We’ve been in Thailand for a few days now. And we earned it, we did. I don’t think I ever have experienced a line quite like the line for immigration into Thailand. We were there for at least 4 hours. It was a fantastic challenge in patience. But let’s not dwell on the past.
The entire squad met in Bangkok for LDW. Let me tell you, Bangkok is as modern of a city as any I’ve ever visited. There are lots of nice malls – nicer than most I’ve ever seen in the States (think Phipps Plaza in Atlanta). I got to have Subway (twice) and Cinnabon, and some of my squadmates had Krispy Kreme. We even got to see the new Hunger Games movie at a theater that was just a nice as any Stateside.
But the city laid heavy on our hearts because the folks here are deceived. Buddhism is the predominant religion, evidenced by the shrine at most houses and businesses (although not as ubiquitous as in Cambodia). In Buddhism, one seeks Nirvana – living a life close enough to perfection to not have to try again. In essence, you seek the qualities of God: love, peace, respect, humility, etc., but not a relationship with Him nor with the One that He sent.
This month is “Manistry.” All of the men from R Squad have been combined to a team and get to spend this month serving alongside one another and pushing one another toward being men of God. Our team is in the north of the country working with an organization that identifies children who are at-risk of entering the sex industry and provides them with an education and occupational opportunities. In the few years that they have been in operation, the villages with whom they are working have begun to recognize the value of their children and their education and several villages now refuse to allow sex traffickers into their villages – praise be to God! Our role will be helping out with the facilities as well as spending time with the kids at the home.
