Our Child in the Faith

“To Timothy my true son in the faith…” 1 Timothy 1:2, NIV.

We met Kim in the night market while we were at a meeting in a neighboring city. He was studying at a university in Thailand, and he asked if he could interview us for a class. He came and visited us three times at the hotel. We answered his questions and offered him a Thai/English Bible, which he gladly accepted.

Before we left from the meeting, we gave Kim our contact information, and he started coming over to our city once a month to visit us and study the Bible. After a year of visiting and studying with us, Kim gave his heart to Jesus. He asked if he could call us mom and dad. After the spiritual journey we’d been on together how could we say no to such an honor? Kim was indeed our child in the faith!

It has been a joy to walk with Kim through believer’s baptism and discipleship and to see him grow. Recently he worked as a translator for a volunteer medical team from Kentucky. His excitement over being used of God to bring the gospel to his people made us as proud as any parent could be for a child.

Kim has helped us understand a little better how Paul must have felt about young Timothy. Truly it is relationships like the one between us and Kim that make the struggles of sowing gospel seeds across language and cultural barriers worth the effort.

By: John and Helen Garst, Masters Program Missionaries serving in Thailand

Pray that:

God will continue to give Kim joy in sharing his new faith with his people, and that many will follow him in following Jesus.

Many seniors will follow John and Helen to share their faith cross culturally through the Masters program.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.