Impressions

Impressions of Thailand

I like Thailand. It is a beautiful country...a bit too hot and humid for my liking, but a nice country. The number one thing that I have been surprised at...people don't gawk at me like I'm a green alien from another planet. Every other country I've ever visited where I do not look like the majority of the people living there, I am stared at, leered at and have even been poked and prodded. Here no one even gives this giant white skinned, light haired chick a second notice...kinda nice, but not what I expected. I wonder if Bangkok sees so many foreigners that the people are just immune to it or if they are just such a polite culture they don't do it. The city itself is fairly clean for a city this size. The people seem to take a pride in keeping the trash off the streets and graffiti off the walls. Of course, I am NOT in the slums, mind you.

An interesting note that would make the hairs on the neck of any FDA worker stand on end...there are street vendors by the dozens here, selling clothes, magazines, candies and food. The food stands are very similar to what I have witnessed around Latin America--the whole animal, strung up by hind feet, flapping in the winds to roast in this tropical humidity. Then, if you can brave eating at the stands, you might want to ask for yours on a disposable plate. I noticed the plates they serve the food on are scraped in the ally, dunked in a giant trash can with dirty cold water, then wiped with a rag and placed back on the stack for the next hungry customer....yummmm.

We are staying at a missionary guest house, so our meals have been quite good...some a bit too spicy for my taste, but I appreciate the fact that I have yet to sneak into my stash of granola bars or beef jerky.

Yesterday, I was able to sneak away from one of the sessions (you see I'm not here in the role of conference attendee, I'm here to document the stories...more on that below...). I walked down the street to a massage place, with references! The Thai people are known for their great massages. I had an hour-long massage. I wish I could report that it was wonderfully relaxing, but then you'd be mad that I was on a mission trip getting a massage. So, you can rest assured, knowing that it was quite painful. They are into the deep tissue massages here, the kind where you beg for mercy but the petite Thai girl just giggles and bows because she has no clue what you are saying. I tried to grunt and groan enough to get the message across, but with little effect. They pulled and pushed and twisted and stomped until I actually said, sorry gotta go, no time to finish. Today, my body feels bruised all over. I was drinking about a gallon of water a day to keep hydrated in the heat, but today I'm doubling it to keep my muscles from cramping.

But I digress from why I am really here...to date, we (Jessica, my ministry partner and I) have interviewed, photographed and videotaped 31 people, and we still have 11 to go. It has been exhausting, but what a privilege to hear their stories. We are capturing stories of God at work in AMAZING ways. Here's one summarized story from India. The OMS Every Community for Christ national team was out evangelizing. They came across a M faith cleric. This man held the position of memorizing the entire K book and reciting it. Long story short, he came to accept and believe in the living Christ Jesus. Now, he is a believer in the One true God and he has memorized the entire Bible! He is using these skills to share Christ with other M clerics...and it is being effective. Pray for him and our team in India.

I'm hearing those kinds of stories all day long and giving God all the glory, but I am also humbled by some of the stories. Some of these church planters are enduring much to share the Gospel. One man from M shared how they only have electricity one hour a day in his village. He must decide if he will get warm water, watch TV or do some of this statistical reporting on his computer to send to us. Another man shared how he is pastoring 4 churches and overseeing an evangelistic coffee house. Nearly all the people here are bivocational, meaning they must have regular secular jobs in addition to their ministries because there is not enough funds to pay them a salary. For some, they must travel far distances to do their ministry. Another church planter from M asked that I share that his pastors, church planters and evangelists need bicycles. And finally, most of them endure some form of persecution for their work of the Gospel. Please pray for them. Again, I am so humbled by them and their work...and so grateful to a God who is so active and present.

Finally, I ask that you pray for my next leg of this trip. In two days, I leave for a security risk country in South Asia. It will be even hotter that here, with NO AC, and the accommodations will be simple. We will be sleeping under mosquito netting, and I will probably not have Internet access. But I will be seeing these stories and miracles first hand as we visit training centers, womens' ministries, a baptism (I've been asked to help baptize the women), an orphanage, a micro-credit business/ministry and much more. I am very excited to witness what God is doing in South Asia...up close! Pray for us...and I hope to chat with you again soon.