"I just want to believe the Truth"

"I just want to believe the Truth", is what one student said after a lengthy conversation during the car ride home from our retreat. She also said she wanted to study more about the claims of Christ so she could compare it with the intense Buddhist teachings she has received her whole life.

The retreat was precious in every aspect. Our staff girls did an incredible job planning the retreat, and more specifically, planning their presentation of the gospel. I don't think the gospel could have been shared any clearer. The first night, Snow set the stage by explaining God as Creator (she was a Chemistry major and had great illustrations), the reality of heaven and hell, humans inability to be perfect, and our need for a Savior. Honey picked up the next morning with how God had provided that Savior, Jesus Christ. She, too, had wonderful illustrations that made the gospel so easy to understand. At the end of her sharing, there was even a tearful pleading for the girls to know that this message is true, not just Western religion. I think every believer was moved to tears (which included 4 Thai students), but the unbelievers sat stone cold still, no comment, no expression. Tough crowd. But we know that the power is in the gospel and that all we could do was pray for God to open the eyes of their hearts. We wrapped up our meeting time, leaving them with some things to think about and got ready for our day of activities. Hopeful.
We went to the National Park where we saw a ton of monkeys, wild elephants, and a beautiful waterfall. We tried to take advantage of our free time with the girls to have follow up conversations. By the end of the weekend there were four girls who said they were interested in learning more and one in particular who told Snow that she wanted to meet with her one on one and study the Bible before she made a decision for Christ. Helping someone make a decision to place their faith in Christ and begin following Him takes time and must be handled with care. There are many barriers for these students- strong family influence and expectation to be faithful Buddhists, and potential ridicule from friends and family if they do become a Christian. Please pray for Im, Gate, Ice and Sai as they move forward in their search for Truth. You can also pray for Gung, Rock, Jum, Boo, . I look forward to giving you an update on their progress.

This is Im, Blaa, and Sai.