PRAYERCALENDARo p e n i n g d o o r s t h r o u g h p r a y e r

Meet 17-year-old missionary Joe l l e G r i swo ld

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Dear Friend,

My name is Joelle

Griswold and I’m

a 17-year-old missionary

serving in Thailand. My

family works with the

Global Mission Buddhist

Study Center, and every day we have the privilege of sharing God’s love with

people who have never had the opportunity to know Him.

I’ve seen so many lives changed--sad people become filled with joy. Fright-

ened people filled with peace. Angry people filled with forgiveness. It has been

both exciting and awe-inspiring to see what the Holy Spirit is doing here.

Thank you so much for everything you do to make Global Mission possible.

This work is so important and your support is making a huge difference in the

lives of many people.

Sincerely,

Joelle Griswold

Prayer Projects Inside

J U N E | K h u n M u y

“I can’t say that God is our father.”

When Muy asked my dad to baptize her, he

wanted to talk with her to make sure she was ready. He invited me to join them.

We arrived at Muy’s house and sat down for an exciting interview. Muy’s shining face gave me a certain thrill. This is what she said about who God is.

“God is the owner of ev-erything and He has a love that can reach everyone. All we need to do is accept that love to be changed and have a wonderful peace. I can’t say that God is our father be-cause He’s bigger than that. A dad will take care of his kids only until they can sup-port themselves. But God will always be there to love and care for us no matter how self-sufficient or helpless we are.” I remembered that Muy’s father had left her when she was 15.

My dad and I left, knowing that God had Muy’s heart and that she was ready to make her commitment.

So on a recent sunny Sabbath Muy was baptized into a new life. I think there will be more baptisms soon because of what I heard her say.

“I’m so excited to share God’s word with my neighbors. They’re so thirsty for His unconditional love. I don’t even need to look for people to witness to. They come to me. Some of them I’ve never met before. When I ask them how they found me, I’m often told, ‘I was pedaling my bicycle and a voice inside me said to stop at your gate. Now as I look on your face, I want to know and experience the peace that you have.’”

May | T h e G r i s w o l d s

Answered Prayers

Muy’s first brush with a caring God happened

while she was burning a pile of leaves. She watched in horror as the flames leaped out of control, endangering a Buddhist temple. Muy prayed her first simple prayer. As she arose from her knees, she was shocked to see that the fire had completely stopped.

Muy helped support her family by selling produce from her garden. When her garden did poorly, she asked her Christian friends for help. They came and prayed over her garden and within a few weeks it was flourishing!

Muy’s children, at 12 and 14, were still unable to communicate their simple needs. Her new friends came to pray for the children but before they could start, Muy asked, “The charms have to come off, don’t they?” They cut off the charms and the children’s health soon began to improve.

One day Muy was bathing her daughter when the girl suddenly jumped up. She slipped and fell, hitting her head on the cement. She was knocked out cold. Muy cried to her heavenly Father for help. She held her daughter for about 45 minutes until suddenly the girl opened her eyes and smiled. God had answered another heartfelt prayer.

april | BuddhisT sTudy CenTer

Why Muy’s Face Shone Like the SunBy Joelle Griswold

Sabbath morning the sun shone brightly as Khun Muy, a lady

from our community in Thailand, stepped into the water for baptism. Her tear-streaked face shone as bright as the sun for she knew she was a daughter of God.

My mind ran back to Muy’s incredible story. When she was a girl, Muy no-ticed a pamphlet lying in a gutter. Curious, she picked it up and discovered that it was about Jesus with an offer for free Bible studies and a Bible. Muy filled out the sheet and sent it in.

After three years Muy completed the Bible studies and received her Bible. But before she could even begin reading it, her mother threw it into the fire.

A few years later Muy was married and had two children. Her son was born with severe disabilities and her daughter developed autistic-like symptoms when she was seven.

The hospital bills mounted as Muy tried to help her children. Her husband refused to pay anything for the children’s care and left Muy for another woman. Every day angry people knocked on Muy’s door, demanding reimbursement for money her husband had borrowed. When Muy received death threats, she fled her village and went to live with her sister.

One day Muy met some Christian foreigners at the market. As she became friends with them, they shared Bible truths with her. Muy was excited about what she was learning, but her relatives were upset. They tried to keep Muy busy working in her garden so that she couldn’t talk with her new friends.

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Joelle’s dad, Scott Griswold, is the director of Global Mission’s Buddhist Study Center in Thailand, which makes it possible for people such as Khun Muy to know God. Please pray for the ministry of this study center.

To learn more about Global Mission’s five study centers, visit www.AdventistMission.org.

The Griswold family, Nathan, Julie, Josiah, Scott, and Joelle, are missionaries serving in Thailand. Please pray for them and the people they meet through their ministry.

Watch an inspiring interview with Scott Griswold at www.global-mission.org.

Please pray that Muy’s faith will be strong as she shares the love of God with her friends and neighbors.

To support Global Mission work in predominantly Buddhist countries, such as Thailand, please give to Project Fund #5210.

Scott Griswold, far right, conducts an outdoor Bible study. Photographs courtesy

of Joelle Griswold.

Muy with her garden project

Muy on the day of her baptism with my dad