Give or Take…

Sitting here in a Bangkok Starbucks (well, now I’m actually
posting this at a Coffee World in the airport), it’s hitting me that I’m not
quite ready to leave Asia (minus Bangkok, as this is our 6^th time in
the city, yet I have seen only a sliver of it, specifically the little area
where our YWAM base was.. I can tell you where the fruit/coffee stand and 7-11
are that we frequented). Fittingly,
we’ve come full circle – beginning and ending our SE Asia tour back in the
sprawling, congested capital that is Bangkok. After the Caribbean, I was looking forward to moving onto the next
continent. As the token Asian on the
squad, I was kinda excited to be in an environment where I could blend in and
lose the others (haha jk). While having
the look but not the language was a frustration at times, simply looking the
part allowed me to fly under the radar and not be bothered by street vendors,
flower children and pesky Easy Riders. I
also realized when kids shouted “hello!” and waved and smiled, it was not meant
for me, but for my “Western” teammates (I can’t possibly look Asian and still
be from America). It was less about
blending in than it was about having more options in general (and ok, I was anticipating
more flavorful food and the chance to finally eat fruit). I admit to some disappointment when I’d first
heard people say they hadn’t been looking forward to Asia or had no particular
thoughts/interest/passion about it, in comparison to places like Africa. It seems, and I could be assuming wrongly
here, that the strife of Asian countries tend to take a backseat to the plights
in Africa. Perhaps Africa is more
well-known for its poverty… and I have no problem with people having a heart
for other countries. However, I
challenge us to keep an open mind to each place we have a chance to be a
witness to; to be present wherever we are and not miss out on opportunities and
relationships. I also had to lay down my
pride regarding any perceived ignorance about Asia and to be glad that God has
a heart for all His people.  I realize
it’s self-centered and biased because I’m Asian and know that we’ve been
through our share of oppression, genocide, hardships, even though we tend to
keep a low profile (or gov’t has a tight control on propaganda). I also know what it has to offer – the
culture of respect and humility, conservatism in dress and behavior, obsession
with Westerners (Caucasians have a huge advantage over me) and strong emphasis
on family and education (to name a few). 

After three months here, Asia didn’t disappoint. We had a ton of choices in terms of food,
exotic fruit (solid or shake form),
shopping, modes of transportation, picturesque moments. We could venture out and explore while
feeling relatively safe. That being
said, freedom and options often chain us to a consumerist mindset. I’m definitely guilty of falling into that
trap these past three months. I’ve felt
materialistic many times (not to mention the fact that I scream TOURIST! with
my camera bag glued permanently to my shoulder). I’ve shipped packages home twice… had more
than my share of Western indulgences (burgers, iced coffees, pizza, spas,
desserts).. become familiar with all the markets offering cheap buys.. had the
option of internet most times (even if I didn’t use it)… had more than my share
of fun adventures like elephant and motorcycle rides… which brings me to my
next point (which is really JFK’s)..

 “Ask not what your
country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”  How much did we give or put into Asia versus
how much we got out of it? What lens
were we looking through during our time here?  There’s Asia from a foreigner’s perspective –
one big, affordable destination region. You can get the most bang for your buck – entertainment, sex, drinks,
massages, manicures and pedicures, haircuts, glasses, fake legit bags and DVDs
(and everything in between)… it meets the needs of every kind of person.   Asians know how to serve and to serve
foreigners well. They are great at
producing whatever needs to be produced. They’re known to make anything edible (ha it does scare even me
sometimes).  Their politeness and
submissiveness often cause them to be seen and treated as inferior, a source of
entertainment or service. Then there’s
Asia from God’s perspective – a region with such dichotomy and beauty, but just
as much oppression and false identity. There are the big cities, which each team experienced at some point (Bangkok,
Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Ho Chi Minh City, Phuket) and had the opportunity to
minister to the homeless, drug addicts, prostitutes. Then there are vast amounts of rugged terrain,
unexplored villages, farms (rice and everything else under the sun) and truly
poor provinces where people struggle to get by. Some of us were lucky enough to be the first foreigners villagers have
seen and spent time with. The baffling
thing about Asia is that it is still so unreached. The idea that people haven’t heard about the
gospel in many places or that 90% of most of the region is Buddhist means so
much potential for us to be kingdom here and to truly invest.

Africa,
here we come..