After a night-long bus ride south, with sleep still in our eyes at 6am, we met our contact for our next month of ministry in Thailand. Our boys unloaded the bags from the bus as our team slowly made a semi circle around Pastor Phil, our YWAM contact. He helped us load into a truck, and then followed us back to Vineyard Church to give us a quick tour. After showing us our rooms, he drove in his car back to his house.
Pastor Phil has a car. He speaks English, and he’s from California. He has lived in Thailand for eight years. He chose to be a missionary in southern Thailand because there are so many in the north. He wanted his light to have an impact in the darkness.
I was listening to a sermon by Christine Caine in which she talked about her daughter’s obsession with flashlights. She spoke about a time when her daughter desperately needed a flashlight. Dire circumstances call for dire measures. So, what could Christine do but bring her three-year-old to Wal-Mart? Once her daughter had chosen the perfect flashlight, they went to the check out. As soon as the flashlight was purchased, Christine’s toddler promptly turned the flashlight on. Since the lights in Wal-Mart are so bright, her daughter asked, “I can’t see my light. Can we go to the darkness so I can see my light?”
I marveled at this story and the unknowing faith that this three-year-old possesses. This is the story that Pastor Phil is living out. He felt called to Thailand, but not because of its beauty or luxury, not even because of the idea that northern Thailand might be easier. But he was called south because it is more unreached. What if we all lived this way? In such a way that we desperately wanted our light to shine bright so we searched out darkness. What would this world look like? If we lived our short lives as if we weren’t living for ourselves. As if there were a greater cause. Or a greater reason. Where might God be calling you to minster? What might you feel called to give up?
I’ve met pastors in three different countries on the world race so far. Each has given up something in some way. Our pastor in India gave up a life of awful, awful sin and chose to walk in the path of righteousness. Our pastor in Nepal gave up a life of the highest caste to live in close to the lowest solely so he could become a Christian and share his love and life with the least of these. Pastor Phil has given up American comforts and an American paycheck for the life of a missionary.
I was given a lot while living in Florida. I had an awesome job where I got to meet celebrities and watch the sun rise over the ocean. I was living with my best friends in a nice house with a nice car. I’m not looking for praise or concern for me. It’s not about me. It’s about them. The least of these. The billions of people who have never even heard the gospel. What have you been given?
I’ve met little girls who don’t own any shoes. Her clothes had holes all over and were too small for her. Her sister had clothes on that were way too big. They were dirty and would probably never be clean. This outfit that she had on was doubtless the only one that she owned. Do I really matter so much more that I should be allowed to own 20 pairs of jeans and over 100 shirts? I really don’t think so. Just because I was born in America I am given choices, opportunities, and freedoms. I want to choose to use them for the good of others rather than abuse them for myself.
