A while back, I received a random phone call. A friend of mine called to ask if I could help an acquaintance of hers, a young-single-adult-aged woman. I told her I’d try and asked, “Could you give me more background?” Her new friend was a young girl from Thailand who was not a member of the Church. She worked at a nearby Marriott hotel and spoke little English. I also discussed my concerns about the girl’s minimal English skills and her ability to have and make friends. I was doubtful.

Well, Tina moved in nearby shortly after the phone call. She had no friends and struggled to make friends because her English was weak and she worked long hours. However, the Lord provides!

It just so happened that we had a brother who had served his mission in Thailand and spoke Thai. Barney befriended Tina and took her some Tom-yum soup (traditional lemon grass soup). She was delighted to have someone to speak Thai with. Barney had a friend, a native Thai who attended BYU, named Tam. Tam had previously lived in the apartment complex Tina moved into and still had many friends there.

Barney and Tam continued to befriend Tina. Pretty soon, I found that they had taken Tina to the Asian student branch where several Thai students attended. Within a couple of weeks, the full-time missionaries were teaching Tina the missionary lessons, and a few weeks later she was baptized.

As I reflect now on that whole experience, I can see the Lord’s hand. There are only a very few Thai missionaries on the BYU campus. Likewise, there are very few native Thai members attending BYU. You tell me the probability of a woman from Orem helping a girl from Thailand to find an apartment in Provo would be led to maybe the one apartment complex at BYU that had ever had a return Thai missionary and a native Thai living there at the same time?

God knew that Tina was prepared and seeking the gospel. He knew that Barney and Tam had vibrant testimonies and would be instrumental in bringing Tina into the fold of Christ.

-Roger D. Mapleton, Utah