One of the phrases we hear a lot here in Thailand is “you
have to be flexible.” This is not a phrase that is commonly used in my
vocabulary. I love being in control and having a well-planned schedule almost
as much as I love a good cup of coffee. (And all my Lion friends said “Amen!”J) This week though, my
team and I learned that when we lose control, we are often exposed to the
blessing of seeing God’s sovereign power.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, my team and I normally teach
English classes in massage parlors downtown. My teammate Mallory and I have
been teaching in one particular parlor pretty consistently. We meet every week
at 1pm, and we teach a short English class and a Bible story.
However, because of a Buddhist holiday that is taking place
this weekend, most of the women were going home, which resulted in a shortage
of staff. They had to cancel the class we planned for Tuesday, but we hoped
that Thursday would be a different story. Unfortunately, when Thursday rolled
around, they had to cancel again. Mallory and I were very discouraged, and we
began to make a plan as to how we would spend the rest of our day.
While we were walking down the street, I saw my friend Oy,
who I met in a bar one of our first weeks in the city. We chit-chatted a little
bit, and eventually she asked us to join her in her home. We agreed and walked
to her apartment. While we were there,
Oy began to open up to us about how she wants a man to come and take care of
her. She wants to feel loved and wanted, and believes a man is the only way to satisfy
this feeling. My teammate and I, heartbroken she felt this way, began to share
about how Jesus loves us perfectly, and will never let us down. He loves us
enough to die for us, even while we were still dead in our sin. His word tells
us to cast our cares upon Him, “because He cares for us.” Man’s love cannot
satisfy us like His love can. Oy heard these words, and even though she did not
make a decision to follow Jesus at that time, we are praying that she remembers
these words in the following days, and chooses to accept the free gift of God’s
salvation.
Losing control is hard. But this week, I learned that no matter
how well or far in advance I may make my plans, the Lords plans are always
better. There is beauty in trusting the Lord through the unknown. He has
appointed every day and every hour we spend here in Thailand. Even though our
plans to teach English did not work the out that day, the Lord still gave us a
person to share with. He had a plan from the beginning, and He knew that Oy
needed to hear about the love He has for her. His Sovereignty is better than
any well detailed plan I can come up with.
Please be in prayer for:
- The Buddhist holiday this weekend and our friends who are traveling home. Pray that while they are at the temple, they would feel Jesus drawing them to Himself, and that when they return, they would have more questions about Jesus and the peace He offers.
- Endurance for our team during these last few weeks of ministry.
- The English classes we have started to remain consistent and the women to be open to talk about spiritual things.
-Kenzie