I ran into my friend, Retno, this evening at a local restaurant.
It was such a wonderful time: we sat and
talked for several hours over iced cappuccinos.
When we got past small talk, our conversation turned toward what God
is doing in the lives of our students. It
was so encouraging to me and such a good reminder. Just this year we have seen about 18 kids
come to know Christ at our school!
In high school, we had two kids come to know Christ at the
beginning of the year, and He is opening the eyes of several other kids as we
speak. My roommate, Rachel, has been
talking to freshman who has been so excited and amazed by the gospel. Please pray that the Lord would bring her
into the kingdom. Also, one of our 7th
graders has been wrestling with the gospel for the last year or so, but his
family’s strong Buddhist beliefs have kept him from walking into the
faith. Please pray for his courage.
Elementary has been a hot spot for the gospel this year! About five preschool kids have come to know
the Lord this year. Several of them
frequently comment that they have the Holy Spirit. So cute/incredible! In addition, we had one student recently come to faith in
kindergarten, four kids come to Christ in first grade, one in second grade,
Jinny (I love that girl!), one in third grade, and two or three in fourth grade. It has been incredible to hear the stories
and excitement as these kids (some from non-believing homes) receive the gift
of life!
In my class we have not had any students come to faith, but
I believe that most of them are already believers. However, I have had the privilege of hearing
my kids make connections and learn to walk out their faith. This week one of my students came to the
conclusion that we can really trust what God says, after seeing God’s warning
about marrying foreign woman play out in Solomon’s life. I've listened to the prayers of my students
praying for the North Korean leader to repent and worship the true God instead
of himself. I've watched my kids defend
their faith when I play the devil’s advocate.
Man, they humble me!
God is working at BAIS; it is evident. My prayer in sharing this with you is not to
recruit you to come to Indonesia and teach (although we do need a history and
Mandarin teacher haha), but it is to encourage you that God is working and
changing lives around the world. It’s
hard to remember that when we don’t see the direct fruit of that, but I can
tell you with confidence that God is working and building up his kingdom. Be encouraged friends. Be encouraged.
All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing,
just as it has been doing since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace
in all its truth. Colossians 1:6
