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.

The New Normal

I arrived in Ubon on the evening of 8th October to be greeted by my team-mates at the airport. The picture above shows the existing team members (celebrating one of the children's birthday with ice cream!). Since then, things have been pretty hectic. There's so much to get used to - hot and sticky weather (around 30-32 degrees), the language (I understand just about 5% of what people are saying, thanks to the time I spent in Thailand in 2008), the culture (where fireworks don't mean a party but scaring away the rain god), the food (where the norm when ordering is "mai phet, mai sai pong churrot" - less spicy, don't add MSG!)

And this is pretty much what the next phase is going to be for me - learning the new normal.

Everything is unfamiliar, and it can make you feel pretty small not knowing how anything works, putting your expectations aside, or rather learning to not throw an internal tantrum when your expectations aren't met! It is a humbling feeling, like being a child in an strange new world.

I am no longer defined by all the things I do - not a teacher, or a College student, nor by the things I belong to - my church, my family, my friend circle. Those things we hold so dear to our identity sometimes are taken away, and I find myself faced with the question, who am I?

Does it matter that I am no longer defined by those things, even though they are still dear to me? Where does my worth come from?

And I praise God that I can say with confidence, I am a child of God, and that is enough.

We live with so many different badges of identity, labels and masks. When everything you're used to is stripped away, you're thrown into the initially startling but ultimately freeing realisation, that none of that stuff really matters.

All that matters is where your peace comes from, what your joy is found in, where your sense of purpose is rooted. The one unchanging and truest element of these factors is Jesus. He is my peace, my joy. My identity and purpose are found in Him. This comes through loud and clear in a song that has become very dear to me. Here it is, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Be blessed  :o)

Season of goodbyes

I now have a leaving date - 7th October. This means the emotional rollercoaster goes into overdrive - the end of an era, the beginning of another. 

Last weekend I had a commissioning service at Mariners, my church in Gloucester. It made my heart swell with joy, to be with this family of God and realise that they are sending me out with love to be their arm in Thailand. There was so much rejoicing, and I felt fat with prayer I'd received from such loving hearts. There was unity, and where there is unity, God commands a blessing. That blessing was felt in the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit during worship. I was anointed with oil - I wasn't so keen at first, as I saw my pastor coming towards me with the oil in his hand - but the fresh infilling of the Spirit that it came with quickly changed that! ;) It was a symbol of his blessing, his anointing, his empowering.

 "So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David." 1 Sam 16:13

After the service there was a bring and share lunch. It felt like a party! Thankfully I will see most of these precious friends one more time, but the prospect of goodbyes already makes my heart ache. After that we visited a dear friend, who I probably won't see now for at least 2 years. The hole in my heart started to open up. People keep asking me how it feels, am I nervous or excited? Excited, I say. Only each time I think about the goodbyes to come, the hole opens up again. This weekend will involve seeing my brother for the last time before I go. Just the thought is painful. 

But the Lord is showing me how to cope... 
1.  I am in the centre of his will. He is with me. This is all for him, and with him. And where he is, there is fullness of joy. So he says to me, keep your eyes on Me. 

2.  He reminds me, it's not goodbye forever. Eternity awaits us - an eternity of fun times together, a party with the angels in the glory of God's presence, with all our dear siblings in Christ. We are citizens of heaven... we dance to a different drum. And the reason I am going is to invite others to the party. 

3.  And finally, while I was writing this, I heard this song by Third Day. Have a listen - it is powerful. 

"Just to be with you, I've done everything

There's no price I did not pay 

Just to be with you, I gave everything

Yes, I gave my life away."

Jesus said the hardest goodbye, to take on flesh and live as one of us. He suffered incomprehensible anguish of separation from his Father, when he took our place on the cross. And he suffers still, from the pain of separation from many of his beloved children. 

So....  Surely it is a privilege to go for him, to say a few goodbyes for a short time, if I can even tell one person of the Father's love song to them. There will still be tears. There will still be a heart full of holes. But Jesus is always enough. I like what a friend at Mariners said :  FAITH means Father's Always In The House.

The Thai harvest

I saw this picture in a museum of Thai life in Ubon, the town I will be living in when I move to Thailand. 

What are these Thai farmers waiting for? Probably rain. Perhaps blessing. Perhaps prosperity. But although they may not yet realise it, certainly they are waiting for the kingdom of heaven to come to them. 

The good news is, it has. The Kingdom of heaven is near to them. 

But how will they know? 

How will they know that the all powerful Creator of the Universe loves them with an everlasting love? That He has redeemed them with the most precious gift he could ever have given - His Son. That He longs to gather them in his arms, as a hen gathers her chicks. (Luke 13:34) 

Farmers like this make up 50% of the population in the Isaan Province, the Northeastern province in the map, an area slightly larger than England and Wales together, with a population of 21.5 million. The province is the poorest in Thailand, both materially & spiritually. There is 1 Christian in over 1000 people.

Matt 9:36-38 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

I am thrilled to hear how God is drawing people from around the world to join the team in Isaan. God is certainly on the move! I am hoping to join the team in Autumn this year. I pray that God moves the hearts of many to pray for this dry & barren land.

If you're interested, click on the link below to see an excellent video made by my team leaders about the needs of the Isaan people. Isaan: Ignite the Impossible

"In the process of engaging lostness, we need a God-sized vision, a thoughtfully Biblical strategy, a good plan and a willingness to work diligently to achieve the goals God has put in our hearts. But make intercessory prayer support a higher priority than anything else, because it is the only possible way to see many lost souls become fully-devoted followers of Jesus" ~ from Miraculous Movements, by Jerry Trousdale