Last Saturday, our team was praying and listening for what the Lord had in store for us that day. God gave Cary a vision of worshipping in a populated square near where the Sunday night market is held. This vision was confirmed by two other teammates, Dakota and Liz, who received the same vision. We decided to go sing worship songs. While there, huge storm clouds were rolling in and we had no clue what God had in store for us.
Shortly after we started singing, a man named Ron stopped to listen. He seemed to really enjoy our harmonies and the ukulele, which we discovered he also plays. Dakota asked if he was a Christian which he is not, but was welcoming of other religions. He’s from Israel and has some background in Judaism but now leans toward Buddhism after visiting India.
The skies darkened and we could tell rain was coming, so we moved into Starbucks to get the ukulele to shelter. My teammate Christie invited Ron to join us and he did. We went to the third story balcony area to continue singing. Previously, Dakota had a vision of us working on our message-writing and being bold to speak God’s Word, and so she was also going to share a word. She had prepared it for just our group because we hadn’t expected others to join. Oh, we of little faith.
Several others did join and we ended the night asking for prayer requests and splitting up to pray with individuals. Ron was sitting next to me and I asked if I could pray for him. He shared that he’s traveling for a few months on sort of a self-discovery trip and ended up asking me if I was always “into” Christianity the way I am now. What an open door!
I briefly shared my testimony and the entire Gospel with Ron that night. It was an incredible answer to prayer as Liz had challenged us just the day before to be specific in our prayer requests so that we could see God answer in specific ways, and sharing the Gospel with a specific number of people is one of my prayers for Thailand.
Ron was open and really listening. I know seeds were planted. I asked if he’d ever read any of the New Testament which he has not so I encouraged him to read John and told him a little about the book and why I recommended it.
After the prayer time ended, Ron stayed and Christie and Liz continued to talk with him more and share deeper things. It was a divine appointment for sure, and one that God was not yet finished with.
We planned to meet at Starbucks the following night and Ron brought his ukulele, kazoos, and maracas. After practicing a few songs, our little band headed out to the square again where we enjoyed playing and singing for well over an hour. It was a fun night to enjoy life with Ron and before we parted we all laid hands on him and prayed for him, that God would reveal Himself to Ron in big ways as he is seeking.
The following day, in another divine encounter, Liz and another teammate Jessi, ran into Ron at a restaurant on the other side of town. They had the opportunity to talk with him again about the Gospel and share how the Lord is pursuing his heart. He spoke of the joy and difference he sees in us. What a beautiful change the Holy Spirit makes in one’s life!
We are continuing to pray for Ron, that as God continues to pursue him, his spiritual eyes will be opened to the truth of the Gospel, and he will receive for himself the free gift of eternal life, and his searching will be no longer be in vain.
Thank you to everyone at home who is helping make divine encounters like this possible through your prayers and financial support! Stay tuned to hear more stories from Chiang Mai, Thailand!
