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Stories & Blog
New Life in English Class
THAILAND — The high school students quietly worked on their English midterm exam in Crossworld worker Noah’s classroom. Niran, one of the students, finished his test and flipped his paper over to write a note to Noah on the back. Then he turned in his exam with the rest of the class.
The 16-year-old student from a Buddhist family didn’t have a lot to say in class. He loved chess and didn’t spend much time on social media like the rest of his friends did. His schoolwork and his sincere nature showed intelligence and critical thinking.
Months earlier at Christmas, the school had invited the Crossworld English teachers to share the Christmas story with the 2,000 Thai students. Niran was chosen to read the story about Jesus’ birth from the Bible in front of the entire school. Following that event, many students began to ask questions about God and life.
Niran struck up a friendship with his teacher, Noah. They played chess together at chess club and occasionally Niran texted Noah about things on his mind. Noah responded by pointing Niran back to Scripture for God’s truth.
Though Niran had asked a few heart-level questions, Noah had no idea if he was seriously considering Jesus. But by the time midterms came around, Niran had made up his mind. He flipped his paper over and wrote this note on the back:
Over the next few weeks, Noah and Niran talked multiple times about Niran’s decision and his new faith. Niran had already been listening to the Bible on YouTube of his own accord, and Noah showed him how to download the Bible to his phone.
They also talked about sharing his decision with his family. "You need to honor your parents and grandparents by being honest," Noah said. "Ask God for strength to be bold and to tell them you trust in Jesus."
Niran agreed. Though he was nervous about how they would respond, he prayed for courage and said he would tell his family.
By God’s grace, Niran’s parents and grandparents gave their blessing on his new faith in Christ! Now he’s planning his next steps for how to grow in his faith and share it with others around him.
The 16-year-old student from a Buddhist family didn’t have a lot to say in class. He loved chess and didn’t spend much time on social media like the rest of his friends did. His schoolwork and his sincere nature showed intelligence and critical thinking.
Months earlier at Christmas, the school had invited the Crossworld English teachers to share the Christmas story with the 2,000 Thai students. Niran was chosen to read the story about Jesus’ birth from the Bible in front of the entire school. Following that event, many students began to ask questions about God and life.
Niran struck up a friendship with his teacher, Noah. They played chess together at chess club and occasionally Niran texted Noah about things on his mind. Noah responded by pointing Niran back to Scripture for God’s truth.
Though Niran had asked a few heart-level questions, Noah had no idea if he was seriously considering Jesus. But by the time midterms came around, Niran had made up his mind. He flipped his paper over and wrote this note on the back:
Noah found the note while he graded exams, and he could hardly believe his eyes. He responded to Niran with a note attached to his exam, rejoicing that God had brought a new brother to his classroom.I don’t want to believe in Buddha anymore…. I believe that Christ has more reason to believe. So how can I change my religion … to Christ? Can you help me?
Over the next few weeks, Noah and Niran talked multiple times about Niran’s decision and his new faith. Niran had already been listening to the Bible on YouTube of his own accord, and Noah showed him how to download the Bible to his phone.
They also talked about sharing his decision with his family. "You need to honor your parents and grandparents by being honest," Noah said. "Ask God for strength to be bold and to tell them you trust in Jesus."
Niran agreed. Though he was nervous about how they would respond, he prayed for courage and said he would tell his family.
By God’s grace, Niran’s parents and grandparents gave their blessing on his new faith in Christ! Now he’s planning his next steps for how to grow in his faith and share it with others around him.
Here’s how you can pray for this ministry.
- Pray Niran continues to grow in his faith and be fed in the Word despite lockdown restrictions.
- Pray Niran finds belonging in the small community of Thai believers and learns to be a light to his friends and family.
- Pray for Noah and teachers like him to live and love like Jesus, to demonstrate what it means to follow Christ through their work ethic and care for others, and to answer questions from students with kindness and grace.
- Pray for God to call highly qualified, highly motivated teachers to join the team in Thailand.
The people in this story are real, but their names have been changed to protect their privacy.
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