My life here is full of beautiful faces - faces that tell stories. I rarely get a chance to introduce you to them, so here they are some of the ones I have on my heart, some lost sisters Jesus is pursuing...
Meet Aunty Tee
She has a chronic kidney problem and is currently very unwell. She opened her life to us and took us to see her fields when we met her in Surin on a survey trip. Through a word of knowledge which came to Raksaa on our team (in the black and white striped top), we learned that her illness was caused not by a physical problem but a spiritual one. She has black magic in her family line and hosted that evil spirit in her home (on the advice of the fortune teller). She decided that day to ask Creator God to be Lord of her life, and to command the evil spirits to leave. She did it in her own words, without me leading her. I have never seen anyone so open, so obedient and so bold in all my time here in Isaan.
We fully expected her to be completely healed. But from phone conversations (she lives 4 hrs away), we know she is still unwell. The last time I spoke to her she was able to confirm (as Raksaa had already believed) that she has evil spirits residing in her body that we did not cast out that day. Over the phone I told her of when Jesus cast out the spirits in the demon possessed man with a word. She and I prayed over the phone for complete deliverance. Besides spiritual attack, she is facing opposition to God from her family.
Lord Almighty, show Yourself mighty in power, mighty to save, and mighty to heal in Aunty Tee - and through her, to her household and community.
Meet Jingjai ('Genuine')
She is 18 and just finished school. We met her while prayer walking through her village, where we teach English weekly. We shared the gospel and she seemed genuinely interested, true to her name! She asked about how to pray, and we prayed for her upcoming exams. A month or so later, we saw her again. I asked if she had prayed any more, and to my surprise, she said that yes, she had prayed in the exam room. And that she was the only one who had passed that exam. No one understood why.
God of surprises, keep surprising her with your goodness!
Meet Jenny and her Mum
Jenny is the grand-daughter of a Catholic missionary. She shared that ever since she was little, she has always sensed God's presence in churches rather than temples. Her Mum describes herself as a 'Buddhist Christian'. Every Sunday we meet in their home, and Jenny's Mum goes around her village inviting her neighbours and relatives to come and hear God's stories. They clearly have great respect for her in the community. Many have come (albeit inconsistently) because of her invitation to her home. We tell chronological Bible stories and pray for the Spirit to work in hearts. This week, Jenny came prayer-walking with us in another village. Apparently it was fun! She is understandably mixed-up in her beliefs, but her heart is wide open. She prayed for friends, and God sent us.
God with us, be Immanuel in this household to reach their village.
Meet Waen ('ring')
Waen lives in my neighbourhood. We have occasionally gone on walks or runs or played badminton in the street. Each time we talk a lot. She is also 18, and has also just finished school. Waen has a curious mind, and always asks inquiring questions about everything, including my life and my faith. She is one I would love to invest in more, but is shortly moving elsewhere for University. Like any teenager, she is looking for answers and looking for love.
God of love, be the answer to all her questions. Send her a friend who can lead her to you.
Finally, Aunty Uu
I met her the day we moved into this house - when I went down the road looking for something. I didn't expect to find my Thai Mum! Since then I have visited her almost every week. She cooks up a storm each time I go :) I've shared my testimony with her, the gospel, given her a Bible, pray with her each week, and she has come to my house church once and been impacted by a word of knowledge. Yet she remains largely uninterested in Jesus, and fervently Buddhist. I wondered whether to stop going. Eventually it dawned on me that Aunty Uu is God's gift to me, just to bless me by caring for me. She hugs me and cooks for me, listens and laughs with me and answers endless questions about language and culture with understanding, patience and wisdom. She is truly a gift.
Giver of every good gift, care for her deepest needs, bless her with the gifts only You can!
