AIM offers a great opportunity for our parents to have a taste of what life on the world race looks like. It was such an awesome time for us as racers and our parents to be with one another and interact with other squadmates and their parents. I asked my parents if they could write a guest about their experienc.
”Nope… never wanted to go to the far east… never had a passion for visiting the Orient. Never wanted to tour the slums. Never wanted to walk a Red Light District. Never wanted to be on a plane for 15 hours straight. Never wanted to go on a missions trip.
But then… our son asked us to do just that. And we couldn’t wait!
Our only goal was to get there and wrap our arms around the boy that had left us 7 months prior. To hold him close…. to be with him in 3D instead of “seeing” him in 2D as we had since he had left. Don’t get me wrong… we have been grateful for the level of communication we have been afforded with him since he left… but this was going to be different… and beyond worth it.
Turns out, it was better than we could have imagined.
We got to be with our son, The Man. No longer the boy… A man…. of God.
We were blessed to meet his friends and fellow racers. So many of whom we have “followed”, reading their blogs and hearing their stories… and now, we got to hug them too. We got to see them in action…. FEEL their passion… SEE in their eyes their LOVE for Jesus and watch them operate as a well oiled Community. It was like watching a hive, each member knowing each others strengths and weaknesses, watching out for each other… working together to achieve common goals… watching out for each other as they were in need. It was, and I cannot over state this, a symphony of a loving community.
Each member of the community SO very different. And as they celebrated the differences, they recognized each other’s strengths. Their internal communication was a beauty to behold. This is the kind of organism that corporations strive to become but rarely do. They do not have the personal commitment and investment these racers have. I enjoyed watching them work through the dynamics of reengaging their parents for the first time in 7 months as a changed person… and watching the parents love on their children but recognizing them now as responsible a Godly adults. It was beautiful. It was Awesome.
We got to meet the parents of these incredible racers. So different and so much the same. Parents from all over the country. Parents passionate about their child and about their relationship with God. We made great new friendships and are grateful for the many conversations and mutual support. One parent, having been lost for many years, and having had many signs and promptings in the last few months, now during a session while one of the racers spoke, silently proclaimed their acceptance of Jesus as their person savior and subsequently asked their child to baptize them in the hotel pool. … an incredible moment for the parent and child.
“Amazing Grace”, ironically sung by all in worship later on…. had very special meaning that evening.
We were stretched….
Praying as we walked the Red Light District… praying the “Walls would fall”… Praying for peace for those who are forced into this kind of life and for those on the demand side of the economic equation…. for without demand, there is no supply side. This was one of the most uncomfortable hours of my life. And yet, there was strength brought by the racers… and their faith…. and their leadership. It was AWESOME to witness.
Personally, I enjoyed too listening to the owner of the coffee shop that was tied to the hostel that hosted the Adventures In Missions group that we were part of. His father had started a shop in Wisconsin with the idea that a For Profit company could use proceeds to support mission work. They have since opened a shop in the Philippines and now in Chiang Mai Thailand. His goal is to hire girls out of the sex industry, teach them a trade, offer them education and support and then help them find jobs in the community… making room them for more girls to continue the cycle.
There were lots of rules… cultural differences… you know… “Take off your shoes when entering…” “Don’t push things around with your feet”… “Don’t point with your feet (“who does that anyway?” I thought… but subsequently caught myself doing it on several occasions!!) “Don’t eat with a fork, only a spoon”… “Don’t speak ill of the King (his picture is required to be hung prominently in every business and it is a major insult to speak badly of him…. and the whole bowing thing… who to bow to, when…. how deep to bow… where do the hands go when bowing to different people… sadly, I insulted several folks by trying to shake their hand… but there was a lot of grace given by the Thai people we encountered. They are always smiling… always happy to help. It was a real lesson to us… that we must remember to smile more and to offer grace always.
It was fun too to visit a Rotary meeting in town… good people doing great work in Chiang Mai.
Oh.. and the Thai food (just called food there) was incredible. We didn’t know what we were eating half the time but it was all excellent.
Throw in giving elephants a bath, white water rafting and an ATV ride across the country… touring the most beautiful Buddhist temples you can imagine… working in the coffee shop preparing it for renovation and having a fish pedicure….every day was an adventure…. an Adventure in Missions.
At the core of it, we just really enjoyed spending time with our son… now a man… a man of God… and now only 4 months from coming home. We are blessed and grateful to be supported by so many who helped to make this trip possible and to the leadership of AIM for making it happen.
Although this blog is longer than I wanted, I realized that it is only covering 6 days of being with our son on his mission trip of 11 months. How can one NOT be changed. Karen and I are so very grateful to all of Jonathan’s supporters for helping to make this life changing trip happen. The impact of the ripples…. ripples you helped create… is incalculable.
And thank you Jonathan for allowing us to join you for a short time on your journey. It was truly a blessing beyond measure… We love you dude. Finish strong. See you soon.
Here is a quick video for your enjoyment…
