On a rainy Sunday afternoon, 28 of us piled into 3 vehicles to drive to a local waterfall. After a time of worship, Mr Narong and Benz descended into the water and received baptism. Benz become a Christian 3 years ago at a Youth Camp. SInce then he has faithfully serving in the church and growing in the Lord.
Mr Narong is a local community who has been interested in Christianity. However over the past few months had been too busy to study the Bible. We thought he had lost interest in know God. But when we told him Benz was being baptised, Mr Narong said "Can I be baptised too?" Upon further questioning, Mr Narong said that he’s believed in Jesus for awhile now and has given away all his idols. He wanted to get baptised to show others that he is seriously following Jesus. Others are watching him closely as the first person in his family, and the first adult in that community to become a Christian. It is exciting to see God drawing both young and older people to Himself.
Friday night I was driving back from a cell group in the house of one of the Christians of NaamKhem (=Saltwater, province of Phanga) church. Another Christian got off when we passed the market where she and her family live; leaving me and a friend of mine who came to visit. But my Thai friend didn't go home. Instead she turned the direction of a close by 7/11 shop. 'She didn't dare to ask me to stop in front of the shop because somebody strange to her sat in the car as well,' I thought.
Next morning this Thai friend came. When I asked her whether she went to 7/11 yesterday after cell she nodded with her head and told me, " I put my Bible in the basket of a motor bike parking there. Didn't want to show up in 7/11 with this fat book, you know? But when I came back this bike was gone. I looked around but couldn't see my Bible anywhere. So I said to God, 'If you won't bring my Bible back to me, I'm no longer interested in you.'" I couldn't help but raise my eye brows at that. "Next morning somebody saw me in my cafe in the market. He had my Bible in his hand and asked, 'is this yours?'
GOD is gracious!
The ability to read and write is important to the Thai people. All Thai children learn to read and write in school from a very early age. Literacy across the country sits at about 99%. However there is a section of Thai society that either prefers not to read, or finds it difficult to read due to old age and lack of suitable reading glasses. A friend of mine has started distributing reading glasses and finds this a very significant tool for outreach.