"Now I understand what the cross means."
Over the course of a month three different groups of Tai Dam people accepted the invitation to come take part in the Chronological Bible Teaching. They traveled long distances to come and learn more about the One who has power to save. One group had never heard a word about Jesus just six weeks prior to this. Others had heard the Good News and began following him anywhere from 3 months to 2 years prior but still needed to have a better foundation laid.
The team went chronologically through a series of stories selected from the Old and New Testaments, with an unfolding story that shows what we need to be saved from, who the Savior is and how he does it, and what to do now. Our prayer for these training events had been for them to come away with greater conviction over sin, clarity about the person and work of Jesus, and commitment to meet together as a church.
One woman shared multiple times how much the Tai Dam need to know these things, and when we learned the story of Jesus' death she said, "Now I understand what the cross means." She had known for a year that "Jesus died on the cross for her," but had never really understood the significance of it. Another participant pointed to the golden calf that was made after the 10 Commandments were given. He talked about how quickly they forgot the commandments and returned to their old ways. He looked around the room to his relatives and said, "We have been the same way." After the time with our team, they returned home and gathered with several others to begin retelling what they had learned.