02 Apr DTS: Short Outreach

After two weeks of outreach in Thailand, we are back in Cambodia for the last two weeks of DTS lecture. This week’s topic has been on Evangelism and then next week we are having a group from Africa come to teach on how God calls all nations/people to reach all nations/people. This will be such a great time for our Thai students and all the other Southeast Asia students to see that God does not just call westerners to missions, but all people to fulfill the Great Commission.

We spent our two weeks in Thailand in a place where none of us had ever traveled before. We worked with a local church in Trat province for most of our time. It was such a privilege and learning experience for all of us to work alongside the local pastor there. Each evening we would go visit different members of the church where they would invite their neighbors to eat and then we would have some worship, share about Jesus, and pray for people. It was so encouraging to work alongside a pastor who wants to equip his members to reach their neighbors and community.

The area where we worked is alongside the border with Cambodia. As many of you know, our ministry is called YWAM Borders and we are used to doing ministry along the border in the north. It felt so natural for us to be working in border towns with lots of different languages and people groups because we are so used to that in Mae Sai. At the end of the week we went to an area along the border that used to be a refugee camp during the Khmer Rouge. We were able to do more street evangelism (walking around town and talking to people about Jesus) and this is the area where our team really thrives. Our Thai students even led one woman to know and accept Jesus into her life! There is no church in this town, but every Thursday night a group of believers and people wanting to learn more about Jesus has started gathering to worship and learn together. We were able to invite different people we had met to come and join us for that evening. One grandma we had talked with wanted to come, but had broken her wrist previously and said that she had an appointment with the witch doctor that evening. The witch doctor was going to do a ceremony to help try to heal her wrist quicker. She had already gone before and he had wrapped it in something but she was supposed to go back again that evening. We talked to her about Jesus for awhile and then asked if we could pray for her wrist. She was so sweet and was glad we wanted to pray for her wrist. As we prayed she got very excited as she said she felt something go up and down her arm. She motioned on her arm saying “boop boop boop” up and down as we prayed. We prayed a few times for her wrist and it wasn’t completely healed, but she could close her fingers more than before. It was enough for her to want to come learn more about God at the Thursday gathering instead of visiting the witch doctor that evening.

We played musical chairs as a warm up type activity and grandma joined in! I was terrified for her safety as people jostled for chairs, but she was laughing and having the best time! She even came close to winning! Belief in spirits and the practices of the witch doctor are often driven by fear and “appeasing” the spirits. I loved as I watched grandma in an environment where she didn’t have to fear and make merit, but was learning about the God that loves her.

There are so many more stories that we would love to share. Just know that God is doing great things in Cambodia, Thailand and all of Southeast Asia!