The Miracle

The miracle everyone was talking about when we first moved to Thailand happened to missionaries. One Elder had been serving in Cambodia and he fell into a swollen river and developed an eye infection. The Mission President sent him to Bangkok, Thailand so he could get good healthcare at Bumingrad Hospital.

This missionary had learned khmer. Thai people speak a different language so he was unable to speak or preach to anyone in Thailand. Until one day, he and his companion were out walking the streets of Bangkok and they found a large group of Cambodian refugees. They were eager to hear the gospel from the Elders, and amazed that someone spoke their language and cared about them!

Three hundred Cambodian refugees were baptized. That is an amazing number, even a scriptural number, but that is what I heard. By the time our family arrived in Thailand in the fall of 2005, many of these new members had been deported back to communist Cambodia. Thailand would not take any refugees that were not approved by the UN, and the UN would only take Political refugees. Most of our new members were economic refugees looking for a better life.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that better life!

Since returning to the US, we’ve had friends serve in areas where there are refugee camps. There is much unrest in the world. These people are desperate for help. Their lifestyle, traditions, and culture are changing. They know they are missing something vital and they are actively looking for it. Sometimes they look toward the missionaries.

It is truly miraculous that thousands of young missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints go out to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ every year to all the ends of the earth. So many are seeking a better life. They seek in faith. The missionaries serve in faith. They will find each other in truth.