“For the Love of Chai”
As told to Liana Kim
“My mom died at the age of 96. She had a hard life here in Laos, especially after my older brother, Chai, now 62 years old, was born. My parents rejoiced to have a son but soon realized that something was not right with him. He had a mental problem. Mom’s life wasn’t the same after that.
Because Chai couldn’t walk by himself, she had to carry him everywhere until he was 10 years old. Often she worried about how he would survive after she died. Since her death, it’s my turn to take care of my brother.” ASAP* church planter Miriam Salualee speaks lovingly of the emaciated figure in her care. “Sadly, my neighbor doesn’t like him because he sometimes makes messes and does strange things. But whatever people say about Chai, he is my beloved older brother,” she continues.
“A few months ago when I woke up one morning, my brother was gone. I thought he had gone for a walk, so we waited for him to return. It wasn’t until the afternoon, though, that we finally saw him, and he was bleeding! Of course, no one knew what had happened to him. And he couldn’t explain it. People were making fun of him.
“Our family is poor and there wasn’t enough money to take him to a hospital. What should I do? All I could do was go to God and ask Him to stop the bleeding. My relatives were suspicious as to whether the God that I believe in could heal him. ‘Do you think prayer really works? We don’t think so!’ they taunted as I prayed. ‘God, I believe that there is only one true God on this earth and it is You. Please stop his bleeding because we don’t know how we can help him, but You know. Please heal him! In Jesus’ name, Amen.’
“After I prayed for him, the bleeding stopped! Only God can do such a miracle. We didn’t need to take him to a hospital because God is the Great Physician. I was very thankful to Him. But sadly, my relatives who had witnessed God’s amazing healing power didn’t choose to believe in God. But I’m not discouraged because I believe that nothing is impossible with God. Now, Chai prays with me whenever I pray. He asks God to help him. This is a true miracle also.
“No matter what other people say about Chai, no matter what my relatives say about my prayers to God, and no matter what the world says of my faith in Him, I know He lives. I want everyone on this earth to have this wonderful Jesus in their heart. This is my prayer.”
Miriam Salualee is a pseudonym as she lives in Southeast Asia where Christians are often persecuted. *ASAP stands for Advocates for Southeast Asia and the Persecuted. To learn more about this amazing ministry, click here.
World Church Prayer Requests
September 18 - 24, 2020
• Pray for our missionaries who are still working in difficult territories around the world, some even in closed countries. Pray for the Holy Spirit to continue to bless their labors for the lost.
• Pray for how we can all be more effective missionaries right where we are, loving our neighbors, serving those in our communities, and seeking ways to serve the needy in our cities.
• Pray for this week’s Adventist Mission unreached people group, the Jewish people. There are 15 million Jews living in over a hundred countries around the world. A small number of them have accepted Jesus as their Messiah. We invite you to pray that the Holy Spirit would open hearts to the beauty of Jesus' sacrifice for humanity, as described in Isaiah 53, and that many would accept Him as the Messiah.
• Continue to pray for the upcoming Annual Council that will take place in October. Pray for God’s leading of the agenda, and for the logistics of trying to hold meetings online.
To download this week's blog or prayer requests, click here!