I have posted below, in chronological order, the blog entries I submitted while in Bangkok. This serves to preserve them and to remind me of my experience:
June 27, 2011- Like Stray Dogs
As we managed to cram our hot, sticky bodies into the meeting room, and as our voices were raised in thankful praise to a God who dwelled among us, we truly felt the presence of the Lord. God is here! Surely the very presence of Jesus was among us, filling us up with His strength and power as we anticipated the works of God over the next six weeks. The questions that lingered on our minds and hearts, however, was the presence of God… out there? Could Jesus be anywhere on the streets of Bangkok, where hunger and thirst run rampant like the stray dogs? Could Jesus possibly be amidst the blinking neon signs of the Nana Plaza red light district? Certainly Jesus isn’t in Khlong Toey, a slum community, or PraPhaDaeng Leprosy Community, where the most outcast of people are hidden away from view. Jesus just can’t be in Bangkok.
We have all been wrestling with this tension these last few days. Immediately our understanding of the world – a world that was once filled with comforts, education, and excess – has been torn apart by the absolute darkness that fills the city of Bangkok. For many of us, our first inclination was to assume that Jesus just wasn’t here. Many of us felt discouraged and saddened and overwhelmed by what we saw. We felt like there was no hope.
It is with joy that I say we couldn’t have been more wrong! Jesus has not forgotten Bangkok! Jesus is the King of Bangkok! And we have been invited to join in with Him and His servants that are already at work shedding light in the darkest corners of this city. Under the tender encouragement of our staff and directors, we have been challenged to open our hearts and minds so that we may see the Kingdom of God in this city… and it has truly transformed our understanding and love of the people of Bangkok. Praise God!
As we walk the streets now, we see Jesus in the bright smiles that are always returned to us as we walk past. We see Jesus in the spicy broth of noodle soup, or the sweet nectar of fresh lychee, or the delicious fragrance of Thai iced tea. We have witnessed Jesus in the hands and feet of the women who serve us delectable Thai food day and night. Or in the hospitality of a street vendor, who offered all of ice cold water free of charge.
Jesus isn’t just in the actions and works of the ministries here, Jesus is with the Thai people, and He loves them and longs for them with the same passion that He loves and longs for us. We pray that as we fully commit ourselves to pursuing the Kingdom of God for the next six weeks here in Bangkok that we would continue to see the dawn piercing into the darkness – bringing the goodness of God and His grace to all who thirst and hunger and mourn.
We rejoice to walk through the hot streets of Bangkok singing loudly and boldly because we truly believe: “The presence of the Lord is here! The presence of the Lord is here!”
June 30, 2011- Methods of Trust
Living in Bangkok, Thailand has come to be one of the most challenging experiences of my life. On top of the unfamiliar culture and language, extreme and consistent heat, spicy and yet delicious food – other challenges present themselves in ways that are far more internally focused. Amidst the daily struggle to find joy despite having all of my material and social comforts removed, it seems that Jesus has chosen to speak to my heart and mind in tender and loving ways. As I engage with Jesus as He was recorded in the Gospels, it is clear to me that Jesus shows passionate love for His followers – but He also pushes them to explore their limits with the promise of His strength to uphold them. And this is the story of my time living in Bangkok, Thailand.
One of the most profound ways Jesus has challenged me is by asking me to trust… Trust is a little unnatural and in a strange place such as Bangkok, it can seem a bit unwise. However, despite my reluctance, it is clear that by trusting others, I can experience the heart of Jesus in beautiful and lasting ways.
Trusting others can simply mean letting go of my obsessive need to have control. I am learning to trust the ways of the Thai people – I know now that I don’t know everything… actually, hardly anything at all. The Thai people know the proper ways to cook their food, efficient ways to wash their clothes, safe and quick ways to drive through the city, and nearly perfect ways to predict weather. And while all of these activities are completely foreign and at times scary to me, I have come to realize that my understanding of how to do these things in my cultural context has no place here – which scares the daylights out of me, and I am sure to the joy of God, has forced me to trust. But as I grow closer to my Thai neighbors, and as I have relinquished my control in the faith that my neighbors know more than I do, it is apparent to me that the result of trust in one another is incredibly beautiful and echoes the Kingdom of God.
I think one of the greatest acts of love I can do while I am in Thailand is to simply, faithfully, and willingly trust my Thai neighbors and my Thai friends. This doesn’t mean that I will cast out all caution and safety, but rather that I will allow myself to be fully present while among them without retreating to my own solace of familiar society, to be ready and eager to learn and engage in their beautiful ways without resorting to my own methods, and above all to believe they have immeasurable worth and value to God…the same value with which God appointed my own life and my own people.
Here’s to seeing His Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven.
July 12, 2001- Sunshine in Rainy and Weary Land
The other day, I witnessed the most profound and moving act of worship I have ever seen. There were no words – no songs or musical instruments – no flashing lights and loud proclamations of the goodness of God – it was simply this: a deaf man raising his gnarled hands toward the sky and signing, “I love You, Jesus” slowly and passionately. As I sat on my favorite bench in the park watching this intimate and powerful moment between God the Creator and His precious creation – I realized that truly, most certainly, absolutely -- God uses the weak and foolish and low to shame the wise and strong and powerful.
“Pig” is one of my closest friends here. He is a 52 year old deaf Thai man with the heart and smile of a child – partly because he is both moderately physically and mentally handicapped. From the moment I met “Pig” (his sign name – also a common Thai nickname) I realized I had encountered a person clothed and dripping wet in the goodness and sweetness of God; “Pig” is a living and breathing example of God’s tender affection for the marginalized and the weak. He is filled with joy… he is filled with love for Jesus… a love for Jesus I could only hope to have one day… a love that surpasses his physical conditions of poverty and struggle and pain. My friend loves Jesus because of all the gods and idols surrounding him here in Bangkok, Jesus was the only God that knew Him by name… the only God that could understand and speak to him in sign language.
Since I have lived in this neighborhood, the only Christians I have had a chance to meet are deaf. They are strong, tightly knit community relying entirely upon the provision of God as some of the most looked down upon people in Bangkok. They have spent hours teaching me sign language and worship songs – teaching me from the Bible – and telling me their stories. One story in particular has so beautifully portrayed the redeeming love of Christ.
Her name is “Sunshine,” though it wasn’t always. Growing up deaf and without opportunity, this woman found herself providing for her family with her body. The pain and brokenness that comes with this line of work, as well as the anger and worry caused by poverty and the physical struggle of living in hunger and thirst led her to self mutilation. She believed it was the only way to release what she was feeling – and for her whole life, the deaf community knew her as “Cuts Herself.” When she met Jesus, she was told that Jesus knew her by another name – a sign name that means “Sunshine” and also… grace. The scars on her arms remind her everyday of the pain and sorrow she endured… but it is her name… the new name that God gave her that speaks even more clearly…God saw into that pain, and despite her life of immorality and brokenness, He saw light… He saw beauty… He saw her, and He said, “She is mine. She is my Sunshine.”
God is at work here. Not in the wise or the strong or the powerful – He is at work in the lowly, the impoverished, the broken, and the hungry… the prostitute, the deaf, the Tuktuk driver, the street vendor. And every day He is teaching me more about His love for these people… a love that shines light into darkness… Sunshine in a rainy and weary land.
July 15, 2011- A New Thing
“Behold, I am doing a new thing!” –Isaiah 43:19
This proclamation becomes clearer to me every day. It is evident even in the most mundane and normal events of life – like the sprouting of flowers out of the broken concrete or the fresh rains brought upon the dry soil. Jesus is doing a new work here in Bangkok, and it is everywhere, one just needs to know where to look.
And for us, my site team and I, we need not look further than the end of our street. Our little street, lined with shanty and dilapidated homes and all manner of obscure objects, holds something precious and treasured: children. Certainly nothing brings more life and joy than a child, and we are lucky to live next to ten beautiful children, all of which have taught us valuable lessons about the Kingdom of God…. a Kingdom that belongs to them.
It can be easy for us as experienced and older Christians with educations and financial stability to come into these situations with preconceived ideas of how to bring the Kingdom into Bangkok. But the more we tried to desperately cling to our ministry plans and goals for our neighborhood, the more God revealed to us that He is doing an entirely new thing here in Bangkok – like the children on our neighborhood, He is flooding the streets with joy and life. He is washing the city clean and declaring over it: “You are mine.”
So I ask, please pray for this new generation in Thailand – for God is doing a new thing in them. Pray that He would raise them up to know Him as the only God, and that they would cast the idols of their ancestors at His feet in worship. Pray that He would raise them up as a loving and good Father, and teach them His ways. Pray that they would take their place in here Thailand and walk in righteousness, selflessness, and faith all the days of their lives.
Amen.
July 26, 2011- Stripped Clean
As we trekked through the last week in Bangkok both with purpose and urgency, my site team and I spent a lot of time in reflection of how we saw God move in love and power in our communities and in us over the past five weeks. We realized that this experience has forced us to examine the comforts that once gave us strength and peace and joy, and we are now able to name the comforts because their presence has been so removed from our lives these past weeks. Because they are missing, we have all had to deal with the emptiness they left behind in our own individual ways. Some of us feel incredibly powerless, unconnected, and lonely – others may feel vulnerable and exposed – others simply incredibly hot and tired. This trip has revealed our weaknesses and unmasked some of our deepest fears. It has been at times a painful and troubling process both internal and external, and it has left many of us wondering why we gave up our summers just to feel uncomfortable, tired, and bare.
However, in light of this, my team saw clearly the grace and provision of God in this situation. We have all been stripped clean – and in this raw and authentic state we discovered a valuable truth – the beautiful traits and characters of God like love, joy, peace, and patience… things like goodness and kindness, and faithfulness… these grow and are refined during the times when Jesus walks with us through hardship and suffering, struggle and pain. This is good news!
It isn’t hard to conjure up feelings of joy and gentleness and love in our regular lives, as we are provided for in most of our heart’s desires. However, when placed in an environment that has stripped us clean of our families and friendships, our responsibility, our language and cultural environment, our comfort and power, and our security – we have had to wrestle and groan and beg God to grow in us these fruits. And we have realized that true joy and true peace and true love (etc.) are garments that clothe our bodies, minds, and souls both in times of abundance and plenty and also in times of suffering and pain. This is a truth we have learned from our neighbors – who while being denied all good things we are given freely in America, still live in the joy of the Lord and still love with the sacrificial outpouring of Christ.
Because God is both steadfast and unchanging, so are the fruits of His Spirit – they too remain steadfast and unchanging despite our external or internal circumstances. And our prayer is that God would clothe us with these in lasting and true ways by remembering the places that were exposed this summer – the places that were yearning for God once we stifled the voices our idols, so that we may find the power to put on love and joy and peace and patience…
...and thank goodness, the list goes on.
July 29, 2011- The Final Declaration
We declare this boldly both in spirit and in truth over Bangkok, Thailand as we swiftly return to our lives:
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’S favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion – to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; but you shall be called the priests of the LORD; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations; and in their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion, and they shall have everlasting joy. For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully five them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of all peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed.” Isaiah 61:1-8
And so as we say goodbye to Bangkok and to the people that have come to live so sweetly in our hearts, minds, and prayers – we look ahead and pray for the day that all of the idols and Buddhas, temples and shrines, ancestor offerings and flowers, talismans and prayers will be laid at the cross of Jesus Christ because Bangkok will know… our friends will know… that He was and is and will always be the only King of Bangkok. The only God of this city.
Amen.
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