8-6-11
We flew into Thailand early this morning/late last night. The BSC and John Lee Lapos have been very kind to us and made us feel so special. The accommodations are wonderful-- the room has A/C; the beds are comfortable, and we have personal bathrooms. What a great place to come on our first international trip.
On our flight over we encountered some Thais. They truly matched their reputation as some of the most friendly and gentle people in the world. We will have our orientation first thing this morning and will then work on an evangelism project with LifePoint during the middle of the day. I'm excited to see some familiar TN faces & hear about the way God is working in their lives. I am also excited for my team members have a chance to interact with people who gave up the "American Dream" for the sake of the Gospel.
The four young adults I am here with blow me away. Their love for Christ, His people and servant hearts push me to grow and be bold. I am praying for clarity and boldness for myself and the team. I don't want the Gospel to be overly complicated or left unsaid. I have one chance in this life to engage these people. May God's grace be evident today in our words and actions.
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8-7-11
Day 1 in Bangkok was AMAZING! We were treated so sweetly by the staff of the BSC who gave us an amazing breakfast along with a much needed cultural orientation. Afterward, the missionaries from LifePoint: Smyrna picked us up and we spent the afternoon interacting with the children and families in the slums. The slum we went to, BlaPlaa, resembled a flea market with small tenement homes throughout. The children were incredibly sweet to work with, as all the Thais have been so far. No doubt the warm reception we received is due to the relationship the Smyrna people have forged in their continuing efforts to reach these people. Their plan is simple. It's not to give these people gifts, or necessities, to win an audience, instead it is to consistently show up in the slum and offer to play with the children and teach some basic English and Bible stories.
One of the missionaries, Seth Hood, is married to an awesome Thai national who shared the Bible stories in Thai. Her approach is to end each one with a "cliff-hanger." The story is then resolved in the following week's lesson. This week's story was about Joseph and it ended with him preparing to confront his brothers on their mistreatment of him. This strategy gives the Thais a holistic view of the nature of God-- who has always sought the redemption and restoration of His people from Genesis 3 until the appearing of Christ and until His return through the work of the church.
The Thai people have little comprehension of who God is, so many Western Evangelical strategies must be recalibrated in order to effectively reach these people. For instance, John 3:16 is staple verse for many Americans, but it would be very confusing to the Thais. Because of the influence of the Hindus and Buddhists in this area, life = punishment. You are only alive because somehow you have failed in a previous life. Therefore, the offer of eternal life is misinterpreted as an offer for eternal punishment. On the other hand, Thais seem to grasp Biblical concepts that Westerners struggle with, like the depravity of man. We (Americans) rarely like to hear, talk about or dwell on our own sinfulness. From my perspective, Thais seem to grasp that humanity is broken. I doubt many Thais ask, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Because they recognize that people are bad. This is why the Gospel is so beautiful. A Good and Holy God comes to rescue a broken and bad humanity who he makes innocent of their sin (badness) and imputes His righteousness to! What a Good and Awesome God we serve and have been adopted by! Praise the Father, Son and Spirit for now and all eternity!
After our time at BlaPlaa, we went to the house of Molly and Dave Clarkson. They moved to Thailand from Fredericksburg and were members of Spotswood while there. Dave runs a GM plant here in Thailand. They were so hospitable to us and made the best cheesy potatoes ever! We hope they were encouraged by our visit and by hearing what God is doing at Spotswood. I can honestly say that it was one of the most fun and relaxing meals I've had with people I barely know. Yum... Day 1 was amazing. Can't wait for day 2 to start!
8-7-11
Day 1 in Bangkok was AMAZING! We were treated so sweetly by the staff of the BSC who gave us an amazing breakfast along with a much needed cultural orientation. Afterward, the missionaries from LifePoint: Smyrna picked us up and we spent the afternoon interacting with the children and families in the slums. The slum we went to, BlaPlaa, resembled a flea market with small tenement homes throughout. The children were incredibly sweet to work with, as all the Thais have been so far. No doubt the warm reception we received is due to the relationship the Smyrna people have forged in their continuing efforts to reach these people. Their plan is simple. It's not to give these people gifts, or necessities, to win an audience, instead it is to consistently show up in the slum and offer to play with the children and teach some basic English and Bible stories.
One of the missionaries, Seth Hood, is married to an awesome Thai national who shared the Bible stories in Thai. Her approach is to end each one with a "cliff-hanger." The story is then resolved in the following week's lesson. This week's story was about Joseph and it ended with him preparing to confront his brothers on their mistreatment of him. This strategy gives the Thais a holistic view of the nature of God-- who has always sought the redemption and restoration of His people from Genesis 3 until the appearing of Christ and until His return through the work of the church.
The Thai people have little comprehension of who God is, so many Western Evangelical strategies must be recalibrated in order to effectively reach these people. For instance, John 3:16 is staple verse for many Americans, but it would be very confusing to the Thais. Because of the influence of the Hindus and Buddhists in this area, life = punishment. You are only alive because somehow you have failed in a previous life. Therefore, the offer of eternal life is misinterpreted as an offer for eternal punishment. On the other hand, Thais seem to grasp Biblical concepts that Westerners struggle with, like the depravity of man. We (Americans) rarely like to hear, talk about or dwell on our own sinfulness. From my perspective, Thais seem to grasp that humanity is broken. I doubt many Thais ask, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Because they recognize that people are bad. This is why the Gospel is so beautiful. A Good and Holy God comes to rescue a broken and bad humanity who he makes innocent of their sin (badness) and imputes His righteousness to! What a Good and Awesome God we serve and have been adopted by! Praise the Father, Son and Spirit for now and all eternity!
After our time at BlaPlaa, we went to the house of Molly and Dave Clarkson. They moved to Thailand from Fredericksburg and were members of Spotswood while there. Dave runs a GM plant here in Thailand. They were so hospitable to us and made the best cheesy potatoes ever! We hope they were encouraged by our visit and by hearing what God is doing at Spotswood. I can honestly say that it was one of the most fun and relaxing meals I've had with people I barely know. Yum... Day 1 was amazing. Can't wait for day 2 to start!
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