for them… I remember looking at a book with this one little boy and then I just started counting in Thai… the boy joined me and soon he was saying numbers and I was repeating them. He seemed to enjoy teaching me new words by pointing at pictures as well as teaching me to count! God knew that we needed that and I’m so glad he sent little children our way!

So those are just a few more conversations that I had during the trip. What a wonderful trip it was! Missing my team <3 Love you guys!

Thanks everyone for the prayers sent out during when the team was here! Your support means the world and none of this is possible without God. So grateful that He is on our side and loves us so much!