we started with the everything skit. not exactly easing them into this.

lacey shared her testimony. amber shared the gospel.

raw. plain and simple. no fluff. laid it out there.

we played a song. and scattered to pray for them.

the lord was moving. teens were asking for prayer.

they wanted to know god deeper. they were captured by what they had just seen and heard.

and then i saw her. in the corner of the church. right by the door.

i had never seen her before. she was not one of our students.

she was much younger than them and was not in uniform.

i didn’t know who she was, but i knew that it was not a coincidence that she was there.

i went and sat by her. i asked her name.

she giggled and tried, but couldn’t even tell me in english.

i played with her hair. she smiled at me.

i could see in her eyes that the lord had just pierced her heart.

i knew that he wanted to invade her life right then.

but i don’t know a lick of khmer.

and she didn’t know a lick of english.

and i wanted to communicate more with her than just praying over her.

and that’s when i heard god say, “i wanna use vannith.”

vannith is one of the boys we live with.

he is also one of the students in my older class.

he’s 16. he’s funny. he’s smart. and he loves god.

one time in class when we were practicing the names of foods in english, i asked him, “vannith? what do you like to eat?”

his response?

“i like to eat the holy spirit.”

so i make eye contact with vannith, and summon him over.

he comes.

“vannith,” i tell him, “can you ask her if she has ever known god?”

he does.

“no.”

“can you ask her if she wants to?” i follow up.

“yes. she says that she wants to know god more.”

“vannith, can you ask her if she wants to give her life to jesus and have him in her heart?”

so he does.

and her smile gets so big.

“yes!”

so we asked her if she wanted to pray to give her life and heart to him right then and she said yes!

so i was able pray short, sweet, sentences, than vannith translated to her, and that she repeated with so much joy in her eyes.

when we were finished praying, she hugged us both so tight.

we got to tell her that god was so happy and that all of heaven was having a big party because she said yes!

it was just a precious moment.

and then vannith smiled at me a smile that said a thousand words.

and then his actual words said, “that was so cool!”

it was beautiful thing to get to see him be used by the lord and to see his excitement about it.

and all of this right here sums up why we do what we do.

it’s all to invite people to jesus, and to see them walk into everlasting life.

and then to equip and encourage the already believers to do the same thing.

i’m beyond joyful that this little girl who was just a student’s little sister for some reason showed up to what was supposed to be an english class last night and ended up walking away with jesus.

and i’m beyond joyful that the lord chose to let me witness and be a part of him using my little brother to walk her into that.

i am thankful that he is a god who sees the girl in the corner and that knows her name even when she doesn’t know how to say it.

he is a god who uses those being ministered to to minister to others.

and he is a god who takes every opportunity to save and love.

and it is an honor to be a part of that.

praise jesus for another daughter in the kingdom!

and praise jesus for using just a hungry son! 

join me in praying for both her as she begins to walk this journey with jesus, and for him, as he continues to walk further into this identity as a son!

abi