“Momo, I got spanked in school today” Memewah informed me. Of course, right away I let her know that if she gets in trouble at school, she is also in trouble at home. Then I listened as she explained. They were learning eyes, ears, mouth, etc…in Thai. She had forgotten a few, and was told that as a punishment she must go to the front of the room and dance for the class. When she refused to dance, she got a spanking. Suddenly, I did not feel in the slightest bit inclined to punish her at all! She told me that Jason had taught her that it does not make Jesus happy for us to dance, so she just refused to do it. I wrapped my arms around her and told her that if we suffer for Jesus’ sake, that the bible says that our reward in heaven is great.

Travis and I had gone to the Christian dorm where Numpoong is living to visit her. I noticed right away that she is looking a lot thinner than she did. I asked her about the food, and if she was getting enough to eat. She told me no. The SDA dorm where she is living has refused to let her eat a vegetarian diet. She tried eating nothing but white rice for a few weeks, but finally gave in and had to eat some fish in order to survive. We had taken a huge bag of oatmeal to the dorm so that she could eat when meat was served, but she explained that the dorm father considered that to be favoritism, and would not let her eat it. She was very sad because she really wanted to eat for the glory of God.

Thunduh called us from the SDA Academy where she is going to school now. She wanted to know if she could come home right away, and just do home school. We were amazed, since she has always wanted to go to a Christian school. When we quizzed her as to why she wanted to come home, she explained to us that the other students listen to rock music, watch bad movies, have totally unchristian conversations, etc…It was hard for her to study, and she really wants to be a Christian, and didn’t feel that it was a very easy place to practice what she knows to be right.

Thailand is considered to be an emerging country, one that is not totally unreached any more. But how reached is it really? It reminds me of when I  became serious about living for Jesus. I did not know how to really raise my kids for Jesus. Yes, I had great Christian parents, but I felt that I was lacking in the skills to know how to  make Jesus to be the focus of my children’s lives. I did not want them to rebel like I had done, in their teens. It was not until I met other families who were living life totally for God that I saw how to do it. It took a living example to change my heart and turn me in the right direction.

I believe that this is the reason that Jesus gave us the great commission to GO into all the world and preach the gospel. We may not be preachers, or teachers, or doctors or nurses, but we can all be a living Christian witness to everyone we come in contact with every day.

This may also be the reason that God has given us so many children. Each one of them has tough choices to make in the face of nominal Christianity. It is hard for them, since they are new to the concepts of living totally for God, and pleasing him in all that they do. They sometimes fail miserably, but we are here for them to help and encourage them all that we can.

What you can do to help is to pray for a revival of the church here in Thailand. I am not sure that revival is the right word, it is more like learning and doing for the first time. Even those who know are slow to follow God in everything because it goes against their entire life experience and beliefs and culture. Being a true Christian in a non-Christian country is not easy. They need the Holy Spirit, and they need solid Christian examples and friends.