Thailand ushered in month 9 of the World Race for D squad. (This is coming a bit late, as I am currently in Cambodia and it’s month 10). Changes were everywhere in month 9.
We changed continents from Africa to SE Asia, I went from living under a mosquito net and having to go to the outhouse to use the restroom to sweating my life away and in a clean tile floor room with an en suite bathroom. Culturally there are a million differences, no shoes inside the house in Thailand, no more Ugali but pounds upon pounds of Pad Thai noodles, no more shacks that house witch doctors but now beautiful ornate golden Buddas everywhere. The smells are different here in SE Asia, instead of only one shower a week, now it’s 2 a day.
And above all ministry was different.
As a missionary in Africa we would travel door to door and tell people about Jesus, let them know of a good church they could attend and pray for them and be gone and someone from the church would follow up. Meeting people on the street I always introduced myself as a missionary, and dropped the name Jesus a couple times in the conversation. This was the cultural norm for Africa, to be very forward with our faith.
In Thailand during our cultural briefing our contact Emmi went over the various projects that the teams would be working with under her ministry Lighthouse in Action. One team would be working in a coffee house teaching english to University students and helping out in the cafe in the hopes of building relationship with the regular customers. One team would be working in the Red Light district, going into bars and befriending the prostitutes. And the third team would be out in a remote village, working alongside the villagers in the rice farms and working in an orphanage in the afternoons. the ONLY rule that Emmi put in place was that we could not share the Gospel. We were to not bring our bible to the bar, or preach at the rice farmers; we were to share the love of Christ by just being ourselves and letting God’s light shine through us.
This was a BIG change from Africa.It really through some people for a loop, I mean we ARE on a missions trip and usually on missions trips you preach the Gospel. Emmi was in no way condemning that style of evangelism but she has found that it just doesn’t work that way in Thailand.
But building relationship does work.
And the short term World Racers connect their new found friends with long term missionaries who will be able to continue to pour out life past our short month. AND THEN once a secure relationship is built based on trust and love the Gospel is shared. Often times it doesn’t even take that long, because what they see in the Missionaries is so attractive they want it to.
Two other teams were with an organization called Remember Nhu which takes children that are high risk for being trafficked and gives them a beautiful home and pays for schooling all free of charge to the parents. Remember Nhu is raising these children to be the light of Thailand. Instead of believing that it is in their Karma to be sold into the sex trade they are realizing that they are worthy children of God.
Things changed for me as a Racer this last month also. I’ve transitioned into Squad Leading, and am now on a team with the amazing Priscilla Grey and Dan Lorghy. Being a Squad leader means I now travel around the country to the various teams at their ministry location, work alongside of them and hopefully pour out some good love onto the teams. There’s other logistical stuff too, but really being with the squad is by far the coolest part.
Lots and lots of change happened in Thailand, and I loved it all. Please do yourself a favor and look up these two ministries and see how amazing they are. Lighthouse in Action and Remember Nhu.
Malaria support funds update- Still in need of $1000 to cover all expenses incurred from my Malaria adventure. Donations can be made online through Paypal, just type in my email address [email protected] in the transfer section. Or you can mail/drop off checks to Neighborhood Church in Chico. Make checks payable to Neighborhood Church with Kelly King in the memo line.
Neighborhood Church
2801 Notre Dame Blvd. Chico, CA 95928
