Sunday we experienced our first church service here in Pakchong. A group of us led the children’s Sunday School class. We chose the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Andrea, Pastor Steve’s wife said it went well with their previous lessons. She translated as we talked about the faith the men had that God would protect them from any harm when they refused to follow the king’s law to worship the idols. It didn’t dawn on me just how applicable this story is to their lives until Andrea explained to me. She encouraged them to do just as the men did and go against their families and the culture that 95% of their country lives by. Buddhism is such a focal point in their lives. Pastor Steve said that their lives consist of three things that are interwoven and never separated. Those things are their religion (Buddhism), their culture, and their traditions. So in order for these people to follow God, they have to go against everything they’ve ever been taught and everyone they know. The schools hold ceremonies every day for their prayers to Buddha. Andrea told them to refuse to participate in them. As I listened, it broke my heart for the children. As a kid, I never had to even think about the consequences of my faith. These people have to endure so much more for the sake of Christ than I ever have. Andrea translated as one of the young girls, Miaw (9 years old) shared how she had stood for God in school and told her teacher she would not participate in the daily ceremonies. Instead, she was given extra work to complete during that time. Their sacrificial devotion amazes me. After church, Andrea explained that two of the girls, Bai (7) and Yoht (9) had lost their mom just a couple months ago in an accident. They weren’t told about it until the funeral when they saw her picture by the casket and realized that she had died. Since they had never known their dad, they lived with their aunt and uncle. Both of them are so precious and just overflow with joy. Their family has been such a huge blessing to us. Please keep them in your prayers.
Since then, we have spent two days in each of two different schools. The first was an elementary school in a more poverty-stricken area. They allowed us to come if we taught them English, but of course we had more important goals in mind. By the end of the second day we were hooked. Forget tugging at heart strings, these kids had stolen our hearts completely. When we first walked into the school they were afraid and very shy. By the end of that day they were playing and laughing with us, and even at us at times. The second school was a type of high school with around 500 students. The transition from working with young children to them was great, but of course, God did not fail us. God opened the door for us to share His love through teaching English. Although it may seem like a stretch to claim that, He assured us that He would use us in a mighty way and they would know we were different and be drawn to Him. I’m so thankful that God has placed Andrea and Steve, the American missionaries that have lived here for 17 years, here. Thanks to them, our ministry during this month will not end when we leave in 8 days but will continue on through their discipleship and outreach. Continue to pray for not only our team, but them as well. Thank you for all the comments! They were so encouraging. I love you all!!
