We just made it back to Thailand after a month of living and
serving in Laos, our ATL Asia
country. (Yup, I can reveal where we were now that we’re out of the country and
now it’s safe to use internet again, woo!) This past month has rocked me. I
wish I could tell you so much more about what the Lord has done but most of it
will have to wait until I’m with you in person. For the sake of protecting the
people and ministries we worked with, I’m going to be very vague with what I’m
about to share. Just know there’s much more that I would love to talk to you
about at some point… God is so good. 🙂
Overall, I’ve been ridiculously encouraged and inspired by
the Christians in this country; these people are legit. We’ve worked with a few
different groups and everyone we come in contact with has a faith, passion and trust in the Lord that I’ve
rarely seen before. To give you a glimpse into their hearts, here are a few
quotes from followers of Christ in Laos:
“Any day could be our
last. At any moment the police could come in here, arrest us, and take us away
forever. They can do whatever they want. But we’re not afraid; God is our protector and we will
continue meeting and praising Him in freedom. He is faithful and good.â€� – the
pastor of an underground house church
“We’re having a
Valentine’s Day party and inviting non-believers. The party isn’t about the day
in a worldly sense; we’re using the holiday as a cover for being able to gather
people openly and share the gospel, worship, and fellowship together. It’s all
about Jesus and His glory.�
“You can believe but
you can’t tell others to believe or share your faith; otherwise you will be put
in prison and the police can do whatever they want to you. Regardless, our
prayer/ vision is to travel around to every province in Laos and share the
gospel; we’re just waiting for the go-ahead from God and trusting in His
provision.�
“It says in scripture
that every nation will come together and worship the Lord; we believe this but
we don’t always get to see it. Today the scriptures are being fulfilled in this
house.â€� – underground church member
“I know a man who was
extremely influential in building the kingdom of God and advancing the gospel;
hundreds of people came to know the Lord through him. One day he was called
into the police station for a ‘meeting.’ It’s been five years and no one has
seen or heard from him since. Regardless, we will continue serving the Lord
here.�
“This is one of the
most persecuted regions in Laos; the government knows about us and they always
come around to ask questions and give us problems. But God is good. We’ve been
called here and we’re committed to being here as a light to the community.�
“Let’s look at Genesis
18:16-33; Abraham pleaded with God to spare the people of Sodom and the Lord
relented. Our prayers are powerful and effective; let’s continuing praying and
interceding with the same faith and fervency for God to spare the people of
this city.�
“God has spoken to me
about a specific unreached people group I’ve been created to minister to. I’ve
never been to their village or met a member of their tribe, I don’t speak their
language, and I don’t know anyone else there. But God has called me and I’m
going to minister there until He calls me elsewhere. I am trusting the Lord to
open doors for the gospel to spread to these beautiful people.�
“Our ministry is
international prophetic intercession; we travel around the world and cry out to
the Lord on people’s behalf.�
“We’re lining the
upstairs room with styrofoam so we can worship louder and not be turned in.
Will you help us?� (Heck yes we will!)
“We’re going to a
village tomorrow to encourage the only Christian couple there; hopefully God
will open doors to fellowship with others and share the gospel.�
“I’ve been sick almost
every month for the last two years I’ve been in Laos. But I know God has called
me here and I will serve Him ‘in sickness and in health’!�
“We had to find
part-time jobs in order to obtain visas to be able to stay in Laos. But work is
not the reason we’re here; we’ve given our lives to the Lord in order to
advance the gospel. It’s all for His glory.�
“I taught my students
memory Bible verses and worship songs today. My friend works in an office and
she gave out Bibles for Christmas to her co-workers. We’re trying to be a light
in every venue possible.�
“The gospel is
advancing and the kingdom is coming to Laos, but we see the devil constantly
pushing back; spiritual battles are all around us. The light has overcome the
darkness and ultimately the victory is ours; we just need to continue pushing
through.�
“I just got news that
Christians in the south are being forced to flee their villages for no other
reason than the fact that they’re Christians. They’re being moved to the
mountain regions where there’s no resources, no provision, nothing. But they
will not deny their faith. Keep praying for strength and encouragement for
these believers in the midst of experiencing persecution and oppression.�
As you can see, the
faith of these people is overwhelming. It’s humbling. It’s challenging.
Everything they do is focused on the Lord and on bringing
His kingdom to earth. Everything is about loving God with all they have and
loving those around them with His love… no matter the cost. They face
suffering; they face persecution; they face challenges; often the world hates
them. But that’s exactly what Jesus said was going to happen to us in this
world (John 15:18-20). I’m learning what living a life sold-out for the Lord
actually looks like. I’m learning about what being a true disciple of Christ is.
Someone who will give up everything
to follow Him. Someone who will truly take up their cross daily to follow Him. Someone
who is fully and completely surrendered to His will in their lives, no matter
what the cost.
I wonder what Christians in America would do if confronted
with the option of denying their faith or going to prison for their beliefs. I
wonder what I would do.
I’ve recently been reading “Crazy Love� by Francis Chan and have been extremely challenged by
his writing in conjunction with my experiences with believers here in Laos. I’ll
post a subsequent blog with some quotes from it but for now I’ll just say, you
should read it… if you want to be challenged that is. 🙂
Despite the persecution and oppression, the believers here are
going strong. Before we got to Laos I was praying for our time there and the
Lord gave me a verse for the country (it was Isaiah 9:2-7). I remember reading
it and thinking, Whoa… that sounds pretty
sweet, God. I wonder if we’ll actually see that in Laos. Little did I know those
words from Scripture would come to life in a way I never expected during our
time there. GOD IS SO GOOD and is truly
bringing His light, freedom, transformation, and redemption to this land.
PRAISE HIM!
“The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has
dawned. You have enlarged
the nation and
increased
their joy; they rejoice
before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the
plunder. For as in the days of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders, the rode of their oppressor… For to us a child
is born, to us a son is given, and the
government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and
peace there will be no end� (Isaiah
9:2-4 and 6-7).
In the midst of various ministries throughout the month, I
saw these verses literally appearing right before my eyes. God is truly
allowing His LIGHT to shine into the hearts of people who had once walked in
darkness; He is enlarging the nation and increasing their JOY; I saw men whose
lives have been completely redeemed REJOICE before Him with all they have; the
yoke and the rod of their oppressors has been broken and people are being set
FREE. The government will be on the Lord’s shoulders and there will be no end
to the increase of HIS peace. YES! I
saw all of this in Laos! His KINGDOM IS
COMING! This verse was such sweet confirmation that we were supposed to be
there, along with a countless number of other confirmations we received as
well. It’s amazing what happens when we come together and pray about where God
is leading us and then just follow HIM into the unknown. He makes a way where
there seems to be no way and has greater plans for our lives than we could ever
try to conjure up on our own. Man, we
truly serve an AWESOME GOD. I am so grateful.
I’ll end with a prayer from Brittany Cox’s journal/ her blog on Laos. She pretty much sums up
my heart and emotions about the month and the gratitude I have for all the Lord
has done. Her words convey my heart better than I think I could:
God, thank you so much for this month. I am blown away by
how things worked out. You gave us each individually the word to go to Laos at
the same time in a glorious moment of confirmation. You led us here though we
knew nothing about this place, not even its location on a map. You paired us up
with an amazing contact through several random acquaintances. You got us out
into a village to work with some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met.
You showed us your heart for those broken men whose lives you are completely
transforming and awakened a beautiful and fresh passion in me. You gave me
depth in relationships and a love for them that is so rare for me to
experience. You showed me more of who you created me to be. You led us around
this city in prayer, showing us how much you are fighting for these people. You
led us under your protection through the dark streets and into a passionate
underground prayer meeting with the precious people you have burdened for this
country. You so often blanketed our location with your divine security so that
we could boldly sing your praise and spill our hearts out to you. You led us to
some of the most beautiful pieces of your creation that I have ever seen and
allowed us to circle the city and till the soil in prayer. You joined us with
the brave believers who meet against the will of the government because they
cannot do anything less than serve you with all that they are. You took us out
into a village to share a meal with a humble young couple who you have
entrusted to bear your torch in the lonely darkness. You bound us tightly in a
matter of hours to your faithful sons and daughters in this country. You gave
us many sweet moments of pure joy and laughter. You challenged us to look at
our own faith in light of the unwavering obedience of your persecuted
followers. You have blessed me beyond my understanding, Father. My heart is
more full of love for you than it has ever been, because I have seen more of your
character and experienced more of your love this month. Thank you God, you are
so so good.
AMEN! 🙂
p.s. Laos is absolutely gorgeous.
You can’t see it very well but this is the head of a BAT we ate… eek! Do it for the story. 🙂
We went zip-lining through the Lao JUNGLE!! Ah, SO fun!! 🙂 Thank you, Jesus!
I love you all! Thanks so much for your LOVE and PRAYERS!
p.p.s. Some of my teammates have written great blogs about
our time in Laos so you should check them out here:
http://heatherhorton.theworldrace.org/?filename=what-is-your-freedom-worth
http://heatherhorton.theworldrace.org/?filename=gods-kingdom-is-growing-in-laos
http://brittanycox.theworldrace.org/?filename=laos-i-have-so-much-i-want-to-tell-you
