REMINISCING

I read a post on social media yesterday for a prominent Asian Christian Leader who I had met almost 30 years ago, his post caused me to reminisce about our initial meeting and what lay behind it.

I was in Chiang Rai (Northern Thailand) conducting a Pastor’s Seminar, and one afternoon was taken for a drive which included stopping at a market town situated on a tributary of the Mekong river. Local Thai’s and Burmese constantly crossed the river, but foreigners could only go half way, and there were armed guards there to see we didn’t. As I stood in the middle of the bridge looking into Burma (Myanmar) I became aware of the Holy Spirit weeping for Burma, I yielded to the intercessory burden and also began to weep. My next thought was I will be visiting Rangoon (Yangon) soon, and this turned out to be correct, it was a one off visit, but a blessed time.

As soon as I got home from Thaoland and was praying for Burma, a burden came upon me for the three Indo China nations of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, which came as a complete surprise to me. I yielded to it ( and this burden is as fresh today as it was then).

I heard about a missionary in Thailand who was having contact with the underground church in Communist Vietnam, I contacted him, and we agreed to meet in Saigon and he would introduce me to the Leader (who had posted in social media on Sunday). I was told to book into a certain hotel and wait for the missionary. not long after booking in there was a knock on my door and it was the Leader. He very wisely interviewed me (and checked me out) at the conclusion he invited me to preach the next morning (Sunday), after the morning service, I was asked if I would preach again at night, again after the service I was asked would i be willing to spend 3 days with his Leadership Team sharing the Word of God with them in a hotel room on the coast. On two later occasions I was close to being arrested by the Communist police, but the Lord wonderfully protected me.

This, then produced a permanent invitation to come regularly to teach an underground Bible School, this I did for a further 30 times, my 32nd visit was to attend the public official government registration of the church.

I sure did not have the slightest idea, that the intercessory burden on a bridge in Northern Thailand would produce such an awesome outcome, that also produced an opportunity to minister to 30 Lao Leaders for 3 days (on the Thai side of the border) as well as numerous visits to Phnom Penh Cambodia.

What seemed to be a one off prayer burden developed into a ministry that lasted nearly 20 years in that region.

Some of the above I have written about before, I simply want to give God all the glory for His leading, and open doors that He has created for me.

I sadly do not expect to every physically visit these nations again but I do daily visit as I intercede for these nations and the Lord’s people.

Let me encourage you to take the promise of Psalm 2:8 NKJV of DAILY ASK FOR THE NATIONS.

Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.