It was mid-April in Thailand and the old traditional New Year, Songkran, was approaching. Pastor Bank and his wife Ching were glad to be able to take time off and close their restaurant for the first time in the six months since opening, and they decided to treat themselves to the popular custom of a Thai massage. As they entered the establishment, Bank noticed a Bible sitting on a table, an uncommon sight in this primarily Buddhist nation. He asked who it belonged to, and if there were any Christians there.
An employee overheard his question and spoke up. “I am a Christian,” she said, “but that Bible is not mine.”
The woman, Ann, told Bank and Ching that she had moved to Chachoengsao a few years ago and had recently began praying for a servant of the Lord to come to her workplace and help her find a church to join. A few days after praying this, a young Western woman had then come in to her establishment to get a massage. While the woman waited, she read a Bible.
“I was sure that this woman was the answer to my prayer,” Ann said, finishing telling her story to the couple, “but she left before I could talk to her. She left her Bible behind, and it has been here ever since.”
Curious, Pastor Bank opened the Bible to find out who the owner was, thinking that perhaps he could help find her. To his great surprise, he found a photo of himself and his wife inside, and his own name was written on the inside cover. The Bible was his! Then Pastor Bank remembered that a Bible of his had gone missing a long time ago. How had it come to be here?
Pastor Bank asked his parents and brother if anyone had taken his Bible to this massage place at some point, but they said no. No one could explain what had happened, and to this day, the young Western woman has yet to reappear. The following Sunday, Bank and Ching – servants of the Lord – brought Ann to their church. Her prayer was finally answered, and this couple has been the bridge to bring her back to Christ and a church family.
