Meet some miracles

Fruit is one of my favourite things about Thailand and this is my favourite fruit season. In this picture you can see why - dragon fruit, mangosteen, rose apples, lychee and mangoes! 

I recently had the opportunity to join my Thai friend Silk (who leads the house church I attend) for a day of watching 'fruit' ripen - the fruit of 5 years of sowing seeds and waiting. We visited these wonderful miracles of God in the villages around Ubon. I came back full of joy. Here is why:

Meet Po Bun and Mae Phoon. This is their house, one that I don't think I could ever live in! It is surrounded by rice fields, far from the village. They are extremely poor. Kris and Silk met Mae Phoon the day they were driving around asking the Holy Spirit if there was a person of peace in that village. They felt they should stop when they saw Mae Phoon sitting at the side of the road. She was paralysed and couldn't walk, so was waiting for someone to give her a lift to the town. They helped her, but also offered to pray for her healing, and she got up and walked!

She decided to give her life to Jesus and Kris and Silk began to visit her weekly to read the Bible together. 

The Isaan people aren't big on reading and understanding, it is more of an oral culture. So instead, they use Bible storying - telling the story twice, then asking them to tell it, and discussing three key questions - what does it teach us about God? What does it teach us about man? How will we respond in obedience to this?

Her husband, usually drunk, wasn't interested for a long time. However one day, he had a drunk-driving accident on a motorbike, which left him covered in blood and in excruciating pain in a forest off the side of the road. In his pain, he remembered Jesus. "Jesus, if you're real," he said, "take away this pain, and I will follow you." Immediately, all pain went. He made it through the night, and decided to follow Jesus from that night on. Both now study the Bible diligently, with the hunger of first love. 

Meet Mae Nan. She is an amazing businesswoman. Suffering from mysterious pains which the doctor couldn't diagnose, she went to see the monk. He said it was a curse that someone had put on her, that would result in death. Worse still, he demanded a large sum of money to do the necessary rituals and chants to lift her curse. Wondering how a spiritual leader could be so set on material gain, she began to ask questions about the God that the Christians who visited her mentally handicapped brother.

She received prayer, and was completely healed. Kris and Silk then began to visit her weekly and read the Bible with her. One day, the Buddha images that she had on a pedestal in her shop spontaneously fell on their face while they were studying the Bible. She immediately knew that this meant she had to get rid of her idols and give her life to Jesus. She was baptised weeks later.

 When we visited, she shut her shop so that she could study the Bible without interruptions. We talked about how a Christian should deal with the Buddhist traditions and festivals that are such an integral part of the culture, like spirit houses, ancestor worship, Buddhist festivals and ceremonies like weddings and funerals. Finally we talked about thanking God before meals. Asked to practice, she prayed a grace that you might expect of a 10 year old Christian rather than a 10 week old one! This lady had a gift of listening to the Holy Spirit and obeying immediately, and a passion for the lost, that makes her a beautiful 'person of peace' (Luke 10).

Finally, meet Mae Ying and Po Som. This lovely couple have been Christians for a few years, but are only now getting to know their Saviour through personal relationship and reading the Bible. They are passionate about sharing what they are learning with others in their village hungry for truth. Here, Silk helped them with questions they didn't know how to answer, and helped them understand the book of Esther by story-telling it after they had already tried reading it. Finally, they shared about problems with forgiveness in their marriage, and received encouragement to forgive, as Christ forgives us, in order to really love. Their sweetness and humility touched me deeply. 

Only Jesus! He heals hearts and bodies, restores relationships, breathes new life. These are walking Miracles. 

The Butterfly Effect

Last weekend, I went to visit a friend and attend the Skyrocket festival in a neighbouring province. This is where people shoot home-made rockets into the sky to scare the rain-god so that he loses control of his bladder and therefore heralds the start of the rainy season! The visit was a reminder of why we are here, a reality check in many ways.

There were moments of culture shock such as not having running water, the absence of furniture in Thai village houses in favour of a 'piling system', sinks left unused in favour of washing up squatting on the floor, and worst of all, coming in the house to find a snake on the floor.

But besides this, we were struck again by the darkness that pervades this place. It is a darkness that envelops, touching every part of life: from eating a Thai barbecue to the sound of Buddhist chants ringing through the village, to children's games and grown ups' fears about ‘phi’ (ghosts or evil sprits); from going to a ‘wat’ (Buddhist temple) to see a dodgy pop/dance concert on temple premises, to the ever present ladyboys dancing at the festival amid phallic fertility symbols. I felt like we had stepped back in time, into the pages of the Canaanite rituals of Old Testament times.

While beautiful traditions live on, like traditional music, stunning traditional costumes and dances, the practice of generous hospitality, and the caring for the elderly by grandchildren; uglier traditions also die hard, like superstition, holding its captives in a vice-like grip of fear. The snake we found in the house was immediately released alive just outside the house, because of the belief that if you kill one, two will enter in its place.

It was all topped off by a reminder of how prevalent the ‘butterfly' effect is here. Someone who repeatedly chooses to be unfaithful to their spouse is known in Thai as a 'butterfly'. All the three Thai ladies with us had been affected by this. Two were nursing broken hearts from 'butterfly' husbands. One was a butterfly herself, married but using her good looks to have two other relationships with foreign men online in exchange for monthly payments. Her husband was unaware of this, but her children regularly saw her engaging in her online relationships. As we talked, her openness was almost as shocking as the content of the story. There was a complete absence of shame, no sense that this wasn't the way things should be. She was very matter-of-fact. She had 3 children and 2 elderly relatives to support, and it could not be done on her regular income. This was her solution.

What seems so clearly wrong to us may be easier to justify if you don't know where your next meal comes from, or how you can afford to send your children to school. Desperation has pushed so many Thai women into immoral or unhappy relationships, it is almost the norm here rather than the exception. They are disillusioned with men, with relationships (which can look more like a business deal than a bond of trust), disillusioned with life itself, in the absence of hope for the future. Some are motivated by greed, buying the lie that wealth and possessions bring happiness. It is an emptier, more hopeless, darker life than anything I could have imagined. 

This group of 22 million Isaan people have been without the light for so long, they scarcely recognise it when it is presented. They have been denied the chance to know the One who came to save them for so many centuries ... but the tide is slowly turning. Even since last year, there have been so many of God's servants we have seen called to move to this area. The Isaan New Testament has been translated and is in its final stages of review and awaiting publishing. It will be a beautiful day when the Isaan people will have the Word of God in their heart language! "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desire." (Heb 4:12 NLT)

A generation of believers is rising up, hungry and thirsty for the kingdom of God in Isaan. On the way back, we had the opportunity to visit a small Thai church. Only a handful of believers, they sang their worship simply to the beat of a tambourine. But their voices and hearts were full of devotion to their Lord, and passion for the lost. Fellowship with them was sweet. We experienced the same sweet aroma of Christ when we visited a small church in another province the previous weekend. These small beginnings make us rejoice, give us hope. In this broken nation, He will build his church, and the gates of hell will not stand against it. (Matt 16:18)

The two sides of Songkran

April 13-15th is the Thai New Year, or Songkran. 'Wet and Wild' is probably the best way to describe this water festival to you. It is the biggest festival in Thailand, a time when everyone takes days off work and returns to visit their families and home villages. We were able to experience the traditional side of Songkran at the Cancer Hospital, where we were invited to take part in the celebrations.

As you can see, there is a simple rule for Songkran shirts - the louder the better... :oD

The ceremony is really quite simple and beautiful. Younger people pour small bowls of scented water with flowers, over the hands of elders to bless and honour them. The sprinkling with water is about cleansing, purification and fresh starts. It signifies the washing away of bad thoughts and actions, and is thought to bring them good luck in the new year. When we poured the water over the hands of elders at the hospital, we said "God bless you" and "Happy New Year". As this is normally done by family members, it really showed love and respect for us to bless them in that way when their family, like ours, was far away. 

 Although the origins of Songkran are far more religious, splashing complete strangers with water has become the main attraction of the festival. If you plan to step out of your house during the 3 days of Songkran, you can expect to get soaked by people standing on the side of the road with water pistols, buckets and hoses. If somehow you escape this, then on the road there are hundreds of pickup trucks with people crammed into the back, throwing water, sometimes iced water, at all and sundry. If you're out, you're a fair target! This is all good fun in the unbearable April heat (regularly 40 degrees in the afternoon, with high humidity!). 
In the centre of town, there was a stretch of road set up with fountains and sprinklers all along its length...

But there is a more modern, and uglier side to Songkran. Towards late afternoon, the processions of Buddha images and formalities end, and throngs form in the street to dance, party, and throw water. As most of these people have been drinking steadily through the day, it is an alcohol and drug fuelled 'party', with many unsavoury sights and consequences that I will spare you the details of. This also means drink-driving, which has earned Songkran week the title 'the 7 dangerous days'. 

This is the topsy-turvy nature of religion. While on one hand we ache for cleansing and purification, we cannot control our sinful nature. We end up living a double life, and destroying ourselves in indulging our sinful cravings. But Christ brings freedom. He is able to truly cleanse our hearts by dealing with the sin and actually change us in the process. Only His Spirit living in us ensures that we are no longer the same. What a redemptive message there is in the pouring of water to cleanse:

"By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way ... let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise" Heb 10:20-23 (NLT)

Broken

When was the last time you received a gift? Did you know how to respond?

I recently gave a surprise gift to a Thai friend. She looked confused. Later she explained, "I like it but I don't know how to show it." Why? Because in Thai culture any show of emotion is taboo, especially love. Parents and children don't exchange hugs or kisses. Neither do husbands and wives. If there is a special occasion they give gifts but otherwise they don't. My friend continued, "If I am away for a year and then return to visit home my family don't make a fuss of me, they are just normal. I never heard my Mum tell me that she loved me, and she is now dead. Neither did I tell her I loved her. We just assume it by everyday actions - Mum cooks for me and feeds me, she must love me. My daughter came back home to visit - she must care for me." And that is it.

But this friend is a Christian. She has been with western Christians for years, heard and read about how important giving and receiving physical affection is between children and parents. As a result, she told her niece to hug her Mum everyday. Her niece obediently did... only to have her Mum warned by a neighbour that if the child continued to show too much affection, it would shorten the Mother's life. And so culture and tradition, superstition and fear won again. The foreign versus the familiar. Better the devil you know.

Is this the Buddhism the West perceives? This land of smiles, famed for its friendliness and a warm welcome, is a land of broken hearts, because they put their faith in broken cisterns. "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." Jeremiah 2:13. The promises of Buddhhism are empty - it is a broken cistern. Where it seems to promise freedom from suffering, it only creates more, by denying the very cravings of the human heart. The heart was made for love. And only God, who is by his very nature, LOVE, can quench our thirst. Broken people need to be healed. Empty hearts need to be filled... but only the Maker knows how.

We were made to give love, and we need to receive love. If these needs go unmet, they are expressed in other unhealthy ways. The sad reality therefore is that this people, my people, experience sexual abuse and promiscuity to epidemic proportions, so much so that it is almost considered normal. 'Men' were used synonymously with 'unfaithful' in a recent conversation with another friend. As you can imagine, a people broken by abuse and hungry for love will self medicate. Starved of normal expressions of love, and shamed by frequent abuse, gender confusion results. Thailand is now viewed as an international hub of gender-bending norms, and a centre of sexual alterations. 

Sometimes these problems seem so endemic in this society, so pervasive, that it is easy to lose hope. What we see is just the tip of an iceberg. The reality is lives all around us filled with pain and emptiness, scarcely recognised anymore ~ this is normality, all they have known for generations. At times like this, I remember the words of Psalm 121:
       1I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from?

2My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 

He is the God of the broken, because he is their Maker. He is the only healer and His work is perfect. His love heals every wound, as nothing else can. His invitation to the thirsty is found in Isaiah 55 (Message version): 

1-5 “Hey there! All who are thirsty,
    come to the water!
Are you penniless?
    Come anyway—buy and eat!
Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk.
    Buy without money—everything’s free!
Why do you spend your money on junk food,
    your hard-earned cash on cotton candy?
Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best,
    fill yourself with only the finest.
Pay attention, come close now,
    listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words.
I’m making a lasting covenant commitment with you,
    the same that I made with David: sure, solid, enduring love.

Each of us are broken people. Each one is thirsty. Only in Jesus can we find our healing, quench our heart's thirst for love. I urge you today, receive His love. And the beauty of it is, this is a love that cannot help but overflow. Go hug your children, as our cousins across the pond would say, "love on" your family. We are blessed to be a blessing.

The first fruits... parties in heaven!

Recently I happened to meet a small team from Australia was able to join them in some of their ministries. They were days filled with joy and blessing, here are some stories:

@ School: The first day, I joined the team to teach English at a Middle School English Camp. I taught Years 5-9 for an hour each, with very basic resources and having to rely on my Thai a lot as even the teachers struggled to understand even the simplest of sentences. 

@ Prison: Another day, we visited a Juvenile prison. We were able to minister God's love through Thai and Isaan songs, testimonies and sharing the Word of God. My heart was heavy with God's love for the 300 or so teenage boys and 6 girls gathered there. They needed to know their Father in heaven loved them dearly and wanted more than anything to heal and restore their lives. And praise God, they did hear that, and were all given a Gideon's NT to read as the Spirit continues to work in their hearts.

@ Hospital: 

Visiting the Government Hospital in Ubon was quite a shock as the corridors were filthy, smelly  and had cats and dogs roaming freely through them, as well as many people sitting or sleeping in them. The Thai church we were partnering with led some songs of worship and shared from their own lives and from the Bible to a small crowd. Meanwhile, those of us not fluent in Thai went to pray and share what we could in the children's wards. It was a delight just to be able to pray for these children and their families, but God had a special surprise in store too.
I had prayed for a baby who had severe stomach problems. As I finished praying and sharing God's love with them, and had moved to another bedside, the Grandma came running over and saying, "Come and look, come and look! God has already helped us!" The little child had started eating the bread I'd left with them. I didn't fully understand but eventually gathered that the child hadn't been eating at all before. The Mother and grandmother were so full of joy that Jesus had heard their prayers and answered already. It raised not only their level of faith, but mine, and probably that of all those listening in the ward. Praise God for He is good!

Next, we visited a Cancer Hospital. This was heartbreaking too. The wards we visited had terminal cancer patients. You could see the despair and hopelessness in their eyes. The air itself seemed to be thick with pain. Yet where the darkness is thickest, light shines the brightest.
The old man in this picture started crying as soon as we approached. I sensed they were tears of fear. We'd barely started talking when he said he wanted to accept Jesus. I wondered how that could have been, but we prayed with him and he cried tears of joy. Only then did he share that he'd been to Christmas programmes at a church in his home town but never made his own decision to accept Jesus. This was his opportunity, and he had grabbed it with both hands. We encouraged him that his name was written in heaven and he can be sure of eternal life in Jesus, that he was now a child of God and had no reason to fear. The tears kept flowing, tears of relief and joy.

Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” 

(John 4:35b-38)

My Thai Christian friend Nui, seen on the left in this picture has been a patient in the same cancer ward. She was completely healed and now has a passion to share the hope of Jesus with others in the cancer ward. I decided to join her in her weekly hospital visits. This week's visit saw another miracle of salvation. 

Nui had prayed for this dear lady, Phi Rap last week and now shared the hope of both healing and the gospel message of salvation. Again, we felt her heart had already been prepared by the Holy Spirit. She was incredibly receptive and wanted to receive Jesus. She explained that the idols meant nothing now that she knew the living God, and He had taken away her sin so she would not have to strive to constantly make merit by herself. We were rejoicing and praying with her and then I asked her mother, sitting beside me, what she made of this. She had been quiet but then her face lit up as she expressed how grateful she was that God had helped her daughter. She said she had a dream last night that she had washed a very dirty towel and it was still dirty. Then someone washed it for her and it was sparkling white, with gold inside... She wanted to pay but the man said it was free, she didn't have to pay! When she told her husband the dream this morning, he said, "This means that someone is going to come today and help our daughter". Pure revelation. And when we came along and shared Isaiah 1:18, 55:1-3 and 53: 4-6 with her, it explained her dream. All she had to do was connect the dots. The Holy Spirit gave them revelation, praise God! Nui and I both had goosebumps. We serve an AWESOME God!   

But the visit was bitter-sweet. While one more name was written in heaven, we went to visit a young man of 29 who we'd shared with last week and prayed for, but found his bed empty. He had passed away early this morning. We only get one shot at this life. Let us choose life. Let's live it to the full. Let us choose God, and let him breathe fullness of life into us.

@ the Village:

 The following week, I went with Nui to visit Pa Suay - a lady we are discipling as she is a fairly new convert. Since around last June when she chose to follow Christ, she has been the only Christian in her little unreached village. God has given this dear lady a passion for the lost in her village but they have mostly sidelined her out of the community - people fear what they don't understand. This time after we shared with her from the Word and prayed together, she said there was a man in the village who wanted us to visit so we went to see him. This is his story.

Lung Ya had been a Buddhist monk for many years. He had firmly held beliefs and when a short term team from Singapore came through his village witnessing about Christ he said he wasn't interested because he had already had much religious education. However, he is paralysed in his left side, and therefore agreed to receiving prayer. A week later, he visited Pa Suay, telling her that he had felt something when the team had prayed for him and he wanted to know more about Jesus. Of course Pa Suay gladly shared with him about Jesus from the Bible, and told him we would visit. When we saw him, he beamed and said he wanted to know Jesus. As we explained more about freedom from sin and hope in Christ, his face kept brightening and he said he wanted to teach others about Christ as we were teaching him! We explained that he needed to receive Christ first and that this meant a total change and new life. He was keen... so we led him in prayer and there was another party in heaven! He agreed to meet together with Pa Suay weekly to learn more about Jesus and worship together; and so a small village house church is born!! We have met with him and Pa Suay twice since then. Lung Ya is an eager learner, soaking up all that we share from the Word, and keen to participate in worship together. What a joy. We pray that God would stretch out his hand to confirm his Word with signs and wonders. This man is one of those! Please pray for spiritual growth, physical healing in Lung Ya's body, and for his wife and family to also receive the beautiful gift of salvation that he has accepted.

Snapshots of Isaan

On our Visa run to Laos - met with some friends for food and fellowship. Yes, that coconut is bigger than my head and was impossible to finish drinking. And the fish on the grill is talapia - a Thai/Lao favourite. 

The picture to the left below shows a Chinese medicine stall. Here we saw strange and pretty gross things (like 2 headed lizards with 10 tails, which you can see in the foreground) that people buy at great expense to 'cure' them of various illnesses / misfortunes. It was heartbreaking to see people resorting to such means because they don't know the true freedom and healing that Christ has brought.

This is a Thai style dinner party - everyone brings food, then they all cook it together on little barbecues and eat while they cook, chill, chat, sing karaoke songs and play music. Now that is my kind of party. :) As you can see it was a little chilly that evening - the beanies are out in force! This is the coldest winter Isaan has had for 30 years. The temperature is in the mid-twenties during the day if the sun is shining, and in the early teens at night... which is chilly when houses are built to keep cool and there are no heaters in sight. I know I shouldn't feel so cold, being Welsh and all... but apparently I have acclimatised! :)

This barbecue has an interesting mix of 'falang' (foreign) and Thai food - jacket potatoes wrapped in foil, pig intestines and Thai sausage. Mmmm.....

As I mentioned, it's far too cold for the Thais at the moment. Apparently dog fur doesn't do too well at keeping dogs warm, so all the pet dogs wear little jumpers!!

 The main temple, or wat in Ubon. It is all decked out in gold and apparently contains some of the Buddha's remains. When we visited, we saw many devoted Buddhists purchasing flowers and gifts and offering them to the monks. It is the main way they make merit, in hopes of a better life... in their next life.
Do they have any assurance? Nope.
Any hope for God's help with the struggles of their (often very difficult) daily lives? None.
So what are they left with? The real religion completely mingled with Buddhism here:

Animism (appeasing the spirits all around them).

As a result, outside most houses and in groves of trees, just like the Canaanite religions of the OT - you see these high places. Spirit houses, where the spirits of the area are believed to reside. This is the focus of appeasement offerings like you see in the picture - apparently Red Fanta is a firm favourite.
While it may seem ridiculous to us, this is the only hope they have, because otherwise they believe they are at the mercy of various malevolent and easily offended spirits.

Oh Holy Spirit ~ we long that you would be poured out on this nation, to free this people from the many things that enslave them. Have mercy Lord, and forgive them for the sins which permeate this land. Cleanse the land from the influence of deception. May your kingdom come in Thailand and your Spirit be poured out, to soften hard and deceived hearts; may the light of your truth shine brightly and may demonic strongholds of idolatry, immorality and fear be broken. May the people of this land experience your power to save, heal and set free, and your love to fill and make them new. Give them the hope that only you can give, of a sure and eternal life with you starting from now. 

In Jesus name and for your glory. Amen. 

Christmas in Isaan... is an oxymoron.

Christmas tree competition: A candy cane tree, a Mall tree and a Village Church Christmas tree.  

Christmas really doesn't exist in Thailand. I mean they have snowmen and Christmas trees in some shop windows, but the actual day is a normal working day, like any other. There are no Christmas cards to be found in the shops. They have got the most meaningless parts of Christmas, and although we see the Consumerism that seems to have gobbled up Christmas in the West; in this culture, Christmas never really existed at all. I find that tragic. The Saviour of the world has come, and they just don't know. After 2000 years, how could it be that they have got so much from the West, but still don't know that Love came in human form, to save them? 

But you, O Bethlehem, 
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel...

And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.

And he shall be their peace.

(Micah 5:2-5)

If you are reading this and don't know Jesus, I want to tell you He is the only one worth living for, He makes life abundant, meaningful, joyful. He is Peace. And he longs for you to share it with Him. He pursues you with his love. Just ask Him and He will come in. And if you do know Him, just take a moment to enjoy His presence. Thank Him for coming, celebrate Him. As we do the same here, Christmas comes to Thailand.

SNAPSHOTS OF ISAAN: 

I was just walking down the street the other day, when I heard loud Isaan music coming from one of the houses - not an uncommon occurence here. But instead of being a party, it was a grannies dance exercise class! I stood and smiled at them, and a few of them smiled back. After watching them dance for a little while and making this video (below), I went and joined them. Yes, I am a crazy extrovert, but I just thought, really, what do I have to lose?! Of course they thought it was hilarious and after they'd finished dancing we had a good natter, as much as my Thai would allow.

These little monks filed right past my gate one morning, collecting alms. 

It is normal for Thai boys to serve as monks for a time in order to make merit for the parents, for their next life. If only they knew there is One who has made more merit than we can ever contain, on our behalf. 

My little herb garden which my lovely grandma next door loves to check on and help me with.

The Isaan people are unbeatable when it comes to piling large objects on 2 wheelers. 

Living here, you see circus acts every day. 

A timely reminder in a coffee shop  ;o) 

... Amen. 

Team retreat - A weekend together outside the city, getting to know the team, having fun together, praying through and making plans for the coming year. 

Erin (American teammate) and I will be housemates soon  :) 

 Team Isaan :) Praise God for bringing harvesters to these fields. 

Little church, Big vision

When you go to visit a place called the 'Crying Fields', you don't expect to find hope...

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.