Hi there, and Happy Thanksgiving! This year’s team has been in Asia for almost three months, and our inbox is piling up with emails about yet another Asian student accepting Jesus. Around 30 students have decided to follow Him – and the team is just getting warmed up! Last weekend they shared the Gospel with over 100 students at Thanksgiving parties. God is doing awesome things right now!
But out of all these emails, I want to tell you about the best one I received all month. It was from a girl named Linda.
Linda was my closest Asian friend two years ago in Asia. I had many great conversations with her about my faith in Jesus. She was moved by how much my faith meant to me, but she couldn’t quite believe in God for herself. I kept praying for her, believing that God would touch her heart.
I hadn’t heard from Linda in awhile, but last month, I got an unexpected email from her… with the news that she had just become a Christian! While she was studying in Singapore, a Christian student befriended her, and after studying the Bible together for several months, Linda decided she was ready to believe in God!
Here’s a snippet from her email:
You are the first friend to let me know about God, although at that time I do not believe in… Although I have grown up without God for a long time, it seems like God always let me to meet something about him… and you impacted on me a lot. Thank you very much!
Linda’s story reminds me of the impact we can make in people’s lives, and the way God works in their hearts…even though it may take years to see. Right now the team in Asia has lots of great stories about their friends receiving Christ right away. But I know that’s not always how it works; sometimes it takes months or years of prayer and sharing before we see someone’s life change.
I want to encourage you with my story about Linda. You might be hosting an international student for Thanksgiving dinner, and that meal could help you build a friendship with him or her. You could get the chance to share your faith with that student while they’re here studying in America, and be like that girl in Singapore who led Linda to Christ.
Perhaps there’s a family member for whom you’ve been praying for a long time, and you’ll finally see their heart soften towards God. Maybe as you get together with relatives for the holidays, you’ll see God begin to heal family relationships that have been strained for years.
Even though we don’t always see our impact in someone’s life immediately, we can trust that God is faithful to answer our prayers.
We’re thankful that you are part of our lives, and we pray God blesses you in a special way this month.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Buttercup