I am now sitting in my parents' home, with my feet in a chair, having just eaten New York style pizza, and with no rice in sight. In some sense, this journey has ended. But in some very real sense - and perhaps in a more real sense - a journey has begun.
First, a quick recap of what happened since the last blog post - regardless of the fact that most of the people who will read this have already heard (or were there experiencing it with me). We had two more introduction to Christianity courses. Go taught on Christ's work in redemption, and showed a powerful clip from
The Passion of the Christ that many of the unbelieving Thais found hard to even imagine, let alone watch. But the reality of Christ's work became more real to them. The last Thursday that we were there, I taught on the Consummation of the world - the end of all things. We talked about hope, and about the final judgment. Beautifully, it was one of the first times that I've seen the Thais speak somewhat confrontationally, and intentionally disagree with us and with one another. What is so great about that is that it proved these people were thinking, and being forced to consider the alternative to their belief system. Some of them found it hard to believe that there really was a judgment coming, and that God would judge all of humanity. Some were encouraged to know that there was hope beyond this world. And I think that almost everyone there was challenged to consider where their hearts were. Perhaps the greatest part, though, was seeing the Thai Christians stand up and offer explanations for the hope that they have. Man it was great!
Our last weekend involved a trip to Khao Yai - the first national park in Thailand. We took some 45 people or so to the mountains for a retreat, and saw some great relationships started. It was at this point that I think all of the American interns began to see how the Thai Christians at New Ciy Fellowship were taking over the relationships that we were leaving. We heard later from Dave, the team leader, that the Thais told him they have a tangible plan, and real hope, for continuing relationships with these friends that we've come to know and love. In fact, two of the nonchristian girls we came to know have been at sunday morning worship both sundays that we've been gone. It is clear that God was using our feeble service to draw people to Himself.
I now have the opportunity to look back over the last three and a half months to see from a new vantage point what God was doing. I still can't see all of it, but by viewing it as a whole, I'm coming to understand how His Spirit has been intricately weaving a pattern of truth into me. The greatest thing that I step away from Thailand with is having the nations as part of my being. Before leaving for Thailand, I had a heart for missions. But by most accounts, I didn't understand what that meant. I can't quite find the right analogy, but it's almost the difference between looking at a pair of glasses and looking through the glasses; between considering a glass of water and drinking it.
By the end of my time there, I had come to see that beyond all of the loneliness, the pain, the frustrations, the inconsistencies, the failures, there is a real work happening among the nations. Within 5-10 years there will probably be at least 5 church plants with Mission to the World in Thailand. This isn't even including the growth of the faith in so many other ministries in that country and across Asia (not to mention the rest of the world). The hill tribes of the north are receiving the gospel like nobody's business, and I got to see firsthand the life-changing reality of their faith.
But let me put a story to the truths that I saw. When I traveled to the mountains of the north, I fell in love with the Karen people. They are a hill tribe of nearly a million people, who live in tiny villages, largely isolated from the rest of the nation. We drove six hours on treacherous roads with Boonchu - who I like to refer to as the "Archbishop of the Karen people" - to get to his family's village. Sunday night we drove another hour or so, then walked 15 minutes to get to a poor village deep in the jungle. The people I saw there changed my life. As we entered the pastor's house, some 15 local men ended up coming to join us, just to see and meet these foreigners who were coming to preach the Word of God to them. As Phil, Boonchu, and I walked through the town, we were told that an older man by the name of Joe wanted us to come pray for him. Joe had served as a pastor in a village for some 30 years or so before he got sick. He told us of how he's had terrible health for a while now - Boonchu thinks it might be diabetes - and hasn't really been able to leave his house. But by the time we came to the church that night to preach, he had left his home and hobbled right up to the front row to hear the Word of God. It's so rare that they get to hear the truth from someone even as minutely qualified as myself, that they leap at such an opportunity. After the service, Joe came to me and Phil and told us that he was feeling "sabai sabai" - that he was feeling well. Having prayed for him, Joe felt that the Lord had granted him enough strength to come listen to the preaching that night. And that was more important than anything else to him.
Joe, along with the other hundreds of hungry, poor Karen people, showed me the hunger of a people who do not have the rich depths of God's Word, but only because no one has gone to bring it to them. There are still some 30 Karen villages with no gospel presence. And the pastors in the existing villages are undereducated and under-discipled for the work they have. Oh, there is still service to be given around the world.
This time of praying for me specifically is now over, but please consider praying for one or all of the following needs on a regular, maybe weekly basis:
-The Thai Christians of New City Fellowship. Pat, Go, Yu, Ying, Kieow, Pawn, Chai, and Charin are all on staff at New City Fellowship. They have the task of following up after us (especially Yu, Go and Pat), and of continuing to bring the gospel to their own very lost people.
-The Karen people. 30 of the 200+ villages have no gospel presence. Evangelists in every church are being given the task of reaching out to the lost in their own villages as well as the unbelievers who haven't even heard in the other villages. Their pastors need training, and Boonchu needs rest (since he's trying to encourage and train all of the Christians in these 200+ villages).
-The missionaries. Transition continues, and there are very few missionaries with MTW left in Bangkok right now. Dave's role as team leader is changing as the ministry in Thailand continues to blossom, and all of the missionaries - those in Bangkok and those preparing to return - are seeking to understand their place in the mission there. Pray for the Mills family, the Veldhorst family, the Bronsons, Mary, Melanie, and Sarah (an intern who will soon arrive in Thailand).
I now make my way to St. Louis, so that I might be rightly trained for the ministry of the gospel among the nations. Whether that means equipping missionaries or going myself, I don't know. But I go forward with the expectation that God will guide me deeper into His plan for redeeming the entire world.
