Thailand, Month 5, has been absolutely wonderful. We recently went through team changes and therefore, Thailand is the first month as a new team. My experience in Thailand has been nothing short of awesome. We have had some rough truck rides through the mountains, but totally worth it in every way. We visited villages, painted a church, watched Mai Thai, and learned SO much about the civil war in Burma AKA Myanmar.
Last week we found ourselves in the back the Toyota Hilux once again to drive to the town Mae Sot. It is a good size town on the boarder of Burma and Thailand. We started the week with teaching English at the Morning Glory church. This church provides school for Burmese kids who don’t have paper work and can NOT to Thai school because they are Burmese Refugees. Unfortunately, the Thai government does not and will not work nor support the Burmese, but they do turn a blind eye.
Next, we visited a prison and shared a message withe the inmates. It was short, but hopefully fruitful.
The next day we went with Jim (our lovely driver/host) visiting 3 different out reaches to learn and get an idea of what their ministries are. The first guy had a home for Burmese kids in need and he had 40 kids under his care. The second place was with a pastor and his wife who also help Burmese kids out. However the kids live out at the dump. The dump is where the get their food, terrible living, no paper work, and really no future. Kids actually get sold because their parents want them to actually have a future. It’s absolutely terrible.
The third place we visited was with Cole and Jaime Cambell and their kids. This outreach is different and very cool because Cole actually provides a school for the Burmese men to learn carpentry, metal work, self defense, money management, and so much more. He is helping Burmese men have hope for the future. He is teaching them a trade they can hold onto and use in their own country. He is teaching them good attitudes, self worth, and how to be honorable men of God. It is truly amazing and Coles ministry stuck with me the most, because the Burmese men are loosing jobs to women, villages are getting massacred, and the men fight back in their civil war. Since they fight in their civil war, they can not be refugees, so the lose hope. This is why Coles manistry (yes manistry) is so awesome because so many times the men are seen as strong, as leaders, and as providers, but many times are pushed to the back and forgotten. You can see more of this ministry is you visit: simplykingdom.org
Until next time…..
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”
John 12:24
