After 3 weeks of hard work and spiritual warfare in the mountain villages of Lampang, we moved on to Phitsanulok. All of us were ready for a breather.
I thank the Lord that although we had no furniture to enjoy at our host’s house, it was a peaceful sanctuary for me, and I felt totally refreshed the morning after we arrived. Every morning there was a constant cool breeze that blew in from the rice field behind the house. The neighborhood was extremely quiet – a perfect atmosphere to have an incredible quiet time – even though we were a few blocks away from the commotion of the city. I was feeling frustrated that we had worked so hard in Lampang, but we hadn’t seen a single person become a follower of Christ**. I kept asking the Lord to use us to bring people to himself, even if it was just one person.
Each evening in Phitsanulok we visited either a group of skateboarders or break-dancers that our host Taa has been ministering to for 3 years. We had so much fun watching them skate or dance and also just hanging out and talking with them. The third time that we went to visit the break-dancers that there was this unexplainable, unspoken buzz among us which I can only explain as the Holy Spirit’s anticipation of what was about to happen. It was like we were totally focused on the mission of sharing Christ’s love and Gospel with those kids, and we were expecting the Lord to do great things. We hung out for a while and tried to learn some moves, then we asked if we could do a presentation for them. We started out with the classic cookie skit to loosen things up, and then we performed “Chains”, a dance/drama that Chelsea had written. What a perfect atmosphere to do that skit. We were on an actual dance floor, outside, with no special limitations. We had a great stereo to blast the music, the moons and the stars were shining above us and a group of young dancers were our audience. Even though our “dance” was nothing compared to their moves, there was a spiritual and emotional truth that really drew their attention. After we finished, Chelsea shared her testimony followed by Ben, and then we went back to having fun with them.
I noticed that halfway through Ben’s testimony, one of the boys had gone over and started talking to Taa. After about an hour, I noticed they were still in an in depth conversation, and there was a girl listening too. We had to leave because our taxi had arrived but Taa was able to stay and talk. Later that night I asked how the conversation went. The first words out of his mouth were, “They both accepted Christ.” Those words were like music to my ears. I had been longing and praying for one person to become a believer, but God went above and beyond and saved double of what I had asked for! I was so excited! I can’t even imagine the celebration around the throne in heaven that night. The entire night was a blast, but an ending like that made the night so much more amazing. Our God really is mighty to save, and I am so glad and thankful and honoured to have been a part of His work in the lives of those 2 people. Praise the Lord! The End.
Written by James, PA DTS 2011
**Editor’s note: The same night these 2 gave their lives to the Lord, our hosts in Lampang called to tell us that 2 people in one of the villages we visited had also given their lives to Jesus!!! Praise God for His work! Praise God that His word never returns void, but it accomplishes it’s purpose.