Jolene Campbell is on January 2013’s N Squad currently spending month 9 in Thailand. This is her story of how God used someone unexpected to teach her about him.
Meet Aaron.
Aaron is a 16-year-old mixed-race Thai boy. Aaron was rescued from the streets less than a year ago. He now lives at the Abba House Foundation.
Aaron won’t talk about his story, though. None of the boys at the Abba House Foundation will and neither can we. To share your "shameful" past would be considered a disgrace.
Every day I spend an hour or two with Aaron talking about the Bible, worship, and anything else we can decipher through his broken English and my non-existent Thai.
Aaron won’t talk about his story, though. None of the boys at the Abba House Foundation will and neither can we. To share your "shameful" past would be considered a disgrace.
But God still moves. It just looks a little different.
When we taught a class about worship, we explained how there are many different ways to worship not just with a song and instruments. We explained how God is Creator and Author of creativity and because we are made in his image, we also have the capacity to create.
We handed each boy a blank piece of paper, pens, and markers. We told them to worship God by creating.
Some of the boys started writing, some drew pictures, and others folded the paper into shapes.
When everyone was done, they took turns sharing what their worship was.
Aaron was the last to share.
Through the translator he explained, “This is a car. When you drive your car, you have a destination and you drive yourself there. My worship is one of surrender. God knows my destination, and he has a plan for my life, so I can surrender my control to him in worship.”
I was speechless and humbled. A 16-year-old was laying down control of his life knowing God would direct his path.
You never know where and when God will speak to you. Even more unexpected are the people he uses.
For me, he used a 16-year-old who never met his father, learned prostitution from his mother as a way of survival, and was recently rescued from that lifestyle to say, “God has a plan for my life, so I surrender my control to him in worship.”
For Jolene, the teacher became the student and learned an important lesson. Are you willing to let God teach you about him in unexpected ways? Apply now.
