Time for school

Some students went to the Mustard Seed Elementary School and some to NIBI (New International Bethany Institute(?)) where we interacted with students of all ages to help them with English skills. We learn much from these bridge building opportunities and a deeper realization how Christ brings all peoples together.

Training like Jesus

On the first full day in Thailand, the jet-lagged group divided into three separate teams. Each team traveled to different locations to learn from the least of these in God’s world. Suffering is the best word I have to describe what each of us witnessed today.

The first team left early to travel to an Immigration Detention Center. The team’s purpose was two-folded: experience a detention center and reconnect separated families. When one student met with a husband and another his wife then the couples were reconnected for the 30-minute visitation. The students were given a small amount of time to hear about the couple’s story then the couples spent the rest of the time with each other. The members of this team were left grieved by the poor conditions the families endured in the center.

The second team traveled to a Pakistani refugee family’s home. This group vividly described the small quarters the family of six lived in and the life of unknown the family endured each day. This family fled persecution to live life not knowing if there is hope for education or careers in their future. Even through suffering, the family was friendly and gifted the group with a home-cooked meal.

The third team traveled downtown to a missionary’s home. This group listened to a homeless man share his story and conversion to Christianity. We were also challenged by the missionary, Ivan, as to what it means to live life as a Christian in our broken world.

I was struck by something Ivan told us today. He said, “The Bible tells us to be like Jesus. So, many Christians try to be like Jesus.” We try with about the same effort as we try to make our bed each morning or try to learn to play the piano. Ivan explained trying is not the best method of becoming more like Jesus because it’s easy to quit trying. Instead, we need to train to become like Jesus. By training, it’s easy to accept that at first will be terrible (like learning to walk before you can run). However, with practice and help from more experienced people, we will train ourselves to become better stewards like Jesus.

Through each team’s experience today, I believe that this interim is training us to become more like Jesus. We are opening our eyes and ears to the suffering in this world. Hopefully, our new found knowledge can lead us to love and serve faithfully like our Lord.

We have arrived!

For those of us who met at Calvin at 5:00pm on Jan 1 our travel time added up to 30 hours before we arrived safe and sound in Bankok Thailand. A few students met us at the Chicago airport.

Lisa Boehm met us the airport and helped us transport to the Avana hotel, after check in and get acclimated, we met up again and explored a nearby market and had our supper there. By 8:00 pm we were trying hard to stay awake on the bus ride back to the hotel where we all enjoyed a horizontal night sleep.