During the main ministry week, one of our teams had a remarkable encounter with a Buddhist monk at a train station. The monk, waiting for his train, initially appeared reserved but was open to conversation. As our team began sharing about Jesus Christ—the one true and living God—the monk seemed very attentive, despite his initial hesitance. When the team extended the invitation for him to receive salvation, he hesitated, likely due to the deep-rooted beliefs he had held for years, both as a Thai and especially as a monk.

Sensing his reluctance, our founders son, Andrew Smithwick, boldly stepped forward, offering to prove that Jesus is who He claimed to be and that His love for this man was real. Andrew asked if he had any physical needs for healing, to which the monk revealed that his right thumb wouldn’t bend properly, likely due to cartilage issues. The team prayed for him, and while there was some improvement, the full manifestation of healing didn’t occur immediately as they had hoped.

Despite this, the monk had experienced a profound encounter with Jesus, and he decided to receive Christ as his Lord. The team prayed with him, leading him in a prayer of salvation. As they finished, his train arrived, and just like that, he was on his way—his life forever changed by this unexpected, divine appointment. The timing was undeniably orchestrated by God!