Laos

We witnessed a miracle in Laos, a Communist nation. God opened the door for us to have a music festival in the center of the biggest mall in the capital city of Vientiane. The police gave us strict restrictions and they kept a close eye on us the entire time we were in the country. But Jesus was glorified in the heart of a Communist city. Please pray for God’s protection for the local believers in Laos.

Laos is a Communist nation. During the Vietnam war it was a supply route for weapons used by the Viet Cong. The United States carried out a massive bombardment on Laos, dropping over two million tons of bombs which was nearly a ton for every person in Laos. Thousands of these bombs failed to explode and they continue to kill and maim people to this day. During the Cold War, Laos was supported by the Soviet Union but after the fall of the Soviet Union, they turned to China and Vietnam. Laos is the only landlocked nation in Asia and it has become an important part in Communist China’s “Belt and Road Initiative.”

The Communist Party holds all the power in Laos. They put extreme restrictions on the local churches. Because of their history of being against Christianity we had no idea if we would even be allowed to enter the country.

It took us about two hours to cross the border. The border officials did not want to allow our musical instruments to be brought into the country. They wanted a bribe and we refused to pay them money. They held us at the border, and we sat in the hot sun. One team member described the humidity by saying, “I feel like a dog licked me all over my body.” Finally, the border officials allowed the guitar and keyboard into the country.

We went to the biggest mall in the city and set up a stage in the open area in the middle of the mall. Before we started the police told us we were not allowed to preach. But they said we were allowed to sing any song we wanted to sing. So, we sang the Gospel. We started at noon and had worship groups sing until the mall’s closing time. As the bands sang, uniformed police officers kept a close eye on us to make sure we did not say anything forbidden. There were also secret undercover police that came to watch us.

The biggest crowd at any given moment was only a few hundred people. But everyone who came into the mall all day long could hear the music. I did a juggling show and ended by smashing an egg on my forehead. Since I was not allowed to preach I did a balancing routine with a broom and told everyone. “If you look up, your life will stay balanced. But if you look down your life will fall apart. Everyone say “look up!””

The next morning God opened the door for us to minister at a school to about 1,000 kids. After doing a juggling show, I shared a story about a smart teacher and a butterfly.

One member of the team gave an altar call and many students raised their hands. The local believers were amazed at how bold we were in sharing the Gospel. Some of them were scared but many of them were excited to see what God was doing.

That afternoon we ministered to another 800 kids at a second school. I was asked to deliver the Gospel message. But I was not allowed to give an altar call. I was told I was only allowed to share a testimony. I shared a story about how my mother caught me stealing cookies and I felt bad. That day, my mother taught me three things: God created me, God loves me, and God saves me.

In the evening, we ministered at a college to 75 students. After a brief program, we divided up into small groups and had conversations with the students. I had a conversation with four college age girls. They all had cell phones and were on Tik Tok. But none of them had ever heard about Jesus. I asked them, “Do you know who Jesus is?” One girl said, “Is Jesus an American singer?” So I started at the beginning of creation and shared the entire story of the Bible with the girls.

Please pray for Laos to meet Jesus!