Back in Asia for monthS 10 and 11. Month 10 in Laos, and
month 11 in Cambodia.
I find it surprising how little I know about these 2
countries, and even about the surrounding countries in general such as
Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.
I only found out that Laos is a communist country going into
there, that Christians are persecuted there. However, the area we were in wasn’t
that bad, just that we couldn’t just do street evangelism and tell everyone
about Christ unless they invite you to.
So last month we worked in an English school with many
overseas missionaries from England, Australia, and New Zealand. The most
incredible thing of the month? Meeting the Laos staff at the school who were in
their late teens and early twenties. Not only were many of them first
generation Christians, they were also the first people in their village / tribe
to know Christ. We were told that one of the staff did not even have a birth
certificate because he lives way out on the mountains and the government
probably doesn’t care if he existed.
For a while now God has put on my heart to see young people rise
up for His Kingdom. So, to see these young Christians’ passion for God and
their simple faith was incredible. This month in Cambodia it is the same,
except that the age group is even younger! We are again working at an English
school but it is way out in the countryside. Students from age 7-17 come here
to learn English, and many of them came to know Christ through Teacher Vuthy,
the guy who first started the ministry. Many of these kids, again, are first
generation Christians in their family. When you meet them, after the initial
questions of “What is your name?” and “How old are you?”, it is “How long have
you known Jesus?”. We attended their Sunday service yesterday and the oldest
person in the service is 21 years old. The leader is 19 years old.
I learnt that because of the genocide that happen not that
long ago in Cambodia, 80% of Cambodians are under the age of 30. Can you
imagine that? There are no old people here! Laos too, is a very young country, and
many of the churches are full of young people, but because they are controlled
by the government, they live in fear and are afraid to step out. No wonder they
kept saying raising a young generation of end time soldiers, because the
demographics are all young people anyways! Wow!
So if you’re reading this, and you are a young person, or
consider yourself a young person, God’s probably calling you to rise up and be
a part of this exciting movement of Army of God; if you’re an older person,
maybe God is telling you to mentor a young person and raise them up, so they
will know their destiny.
2
Timothy 2:1-3
Be strong
through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach
these things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach
these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to
others. Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
