The one where we preached Jesus in a Buddhist Temple…

  

It was a moment in time carved out just as delicately as the carvings that are so carefully etched into the wall of the Buddhist temple that we sat in. By our plan we were not supposed to be in Chang Mai still, but we serve a God so loving that he pursues people though His people.

     

For three hours we sat on the ground bare foot with our legs crossed in the middle of a Buddhist temple surrounded by golden carved images of Buddha and Dragons and listened to a man named Toi tell us all about “the way” that Buddha has shown us.  I listened intently eager to learn what it is that they follow. So much of their culture is wrapped up in following Buddha, a man who lived over 2,500 years ago by their count. We sat learning from each other and agreeing that many of our beliefs are the same. In many ways I felt like he was ministering to me and God used him to strengthen my faith. Together we believe that as humans we are here to love and care for one another and forgive each other’s wrongs; that there is a choice to what you believe and we are meant to seek after truth or “the way”. We agree that we are to let go of our burdens and set the unimportant aside; we are to live each day because we don’t know what the next holds.  He shared with us that as human beings we have the choice to create or destroy. Then… we shared the gospel that Jesus is the son of God; that He died on the cross to offer us forgiveness, and He wants to have a personal relationship with people though the Holy Spirit and the freedom that comes with that. We shared that the Bible says, “Jesus is the way the, the truth, and the life and the no man comes to the Father but by Him.”

                  
This story for Toi started long before we showed up and I know it will continue on after. Toi has spent a lot his life working at the temple. He was a monk at one point but now just serves as a volunteer for the grounds and taking care for the head monk that lives there. He has spent his life searching and seeking out “the way” and I believe God has been seeking after him. He told us that he has been reading the Bible and the Koran for years to understand the teaching of other men who reached enlightenment. He has a friend who came to build a Christian church in Thailand, he visits every year for three months and they talk about what they believe. Today because of a sick teammate we happened to be in the city an extra day and happened to go to the temple he works at. From the words of Detective Gordon in Batman “You're a detective now, you're not allowed to believe in coincidence anymore” The truth of Jesus is showing up in His life.

                                          

Toi is a gardener, volunteer, servant, and a seeker of the truth. In his humble heart it evident in the way that he speaks of life.  But despite what he thinks he is a powerful man. The Holy Spirit led us to Toi; the man who takes care of the aging head monk of Chang Mai. This monk is head over the 1,300ish Temples and around 9,000 monks of this city. This monk has asked Toi to take over this position of head monk when he passes on. Toi said he does not want it, but he has not said yes and he has not said no. Who knows if we will see Toi come to know Jesus as his savior or what God has planned, but I know that with God all things are possible and we serve a very big God. For such a time is this.

I can’t lie and sugar coat it. The oppression for Thailand has weighed heavy on me ever since we go here. The people are trapped by a religion that holds no freedom, a religion that requires you to earn your way to try to reach a place of nothing or nirvana.  There are young girls in the building next to me that are held captive by the sex industry and there are men here that are broken enough to buy a cheap form of love.  This week two of our teams were told that they can’t work in certain bars because the Russian mob is in town. On Tuesday 5 people from our squad had to visit the hospital for different things. The devil is at work against us but Greater is He who is in us then he who is in the world.

Today God showed me hope in a place that holds the threat of seeming hopeless.

He led us to share His love with a man named Toi in the temple

Yesterday was the grand opening of the coffee shop that our contact Emi runs to help women

Last night and tonight teams went out to become friends and share the love of Christ with prostitutes, and one groups met a lady named Joy that they plan on going back to visit.

 Last night we went and handed out water and tracks to the homeless on the streets tonight because God laid it on my Team leader’s heart. Tonight we went back and just sat and talked to a man we met on the street named Nid. He makes little wood carving and talked to us about living on the street.

Some of my squad mates Melissa and Rebecca have become friends with a Buddhist monk and today got the opportunity to share the gospel with him.

The men for “man”istry month are serving at a home that takes care for kids to insure they do not become part of the sex industry.

Maybe someday my team will make it to the village like we planned but until then there is the Lord’s work and a water festival to be had in Chang Mai.