Continuing Our Mission...

     

  As our team flies home from our Thailand mission trip there are many thoughts and feelings that have come to the forefront of my mind.  We went to serve our God who loves us, through serving the Thai people.  The passion  exhibited for their faith through the use of spirit houses was striking. The houses were seen next to the poorest of shacks, in front of businesses and even in the medians of the boulevards.  What impressed me the most was how shiny and well maintained they are. They place fresh flowers and other trinkets on them regularly.  It is common to place bottles of water or juice with straws in them as a means of pleasing unknown entities.  The filth, trash and disrepair that accumulates around houses and businesses is of little concern to them.  By contrast, the spirit houses are well maintained.  They glisten in the sun with gold leaf, jewels and intricate architectural lines.  They are a thing of beauty.
  Is there a point to all this?  I wonder why we as Christians are tentative in showing our faith in God with an outward sign in our front yards for everyone to see.  It would be a meaningful expression of our faith to place a cross or other sign of faith and plant some flowers to honor the God who has so richly blessed us.  It could open up conversations with the neighbors and act as a more constant reminder of how thankful we are that Christ made the ultimate sacrifice to save us.  Nativity scenes in the front yard at Christmas remind us every time we drive up our driveway that Jesus became like one of us in order to fulfill God's plan.  The Thai people offer these things in the hope that something better will be in their future, but we as God's children have that blessed assurance of a place with Jesus in heaven for eternity.  My plan is to make this outwardly obvious in more ways and encourage my Christian neighbors to do the same.  I want to continue the mindset to save the lost right in my own neighborhood mission field.  How about you?  I pray that through the seeds we planted showing God's love through song, dance, pantomime, gifts, hugs and a willingness to just be there, our friends at Lutheran Hour Ministries, with God's help, can change those spirit houses to crosses.

-Laura Ciletti