Anthony’s story from Southeast Asia

Anthony is a student at Southwestern Oklahoma State who spent his summer in Southeast Asia for the cause of Christ. While in the capital city of this country, Anthony befriended Billy (not his real name), a 12- or 13-year-old orphaned street kid who sells postcards, fans and knickknacks to tourists. “It’s an illegal business,” Anthony said, “and the kids can be beaten by the secret police for it.”

One evening Anthony found Billy weeping like his heart would break, saying “I miss my dad! I miss my dad!” Very likely because of Billy’s black-market business, the secret police had bludgeoned his dad to death. Anthony recalled that he could say only one thing to Billy. “It was so awesome to say to him, ‘You may not have an earthly father, but you have a Heavenly Father who loves you.’

“To have someone on the other side of the world weep when he encounters the Lord because he’s been Buddhist his entire life, [to see them] come to a sense of brokenness … it’s indescribable.”

Anthony took the opportunity before him to be a summer missionary. He made the most of every opportunity he had with Billy and others during his 10 weeks among an unreached people group of Southeast Asia. Billy hasn’t yet come to know Jesus as his Savior, friend and brother, but as Anthony says, “Someone had to witness to Billy Graham. It starts somewhere.” With God’s power, street urchin Billy could become the next Billy Graham for this unreached Southeast Asian nation.

—Anthony

[ back to Testimonies ]