Sky Spirits

“‘Lift up your eyes to the sky, then look to the earth beneath; for the sky will vanish like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants will die in like manner, but My salvation shall be forever, and My righteousness shall not wane’” Isaiah 51:6, NASB.

When David Taylor moved his young family to Sisaket, Thailand, he knew that he’d be living among the Kui (pronounced Koo-WEE), an animistic people, However, it is one thing to study animistic beliefs and an entirely different thing to experience them firsthand.

Loud gongs, drums, and an Isaan wind-instrument called the “can” sounded long into the night. Many who attended this religious ceremony came just to laugh and play. Others came because of deeply held beliefs.

The ceremony is called “Ram Phii Faa.” It centers on appeasing and inviting the spirit of the sky along with the spirits of ancestors to return to earth. Villagers believe these spirits can heal the sick. They offer food sacrifices like bananas or snacks to the ancestors. Older village women dance in a circle wearing hand-woven traditional dress.
 
“As I observed this ceremony, my heart was broken for the Kui people,” said David. “I realized how far the Kui are from the Truth. It made me very sad because many who were participating are among our closest Thai friends.”

People believe that these ancestors can possess people and speak and act through them. One lady danced around with swords because the ancestor that possessed her had been in the military. At another time this same woman wore less conservative clothing because she was filled by the spirit of a deceased teenager. One lady who lived across the street from the Taylors claimed that she never chewed beetle-nut (a habit similar to chewing tobacco) or drank alcohol, but because of an ancestral spirit entering her body, she did both of those things.

“This experience has caused me to have an even deeper desire to pray for and share with these people,” said David. “It helped me understand that they are in bondage to their beliefs and that radical prayer is necessary to allow them to break free.”

Pray that:

God will free the Kui people from spiritual bondage and open their hearts to the Truth.

The Taylor family will be steadfast in prayer and bold in their witness to the Kui.

Many Kui people will follow Jesus.

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