September – THAILAND!!
Languages- Thai,Chinese,Malay,Khmer,Mon,Karen,Maio
Religions- Buddhist 95%, Muslim 4%,other 1%
Weather? Hot, Humid & I’ll be there at the end of monsoon season! (thanks Mom for getting me that rain jacket for Christmas!)
From The World Race: According to the CIA, the kingdom of Thailand, known as Siam until 1939, is the only country in the region not colonized by Europe. Their 2000 census showed that 94.6% of the population is Buddhist, 4.6% are Muslim, and 0.7% are Christian. Approximately 600,000 people live with HIV/AIDS in Thailand. With nearly two million people estimated to be forced into prostitution, it has become one of the most popular places for sex tourism. Change lives in the city-where you, like Jesus, might befriend prostitutes-or in the countryside-where you may serve youth, care for orphans, and encourage a remnant of believers.
After talking to my good friend Kari I’ve gained a little more insight on what my team may face in Thailand.
She said, “To be Thai is to be Buddhist” is a saying you will hear alot. Thai people do not know how to separate their religion from their culture, and this makes it hard to share Jesus with them. Also, Thai people are very much concerned with spirits, especially ancestral spirits. Many of them have dreams of these spirits and are afraid of them. Even new believers are afraid of what the Spirits will do to their children since they have become believers! I definitely recommend reading something about spiritual warfare in these places. Spiritual Warfare by Dean Sherman is one that I read that was pretty good. Another good, short book that will really tell you about the Buddhist faith from a Christian perspective is The Lotus and the Cross, by Ravi Zacharias. Its pretty short, and one of my favorites. I will be praying for the Thai people that you will meet and get to share with!”
Life and mission for racers in Thailand varies. We might be sleeping in small village huts working with locals to teach english math, science, and introduce the Gospel! Or every night we could be working in the red light district, praying and loving the women and children, who forced into prostitution sell their bodies as a livelihood.
We know that we can’t always save the the lost and broken, we have to leave that to God. What we can do is love them and bring awareness of the 27 million men, women, and children trapped in prostitution and human trafficking. I believe that together in faith we can end this thing. While we know simple awareness will never end these issues, we also know they’ll never end without it.
We could be the ones to answer the Lord’s call to be a voice for the voiceless. Our hands will hold the hurting. My voice will spread the name of Jesus. I will GO. I believe in seeing Thailand as it is in Heaven.
Peace and Blessings
Beth Milam
#BethBeyondBorders #InThailandAsItIsInHeaven
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. SEND ME!”
Isaiah 6:8
