but it is just what God loves to do:
"The poor and needy search for water, but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
But I, the Lord, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water,
and the parched ground into springs." (Isaiah 41:17,18)
The area we visited was in a province bordering Cambodia. It used to be so unbearably hot and dry, such a barren wilderness, that only the very strongest people could walk through it, and even they would cry as they walked. There was no shade to be found. You could cook eggs to hard boiled just by putting them on the ground. It became known as the 'Crying Fields'. But the salinity of the soil has been counteracted through agricultural developments and the land now produces the finest jasmine rice in all of Thailand.
The spiritual picture reflects the natural one. Surin is the most unreached province in Isaan, which in turn is the most unreached area of Thailand. The gospel has barely touched this province of 1.4 million people; the town we visited was rare in that it contained a church - yet even there, there is 1 Christian in 1150 people - since 1999, only 80 people know and put their trust in Jesus out of 92,000 people.
The area is spiritually very dark, and has been held in the grip of animism for centuries. Driving through the villages, we saw many houses with red shirts hanging in the front - it is a common belief that there is a spirit which seeks to kill the male members of households, and that hanging the red shirt tricks the spirit into thinking that there are no males in that house. Beliefs are based more on hear-say, on fears and traditions handed down for generations, rather than on reasoning or revelation. But God is at work here.The church in the video below is probably the most prayerful church I have seen. Although small in number, these people are spiritual giants. Fasting and praying for regular periods of 40 days, these Christians have a desperation to reach the lost around them like they really do 'hunger and thirst for righteousness'. They pray not for their own church, or for themselves, but for the areas around them with no churches. As this is the only church for miles around, people used to walk all day Saturday to get to their Sunday service.
After church we went to visit some of these isolated Christians in a village. It was a joy to meet them and encourage them in prayer together. (We learned that 4 languages were spoken in that 1 village - Thai, Isaan, Khmer and Suay! Thankfully it seemed you could get by in Thai!) They said there used to be a small church that met in that village, but the pastor had to leave to minister elsewhere, and the church closed down.
But what if they caught hold of a different idea of church? What if they realised that a church isn't simply a building, full time staff and formal programs? What if they realised they are the church... if they met together to read God's Word and encourage each other to obey it together, pray for each other and reach their village together? Would these isolated coals not burn even brighter?This is a church that our team hopes to partner with. We were so inspired by the passion we saw, the commitment and love of these people for God and for each other despite hardship, marginalisation and distance. God is at work. He cannot resist the prayer of humble, desperate hearts which burn with his love. He is transforming these Crying Fields into His fertile fields.
