“Today I’m going to learn with you about the topic of ‘The month of Wandering Spirits,’” my language teacher, Trung, said.
In this country, there are two primary religions—the Sinim folk religion and Buddhism. Although some beliefs of the two overlap and can be similar, most Sinim subscribe to the folk religion. Even those who claim to be Buddhist still follow the folk traditions of ancestor worship.
Our language lesson began with a brief explanation of the Sinim folk beliefs about death. According to traditional Sinim belief, when someone dies after a life of doing lots of good, they will be reincarnated as a human being. However, if that person did a lot of evil, they will either be reincarnated as some type of animal or sent to an appropriate level of hell. Those whose misdeeds were light, such as lying or gossiping, might become ghosts, continuously hungry and destined to haunt dirty places for eternity. The Sinim call them “wandering spirits” or “wandering demons.”
In the seventh month of every year, the Sinim believe that, for 10 days, the king of hell opens hell’s gates and releases all the spirits to roam the earth and cause trouble. Consequently, it is considered the unluckiest time of the year. Most people stay indoors, and no one dares to make big decisions during the month, such as purchasing a house or a car. During that time, families offer prayers, incense and food at the family altar or a nearby pagoda to “feed” the spirits of their ancestors. However, because the wandering spirits are considered to be those that have no families to offers up prayers or food for them, many families also offer incense and leave offering trays outside their homes for the wandering spirits to keep them from causing misfortune and mischief.
As Trung and I read through the lesson, I interjected questions, partially to understand more and partially to help her consider the beliefs she was sharing.
“How is it decided who gets to be reincarnated first?” I asked.
She laughed. “According to ancient writings, there is a guardian, like a manager, that looks at the record and makes those decisions.”
“And those who have done the most wrong, where do they go?” I probed.
“The worst cases go to the deepest levels of hell. But if they were bad but not terrible, they are reincarnated as animals.”
“So if a person is minorly evil and is reincarnated as an animal, what happens after they die as an animal?” I asked.
“That’s it. They die.”
“They aren’t reincarnated?”
“No.”
“But if those souls die, where do new souls come from?”
She smiled. “I don’t know the answer to that. Everyone has their own ideas. In your religion, what do they teach about this?”
With my broken Sinim, I tried to articulate a reply. Getting off to a bad start, I started over. With more “uhhs” and pauses than I would have liked, I shared the following:
“This life is not all there is. Though sin has come into the world, the Bible teaches that God created the world in perfection and is the source of all life. When we connect to Him, we are like a phone connected to its power cord and receiving electricity. But if we are disconnected from Him, like a phone that isn’t recharged, we won’t function anymore.
“God is perfect and the Source of everything good. According to the Bible, His power in us allows us to be righteous and do good deeds. But when we sin, it’s like we are unplugging our lives.
“The Bible teaches that we have just one life on this earth, and it is the time when we decide whether to be connected to God or disconnected—good or bad. When we die, it is as if we are sleeping. At the end of time, God Jesus will return to wipe sin from the earth and judge all people. Those who have decided to be connected to Him will live forever in the perfect new world that He will create.”
Trung had a deeply contemplative look on her face. I laughed nervously, incredulous at myself for sharing practically the entire plan of salvation in one go.
“It is like a story I’ve heard before,” Trung said, nodding. “Maybe I read it on Facebook. I have a lot of Facebook friends who follow the God of Heaven. If what you say is true, it is really good and helps clarify the meaning of life and how to live more virtuously.”
I have to confess that I was surprised that she seemed to be making sense of what I had shared.
“I have a question,” she leaned forward. “How much time does it take to understand the Bible?”
I had to restrain myself from showing my sudden excitement. I assured Trung that I would be more than happy to teach her the Bible, and it wouldn’t take too long. I was overjoyed when she agreed to study the Bible with me the following Sunday at 2 p.m.
On Saturday, a typhoon was passing through the area, bringing heavy rain. Trung told me she was unsure that she would be able to keep our appointment. She was worried that her neighborhood might flood, stranding her at home.
Sunday dawned with gray skies and rain. At 1:40 p.m. the rain was still pouring down. With less than half an hour before I was to meet with Trung, I asked some friends to begin praying for a break in the weather. At around 2 p.m., the rain tapered off, and the sun blazed through the clouds. When Trung and I met, I was sweating from the heat, and she was wearing her long-sleeved dress coat to protect her arms from the sun.
In preparing for this study, I had thought a lot about which Bible story might capture the most essential and unique aspects of the love of God, a story that was simple enough for someone who has never read a Bible and is wholly unfamiliar with its culture and background. I couldn’t think of anything more fitting than the parable of the prodigal son.
“What I want to share with you today is a small example story illustrating the main theme of the Bible—that God is love,” I began. We read the parable together, focusing on the young, self-indulgent son who desired to exercise his independence by leaving his home and his father.
As we finished reading about the loving father who took his son back, I asked Trung what she thought of the father. “Maybe he is like many Sinim fathers,” she said. “A mother would more likely take the son back, while the father might be sterner. I think maybe this father is still a little angry, and later he will show it.”
I pointed out to Trung the reaction of the father in the story, that he must have been waiting and watching the horizon for a glimpse of his returning son.
“But I don’t understand something,” Trung interjected. “Why is it that after the son says he is no longer worthy of being a son, the father celebrates?”
I explained that the father’s commands to bring out a robe and put on the ring on the son’s finger and shoes on his feet were to signify that he had restored the son to his original place. He had forgiven him completely. I could tell that the concept intrigued Trung, though it was quite foreign to her.
“So, what do you think of the father?”
“The father is generous,” said Trung, “merciful and gracious.”
At the end of our study, Trung asked me for a Bible, and I told her I would give her one the next time we saw each other in language class. As we walked out to the street, the wind suddenly picked up, the sky darkened and rain began to fall. “Wow!” Trung exclaimed. “It was so burning hot when we arrived!”
I made a mental note: God answers prayer and changes the weather. Remember that.
How funny that, during the week the Sinim believe that the king of hell opens hell’s gates and releases the wandering spirits, Trung was able to catch a glimpse of the King of Heaven whose heavenly gate is open for the wayward and wandering living souls to come home. He is not just a king but the almighty Father who hears and answers prayers and is willing to hold back storms if it means even one more soul can begin to understand His love for her.
With Trung’s busy schedule, it has been challenging to have consistent studies with her. But I have given her a Bible, and during our language lessons together I take every opportunity to share snippets of scripture with her. Please pray for Trung and the many like her who are steeped in superstition and tradition, that they, too, may one day walk through heaven’s open gate and into open arms of our Heavenly Father.

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