One aspect to our ministry this
month is monk chat, which is exactly what it sounds like. Basically, a group of
us go to the large 600-year-old temple here in town and sit and talk with the
monks. I have done this just about everyday we have been in Chiang Mai and it
is probably my favorite ministry activity of the entire Race.
Our first day at Monk chat, we met
a monk named Mi. We talked with him about his passions and the reasons he
became a monk. We also learned a lot about the nature and purpose of Buddhism.
Mi has been around a whole lot. We see him almost everyday and he sometimes
sits in on our conversations with other monks. We really believe that the Lord
has him lingering around us for divine reasons.
Another day, we were talking to a
young monk named Kasol. His English was not great. At one point, a Hindu woman
from India sat at the table and talked with us (it was like the set-up of a bad
joke: a Buddhist monk, a Hindu woman, and three Christians sat at a
table.). It was an incredible glimpse
at what an inclusive world could oook like and an unfortunate rarity in my
life. After hearing a lot about Kasols life and some more details about
Buddhism, we shared the gospel with him. Although he had heard a little of
Jesus (he really struggled to even pronounce the name right), he confessed that
he had never heard the gospel as fully as we presented it to him. Alongside my
teammates Justin and Melissa, we boldly declared as much truth and detail about
our Love as we could. We may have got a little excited and overwhelmed the poor
guy. But it is hard not to be passionate when we are talking about God. A seed
definitely planted.
The best monk chat story is our
budding friendship with a monk named Churchai. He speaks the best English of
the monks we encountered. He became a monk to help pay for his education and he
is not sure he wants to do it forever. Also, Churchai is extremely intelligent
and witty. A few days ago Justin and I sat down and talked with him. We learned
more about Buddhism from him than all our other chats combined and really
developed a quick connection. He is our friend. We scheduled a time to meet
with him again.
When we went for this second
meeting, Churchai was busy talking to someone else and Justin and I
begrudgingly sat and talked with another monk. When this new monk asked what I
did for my job (I was a youth pastor before the race), it helped open the door
for us to say we were Christian and share some about the concept of God with
him. Eventually Churchai made his way over to us! Justin and I ended up talking
with him for a couple hours about heaven and hell, the scandal of grace, the
Creator God, and the Inventor of peace, joy, and love. He had a lot of great
questions and the Spirit provided us with some honest answers (including the
vulnerable, I dont know, but I trust in my Jesus.). Churchai laughed and
dialogued with us. He really understood what we said and I hope to get to talk
to him again before we leave next week.
As we
shared about our faith and what we believe about God with Churchai, the monk
that we had first talked to was also listening. Not only that, but three other
monks sat on the bench next to our table and watched the Spirit leak out of
Justin and I, intently listening to these crazy Christians speak about Love. No
less than four monks heard the entirety of our conversation about Jesus with
Churchai. Incredible.
The monks have a lot of great,
convicting things to share with us too. Their commitment to discipline puts me
to shame. All of the monks we talk to are trying to live simply, find peace,
and be more conscious of who they are. I want that too. We have said a lot that
the monks are doing a great job of dying to things, but are not living for
much. It is a belief system very much set on hope and discipline; if I do good
then my karma will see to it that I am rewarded (I learned from Churchai that
they believe that after death, a person goes to hell to pay for bad karma, then
goes to heaven to enjoy good karma, and THEN, when the slate is wiped clean,
they reincarnate to a new life, based on their old lifes accumulated karma and
the karma they earn in heaven).
In a culture of karma and personal
destiny, the insane idea of grace and forgiveness is hard to convey. The monks
want to know why we do not just sin all the time, if God will always forgive, about
heaven and hell, about how a Christian finds peace and self-fulfillment. It is
hard for them to understand a faith system that is not about us or our
betterment, but solely about the adoration and worship of our God.
Please pray for us and for Mi (the Lord’s not done with him),
Kasol (that the gospel would linger and take root), and especially Churchai (that he would talk more with us and consider the Source of all his heart longs for), as we spend our last week in Chiang Mai sharing
life, stories, and faith with our new friends.
