Over 30 years ago I was planting a church in Central Thailand and found that there was a 9-hole golf course nearby run by the Thai military. As a way to interact with Thai in a different social strata from the leprosy patients of the church I was planting, I decided to resurrect my high school golf experience and join in some rounds with the military officers.
Now that I am past 70 years old and get better rates on the course, I decided to start playing golf again with a group of expats here in Chiang Mai. What is unique about playing golf in Thailand is that you always are accompanied by a female caddie. Over 250 such caddies work at the course where I play.
Each 18-hole round that I play takes around four hours, which means that over the past couple of years, I have been able to share the gospel with over 20 caddies. Often my caddie has a tribal background and has never seen a golf course until being hired. My approach is to listen to their background and then seek a common topic on which to introduce the gospel.
I invariably start with creation and then, through a series of cultural illustrations, seek to help them see the need of a Savior. After sharing the basics of Jesus’ life and ministry, I often end with a full telling of the events leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection. As the round ends, I have them use their cell phone to scan a QR code which shares the gospel more in depth using their mother tongue.
Once my caddy was using a fan in the stifling heat, and I noticed that it had English writing on it. The fan turned out to be an evangelistic tool used by Cru!
Please pray for those who have heard the gospel, to respond. Pray that missionaries will use creative means to share the precious truths of God’s Word.
