STORIES OF FAITH
tai
The power of a simple prayer
LTC student, Tai grew up in a Christian family.. In fact, his oldest sister and her husband both graduated from LTC. And his brother in-law is now on staff. Tai’s parents are rice farmers in a mountain village. But, his family’s faith wasn’t important to him…not as a rebellious teen.
He was the youngest and the only one still at home. His parents were busy working in the fields. So, Tai had a lot of unsupervised time which is a common situation in villages. He started to hang out with “the boys”, skipping school, disrespecting his parent’s rules and just behaving poorly. His parents didn’t know what to do. His sister and brother in-law tried to talk to him. But, he wasn’t interested.
One day, he had an accident and ended up in the hospital with a broken arm. He was utterly alone. Not one of his friends came to see him or showed any interest in him. That night, alone in the hospital he prayed. He asked God to please send someone to see him. Early the next morning, his older brother came to visit with him and encourage him. Tai knew God had head his prayer. From that moment on Tai decided he would pursue God. He went to Church and offered to play guitar for worship. It wasn’t an immediate change. He still would hang with his friends and get into trouble. But, God was working on his heart.
He finally came to the decision he wanted to go to Bible College and be a minister. His family disagreed. They were not convinced his new interest in God was real because his behavior had not changed completely. But, Tai was convinced God was leading him. So, he came down and applied at LTC by himself. The parents did not have enough money to send him. His sister and brother in law had just started a new church plant using all their extra funds. Based on his family’s financial situation, LTC awarded him a scholarship.
We have not been disappointed. From his very first week on campus, we saw in him a natural leadership. As a senior, the faculty and students unanimously elected him to be student body president. His dorm dad says he is a strong leader in the dorm and his classmates all respect him tremendously.
Tai prays with a teen at youth camp
Tai’s vision for ministry is to work with youth. He has personal knowledge with how easy it is to get caught up with the wrong crowd. He says that if there had been anyone who could have directed his energies into godly activities, answered his questions, encouraged him to use his teenage interests for God, he might not have been drawn away. He wants to provide that support for the next generation, so they won’t have to experience a similar journey
The Greatest Defense against a Broken world is the Church! And churches need strong leaders. Tai is an example of the leaders sent out from Lanna Theological Center.
In April, 2020, Tai is up for the military draft. He has to go and draw a number. Tai wants to continue studying and serving. Pray for Tai, that God will direct his path and keep him safe and strong as he journeys life’s roads.
© 2021 by Lanna Theological Center