Hello Friends it’s been a while. I currently am no longer in Thailand but in our first closed country. A closed country can be defined as a country that has strict regulations as to what and who they allow into their country. This includes and is not limited to, allowing or disallowing, foreigners, products, businesses etc. Given the next few countries I will be in are closed nations, I will have to password protect this blog site. If you are already subscribed, I will email you the password once it is closed.
In the meantime let me tell you about my time in Thailand! Thailand is very beautiful and full of tourists! From McDonalds to Starbucks, Nike, to Adidas, from their grand malls to their 4D movie theaters, there were many western comforts to just about make you feel at home.
It was also a great opportunity to get a sense of what it would be like doing ministry back in America. Often times when we’re so comfortable ministry can easily be pushed to the side. Fortunately, our ministry host, Pat was sure to remind us that the things we do in Thailand we can also do in America.
While luxury and comfort wasn’t too far away, we actually stayed a 30 minute drive away from Chiang Mai on the farm with our ministry host Pat. I would described Pat as a cross between John the Baptist and Paul. John the Baptist because he’s a wild thing and Paul because he’s so focused on the Kingdom.
Pat has a great relationship and reputation in his community and was even a recipient of an award from the princess of Thailand. First and foremost, however, his most important mission is sharing Christ with others. He does this through sending teams to schools where they teach students English and share with them the gospel. He also does is through hospital visitation and praying for the sick, as well as prison ministry.
Everything Pat does is literally for the kingdom. Pat who has a remarkable story of how he came to Christ himself, has a farm that he uses as ministry. He uses the farm to teach skills to recently released male inmates that he allows to stay in his home. If you’re wondering what types of crimes these men commit, they are not petty. Their crimes range from murder, drug trafficking to kidnapping and molestation. These men are new believers in Christ and once they are released, Pat uses the farm to help them get back on their feet and he uses the time with them, to disciple them. While most people would never consider having inmates in their home, Pat believes that this is what God has called him to do and he does it, whether he’s afraid or not.
Pat has a heart for the lost and broken hearted and is passionate about discipleship. One day, he told the squad, hey let’s go watch Avengers and do mall ministry. Mall ministry? Who knew that was even a thing? Pat’s point however, was to show us that any moment can be used for ministry and sharing the gospel and that we don’t have to pray asking God can we serve him but instead just go out and serve him. Pat’s love for God was seriously contagious and it was a pleasure being around him seeing how down to earth, yet very much on fire he was for Christ.
Below is a clip of a longer interview I had with Pat. I hope his love for Christ rubs off on you, just like it did for me
