Highlights:

• Pastor asked Rebekah to teach Sunday School impromptu. I prayed with her quickly, and she went in. We worked together. With the Lord, she did valiantly.
• Both of us standing in front of the congregation, Pastor asked, ‘Do you have a plan to get married?’ and ‘Do you have an idea of a date yet?’
• Then I shared testimony from old life to new. We sang “It Is Well”- our first duet.
• Daniel blessed me with the opportunity to preach at his house church. I spoke about spiritual weapons, including fasting.
• The Lord always leads to witness, which is the core of Castaway’s mission. Jesus loves all and died for all. The gospel of Jesus Christ is 100% inclusive- applies to everyone.

Short Story:
We visited the rural village where I lived before moving to Bangkok 5 months ago. Walking from house to house, we gathered kids who regularly attended class on the porch. With most grouped together sort of in a line, I chatted them up and asked one by one if any was still reading the Bible every day. From left to right- ‘Otey. Otey. Otey…’ (No, No, No…). Humble and shy, the last boy uttered- ‘Baht’ (Yes) and looked down.

This is one of the Lord’s cinematic moments. Why was it the last child in the line who said Yes when all of the others said No?

Brothers and sisters, think of this as a case study. Imagine that you have 6 months to build relationships in a village, share the gospel and win souls for Christ. Many pray to accept Jesus. Who will actually follow?

On the surface, all of the children appear to be the same… until you hear “K”‘s story. After accepting Jesus as his Lord and Savior, K immediately showed an interest in the Word. He volunteered to read the Bible and pray in class.

One day, an elderly neighbor woman told me that his parents were both dead. He and his brother lived with his grandparents. I visited them and met his brother who shared he was leaving in a matter of days to work in Korea indefinitely (whch is common… make money to send back home). K was devastated.

Which one is still reading his Bible?  The one who is broken- has suffered tremendously and experienced the Savior’s comfort.

“…my father and my mother have left me, and the Lord has taken me up.” – Psalm 27:10

We don’t always know why bad things happen, but we know that God can use them to point us to the Rescuer, who loves us so much that He gave His life for us.

Follow this child’s example. Follow Jesus.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ:
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” – Romans 3:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23
“If a man is not born again, he will not see the kingdom of God.” – John 3:3
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 3:2

“Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” – Romans 10:9-10