Bang Heem

Today is a holiday in this part of Thailand where the majority are Mus!im. Most places were closed that we normally visit, but we happened to stop for coffee where I have had conversations with the owner in the past. At first, Bang Heem was busy. We drank our coffees and talked, but he didn't come and sit with us (as is his custom). He was working to remodel his store. Finally, we decided we would try again another day and got up to leave. He talked to us then, and asked us where we had been. I told him that I had gone to church in a nearby town (about 2 hours away). I asked if he had ever visited a church and he said no. He then began comparing Christian beliefs with Mus!im beliefs but confessed he didn't really understand. In the end, we were able to sit down and share with him about the Bible and leave him a nice copy that Yo was carrying with him. Pray for Bang Heem that he will read God's Word and believe! Pray for his wife and sister-in-law and his mother also. Pray that God will open their hearts and give them understanding.

Sacrifice Day

This time of year is a good time to talk to Mus!ims about the Lord because of Eid Al-adha, the day of sacrifice. On this day once a year, Mus!ims all over the world come together as a family and pay to have a goat or cow slaughtered and a portion of its meat given to the poor of the community. While most Mus!ims do not relate sacrifice as a way to cover over sin, it is a great time for us to explain what the Bible says about sacrifice and its meaning. Just last Friday, my intern Yo and I were walking through the neighborhood and made some new friends of one of the families there. We asked about their sacrifice day and they explained what they do on that day. Yo and I shared about how our Bible also speaks of sacrifice. One of the men there asked if I had a Bible. When I answered, "Yes", he asked, "Is it in Thai?" I told him that it was and asked if he would like one. He said yes immediately! We told him that we would come back in a few days and bring him one. Please join us in praying for this man that he will accept and read God's Word. Pray also for his family that many may join him in responding to the reading of God's Word.

The Lamb of God

This Sunday, Mus!ims all over the world will gather at their local mosques and then begin the annual sacrifice festival, called Eid Al-Adha. This is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide him with a ram to sacrifice instead. This is also an excellent opportunity to share with our friends about the sacrifice which God himself has given for us. Today, we were able to share a little of this story with a friend of ours, Sop, who runs a local diner here. Please pray for Sop. Pray for us also that the Lord will give us much boldness this month and enable us to share His great love with the people of this province. Pray that they will know and understand the meaning of the ram in the bushes and that they will recognize the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.