Bangkok trip - The PEOPLE

I got back from Bangkok late Sat nite after about 8 days there. I would say overall, it was a very satisfying experience being on a missions trip for the first time, and all of us felt a bit sad to leave even tho some were looking forward to coming back home too.

I think I'll break the postings so I can be more organized when writing it, so this is the first part - about the PEOPLE of Thailand. I guess it's more about the people than the places anyway :) They are the ones who make a difference.

I was truly blessed by the people of Thailand, especially Pastor Jonathan & Ann (He is our main contact in Bangkok), Pastor Dong & his wife, Utt and his brother, Pastor Dan (the other pastors that work very closely with Ps Jon).

These men and women of God really inspire me personally, and it's just humbling to see them faithfully serving God and doing the work that God has called them to do, even though things may not be happening the way that they would have wanted it to and all the challenges that they face. And they are still so passionate and on fire for God, serving the people so willingly without complaint and always with a servant's heart. They told us that we were an encouragement to them by just being there but i think they are even more of an encouragement to me.

I'm very honored to be able to hear from the pastors and to be partners with them in God's work in this nation. Ps Dong has such a big heart and even tho he doesn't speak much English, i can feel his love for God and for his people. People like him are hard to come by in Thailand. I had a conversation with Ps Jon during one of our lunches together and he said that somehow it is hard for Thais to commit themselves to Christ, and even when they do, they find it hard to be committed to the church, even leaders themselves, so someone like Ps Dong is really a treasure to His kingdom here.

Ps Jon also has not had a smooth path - his sister died suddenly recently and his baby had a hole in her heart (Praise God it has healed and the hole closed now!) but he is still not giving up and is serving faithfully by teaching English to the community and living among them. He is really a man who serves from his heart, without expecting any returns, and always with a smile. From the short time that i got to spend with these pastors and their families, their lives have truly impacted mine. To think that he would be willing to give up his own country and choose to live in a foreign land where he would have to start everything from scratch, learning the language and all really makes me feel challenged. I don't know if i would be able to do that.

The other group of people who touched me were the children. We held a fun fair for the kids in Ps Jon's neighborhood and also we taught English at a primary school. I've not seen kids who are so polite and respectful of one another, and they thank you sincerely even when you're just giving them a lolly, and it's really so so refreshing. It just makes you feel so satisfied that you were able to do something for them, and bring some joy to their lives. When I shared this with my housemate Irene, she commented "That's because they have not learned to expect. Malaysian kids expect stuff". And that's quite true - i guess when you're used to having everything, you're not so grateful anymore.

Generally, people are really more open and we were surprised when we went tracting that people would actually come to us and ask us for the handouts! And when you approach them in the shops or houses, they are not suspicious of you and nor do they chase you away - i think i felt safer being there than back here in Msia. Perhaps it's a different environment, but it was a pleasant surprise to find people so nice :)

Now, when I think of Thailand, I can put faces to the names and the country, and I'm glad to know them, and not just know about them. I'm grateful to Him for the chance to be a part of what He is doing in Thailand.