Today my team and I taught English to 140 police officers and a governor. Last night, after our Thanksgiving feast, we were briefed on what to l fell asleep excited for this opportunity and confident that it would go well. However, this morning when I woke up was a different story. I was soooo nervous – terrified – to be exact. During my worship time with God I kept asking Him to comfort me and give me peace. I was worried that something might go wrong or I would accidentally offend someone. Besides, who was I, a 19 year old high school graduate, to teach these officials, some of whom were older than my parents?
As we loaded into the van that was to take us to the station, God reminded me that He was in me, and He was greater than 140 police officers, the governor, and the world combined. He reminded me that I am a light, His light, wherever I go. He told me that He would never leave me or forsake me.
This reassured me and reminded me why I came on this trip and why I am here: to bring God’s Kingdom all over the world and shine His light. Without further ado, I fell asleep with renewed confidence until we arrived.
The teaching went better than I had hoped, and as always, looked completely different than I had imagined it. Once we arrived, we were presented with certificates for teaching and introduced ourselves to everyone. Evie and Kate taught conversation prompts, and then the rest of us walked around and had conversations with the officers in English, helping them with their pronunciation and grammar. I enjoyed myself thoroughly. One of the officers had a lengthy conversation with me about politics and religion, which was interesting for sure. He talked about Buddhism and tried his best to explain it to me. It saddened me to see how his whole life revolves around trying to do good so he might make it into heaven when he dies. Unfortunately, he finished talking right as the class ended, and I was not able to share about why I am a Christian. I wanted to tell him that there is One who died and took on the burdens of all of our sins, and going to heaven and salvation is simply a gift that we can receive. I’m honestly not sure what I could have done to have been able to share the truth with him. Relationships are very important to the Thai people, and if I had interrupted him to tell him about Jesus, it would not have had the same impact than if I had waited. Sometimes it is so hard to find a balance between being polite and being bold for Jesus. We were able to give him a book has the salvation story in it, and I am praying that he reads it and receives that precious gift.
Today I learned God is always with me and His light shines through me, even when I face odds and days that seem impossible. I learned Thai people are very passionate about their religion, but I am more so because I know my God. I learned the power of saying I am a Christian and stepping up and being bold in my identity in Christ. I learned I still have so much more to learn about being bold and sharing my faith effectively. Today I was reminded of the musical score called life that God is conducting, and how each and every note has a purpose and a place. God is opening so many doors for our team here in Thailand. We’ve taught at schools that didn’t want us there at first; taught at an English camp to 240 students; and spoke at a police station to around 140 officers and gave them Bible tracts. This next month we have the blessed opportunity to hand out Operation Christmas Child boxes to some of the students at schools we have taught at. We also will be teaching at multiple high schools around the area. The church is growing in Thailand, and I am so blessed to play a little part in God’s musical score here.
May the King of kings bless you!!
~Ashlyn
