As I entered the last classroom of the morning I finally felt like my heart was in the right place. We were guests in the English classes that our hosts, Bronwyn and Noi teach at the Thai high school. There are about 50 girls in each classroom and around 3,000 students in the whole school, 1st-12th grade. The high school is an all girls Catholic school. The Catholic schools in Thailand are not what you might think though. Catholicism came to Thailand over 400 years ago and to help Thai Buddhists understand Catholicism, the missionaries taught Catholic principles by using Buddhist words and names. Today, Catholicism in Thailand is really a mixture between Buddhism and Catholicism; they worship idols like Buddhist’s do, but instead of statues of Buddha, they are statues of Mary.
Knowing this about the Buddhists and Catholics in Thailand, it is very important to emphasize that Christianity is about a relationship with Jesus Christ. Saying Christianity is a religion and that I follow God means nothing here. If you talk about Christianity as a religion, Thai’s will say, “your religion is good and so is mine, so I will keep my religion and you can keep yours”. So today in the high school, my team and I wanted to use our time in the English classes to talk about our relationship with Jesus.
Although my team started the day with prayer and I had prayed before entering the first two classes, I did not really listen to what God wanted me to say when I spoke with the Thai students. I went from small group to small group and answered their questions like “Do you have a boyfriend” (very popular question here), “What are your hobbies”, and “What kind of Thai food do you like”. I asked some questions as well and really tried to show that I cared about each of the girls. I tried to share with each group that I was here in Thailand to tell and share about Jesus’ love for them and for me. I said our group was here to serve Jesus. The students were all very nice, but talk about Jesus did not go past these two conversations. 
God is faithful though. While walking into the third English class of the day, I asked God to guide my words and lead me in our small group conversations with the students. This time I really felt God working during my conversations. In one group of about 5 girls I told them my team and I were in Thailand to serve Jesus because I had asked Jesus into my heart and now had a relationship with Jesus. One of the girls started asking me lots of questions about Jesus. She asked “how do I have a relationship with Jesus if I cannot see him?” I was so excited that God provided an opportunity to share.
I told her and the group that I had asked Jesus into my heart when I was young. I said Jesus helps and guides me in my life. I told them that when I was 12 I moved away from my family and friends, and it was a very sad time in my life. But Jesus became my best friend and my only friend. He helped me when I was sad and he continues to help me and guide me everyday. The same girl then asked more about who Jesus is. I got to share a little bit about how Jesus lived a sinless life and died for everyone’s sins. My time was short with this precious group, but God again proved that when we take a step of faith, He is always faithful.
