Boon: A Khmu Christian in Laos and His Long Prayer Print E-mail
The Khmu is one of many tribes of people in Laos. By the grace of God, many Khmu families, even whole villages, are coming to Christ. But sometimes one person in a Khmu family becomes a Christian before others in the family do. (See the photo of the Khmu boy at the right.)

Boon, a Khmu teenager in Laos, was a Christian. Everyone else in his family was an animist. They tried to stop him from following Jesus.

Animists believe there are spirits living in everything. Animists fear the spirits and try to please them to keep bad things from happening in their homes and villages. Perhaps Boon’s family thought the spirits would be angry with them if Boon was a Christian.

When Boon sat down to eat a meal with his family, he always gave thanks to God. A Khmu Christian’s grace can be from two to 10 minutes long! He thanks God for each of the people at the table and prays for other people he knows. He prays for people who have no food and for people in countries around the world. Of course, he also thanks God for his food. For a Khmu Christian, mealtime is a special time of prayer.

One day Boon joined his family for a meal. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, just as he always did before he ate. He praised God, he thanked God, and he prayed on behalf of his family and others. His prayer was very long.

When Boon opened his eyes after his long prayer, his food was gone and so was his family! His parents had told his brothers and sisters to take his food. Quickly and quietly, they grabbed all the food and ate it along with their own food. Then they left Boon at the table, alone and hungry. No one saved him any food from the meal. That was one of his family’s ways of showing him they did not want him to believe in Christ.

Like Boon, other Christians in Laos suffer persecution when they stand up and stand out for their faith in Christ. Can you make your mealtimes a special time of prayer for persecuted Christians in Laos and other countries?

 

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