Humbled to work alongside people who are spurred on for the Kingdom. It’s obvious that God’s work is being done at Agape House, through the local caretakers, and humbly, through us as well. We’ve spent a week and a half cleaning rooms, scrubbing toilets and floors, dusting, sweeping, painting, and doing various odd jobs in between. Ministry is not exactly what we thought it would be, which is a wonderful reminder to have no expectations when working for the Lord. It’s been humbling just to play a small role in the larger picture of Agape House’s ministry to the Thai people. We’ve spent our evenings exploring the crowded streets of Chiang Mai, trying the local food, and building relationship with one another.
Chiang Mai is beautiful, but very heavy. Heavy with the weight of false idols and religious imprisonment. I’ve been spending time asking the Lord how He wants to move here through our team, trying to be attentive to the Holy Spirit’s promptings of when and what to speak. There is a lot of tradition and ritual that is steeped in the culture of Buddhism. Imagine that leaving your religion meant leaving everything you know. Your culture, your traditions, and in many cases, your family. That is what leaving Buddhism means for many of the Thai people. Jesus is worth all of that, and proclaiming that fact is what we are here to do.
The Lord has been laying Isaiah 61 on my heart throughout this trip;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Would you join me in praying that over the people of this country? We are asking and believing that walls fall, and chains break in the name of Jesus! Blessed to be a humble vessel of the Most High here in Thailand. The Lord doesn’t need our help to bring His Kingdom, but He actively chooses to partner with us. How cool is that!
