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,
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