I opened my eyes mid-prayer, causing my student Jei-ing to burst out laughing as I caught her sneaking toward her water bottle on the couch. She was thirsty and could not wait. Between giggles, she joked, “God told you, ‘Open your eyes, Jei-ing is getting up to get water!’”
We laughed about it for weeks. I grew a lot closer to this 6th-grade student of mine because of her unfortunate health issues. Previously, I had so much trouble keeping myself from mixing her and one other girl up until suddenly Jei-ing silently vanished. I secretly worried that she had switched schools until she abruptly reappeared weeks later . . . in my workroom.
Half stuttering, I quickly rustled up some papers to find something for my bored student to do while I prepped lessons. Since she was not coming to class because sitting aggravated her pain, I took the opportunity to begin a single-student class with her. We would pray when we started. I prayed with her before she took tests for the other classes. We prayed before we ate together. It felt like such a small thing, but I kept doing it. Later, I started asking her if she wanted to pray, but she was not yet ready . . . until she was.
I walked up the stairs and found my girl at the top, beaming. “Teacher, guess what?”
“What Jei-ing?” I asked, smiling.
Eyes sparkling, she said, “While you were gone, all the other teachers were gone too. I felt scared because I was here alone. So I prayed, ‘God make Sumnung come.’ And then she came!”
Jei-ing was not finished yet either. Now she was thirsty for more. “Teacher, I want it to rain again.” I looked at her and, internally, looked up to God. This was the second time my prayer warrior wanted to pray for rain, and the first time she did, God answered her prayer, even though it was the dry season. “Well, if you ask God and He knows it’s a good thing, He will make it rain,” I replied, smiling. My earnest prayers began, too. “God, you see this girl. Make it rain.”
My day went on, and a prayer for Jei-ing’s rain pleaded in the background music of my mind. In the evening, I was at the home of another student missionary—Elena—enjoying time together and talking about our students. Jei-ing’s prayer came up in conversation, and then we were off down the next rabbit trail, probably about some cute thing that had happened in 4th grade. Suddenly, Elena stopped the conversation.
“I think I hear something.” She paused, then blurted, “I think it’s raining!” I leaped up, fumbled the doorknob, and flung it open, sticking my head out eagerly. My smile stretched from one side of my face to the other. It was raining.
Jei-ing’s faith waters my own faith. As I plant spiritual seeds here, it is easy to get discouraged and feel like I am doing so little when so many people need to know more about Christ. I feel unfit for the call placed upon me and wonder why God chose me. But maybe, since God answers the prayers of a Buddhist girl who is just learning to trust Him, He was answering my prayers to use me. I know that when I am in heaven with Jei-ing and Jesus, laughing about her thirsty adventures, I will remember her prayers and the rain, and that Jesus had used me to have a role in His plan.
