I just spent my night in local Thai bars with an alcoholic man, prostitutes, a ladyboy, strippers, a kind beggar and a sick little girl selling flowers.
I’d claim any of them as my friends and spend more time with them if I could.
Also,
I don’t read my bible.
I don’t go to church.
But I have love, and as an old book once said:
Without love, I am nothing.
I'll explain further.
I gave my Bible away to a little girl in India before we left for the month.
Why would God tell me to give up my bible in a country where Hindi is the national language and finding an English bible would be nearly impossible?
Because I was reading it too much! (ha..ha..)
I would wake up in the morning, lay in bed, surrounded by my team and read
a verse or two from Psalms, close it and there! I’m done with devotions.
I found I was using it as an excuse to not be alone and actually talk to my friend Jesus.
So by not having a quick read as an option, I was forced to speak to God.
Forced to listen for His voice. Forced to cultivate the Spirit’s presence.
I got to fall deeper in love with someone who cares so much about me!
I finally found an English bible here in Thailand,
but I just don’t read it a whole lot. But that is okay.
I read it when the spirit leads me to, not out of obligation.
No, obligation gets you nowhere with God;)
Oh yeah, I have only attended 3 church services, if that, this whole year.
And most of them contained wild music, dancing, smiling people,
crazy worship and a short message.
But the revival is far deeper, realer and truer than anything I’ve seen in the states.
So that is my short message to the world.
The fact that you went to church on Sunday and read your bible today doesn’t impress God.
He is about a quality relationships…with Him, with everyone.
He loves you for who you are…problems and all, not for what you do.
He loves your heart so much and it can then explode with love for everyone!
.
.
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So the rest of this story gets crazy, read on if you dare.
This is what ministry looks like, and I can only imagine
the crazy reputation Jesus had after doing the same things!
Tonight I talked to a man from the USA who was in the red light district with my friend Poh.
His name is Kev and he graduated from Furman University and has lived in over 14 places since then,
and is in Thailand for rehabilitation for his alcohol addiction.
He kills people for a living and was rather intoxicated when I met him,
but I could tell he had a good heart.
He felt so hopeless, controlled by alcohol. I saw pain and regret in his actions as he talked about his family, how bad he was and how to never be like him.
I told him he had hope, a future, reason to live.
Just then, Poh, trying to sober him up dumped a bottle of water on his head,
soaking his shirt. He kept yelling that he needed a new shirt!
I was with Catherine and we looked at each other, both deciding to go buy him one.
We told him we’d be right back and took off down the
dark streets of Chiang Mai to find a shirt.
We found a random army supply store, with boots and sunglasses and clothes for men.
After the 350 Baht purchase of a lovely light blue Hawaiian button up,
we ran back to the bar.
Poh and Kev were gone! Our drinks and table were cleared off too.
After we ran around the streets looking in different bars we gave up and headed home.
We chatted with and supported a sweet beggar, played with Walley, a little girl who had a bad cold but was still out selling flowers with her mom, and had ‘cheers’ with a ladyboy….(a man who, well, is now a woman.) She was so funny and really loves us. We met up with our other team who had just left the strip club.
They minister, write notes, and encourage the girls who are off stage in their identity as beautiful women who matter.
Then sometimes, the girls dancing pull up the girls from our team and they 'dance' (more like…just hung out…) with some of the girls on stage.
“We looked like such missionaries, up there on stage hardly moving but we had so much fun just hanging out with the girls!”
On our way home we got chocolate banana rotee, (crepes)We all laughed and talked about the dates we had planned with the girls we met that night.
That’s life. Live it to the fullest. It’s about how you love.
Go do something crazy, live a little, and love a lot while you do it.
Love,
rach
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PS!
I’m stoked to add that I only have $234 left to raise!
Click HERE to support me!
