Ministry in Thailand ended in a transformative way. (Unsurprisingly) Pat had a way with making every experience we had transformative, but this time was different. I’ve been on short-term mission trips before, I’ve now lived in 2 others countries ministering to others through different organizations but, to be honest, I have yet to see any direct fruit from our efforts. We’ve prayed for healing, but I haven’t seen eyes be opened. We’ve prayed for financial blessings, but cash hasn’t rained from the sky. We’ve prayed for infertile women to have babies but we didn’t get to see those prayers be answered. This isn’t to say our prayers weren’t heard, because I know without a doubt they were and they will be answered. It’s just to say that we weren’t there to see them answered.. and selfishly I wanted to see direct results from God.
Our last day of ministry, (and our first – Read: One Life at a Time) changed my perspective on “seeing fruit” and reminded me that my life isn’t a series of short-term mission trips where God needs to show up in those specific moments, but my life is to be a missional life. I should be living each day dying to my selfish ways and loving others the way Jesus did. I shouldn’t limit God’s mercy to when I’m praying for healing in a hospital, but know that God lives with me and if I simply live a life aligned with Truth, no matter where I am, I will be able to see prayers answered and change begin to happen.
Our last day of ministry took us into the villages. We were to be bringing the sick and elderly soy milk and rice to help with their digestion. We were going to spend some time with these people who were living out their last years to show them nothing but love and care. We met some awesome people. One guy was 103 years old and still kicking it! He played the guitar (sort of) and tried on some Ray Ban’s to be edgy like the kids. We met a woman who’s kidneys were failing and I was able to use the last of my Aveeno hand lotion to ease the pain from her dried arms. But the real story comes from the third house we visited. We planned to visit 13 houses that day, but after we saw the conditions the next woman, Kiaw was living in, we dropped everything to help her.
We entered the dark home. The windows were shut and the curtains were drawn. We took off our shoes and stepped lightly onto the floors that were gritty from dirt and dust. The air in the small room was thick and full of death. We looked at each other mouths covered by our hands and shook our heads. Kiaw was laying on the floor on a thinning sleeping mat. Her body was bent into the fetal position as she tried to mumble out a few words of greeting. Pat told us that Kiaw was 84 and was living alone. She had no husband or children to care for her, so the neighbors would stop in daily to make sure she had food, water and honesty to make sure she wasn’t dead.
It took a lot of strength for me to sit down next to her and try to talk to her. I was uncomfortable. But her eyes looked into mine and I couldn’t deny that she was human, she was my sister and I loved her. All selfishness aside, I touched her arm to let her know I was there as Caitlin walked over to grab the guitar. We told her we were going to sing her some songs and get her cleaned up. As Caitlin brought the guitar over, her eyes filled with tears and her hands cupped together in excitement. We smiled and laughed, filling the room with light. We started singing Break Every Chain and Reckless Love, (the only two songs we knew) and she clung to every word we said.
During this time, we started looking around the room to see what we were working with. Her sleeping pad smelled of mold and urine and was infested with ants. Our eyes walked up the walls and we saw the ants had made their home all over. Kiaw kept scratching her feet against each other, and when we looked to see how we could aide the itching we saw that the ants had set in between her toes and were eating her flesh. Shock and sadness and anger overtook us and we just started saying, “This is not okay.” Caleigh got a rag and began gently clearing the ants from her feet while the rest of us decided how we were going to help her.
It was decided she couldn’t sleep on that bed any longer, or in that room for that matter, but what could we do? Pat decided we would go get her a new bed. So a couple of us jumped in the truck to get her a bed while the others continued to clean the room. We moved Kiaw tenderly off the bed and onto clean sheets that were a makeshift sleeping pad for the time being to give her comfort. We opened up the windows and began sweeping and cleaning the walls of her home. As we lifted her old mattress pad, it stuck to the ground and we noticed the mold on the floor beneath her. We were sickened by her living conditions and our hearts broke.
After cleaning her room to the best of our abilities, we brought in the new clean mattress that was made from a vinyl material. We hoped it would be easier for the neighbors to clean and to help in keeping the ants away. We put on fresh sheets and blankets and slowly lifted her back onto her new bed. Her eyes were filled with tears and she continued to make the ‘thank you’ gesture towards us. We sat around her and held her hands and began praying for her. I couldn’t keep from crying. The only form of communication we had with one another was love and the room was filled with it. We weren’t able to buy her a new home. We weren’t able to send her to the hospital. But what we were able to do – we did. It’s that simple.
I realized I have the whole image of Jesus and his ministry wrong in my head. Miracles don’t have to be blind eyes opening and money raining from the rooftops. This was a miracle. It was a miracle that seven American girls happened to be in Thailand that day. It was a miracle we went to that village and met Kiaw. It was a miracle that we dropped everything to minister to her and help her in her time of need. God showed up that day and he performed miracles right in front of our eyes.
I think that miracles happen to me all the time, but I’ve been too blind to recognize God’s movement in my life. I’m so thankful for this day in Thailand and for 84 year old Kiaw who helped to open my eyes to the wonders and deep love of God.
(Kiaw after we cleaned her room!)
