Related:
Getting involved with Campus Ministry is a great way to get involved in the way Ashley did.

The Endtimes

• Prophesies in Ezekiel
• Daniel’s Prophesies
• The Tribulation
• A One World Government
• The Antichrist
• Christ’s Second Coming
• The Rapture

Take the next step:
Going through tough moments in marriage
Has your trust been broken?
Are you struggling in your marriage? Talk to a mentor

Return to Healing for the Brokenhearted Index Page

Related:
Want To Get Involved? 

Take the next step:
Going through tough moments in marriage
Has your trust been broken?
Are you struggling in your marriage? Talk to a mentor

Return to Healing for the Brokenhearted Index Page

Related:
Has God Been Trying To Get Your Attention?

Hot, sweaty, and tired, I had just finished a drama set at a University canteen and was walking over to start a conversation with two students who had been sitting and watching the entire performance. “Sawadee-ka, chan cheuh Janna ka,” I said as I introduced myself to the students. They responded by telling me their names, Toei and Miew. “Khaow jai mai se dang?” In my very poorly phrased Thai I asked them if they understood the performance they had just watched.

In perfectly clear English they responded by telling me they understood it was about Christianity. [I was relieved that I would be able to converse with them in English because all our translators were already engaged in conversations!]  The next question they asked, which spurred us into a long conversation, “Why did you come all the way to Thailand to do these dramas?” opened the door for me to share the gospel with them. “I’ve come to Thailand to share with you about the God who has saved & transformed my life because of His love for me. The dramas are just one of the ways I can share that.” I went on to tell them that the same God who loves me also loves them and wants to transform their lives as well. Toei looked at me confused, and asked me a question I will never forget: “How can the Christian God love us when we are Buddhist?” 

Praying very hard for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and for the Lord’s words, I shared the Gospel with them to explain the kind of love God feels towards them, towards all people. They were shocked, amazed and in disbelief by the kind of love the “Christian God” [in their words] shows for people, for them. Miew said. Toei agreed with her and admitted how they live each day in constant fear & guilt. According to the Buddhist belief in Karma, one receives good [in this life and the next] when they do good and one receives bad [in this life and the next] when they do bad. Toei and Miew were mature and honest enough to admit that no matter how hard they try to be good and to do good they constantly fail and do bad. They told me how scary it is for them knowing they’ll have to ‘pay’ for all the bad things they have done. “We do our best not to think about this so we can try and enjoy our days,” they told me.

My heart was [and still is] breaking for them. I brought the conversation back to the cross, explaining that they didn’t have to live in fear and guilt because someone else, Jesus Christ, God’s Son, had already paid for the wrong things they have done and will continue to do in their life. “That’s how much God loves you!” I exclaimed, “He is waiting for you to have faith and believe this!”

Toei & Miew could not comprehend this – this did not make sense to them because it is the complete opposite of all they know. This conversation reminded me of how upside down and backwards the Gospel message is! The Gospel doesn’t make logical sense and it is only God who can bring understanding to us. It is only God who can change our hearts so that we believe in this upside-down Truth. This is what I am praying for Toei and Miew. They did not accept Christ that day but they are hungry to know more. Pray that as they connect with the Campus Ministry Staff and me that God will change their hearts and show them how much he loves them, no matter who they are or what they believe.

Janna has been serving in Thailand since May 2011.  Please pray for Thailand as their own local DRIME ministry launches in December. 

I called my boyfriend to tell him the news and as if he knew what I was going to say, he asked me to marry him. I rejected his request because it wasn’t the choice I wanted to make. His next request was that I have an abortion. I told him I couldn’t because I knew abortion was wrong. My original plan was to choose adoption for my child. As a military dependent at 18, my doctor visits were both free and confidential. I thought I could go to college and carry the baby to term, then choose adoption; keeping the secret from friends and family.

The idea of allowing someone else to raise my child became too painful and fear of exposing my sin mounted. I was scared of ruining my pristine reputation as the virgin and good Christian girl. Up until that point, I had been the victim in life; now, I was the one who had committed wrong. I also had plans of college in the fall; being a single mom was not apart of that plan. I wanted to go back in time, and prayed I would wake up and no longer be pregnant, but, of course, that never happened. Finally, I allowed fear and the voice of my boyfriend’s request to control me. My boyfriend’s mom made an appointment and I boarded a bus to Pennsylvania. My boyfriend, his mom and I went to the appointment. It was nothing like what I had envisioned. There were no picketers – no commotion at all. It was a quiet office in suburban office complex.

The doctor performed other procedures besides abortion, so it just looked like a regular doctor’s office. My boyfriend paid for the abortion. I filled out some papers and took a Valium before heading to an examination room. I got on the table, while the doctor looked at the ultrasound – I was not allowed to see. He thought I was about 6-8 weeks along. A nurse came into the room and held my hand during the procedure. The doctor started the sucking process and the pain began. The nurse told me to breathe, but I couldn’t – the cramping in my abdomen was more than I could bear. When it was over, the doctor told me the pain would get a little worse before it got better. I was given milk and cookies to help stop the cramps, but I still recall crying in pain. The doctor attempted to lighten the mood by making jokes about a promise of my future fertility.

I stayed a few days at my boyfriend’s house before returning to Ohio. I went to college at the end of the summer. As I started a new life in a place where I knew no one, I was left alone with my thoughts. The reality of my choice settled in – I had killed my baby! I went to a place of utter despair and spent my first year of college an emotional wreck. I can recall people in my dorm hearing me crying in the bathroom and asking if I was okay, but the truth was – I wasn’t. The pain didn’t subside; I just got better at suppressing it.

In my junior year, I confided in a Bible study leader about my past abortion, and she suggested I attend a support group at the local pregnancy care center. I decided to join the group and began my journey of healing. The pain from this experience never completely disappears, but as I worked through the grief, I was able to function without suppressing memories. Now, at times, certain places or circumstances stir up emotions within me, but I am able to see a baby, talk about abortion and hear people’s opinions without getting defensive and distraught. It was important for me to not only understand that I was forgiven, but also deal with the grief that was in my heart. I needed to allow my heart to experience the pain of that choice so that I could move on with life. It’s a journey that takes a lifetime. While I regret my choice of abortion, I will never regret facing the pain.

She had an idea  of what the perfect life looked like. That’s what she wanted, that’s what she worked for and that’s what she had. “But it was fake.” So is divorce, then, the answer or is it just running from the real problem? For Cheryl it was the answer and that answer was to end it all. However just because our plans are to end something doesn’t mean they are God’s. And just because we make mistakes -big or small- doesn’t mean He can’t fix them. In the end, both Cheryl and Jeff had to have faith, pure faith to see things through. See how faithfully God reconciled their seven-year divorce, step by step, back into the marriage He had in mind.

Are you struggling with your marriage?

Learn more about Jeff and Cheryl Scruggs
Find healing from your sexual past
I didn’t want to be another divorce statistic
Need to talk? We have mentors ready to talk to you

Effective communication is a two-way street. If either participant is dedicated to muddling the message, neither will be successful. We could all use a little help to learn to communicate better with our spouse, our boss at work, or our kids. Sometimes it can help to talk with someone who is a patient listener. Contact a mentor to speak with someone today, and practice your communication skills!

Related reading:
Five Love Languages – Learn the five “love languages” and how to more effectively communicate with your partner
Reality Bytes: Seeking Real Connection in a Virtual World – How you can have real connections in an online environment
Why pray? – Prayer is a form of communication on another level