hope that can't be silenced

Chai, 6

Things have been interesting lately. There’s been a lot of uncertainty and things we don’t know how to handle on our own. Not only here, but all over the world. We’re living in a time where everything feels confusing, and it’s hard to discern the truth without seeking it.

Last night, I was talking to some of the younger kids, and they shared how much evil is spoken about at school. They said other kids tell them that God isn’t real and that the world came into existence by itself.

In his innocence, Chai proudly told me that when his friends say “Gu” (a rude way of saying “I” in Thai), he reminds them to say “chan” (a polite way to say it). Then, with a big smile on his face, he said, “I only say chan.”

It amazes me what they’re exposed to and how different the environment at school is compared to the values we’re trying to instill in them. It feels like we’re constantly working against everything they know and experience outside.

I think all of us are beginning to see evil showing itself more clearly in the world around us. We’ve grown so desensitized to it that we often just carry on with our days, unable to process it all. We’re told to keep our eyes fixed on what is good, but that’s becoming increasingly difficult to do.

Over the past few weeks, several of the kids have been reading through the Bible. Each of them is going through it in a different, random order, but they’ve really been enjoying it. I often walk in and find kids reading their Bibles throughout the days that they’re home, and it’s so cute to see them enjoying time with God. We can see the Holy Spirit working in their lives in so many ways.

Even in the middle of all the confusion and darkness in the world, God is clearly at work in the hearts of these kids, and that gives me so much hope. We’re always finding that prayer in the most powerful weapon against the evil.