At the end of class today we shared some our experiences of the Holy Spirit's power. We had read that the Spirit gave NT believers courage to speak the Word boldly (Acts 4:31) and Boonlai (in plaid shirt) told us this...

His senior year of high school he wanted so much to share Jesus with his friends, but in his country it is a criminal offense. He was a student leader, and one of his duties was to take down the sound system after school assemblies. 

One day, rather than take it down, he stepped to the microphone and shared the gospel to all 5-600 students in the school. He was prepared that, at the very least, he would be kicked out of school and not able to finish, but more probably he would be thrown into prison for an indefinite period of time. He wasn't afraid at all. He just had such a passion to speak up!

As soon as he finished, the principal "invited" him into his office. Immediately Boonlai began to shake and as he sat waiting, he had to hold his knees to keep them from knocking together! He reminded himself that Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would give him the words to say, and by the time he met with the principal, his knees (and heart) had relaxed.

The principal warned Boonlai to never speak of Jesus again and stripped all of his student responsibilities from him, but let him graduate and didn't tell the police. Praise God! Today Boonlai declared that he knew the Holy Spirit had given him, like those early believers, the power to declare God's Word boldly.

Prayer...

1. For believers in Laos and around the world who face persecution every day. Pray for protection, strength of faith, and the power of the Holy Spirit mightily within them.

2. Praise God for Derek's first Greek class! He laughed that they spent a long time trying to make a 'th' sound for "theta" and didn't succeed. But they've made a good start and he's encouraged about their enthusiasm. Thanks, Father!

3. Praise God that after speaking in chapel today, one of the first year students thanked Derek and asked for a copy of his powerpoint. Not that we want praise, but it's encouraging that it meant that much to him. Thanks, Lord.

Thank you for praying for Thailand, and may the Holy Spirit give you and I the power to declare the Word of God boldly to our neighbors, as well.

Blessings from Khon kaen,

bonnie for derek, carlin, jesse and jemma