Wonder is a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.
For me, God’s sovereignty is one of the most wonderful, fascinating and amazing aspects of His nature. It blows my mind how intricate and detailed God is in each of our lives. He planned every day of our existence down to the very second (Psalm 139:16), He establishes man’s steps (Proverbs 16:9) and He does whatever He pleases (Psalm 115:3).
I was reminded of God’s glorious deeds during the most unexpected time. The following is a story of a God-willed encounter between myself, my teammate Rachel Deese, and my squad mate Anthony Martin with a Lao believer named Ying, whom we met, encouraged, were encouraged by, and worshiped the Lord with, all within 14 hours.
Part 1- God is the Governor
Like other countries, Thailand allots a 30-day visa upon entry to the nation. This visa needs to be renewed before the end of these 30 days if one intends on staying longer.
My squad (being a WR Gap Year squad) stays for 3 months in each country and therefore needed to renew our visas. This process includes gathering the entire squad of 43 people at one Thai embassy in a bordering country of Thailand, applying for 43 visas, staying one night in that country, picking our visas up the next day, and heading straight back to our ministry. Not easy.
God, in His sovereignty, orchestrated every detail of this trip- the location (Vientiane, Laos), the timing (December 29th and 30th), the homeless man on the sidewalk than needed food, and Ying, standing at the same food stand as us, waiting to be used by God to blow my mind.
I am convinced that God is the governor. He governed the Thai law, our visa renewal location, our path back to the hostel- all of it (Romans 13:1 and basically the book of Job). He cares that much about the fellowship of His people. He cares that much about His glory.
Part 2- The God-Willed Encounter
After getting dessert from the most popular ice creamery in Southeast Asia (Dairy Queen), Rae, Anthony and I decided to head back to our hostel for the night. On the way back, we saw a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk begging for food and money. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we decided to buy him some food from a street vendor just 10 feet away. After placing the order, Anthony and Rae headed to get a drink for the man while I waited for the food.
As I stood there, a young man who appeared to be a Lao native said something to me in English. Now, in Southeast Asia, most people know about as much English as I do Thai, Lao, or any other language in this region (which is little to none). However, this particular man seemed to articulate his words clearly, which made me think he might know more English than the average native.
“Do you speak English?” I asked him.
“Yes.” He responded.
Again prompted by the Lord, I struck up small talk with this man while we waited for our strange meats to be cooked.
When Rae and Anthony returned, they joined the conversation, asking questions and answering his. We discovered that this man’s name was Ying, he was studying law at a nearby university, and he worked and lived nearby.
Then, Ying asked a question that changed our trip completely, “Would you all like to go to a party tonight?”
Dead silence.
Awkward looks.
We later discovered that we all had felt the same way- for some reason (the Holy Spirit), we all really wanted to go but we weren’t sure if it was allowed.
“Ummmm, well, I don’t think we will be able to tonight.” Rae responded.
The conversation quickly died down and the food was finally ready. After giving the food to the homeless man, we began walking back to our hostel, all feeling a conviction to go to this party. After all, this man needed to hear the gospel that night.
Upon arriving back at the Funky Monkey (our lodging for the night), we decided to ask one of our leaders if we could go to a party with our new Lao friend, expecting that the response was certainly going to be “no.” Her answer was the most definite “yes” we must have ever heard because our shocked expressions made her reevaluate her reply.
We resolved that we would go look for Ying while our squad leaders decided whether or not we could go to the party because, if nothing else, we really felt God drawing us to him. So, off we went.
In Vientiane, Laos (the capital), a city with a population 750,000+ people, in a area that we were in for, at this point, 8 hours, at the busiest time of the night, on a street that none of us were familiar with, I am here to tell you that God sent Ying straight to us and that there is no way on this earth that it could have happened if God had not sovereignly planned it.
After again returning to our hostel and confirming with our leaders that we could use our discernment about going to the party, the three of us headed out with Ying.
Part 3-The Jesus Juke
Not knowing what to expect, we were somewhat amused when we rounded a corner to see a huge block party with a DJ blaring pop music, tons of people, and copious amounts of alcohol.
We walked around for a while before bumping into some of Ying’s friends who, though a little under the influence, kindly asked us to join their table.
“Do you want anything to drink?” Ying asked.
“No, thank you,” I replied, “we don’t drink.”
Expecting Ying to join his friends in the consuming of alcohol, I was caught off guard when I saw him also turn down the offers from his friends for a beer.
“Hey! Ask him why he doesn’t drink.” Rae asked, nudging my arm.
Building up the courage, I leaned over to Ying and asked.
“Well, I play a lot of sports and, you know, alcohol isn’t good for your health.”
Then Ying got really close to my ear and said the most encouraging, exciting, and joy-causing thing I have heard on this race.
“Also, the Bible says it’s better not to drink alcohol.”
WHAT?! Here we are- three young, determined, slightly timid but nevertheless in-love-with-Jesus missionaries planning on going to a party with our new Lao friend in hopes of striking up a gospel conversation, praying that God would save this man, when out of nowhere, BAM- he’s telling us about the Bible! Laos is a country where less than 2% of the population are Christians and there we were hearing a Lao tell us what the Bible says. I’m here to tell you, God had a plan.
“WAIT. ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN?!” I quite literally screamed at him.
“Yes!” He replied.
If only you could see our reactions- loud screaming, giant smiles, and laughter. The people around us probably thought that we were really enjoying the Thai version of the backstreet boys who by now had taken over the stage with their cheesy lyrics and less than appealing dance moves.
After our joyous celebration, we decided to leave the chaotic block party and head to the riverside to talk about the Lord and all of His goodness.
That was one Jesus-filled talk.
It was amazing to hear Ying’s story. The Lord had faithfully sent person after person to him, pouring truth into his life and sharing the love of the father with him. After hearing the gospel last April, he was saved and has since been discipled by a local believer, reading and studying the word as often as he can.
He told us that earlier that night, after our first meeting at the food stand, on his way home, he prayed that somehow he would see us again. God delighted in making that happen.
For an hour we sat, encouraging and being encouraged. Talking about the wondrous deeds of Jesus and being in awe of our creator.
All the while, God was reminding me of His sovereignty. Not only in my life but also on the earth, in the lives of every person- saved or not.
After our conversation, we laid hands on Ying and prayed for the Holy Spirit to fill him, the love of God to pour out of him, and Jesus to be glorified in the highest.
The next day we got to see Ying one more time before heading back to Thailand. Again, we sat, talking about our good and perfect God. Then, we said our goodbyes, knowing that we will see each other again, either on this side of eternity or the next.
Next time you are confused or questioning God’s plan for your life, remember this story. Remember that our God is a detailed God and has a purpose for even the minuscule things, like ordering a chicken kebab at a roadside meat stand. God is sovereign over His creation and takes great pleasure in revealing His supremacy to you.
The party.
Anthony, Ying and me.
The four of us.
