Jiap

Jiap had prayed to a higher power for 10 years. The higher power was probably Buddha or a Chinese goddess that she often relied on. The prayer was that one day she would find someone to love her and care for her. Then one day God placed us in her path as we were passing out tracts in the business district on the main street in Khao Phanom. Out of curiosity, Jiap came over to see what two foreigners were doing in her town. Then she invited us to her house where we told her about Jesus, and gave her booklets to read. In a later visit, she was given a New Testament. She read everything, including most of the New Testament. We also took church members from Krabi Baptist to witness to her. In addition, the pastor went to answer some of her many questions about God. One night while looking through some things that her husband had left in the house before going off to be a Buddhist monk for 3 months, she found another Christian book. This book gave testimonies from prominent Thai people before they became Christians and then told how Jesus changed their lives. While reading one woman’s story, Jiap thought, “Wow, her life is a mess like mine, but Jesus made a difference." Reading further into the book, she began to understand things that Christians had been saying to her. Finally, she realized that Jesus was the person she had prayed for those many years, the one who would love, care and never leave her.

When we came to see her recently, she had the broadest smile. Jiap said that she had accepted Jesus into her life! From a Christian book, she showed us the illustration of self or Jesus on the throne. For many years, she had been on the throne and now she wanted Jesus to take control. Buddha or the Chinese goddess she had relied on could never give her peace or fill the emptiness she felt inside. She wanted Jesus!