By Louise Sinclair-Peters, Southeast Asia
“That’s strange, who could be calling us from Korea?” Pastor Bank in Thailand said to his wife as he looked at the international number on his cell phone.
When he finally answered, a Thai woman politely said, “Are you a Thai pastor living in Chachoengsao?”
“Yes,” Bank answered. “How did you get my contact information?”
“Google maps,” the woman answered simply. “Since moving to Korea for work, I have become a believer in Jesus Christ. I really want my parents to know the Lord as well. The only problem is that I don’t know any Christians in Thailand. So I looked on Google Maps for the nearest church and I found you. Would you be willing to go visit my mom and dad and share the Good News with them?”
“Of course! I would be happy to!” Pastor Bank answered.
That week, Bank went to meet the woman’s parents. He was surprised to experience a genuine interest from the elderly couple who were devout Buddhists that had lived in the same village and worshiped at the same Buddhist temple for over 70 years. That day, Bank led the parents and a few neighbors to repent of their sin and put their faith in Jesus Christ for their salvation.
A few weeks later, the mother phoned Bank and said, “Okay, you can come teach us now. We have finished building.”
Building what? Bank thought to himself. A little confused but very curious, Bank immediately went to visit the older couple. As he followed them into their convenience store, he noticed new walls at the back of the store. When he opened the door and walked in, he saw a beautifully decorated room, complete with a cross, a flat screen TV, flowers and ten chairs all neatly set in rows. “Wow!” Pastor Bank exclaimed. “This is amazing!”
“Well, I thought we needed a place to worship Jesus,” the elderly woman answered. “I want to give this property to God.”
Standing outside the church, still marveling at all that God had done, Bank watched as a woman walked past the store. Noticing the cross, she said, “Is this a church?”
Bank, still in shock, hesitated before answering, “Um, yes, yes, this is a church.” Noticing her accent and her beautiful tanaka-painted face, he asked, “Are you from Myanmar?”
“Yes,” she answered. “There are about sixty of us Myanmar people working in the factory across the street.”
“Well, they can all come too!” Bank said, pointing to the church building. “We even have a Myanmar pastor for you,” Bank announced with new faith and confidence.
“Oh, thank you, Pastor!” the woman said as she ran back to work.
So, last month, this elderly couple hosted their first ever Christmas evangelistic outreach at the local school, and about 250 people came! Both Thai and Myanmar pastors from our MB churches brought teams that shared powerful testimonies of the saving power of Jesus Christ. Two aunties were miraculously healed and over thirty people invited Jesus Christ to forgive their sins and thanked God for giving them eternal life.
Please pray with me:
“Father, thank you for your miraculous saving power! Thank you for those who believe and immediately respond with faith and sacrifice. Thank you for the thousands of Buddhist people who heard the message of Jesus Christ over the Christmas season. Bring your disciple-makers into their lives to follow up and grow these new believers into strong disciples of your Son. Amen.”