Thailand and Beyond

The little things.

Every Wednesday, Heather and I have the opportunity to teach at a Buddhist temple school along with two others. There, two worlds collide. Because public schools are connected to Buddhist temples, children grow up from a very young age with Buddhism constantly in their faces. It becomes a part of who they are. To be Thai is to be Buddhist. But in the midst of this hopeless religion, we get to bring Jesus into the picture. We get to bring unwavering hope, genuine love, and the power of the Gospel, all of which these underprivileged Thai children are unfamiliar with. Through teaching English, we are able to share simple stories about who Jesus is and what he has done for us. Our goal is to create an atmosphere where we can learn together, laugh together, and play together; for this is what so many of those precious kids need. To be loved and accepted, cherished and wanted, hopeful and free. I pray that even with their limited understanding of English, they are beginning to comprehend God’s immense love for them. Though I probably will not see any of them come to Christ during my time in Thailand, I am thankful for the opportunity to plant seeds in their young hearts that will hopefully mature and blossom into a personal relationship with him.

This past Sunday, we had the opportunity to minister to the children that attend this school as well as the impoverished surrounding community. While a medical team brought free services to take care of their physical bodies, our church had the opportunity to care for them spiritually. Though Heather and I were not able to share the Gospel as our fellow church members were doing due to our limited abilities to speak Thai, we were able to shower love on the kids for this requires no words. Simple piggy back rides, a free ice-cream, a lap to sit on or a hand to hold make all the difference. Without the responsibility of teaching English and keeping the kids organized, we were able to just spend time with the kids, laughing together and playing together. I can’t help but feel blessed every time I get to share God’s love with these kids. But how much more does their heavenly Father love and care for them. I hope that they continue to feel His love manifested through us.

Fun at our weekly English class.

 

     Hanging out with the kids.              Bew (in the orange) sharing the gospel           Church members serving food to
                                                                                                                                            the community.

Philippines adventure.

This past week, we had the awesome opportunity to go to the Philippines with the Gordon family as Jeff was the guest lecturer at the Bible Institute at WOL Philippines for the week. What an amazing experience it was. Unlike Thailand where the language can often be somewhat of a barrier, this was not the case in the Philippines. While there, we got to meet the students which included one of my former campers from WOL snow camp. I never expected to see her again, much less in the Philippines. Seeing her follow the Lord all the way to the Bible Institute in the Philippines was so encouraging. I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to catch up with her and hear about what the Lord is doing in her life. We also got to be a part of WOL’s campus ministry where they minister to university students through bible clubs, discipleship, and evangelism. It was amazing to see not only WOL staff, but also students themselves reaching out to their fellow classmates. Not only was this trip a great opportunity to see the ministry of WOL Philippines, but it was also a great time of refreshment and encouragement. Without the usual distractions and business, God worked in my heart to give me a renewed desire to minister to the people of Thailand. God used people like the WOL Philippine missionaries, Don Lough (the executive director of WOL), who happened to be visiting for a few days, as well as students and the  Gordons to encourage me and remind me of my purpose. For this, I’m so incredibly thankful.

Justine, my former camper and current student at WOL Philippines.

WOL Philippines campus.

He is faithful.

Like our time in Thailand, all good things must come to an end. In a few short weeks, Heather and I will be headed back home for the holidays as well as to attend WOL’s missions conference and receive some additional missions training at a seminar in Pennsylvania. While I’m excited to return home and spend time and connect with friends and family, I am also sad knowing that we will not be returning to Thailand due to the fact that the Gordons will be returning home for furlough this November. Honestly, this fact was a bit hard to accept at first. After so much uncertainty and confusion, after all the heartaches of the ups and downs, after waiting for so long to get to Thailand, it’s hard to understand why God would pull us away after such a short time. But his ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts higher than our thoughts. During this time of uncertainty, we have been exploring our options for our next year of this internship and have been seeking both the counsel of others and, more importantly, direction from God. I never expected things to happen this way but the book of Proverbs says, “A man plans his ways but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). This could not be more true of our internship. It has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride. But it is because of the craziness and uncertainty that I have learned more fully to trust in my faithful God that never lets me down. If things had gone the way I had planned, I would have never been able to experience things the way I did. God not only allowed us to come to Thailand, but he has also allowed us to experience other cultures and ministries along the way. I don’t know what next year holds but I can say, without a doubt, that God really does do “exceedingly, abundantly above all we could ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).