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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, friends!
We pray you are healthy and strong and enjoying a meaningful holiday season. Our hearts go out to those of you who have lost loved ones in recent months and years. We understand to some extent the pain of being separated from those we love. This is always the hardest time of year for us to be here in Thailand.
There are many things we could share with you about our work these last few months. But we want to try something a little different in this newsletter. As we look back over this last year, there is one relationship that stands out. So here is just a glimpse of what God has been up to.
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“Are you a missionary? Do you have time for some questions?” Leon, an 80-year-old Thai gentleman, asked me (Steve) one hot morning last summer as I was sauntering out of the Mae Hia market food court on my way to Thai class. My heart thumping with excitement, (Is this really happening? Am I dreaming?) I quickly let my teacher know I would be late for class and she (being a believer) encouraged me to take whatever time I needed.
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(Above: Thai Khao Dome (boiled rice soup)- click for the recipe- you can use any type of meat you want; mini pork meatballs or shrimp are some of the most common)
This began my friendship with Leon. Every weekday morning, Leon bicycles over to the market food court, rain or shine, and I meet with him for breakfast. Every day, he orders boiled rice soup with fish. This is the worst example of boiled rice soup we have ever found in Thailand, but Leon orders it faithfully every morning because in his Buddhism, he is not supposed to enjoy anything as that will create desire and attachment to this world (all of which is bad).
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I barely have time to sit down before Leon begins peppering me with questions about God and the Bible. Leon was raised to be a good Buddhist. My head spins as I hear his sometimes simple, sometimes profound, sometimes offensive questions about the Bible and the Christian worldview. It seems everything we believe as Christians is 180 degrees opposite what Buddhism teaches. Somedays this bewilders me. Somedays, I am angered. Often my heart is broken. I never know what I’ll be walking into each morning. There is no way to really be prepared except by begging God to give me the words He wants Leon to hear that day.
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We’ve now been meeting together for about 6 months. Leon still has not made the decision to follow Jesus. He is more interested in religion than almost anyone else we have ever met. He has read through the whole Bible multiple times. He listens to many sermons online from various denominations. He even became a Mormon at one point in the past as he was seeking for God. All this has left him very, very confused! We see the spiritual battle, as it rages on for his soul. One day he asks all the right questions and seems to really get it. Then the next day his heart is as hard as stone and his words mocking as he says things about our God that are straight out of the pit of hell (it reminds us of CS Lewis’ Screwtape Letters). Our hearts become very angry, sad, and discouraged on these days.
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What will his final decision be? We don’t know. We pray that God will not give up on Leon- just as He didn’t give up on us. Our prayer is that Leon’s whole family will come to know Jesus- soon! Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, authorities, and powers of this dark world. The battle is real! But we don’t give up because we know the truth and love this man. He is not a “project”. We cannot throw him away if he decides to reject Christ. We will continue to love him and walk with him as long as he is willing.
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(Above: This is a book we are reading. Click the photo to order the book from amazon.com if you would like to learn more about Buddhism)
We are learning so much by meeting with Leon. He is teaching us (without realizing it) how to be better missionaries and how to reach the Thai heart. God is growing a gentle, whimsical, loving patience in us. The Buddhist worldview is so dark, friends. It is so dark and lonely and without hope. It takes many people years to slowly understand and dare to embrace the God who loves them. A relationship is essential. Few will jump out of the ship of their culture and family into a lifeboat of Christianity unless they know and believe that the church is strong enough and loving enough to hold them up when they need it. So our job is to love well and administer one teaspoon of truth at a time.
Thank you so much for walking with us. Your notes of encouragement and prayers are what keep us going. And your prayers for Leon will break the fetters and give him the courage to walk out into the light. This is our prayer for 2023!
God bless, and Happy New Year!
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Other Ways to Stay in Touch
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Contact Us:
Steve & Rebecca Barber
Koolpunt Ville 10, 77/27 Moo 6
T. Chai Sathan, A.Saraphi
Chiang Mai, Thailand 50140
Team Thailand is your ministry.
We are your boots on the ground.
We cannot do this without you.
To donate to our deputation account or
to invite us to speak at your church,
click the link below:
Donate
To donate to the Literature Project
that pays for discipleship resources
across the Southeast Asia Field,
click the below link:
Donate for Literature
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Steve and Rebecca Barber are globally commissioned missionaries with the Church of the Nazarene. They currently live and serve in Northern Thailand. For more information about who they are, click on their names.
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