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I want to share a story from a few weeks ago.  I have mentioned Gaan before to many of you guys but haven’t really shared how my interaction with him finished in Angsila.  I met Gaan down at the pier that I was selling squid at for the longest time.  It really was a God orchestrated time down at the fish market.  The young man I originally went down to the market with wasn’t a Christian and thus was a mission for me.  But I sooned found out that he worked only weekends, leaving me the week to find a new friend to hang out with.  Hindsight tells me that Golf already had a connection into the church, and so my working with him wasn’t a needed connection.

I soon found a friend named Gaan.  He’s 18 years old and works everyday on the pier.  He’s single in case any of you ladies are looking.  He doesn’t like to Save The World, so he litters into the ocean all the time.  I would preach to him in horrible Thai trying to get him to save the world (a Thai climate change slogan) and his response was always the same: “The World no save Gaan, Gaan no save the world.”  I really can’t argue with that, aside from the random fact that I can’t remember the last time the ocean threw garbage on him.  Anyways…

Gaan and I shared what Thai I knew and what English he did to create and odd friendship that I love.  He’d stop by the church to ask me if I could hang out and help him.  I got to know all the mom’s on the pier (a favorite past time of mine) and enjoyed my time there so much.  God is on that pier.  Whenever I hadn’t come for a few days and would show up randomly they would all stop me to tell me how much they were thinking of me while I was gone.  They would wok-up some squid and we’d gin (eat) some kaao (rice).  I still miss my time on the pier as we’ve moved to the new location in the boonies (LOVE IT HERE!).

Before I left I was plagued with the idea that my ultimate goal by sharing fellowship with Gaan on the pier was to share the Gospel with him and Jesus’ love for him and his family.  I hadn’t yet shared the Gospel because I was afraid of offending him and losing a friendship.  This is often the reason we don’t share the Gospel with people in North America.  Our desire to not “step on toes” often leaves the Gospel as a back seat to a friendship where we assume that they will see angels over our heads and ask us about eternal life.  DMI, an evangelical outreach organization, came to visit and led a week long outreach where we preached the Gospel to hundreds of people and saw 61 come to know Christ.  Praise the Lord!  I now had my opportunity to share with Gaan but fear gripped me and I didn’t invite him for coffee.

But God is merciful and gave me a second chance.  God reminded me of my own testimony.  I lived 17 years in a small Mennonite town without anyone ever telling me about God.  It wasn’t until a friend of mine invited me to church that I was able to hear the Gospel and accept it’s Love and Truth.  Dana, thank you from the depths of my soul.  You risked our friendship, knowing that I could get offended, in order to offer Life to me.  This testimony gave me the courage to ask Gaan to coffee.

Gaan, Puun (a friend of ours), and two men from the church joined me.  I tried to have the two men preach the Gospel for me because I didn’t speak Thai and they don’t speak English, but God wouldn’t have it.  They forced me to speak my testimony in Thai.  It was ugly!  I really don’t know how they understood, but they did.  Gaan watched with tears in his eyes, nodding when I asked if he understood me.  I realize now that God was speaking through me and into Gaan and Puun, that they might understand what I was saying.  Though I didn’t see tongues of fire land on me, I do believe they understood the Love of God in their own language, “And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2.

When I had finished sharing my testimony the two men shared the Gospel with them.  When we had finished Gaan and I and the pastor prayed with him as he accepted Christ into his life.  Puun said he wanted to share with his family before he made any decision.  How amazing is God?

If I wouldn’t have shared Life with Gaan I would have kept my friendship with him in Thailand.  I would have gone back to the States and prayed for him whenever I thought about it, but our friendship would have ended when I boarded the plane.  But because I shared Christ with him I now have a friend on earth and in Heaven.

Words for everyone.  Be a part of someone else’s testimony.  Though it is hard to risk a friendship you know and love, remember that “For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18.  The Gospel is offensive and we ultimately do our friends an injustice when we don’t offer Life to them.  For what good is gaining the world but losing your soul?  I was convicted immediately with a long list of the names of people I was hoping they would magically ask me about Jesus; those names are the names of people I should be telling the Gospel to.  I’m learning more now than ever, we are called to be bold.  I would rather be known as someone who offered Life to everyone I met, than to be remembered as someone who withheld Life from the dying.

–Thomas

ps.  Address here:

Thomas VanWart c/o

Dave and Louise

PO Box 25 BangSaen, Chonburi, Thailand 20130

From the States you can call me anytime with this number: 011 66 38 0865061802

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