We don’t know exactly how you will get there because we have never been there before! These are words my host said to us before my team and I headed out to do some prayer walking in a very rural village in the mountains of Laos. I was excited as I jumped onto the packed bus with a small backpack with my clothes, snacks, and my tent. I didn’t know what the next week had in store, but I was fully trusting God to provide because we had no idea what we where doing!
After being on the bus for two and a half hours the girls and I where starting to get a little worried that we missed our stop because it was only suppose to take 30 minutes to get there. Soon after this we got off the bus with ease and settled into where where we where staying for the night. The next morning we worked in out with Mark the mans home we where staying at for the night that he would give us a ride to the next city. It was a God send that he was with us because he was able to help us reach our ultimate destination. As Mark was driving us to the next city we started a very interesting conversation with him. The night before Melody has heard drums being played at 3am. Mark said this was because the monks in the next village over where starting a fast. We then began to ask him about his beliefs and he told he was animist. He believes there are demons and good spirits in this world. In order to please these spirits he must make certain sacrifices to them in order to have good favor. As I was hearing him tell me all these things about what he believed I could see how this belief system comes out of a place of fear. They live in bondage to this fear and it controls their life. It breaks my heart that so many people in Laos have never even heard the name of Jesus and live in a constant state of fear.
We finally arrived to the next city, but now we needed to find another vehicle to take us across the river on the ferry and up the mountain. Mark helped us find a ride to take us to our final destination to the rural mountain village. The four of us got into the back of a truck with a covering over it ad we where on our way! We had no idea what we where in for! The roads where very windy, dusty, and bumpy. As some points along our journey we had to stop and wait for the bulldozers to build a road for us because many areas of the roads where under construction. Four hours later we made it our final destination covered in dust from head to toe. I’m not sure I’ve ever been this dirty before! At this point in the journey I was so thankful for God’s provision in all the ways he had provided to get us all this way!
After a goodnight rest we headed out foot with only one objective, to cover this village in prayer. We where laying the foundation in prayer for future people who will come to do ministry there. We began walking and praying. After we had been walking and praying for two and half hours we where all getting pretty tired. There was one more large hill we where going to walk up, but if there wasn’t a small village on the other side we where going to turn around. We got to the top of the hill and to our pleasant surprise we could see a small village just over the hill. When we came to the village we stopped at a store where we where greeted by a elderly lady with a toothless smile. We bought a drink from her store and then sat down on the steps of her store to drink them. The people in the village where very suspicious of why we where there and no one smiled at us as we entered the village. After being there for awhile we began to talk to a few of the villagers using broken Lao and English with a mixture of hand motions. They began to slowly trust us and even began to smile!
While sitting on the step of the store I covered that little village in prayer. Then Melody got out her guitar and the little old lady with the toothless smile got really excited. She played some background music and then we sang a few worship songs over the village. As we sang worship songs to a group of people who have probably never heard the name of Jesus I was so thankful I was able to play a small part in further God’s Kingdom in Laos. I may never know the impact of my prayers, but that doesn’t stop me from continuing to intercede for that village!
Never under estimate the power of prayer! You never know the eternal impact it could have on the Kingdom! God wants to hear our prayers and is waiting for you to intercede for his lost bothers and sister in your hometown and around the world!
