Thai ’09 Journal 24
.JPG)
Our 2009 sojourn in Thailand has ended. God blessed abundantly! The response by the Thai people again this year was an enthusiastic invitation for us to return next summer. Incidentally, the dates might change to the period from the end to August to the beginning of September. The University will be moving to the Asian school year system; thus classes will be in full session in July/August. Besides Loma Linda will be there offering the Masters in Nursing at that same period. If anyone is interested in the trip next year, please contact me in a few months regarding the dates.
The full impact of our efforts cannot be known by us in this life. This is not traditional evangelism -- the success of which is normally judged by baptisms. Yet some indicators belie any suggestions that we did not make significant impact on the spiritual (which wholistically includes the social, physical, emotional, and academic) lives of all those who were involved in this mission and ministry.
The appreciation by the injured farmer of the “what” and “why” of our assistance on the farm, seems clear to us (he is part of our faith fellowship). It is not very clear how philosophically we impacted his Buddhist wife and family – language being a major barrier. But at our final goodbyes, the tears in her eyes, the hugs for everyone (a very un-Thai-like action of affection for visitors), the sincere thank-you, and the invitation to return, made us acutely aware that God worked through us in that small homestead of His world field. Next year we will expand to working with the villagers which include many of the wife’s relatives.
At the Language Center and the Public High School, there were a number of students who were so caught up in learning and worship that we thought that they were Christians. When we saw them at the University Church on Sabbath (in their WWU t-shirts), we were surprised to find out that they were not Christians, and it was possibly their first time in our church and on the campus. The latter being significant, seeing that from our interviews in town, and my talk with the University President, APIU is not well known by the towns-peoples. The Language Center is making a difference in this regards.
Reaching Asia for Christ through academics (English language learning), health outreach, and community service, is the way I believe Jesus would work today. We were happy and excited to be a small part of this wholistic evangelistic enterprise.
Blessings
pedrito
The full impact of our efforts cannot be known by us in this life. This is not traditional evangelism -- the success of which is normally judged by baptisms. Yet some indicators belie any suggestions that we did not make significant impact on the spiritual (which wholistically includes the social, physical, emotional, and academic) lives of all those who were involved in this mission and ministry.
The appreciation by the injured farmer of the “what” and “why” of our assistance on the farm, seems clear to us (he is part of our faith fellowship). It is not very clear how philosophically we impacted his Buddhist wife and family – language being a major barrier. But at our final goodbyes, the tears in her eyes, the hugs for everyone (a very un-Thai-like action of affection for visitors), the sincere thank-you, and the invitation to return, made us acutely aware that God worked through us in that small homestead of His world field. Next year we will expand to working with the villagers which include many of the wife’s relatives.
At the Language Center and the Public High School, there were a number of students who were so caught up in learning and worship that we thought that they were Christians. When we saw them at the University Church on Sabbath (in their WWU t-shirts), we were surprised to find out that they were not Christians, and it was possibly their first time in our church and on the campus. The latter being significant, seeing that from our interviews in town, and my talk with the University President, APIU is not well known by the towns-peoples. The Language Center is making a difference in this regards.
Reaching Asia for Christ through academics (English language learning), health outreach, and community service, is the way I believe Jesus would work today. We were happy and excited to be a small part of this wholistic evangelistic enterprise.
Blessings
pedrito
posted by Pedrito 1 @ 11:17 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home