Merry Christmas. . . What does that mean?

 

It is very different living in a country where 95-98% of the people have never heard of Jesus.

On Christmas morning I went to my usual Thai Tea Vender, Koon Goong and I said “Merry Chistmas”, looking confused he replied “What?”

Me: Today is Christmas. Merry Christmas!

Mr. Goong: O, Merry Christmas! ….  What does that mean?

Me: Today is the day where we thank God for giving us a special gift, Jesus.

Mr. Goong: Why is Jesus special?

Me: Because I am safe with him. He saved my life. Without Jesus I would not be able to go to heaven because of the many bad things I have done.

Mr. Goong: But how is He a gift?

Me:Jesus was sent from God to save the world. He came to die for the bad things I have done. So now, I do not have to go to hell where I belong. Now, I can go to heaven. So today is a day where I thank God for the gift of Jesus.

Mr. Goong:  Is Jesus only a gift for you?

Me: No! He is a gift for everyone who wants it.

Mr. Goong: Ahh…I understand more now. Thank you for explaining it to me. Merry Christmas!

 

I wish I could say Mr. Goong became a Christian right in that moment, but he wasn’t ready. And that’s ok. I see him daily and we talk a lot (in 3 languages too….keeps me on my toes). We are building a relationship and establishing trust. I’ve started asking different questions besides the usual “How are you?” “Have you sold a lot of coffee today?” Instead I began to ask him, “If you could do any job in the world, what would you want to do?” “What is the one thing you treasure the most?” etc… Questions that make him think and occasionally he will ask me “What about you?” and I get a chance to share my story with him.

 

Who in your daily life can you reach out to? I would love to hear about it in the comments below!