Love to Carry On

“If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:2, NASB Updated.

Everything in the Hmong culture works against her, but she continues to go and share because God has given her love to carry on. Pang is a 28 year old evangelist to the Hmong hill tribe in Northern Thailand. While she is a Hmong herself, she has a hard time being accepted because her people are patriarchal (men are looked up to, not women) and age is respected, not youth.

“People treat me as if I’m dangerous,” said Pang. “Many people in the village won’t even let me talk to their children. The older men in the village can be mean spirited, and it is hard to ignore them.” She admits that at times she doesn’t want to go, because she says it is painful to be shunned by her own people.

Pang prayed and asked God to give her supernatural power to heal so people would respect her and listen to the Gospel. God did not grant this request, instead He began to reveal to Pang the nature of how He works.

“I began to realize that God is all powerful, but instead of using His power to make people respect Him, God emptied Himself of power and became a servant,” said Pang. “I read about spiritual gifts and it struck me that all the gifts were meaningless unless they are accompanied by unconditional love.”

These new revelations of God’s character transformed Pang’s attitude towards her beloved Hmong. She no longer seeks power to make them respect her. Instead she seeks to be a servant and empty herself like Jesus to show the Hmong God’s love.

While it is still difficult to be shunned and made fun of, Pang has an inner passion that keeps her going back to the villages. She said, “I know the power of God’s love will overcome every obstacle if I keep the faith and persevere.”

Pray that:

God will bless Pang with perseverance, strength, wisdom and joy as she serves the Hmong.

God will overcome the cultural barriers that limit Pang’s effectiveness in sharing the Gospel among her people.

Many Hmong will count the cost and decide to follow Jesus, the one who truly loves them.

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