10-year-old Naam is the only Christian in her family. We visited her home in a remote village in Southern Thailand to speak with her grandfather, the village leader, about her faith in God and desire to be baptized. Her grandfather has been sick for the past few months and now is unable to walk, so we prayed for him during our visit.
Read part one, part three, part four, and part five here.
Smoke sits in the trees.
A rain cloud floats on a mist between the green hills.
A family of seven piles on a motorbike.
A rainbow of clothes dries outside in the breeze.
Chickens make enemies with stray dogs in the dirt by the front steps of the small, cement-block home.
Shoes litter the porch. So many tiny shoes.
A boy swings in the hammock. Points inside.
The door opens and there is dirt on the tile floor.
The room is too dark to see anything else.
“Sit down.”
(Why did I wear white pants today?)
Small feet pitter-patter into the room and big, curious eyes watch us.
The holes in his clothes stretch over his growing body.
Suddenly I don’t care about my white pants.
I sit down.
Uncle Tong hunches on a mat in the corner of his home.
I squint.
His granddaughter sits next to him on his wife’s lap, smiling.
Tiny flies float like dust in the air.
The birds sing a song outside.
Children peer through the door, listening and watching these five foreigners in their home.
“I haven’t been able to walk in months because of my illness,” I hear translated from Uncle Tong. “The burden to care for the family is passing to Naam,” he gestures to his granddaughter.
I lean forward.
“She needs support. I am glad she has Jesus in her heart.”
Uncle Tong rubs his leg, unable to stand.
He is looking for a reason to believe, too.
Naam picks at her fingernails.
She is learning 4th grade.
She is learning to do her family’s laundry.
She doesn’t want to do her family’s laundry, she says.
She wants to play.
We begin to pray. I bow my head but keep my eyes open, watching the dust drift across the floor and the threadbare curtains flutter in the breeze.
We pray for Naam, for her studies, and for her faith. There are not many Christians in the village, and her young faith stands out to her family and her community.
Her uncle has turned to many things to try to heal his legs. Now, he turns to God.
Naam is just 10 years old. She shouldn't have to do her family's laundry. She should be able to play.
Please pray for kids like Naam who are learning to rely on God while others are relying on them.