Last week, I needed to go to a town about an hour from here–the closest place to find an ATM. Since we didn’t have a vehicle here at the school at the present time, I took a songtheaw (pronounced SONG-tau).
I took my Karen bag with my water bottle and four copies of the Karen Steps to Christ.
The Karen-language edition of Steps to Christ
How easy do you think it would be to give away a Christian book when most people you meet are Buddhist? When I got on the songtheaw, there were four other passengers. As I made eye contact, I asked them (in English!), “Do you read?” And I showed them the book with the Karen title. Three made eye contact with me right away, and two of them gladly took the book and started reading right away. The third seemed to indicate that she could not read. When some more passengers got on, I again offered the book in the same manner to two more, and both of them took it. (How I wished I had brought a few more copies!)
After reading for a while, a young man who took a book said, “Sir, may I borrow?” I replied with a smile, “You may have.” Not long after that, the young man began to converse in simple English with me, and we talked until he got off. Turns out, he is acquainted with one of our teachers. The young man had been sick and was now returning to a Christian boarding school that he attends. The road to that school was along our route, and before he got off the songtheaw I welcomed him to visit us and the teacher he knows.
A few days later, again I needed to go to the same town. This time I took eight copies of the Karen Steps to Christ. There were more people on the songtheaw this time, and I prayed that the Lord would help me connect with those who would appreciate it. Before long, I made I contact with a couple passengers who seemed to appreciate the book. A bit later, one of the young men who was riding on the backĀ of the songtheaw looked down and saw the book in my hand. I heard him say something about it, so I offered him a copy, and he took it with a smile. Same thing happened again a few minutes later.
On my return trip that day, it turned out I sat between a young mother and her mother. Before I learned their relationship they had both taken the book. Others took my last two copies. Some began reading as we bounced along; others tucked the books away for later. The young mother asked where I live, and when she found out, she named a teacher of ours that she knows. I learned that she attended our school perhaps 3 or 4 years ago, when it was located across the river in Burma. Before she got to her stop, I invited her to come visit us sometime.
I realize that not every ride on public transportation will likely be as easy to share Christian literature as were these two, but I was certainly inspired to carry plenty of gospel seed with me. I might have been able to use more both times. It seems to me that there is little enough Christian literature in the Karen language–and many of the Buddhist Karen people know that we are here to help them–that they show a real interest when it is offered to them.
As I mentioned a few posts ago, we also shared copies of Steps to Christ with our literate students, and it is not unusual to see them reading their copies.
Thank you for helping to sponsor the printing of these books. And don’t forget to sow seed wherever you are!