Seoul-ful Reflections

I write this blog as I sit in the airport of Seoul South Korea, during our 2 hour layover, waiting to board our next 13+ hour return flight to Chicago. Our team's bodies & minds are tired, and this is when we fall victim to our selfish human nature. I am proud of everyone on the team for not falling into this trap, and for keeping the focus on Jesus and doing His will.

Most people have not been on a mission trip. Contrary to what their preconceived notions may be of a teaching, relationship building, medical or construction mission trip, it is far from a "vacation". Many of our prepared lessons which we had planned on using were abandoned, so much effort went into creating new plans that were more appropriate for our students. 

Logistical scheduling  was complex, beginning over a year ago, and developing a group dynamic can be challenging. We were so blessed to have the people we did on this trip, no drama; no conflict; each of us playing off one another and contributing as each was blessed to do so. We have all come together to work like a well oiled machine for Jesus. Our ability to adapt and overcome when road blocks were thrown in our way (aka "rolling with it") was a perpetual God sighting and has given us what we need to know that our plans, may not always be His plans.

Two phrases we learned were,

ไม่เป็นไร-pronounced,"mâi-bpen-rai", which means, " that's alright"; and, ใจเย็นๆ-pronounced,"jai-yen-yen", which means, "calm down".

These phrases  show qualities of the Thai people and their patience to accept and not to complain about things out of their control, and their cool headed calmness. We, as Americans, could learn these lessons from them.

      -Brian

         Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.

 -Reinhold Niebuhr(1892-1971)

                                                                 

God Opens Doors & Hearts

Our English Improvement workshops here in Nong Khai province, have been equally interesting as rewarding. Being separated amongst 3 locations, our team has experienced different challenges, again reminding us of our theme of "rolling with it". 

First off, all three groups have found that the majority of the people's English here was not what we expected. Unlike 2 years ago at our workshop in Bangkok, where the people's English was good enough to communicate with minimal need for a translator; here we need a translator at all times. We were blessed to have Boom, Pastor Sompong ,and his wife, who acted as translators; one at each location

 

Because of the lack of English knowledge, we had to overhaul our lesson plans by scaling back on the complexity, to make it VERY basic. The grade school aged children of the government officials who attended spoke the best English, but the adults spoke much less.

 The group dynamic at all thee locations changed on a daily basis, since people's work schedules and meetings affected whether they could make it or not.

 All  three locations did have a core group that attended everyday.  These people know the value here of being able to speak English, and their dedication showed this.

  Another thing all three groups saw was the social progress participants made in just a few days, going from shy and withdrawn to laughing, smiling, and having fun while learning. 

  The contentment of all the people was evident as they opened up throughout the week. Many brought additional friends and family along to the workshop after the first day, to share in this "good time", learning atmosphere.

  Some of the participants were so comfortable with us, that they invited us to their homes.

On Thursday at our ESL workshop, at Wang-Luang sub-district, Linda  & I were invited by one of our class participants, along with the rest of our team to his rice/pig farm. His name is Banjong, and he is the sub-district chairman here (comparable to a mayor). 

Banjong walked us through the rice fields, which went on as far as the eye could see.  Papaya and guava trees were dispersed throughout the rice field and Banjong was happy to pick many of the fruits from these trees which he graciously gave us to take with us. 

We observed a worker there working a milling machine, which was taking the hulls off the grains of rice, and a huge pile of rice hulls lay out back. We got to visit the pig barn, which had about six pens, with a dozen pigs. Both Greg & Reed got up close and personal with the swine, while trying to get a "selfie" photo.

 

Banjong takes great pride in his farm, and his community. Thai culture dictates that it's very important that one accepts an invitation. This is why we were honored to accept. 

More importantly though, we accepted, because we learned that Banjong was originally not happy when Gennesaret church was built in his community. Banjong's thoughts were along the  lines of; why do we need a Christian church here....there are no Christian's here.

 Pastor Sompong has been doing outreach work with Banjong for the betterment of the community.

 Our team coming here, and helping the local officials improve their English, shows Banjong and his people what the love and compassion of Our Lord is all about. More importantly, we serve as a huge encouragement to Pastor Sompong and the minority Christians in this community. 

Please pray that God continues to work on the hearts and minds of the officials in power here, so that a softening of their hearts may lead to more people knowing Jesus's name in this community.

   

                      -Brian

The First Day of Class

Today we were given an amazing welcome by the chairman of the district and his people.  There was a welcoming ceremony where we were given seats of honor.  Everyone was introduced from our team as well as the team from Lutheran Hour Ministries. 

The people were extremely friendly and kind.  After  introductions we toured the Municipal grounds including the residence of the Head Chairman of the district.  Along the way we saw the national flower of Thailand as well as some cattle.

(Modern cowboys use motorcycles)

We were treated to lunch at a table fashioned out of a boat.  It was such a unique thing and I am sure our pictures will not do it justice.  

Everything is so beautiful here and we are enjoying the lovely weather.  A nice break from Bangkok.  We are told the weather is nice this time of year since it is winter.  (There was a high of 90 degrees yesterday!)

After lunch we were off to set up our classrooms, working in teams of 2 at 3 separate buildings.  Going into this project, we were not aware of the students' English speaking abilities.  We prepared for a higher level of fluency with the idea that we may need to be flexible in our teaching.  We adopted the attitude of "Roll with it" early on and that saying was put to the test on the first day.  We had classes as small as 3 students whose english was at a beginning level to a group of 15 with varrying degrees of  fluency.  We adjusted, we slowed down, and we had a lot of fun.

As a group we are doing great and have amazing unity and trust.  Everyone is contributing as God has gifted them.  We are establishing an early morning coffee run/walk.  There is a pedestrian walkway along the Mekong river a block away from our hotel.  We can get great coffee and this acts as our informal together time which we are all enjoying.  

We praise God for this awesome opportunity to introduce these beautiful children of God to Jesus!

-Maria

 

A Tale Of Two Cities

 

Two days, 500 miles, two cities, two contrasting environments. One God.

 

On Thursday we visited with the children of the slums in Bangkok that are cared for by Concordia Day Care.  The children were quick to  smile, looked well  nourished, wore clean clothes and had the infectious energy that is universal among kids around the world.  We colored with them, watched them create sidewalk art with chalk, played with balls and sang songs.  Seemed like we were getting more than we were giving.  

 

We left the facility and made visits to a few of the residents that Deng ministers to and gave them food, some money and prayed over them. Brian chronicled some of this experience on Thursday but there are a few additional observations that now seem appropriate to share.

 

 Adjacent to one of the people we visited was a woman that was doing  laundry using a large metal pan.  The cloths being  laundered were children's cloths, impeccably clean, hung neatly and wrinkle free.  The lady doing the laundry had an irrepressible smile and made eye contact with me. There was a genuine warmth in her eyes  that seemed completely incongruent with her environment.  As we prayed over the young women inside, her caretakers wept as we prayed.  At some level I felt we had won the lottery.  What was the likelihood that suburban church goers from the other side of the globe would visit a slum in Bangkok and connect with some of the least fortunate of us?

 

Later that day we visited Siam Nirimit, had a wonderful dinner and saw a fantastic show.  The following morning we had an informal debrief about our Thursday activities.  The consensus was that the timing of the show after visiting a Bangkok slum was odd. No one really anticipated, or at least expressed that the two  consecutive events would cause emotional discomfort, but perhaps there was good reason.      

 

Saturday was a travel day.  We left Bangkok for Nong Khai,  got settled in to a hotel and looked forward to church on Sunday.  

 

We've all listened to hymns before and felt  tuned out.  It happens.  This Sunday was a bit different, the hymns were sung in Thai so we were in a sense, literally tuned out.  Our choice was to "feel" the hymns instead of sing them. Some of the melodies were  familiar but most were not.  It was easy to realize that we had truly been transported to   a different world.  We had left oppressive humidity, heat, and heavy rain in Bangkok. We also left behind the smog, traffic, and weight of the 6 million plus people in the city.  By contrast, we were sitting in a country church with  the windows wide open and a pleasant  breeze upon our faces.  The members were singing with verve and the presence of The Lord was blessing the service.  Just outside the the windows of the church were rice fields and further  distant still were rubber tree groves. Beautiful!

 

The service concluded with the doxology sung simultaneously in Thai and English.  Seemed right.    A common tune tying 2 cultures together.

 

Somehow, the emotional discomfort with living life as  the most fortunate at Siam Nirimit after walking the slums of the least fortunate  resolved.   This resolution defines faith, believing in  something you don't understand.

 

His blessings on this journey have been predictably unpredictable.  We need only act in faith and he will reward our efforts.  We humble ourselves to His will and trust Him to guide us as we go.  Not knowing what is next is really a test  of our faith and a blessing.

We walk, He guides.  It's a wonderful plan!

                   -Reed

 

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,

Praise Him all creatures here below,

Praise Him above ye heavenly host,

Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost,

Amen!

Being A Light In A Spiritually Dark Land

 Friday we were not scheduled to do any workshops, which gave us some personal time to relax, journal, reflect, pray, and work on our lesson plans for next week in Nong Khai.

 

We toured The Thai Royal Palace, which is a huge complex of Buddhist temples, and the Residential Palace of The Thai Royal family. Though a constitutional monarchy since 1932, when Thailand was called Siam, the King is still very influential here. He has won the hearts of the Thai people, with many of his social programs, and economic redevelopment plans.

 The history, architecture and intricate artwork of these buildings rival those of Rome's chapels and cathedrals.

 However, watching the people here bowing down and worshipping idols of Buddha, animals, and mythical creatures gave me an odd feeling. I thought about Deuteronomy 28:17-18, "You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold. Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison."

  

It really puts meaning to the reason we came here; to let people know about Jesus, and that He is the only way to The Father. Also how He has been a positive force in our lives, and how  He can also be in theirs. Again please pray for us as we walk through this spiritually dark land, to be a light shining for The Lord!

                    -Brian

Concordia Day Care

We had the awesome opportunity and privilege to meet and play with some amazing children at the Concordia Day Care center.  The kids were all smiles as they drew pictures with sidewalk chalk, blew bubbles and colored with the markers we brought them.  The team from Lutheran Hour Ministries came with us and also lead us in songs and games.  This center provides a respite to these children who live in conditions most of us have a hard time imagining.

The center not only provides for physical needs of the children but also shares the love of Jesus with them.  At Christmas and Easter the parents are invited to come and learn of our heavenly Father and his love.  I pray that their hearts are open to believe and receive Christ as their Savior.  

I am having a hard time putting into words the feelings that come considering our life back home and all of the blessings we take for granted.  In the midst of this slum is a safe, clean, and loving place where His children can play, smile and laugh. These kids were amazing and I count myself blessed to have the opportunity to meet them. 

-Maria

Surreal Slum Stroll

Thursday we visited The Concordia Children's Day Care & Babies Home in the slums of Bangkok. This place was established so the people in the neighborhood would have a safe haven for their children to stay, while they go to work. Most cannot afford regular day care, only making a few dollars a day, and the alternative is to leave their children locked alone in the home (some as young as 1-1/2 old) for fear they would be taken by child sex traffickers. Here we spent a few hours with about 40 children ages 1-5, playing games, singing songs and doing activities. 

After being with the children, center director, Deng Thaweesin took us on a walk, through the slum area by the day care center, where the children live. The streets were nothing more than a bunch of adjoining narrow back alleys, lined with small dilapidated corrugated steel shacks built on raised frames. Garbage lie all around and a malodorous stench filled the hot & humid air from the lack of indoor plumbing. Mangy stray cats & dogs run wild, and the whole area is surrounded with barbed wire fencing.

Deng's  Mission extends to this area, as she routinely takes food to some of the residents. We stopped to visit a woman who had lost her legs and brought her food. We then visited & prayed over a paralyzed man while we brought him food. As we continued down this maze of alleys, we were able to visit and pray over a young woman who was sick and did not have use of her legs.

Seeing all this first hand was a little overwhelming for me, and it brought me to tears. I could just feel the desperation, and thought about my life and family back in America, and how abundantly blessed I am. I certainly do not deserve any of what I have, and wondered why I am in the position that I am. I didn't have to think long, knowing that God's plan puts people in places for His purpose. So why did God bring me and my team half way around the world to see this? To spread awareness? To help financially? To pray for these people? To learn contentment? To share The Gospel with them? All of the above? Though unknown now, God will reveal the reason to us in His time.

   

I was saddened as we were walked through their streets, and I saw the faces looking at us. I wondered what they were thinking as they saw us "outsiders" being guided through their neighborhood, almost like tourists on a wildlife park tour. It just doesn't make sense to me why some "have" and some "have not". I am no better than these people, or any other of the 6+billion people living on this earth. I believe this whole experience is a call to action to help these people both spiritually, and temporally. Spiritually by bringing them The  Good News of The Gospel, and temporally by rendering the aid they need.

Please pray for the people we came in contact with, and anybody else who is equally destitute, as we live in our comfortable little bubble of a world. May God continue to bless our team as we spend yet the next week in Thailand, so we have the courage to boldly proclaim His Word, and show compassion upon all people.

                               -Brian

                    

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40 NIV)

Joyful Noise Encore

Today was our second day at the school in Nakhon Pathom. In the morning we conducted the same lessons, games, songs, and activities with 75

fourth through sixth graders that we had with the younger grades yesterday. After being lunch guests of the school staff, we were able to spend time with all 160+ students (grades 1 through 6) out in the school courtyard, where we sang songs and played games. Again the enthusiasm of the children and staff were overwhelming, as they were gracious hosts.

Putting the day in perspective is a bit of a challenge.  Not sure what to share first.  We arrived at Thakam School about an hour early in the midst of a downpour.  On the way we were prepping for songs we would be sharing on a big screen for the whole student body to watch and participate in.  We took the extra time to strategize and determine how we would use the time allotted to us after the lunch hour.  The classroom activities went really well.  Having the first day jitters out of the way our performance anxiety was pretty much gone.

 The post lunch program started with Tok, from Lutheran Hour Ministries Staff, doing a masterful job of engaging and entertaining the children.  Following Tok we sang Deep and Wide, Oil in my Lamp, The Hokey Pokey and then the chicken dance for which we performed an encore.  Following the ceremonial thank-yous we were in a bit of a scrum. The entire team was swarmed by the children.  Imagine this, the lower grade kids were recruiting all the help they could find to try and lift up Greg, affectionately now referred to as the "soft squirrel". More on that later.  we were all surrounded by children hugging us and wanting to touch us.  That eventually evolved in to an autograph session.  Who woulda thunk?  Wow, we really didn't see that coming. They truly touched our hearts!

For many of these children, this was the first time in their lives that they've ever had contact with Christians. It is very important to any mission, that a positive first impression is made, for all Christians. This way a relationship of trust and understanding  can be established for future Christians, who will come along in their lives, to possibly share The Good News of Jesus Christ.

Today the love of Jesus did shine through all of us, which was made evident by the response of the children. Many of them will go home and tell their family of what they had experienced with us "Christians". It was also evident since the school staff asked not "if", but when could we return. Praise The Lord for His blessings so far, and may He keep His hand upon us as we continue on through Thailand.
 

              -Reed & Brian


Sent from my iPad  

"Let The Little Children Come To Me"

So today we started the teaching on our mission trip at a school in Nakhon Pathom (38 miles west of Bangkok). It was awesome to see the energy, enthusiasm, and curiosity of 72 first through third graders in the school courtyard as we arrived in the morning. These well disciplined children greeted us with smiles as we entered their classrooms to present a lesson to them. Greg & Linda did a segment with songs and games, Reed & Maria did a segment with music & art, and Brian & Joann did a segment on animals, with games.

 We were able to let the children know that they had a Heavenly Father, who cares about them, and loves them greatly. This was accomplished with us humbling ourselves, in a place out of our comfort zone and letting The Holy Spirit work through us....words supported by actions.

 When we finished with our lesson plan, these appreciative children did not want us to leave. We  told them we would stay an extra hour tomorrow when we return. 

They happily accepted our offer, and the staff invited us to stay for lunch after our presentation tomorrow. 

 It is encouraging to see the curiosity  and openness of the children and staff as we talk about Jesus, since the vast majority of Thailand is Buddhist; over 94%.

 Please keep the Thai people in your prayers, that they see the true light, who is Jesus Christ, and that they come to Him.

                     -Brian