MENU
Unsplash: Streets of Food

ใว้วางใจ “Wai Waang Jai”

By Rachel Stugart, Apr 5, 2022

As Christians, we often spend years working, praying, and waiting in the hope that God will act. Only sometimes do we see what God has been up to, but when that happens, He is so good and glorious we can hardly believe it! On a recent Saturday evening, I witnessed the most glorious kind of act: My new friend, P’Manao, gave her life to Jesus! Hallelujah!

P’Manao grew up in a well-respected Thai family and attended an international Catholic school. Perhaps she heard stories about Jesus there, but her ears were deaf to it all. However, 20 years after her high school graduation, P’Manao picked up a self-help book, the kind that mentions God but has nothing to do with the cross of Jesus or trusting Him. Still, it sparked her interest in God. She began researching various religions outside of her Buddhist-Hindu background. She listened to podcasts, read books, and visited religious sites. Her search led her to the website of a Christian couple, Dave and Oy, who translate Christian books. When she asked for their advice, they suggested she attend our church.

I met an uneasy P’Manao that first Sunday. We invited her to return to church and attend Wednesday night Bible study. Despite the hour-long drive in Bangkok traffic, she came back every week. I have never seen an individual hungrier for the truth of God.

Almost every Sunday evening, P’Manao ate dinner with Dave, Oy, and me.  She asked dozens of questions. Soon, she began reading the Bible and praying for little things, like help with her work. God answered her little prayers and increased her ability to trust in His care for her.

Dinner

Both P’Manao and her father noticed the increased peace of mind she had as a result of joining us. Our hospitality surprised her. She witnessed the love of the Body of Christ while she grappled to understand His message. Truly, as Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another (John 13:35, NIV).” Over the following months, P’Manao began to desire be part of this family.

One Saturday night, P’Manao joined a Bible study group with our pastor Ajan Natee and his wife, P’Bee. Ajan Natee, a native Thai man and trusted leader, answered her many questions with clear love and gentle truth. Her last question was this:

“What do I need to believe to be saved?”

“Trust God,” Ajan Natee answered. “Trust what He says is true: We are sinners, yet Jesus died for our sins in our place.”

One of my favorite words in the Thai language is trust. “Wai waang jai.” Literally translated, it means, “release heart [in/to].” “Wai waang jai” was all P’Manao needed to know.

To “wai waang jai” in Jesus is something all Christians could do more. P’Manao’s journey reminded me how simple “wai waang jai” can be. I can ask God questions, but I must trust His answers. I must let go of things I cannot control or see the end of.  I can “wai waang jai” in the Person on whose word the world turns, for He will take care of it all.

Prayer

How little we truly contribute! I simply went to church and ate supper, two things I do whether or not someone’s salvation is at stake. Dave and Oy created a website and answered P’Manao’s messages. Another believer welcomed her to an event. Another invited her to Bible study. Now she will live forever with Christ! We all had such small roles to play, but each was significant. It is truly God who directs life-paths.

As for P’Manao, she prayed with us that night and continued investing in her understanding of God. She began reading the Bible with us to aid that understanding. We started with Creation, read about the first sin, and are continuing with the three major Old Testament covenants; then we will read about Jesus. We eagerly await the day she is ready to be baptized! Please pray for our time together, for her growth in Christ, and for “wai waang jai” in God to lead us.

Rachel Stugart serves with MTW in Bangkok, Thailand.

Please login to continue
Forgot your password?
Recover it here.
Don't have an account?
Create an Account
Sign Up for Free
Name
Email
Choose Password
Confirm Password

GET INVOLVED

Serve with Grace City Bangkok
Summer Internships
Join a Growing Team in Freiburg, Germany
Longer
Cultivate a Culture of Missions in Your Church

Chris Claburn’s Call to Bangkok (VIDEO)

Watch Chris’s journey from summer internship to church planting as he discovers his calling. He now serves in a church plant in Thailand.

SEE MORE

A Parish Church Model in Thailand (VIDEO)

Trey was drawn to a ministry style where he could take his kids on walks and more easily get to know people in the community.

SEE MORE

Beyond Pad Thai and Elephants: My Journey Through Thailand as an Intern

Being in Bangkok has been the experience of a lifetime. It has made me desire to know God more deeply and affirmed my passion for missions.

SEE MORE

Give thanks that God still calls workers into His harvest! Pray today for Chris Claburn, as he serves on a church-planting team in Bangkok, Thailand.

Pray for a new parish-style church in Bangkok, Thailand, where the missionaries and church members are able to live in close proximity to one another and more easily minister to the community around them. 

Pray that God would draw college students to serve on internships this summer.

Pray for young believers growing in their faith in Bangkok, Thailand, and that many would be drawn into the church.

Pray for Tim Mills (Thailand), Abi Lowther & Roger Lowther (Japan), Joe Congdon (Japan), and Shannon Hinkle (Australia) as they all use their artistic gifts to support the Church in gospel outreach, mercy ministry, and community building.

As the Thai people grieve the loss of their king, pray that many would seek out the true King. Pray for MTW churches as they reach out in love to the Thai people.

Pray for those in Thailand who are resistant to the gospel because "to be Thai is to be Buddhist." Pray they'll see that they can embrace the gospel and still retain their culture.

Pray for women forced by poverty into sex work. Pray for MTW ministries around the globe seeking to rescue and minister to these women.

New believers are getting baptized! Pray for the growth of new Christians at Grace City in Bangkok, Thailand, and for those coming to faith and getting baptized.

Pray for a widower and pastor in Thailand trying to raise his young daughter, manage his air conditioning business, and pastor a church. Pray also for other national pastors who often struggle financially.

SUBSCRIBE TO STORIES & MORE

Good news in your inbox, once per week.