I arrived in Bangkok, Thailand on New Year’s Eve excited to see what the month had in store, and also how the Lord was going to start 2017. So much happened this month, and I would love to share everything, but for now I’m going to focus on a few of the focal points.
NUONG
I woke up early every morning, walked over to the main building of our hotel, and spent my time with the Lord over a cup (or 3) of coffee. Nuong came into the dining room the last morning of our stay in Bangkok.
“Mary, I’m sad you’re leaving. I’ve felt more love in our time together than I have my whole life.
I explained that this love is bigger than me, that when I leave this love stays present! She looked surprised and excited, but was not ready to choose to follow Jesus alone. Please be praying with me that she may see that the Lord is good now that she has definitely tasted.
RIDING ELEPHANTS
As we were headed to the elephant sanctuary, I was asking the Lord what He wanted for the day. He clearly told me “love your elephant guide well”. Sounds great and all, right? Well, here’s the struggle with that. I showed up and loaded onto the elephant with my friend, Morgan, and we discovered that our driver spoke no English and very little Thai. I honestly was confused, so I prayed.
“Lord, you said to love this man well, but I can’t tell Him anything. I can’t ask him about his children or things he loves, I can’t even ask if he knows YOU! I’m literally just riding behind him on this elephant, and I’m supposed to show love?”
“Mary, not once has my love ever been limited by language. My Word says that love is patient, kind, not envious, etc. Love is communicated in spite of every apparent barrier or challenge. My love is unstoppable even by the limitations of the human tongue.”
Wow, that’ll put things into perspective. My attitude changed. I was able to look at every action as a way to communicate love, and also trust that the Holy Spirit in me is ministering as He sees fit in every situation. I just had to be a yielded vessel, eager to obey whatever He spoke. Moments of patience, kindness, and laughing in spite of language differences showed me that love is so much bigger than my ability to communicate it.
BASIC FIRST AID
I was teaching a cpr/first aid class at the school we were doing ministry with, and one of my students started getting upset because of another student’s poor behavior. I stopped teaching and explained to the class that when people do “bad” things, we need to look at their heart and not just their actions. All of their eyes were glued to me. I told them my testimony of being hurt different times in my life, but loving the person in spite of their actions because Jesus loved me first. Forgiveness and grace were like foreign concepts to them. I explained how Jesus forgave us for putting Him on the cross, and how God forgave us of our sins even though it lead to the death of His son, too. I asked if they wanted to begin forgiving people. Without hesitation, each student said “yes” with an eagerness in their voices. I had them all close their eyes and imagine standing in front of the person who has hurt them the most. They repeated after me, “I forgive you, not because you asked or deserve it, but because Jesus forgave me and gives me strength to forgive you.” Tears streamed down one student’s face.
“I’m bullied. I’m called awful things. I’m told to shut up. I’m not welcomed to hang out with anyone. I’m an outcast.”
A few moments of silence passed as the entire classroom pondered how to respond.
“But I forgive them. I forgive them anyways. I want to be free from this.”
You see, freedom in my life lead to freedom in another’s. Everything we’ve been through, every pressing moment we’ve endured is for a beautifully intricate moment. We are able to empathize and testify because we have seen God’s faithfulness. Today, I thank the Lord that He hasn’t allowed me to live in a sterile environment, with no challenges or moments that required endurance. This student’s life was encouraged for a moment because of the testimony of someone who was once as broken as he was.
