I don’t know why, but I really didn’t expect to be writing this blog in Thailand. I have been reminded of America in so many ways while spending time here. They are so technologically advanced. They drive real automobiles on real, paved roads. They have 7-11’s and KFC’s. Why would I ever think that on a mission trip I would run into poverty?
We have been to two different primary schools while in Thailand. The first one we went to, we played games and taught English, then we came back the next day to paint and construct soccer goals. This was the “poor” school. There were maybe 40 or 50 kids there, and they all had on nice uniforms. It didn’t look like a poor school. The second school was nicer, and not classified as a “poor” school. They also had nice uniforms and a good school with a big field. We also played games and taught English there.
We were asked to return to the “poor” school that we had been to the first week so that we could come and teach the Bible. They had never had someone in their school to teach the Bible, so we were really excited to see how God was using us. We went there today.
The kids split up into grades kindergarten through 3rd, then 4th through 6th. Ashley, Garrett, and I taught the Bible study first to the younger kids. They seemed to understand and answered questions really well. I hope that some of the words that we spoke stick in their hearts. After lunch, we taught the older kids.
I taught through Genesis, Garrett taught through Exodus, and Ashley finished us off with teaching about Jesus. After we completed the lesson that we had planned, Pook (the pastor’s wife who helps us translate) helped them to learn how to pray. She had each of the 9 kids in our group pray to Jesus a simple prayer, just so they knew what to do. No one has ever shown them how. After we finished praying with them, we read through some Bible stories. They then asked Pook if they could have a Bible so they could read it too. Man, I love the world race.
Apart from all this, there were two things that really stuck out to me while we were with the older kids.
As I was teaching about the creation of the world, I was telling them about Adam. I said that Adam was probably lonely when he didn’t have any friends with him. I asked them if they had ever been in their room by themselves and was really lonely. No one knew what I meant. They all said that they have siblings. It was right then that it hit me that they probably have never been alone in their lives. The constant community that I’m getting used to living in is something that they’re born into. It’s normal. They are always around people. I’m sure they will probably be lonely at some point in their lives, but it just really hit me in the face that they cannot at all relate to how I was raised. I had a room all to myself. I sometimes sat in there for hours. And I hated it. Oh, how blessed I was without even realizing it.
After this was shown to me, I feel like I was so much more aware of poverty. As Ashley was talking, I sat next to the kids and looked around. Out of all 9 kids sitting there, only one had socks that didn’t have holes in them. 5 girls and 3 boys had socks that were pretty much useless. Their toes stuck through and their heels had no protection. Only one girl had socks that covered her feet completely.
In a country that I perceive as so technologically advanced, poverty is still so prevalent. That made me think of how I perceive America. How my eyes have been covered! I am so unaware of the pain and poverty that my own neighbors have to deal with. Even if we do have a KFC to go to at the end of the day, it just doesn’t seem just.
