I am finding that culture shock is real though I don’t really like the term.  Shock seems like such a harsh word.  I guess in some ways living in a completely different culture than your own can be a little shocking at times.  But it doesn’t have to be debillitating.  I prefer the term cultural transition.  When I think of shock I think of someone about to die.  I must get this from my medical background.  But culture shock is just a normal part of transition in missionary life.  It ebbs and flows and is stronger at some times more than others.  Sometimes, you don’t realize you are going through it until you look back and say to yourself, “Why was my emotion at an 8 out of 10 for that little incident?  Something is going on here.”

I am finding that in missionary life there is always a mountain to climb, especially as you move through seasons of transition.  Each day has new challenges, some of which are harder than others.  Each day has its own joys and frustrations that are heightened by the amount of culture transition you may or may not be experiencing at the moment.  In addition to normal cultural transitions there are things that I call “pluses.”  These factors add to cultural stress and cause it to be intensified.  I will touch on a few that I have noticed recently in my own life recently.

In addition to culture shock that a new missionary faces, spiritual warfare is a real ongoing issue we face.  In our country, there is a constant stream of open and blatant idol and spirit worship.  Daily offerings are made at numerous temples and shrines throughout the city.  At our new home, our landlady had both indoor and outdoor altars where she made frequent offerings to the spirits.  Most homes and businesses here have these altars and “spirit houses.”  This constant worship causes the spiritual atmosphere to feel heavy and sometimes suffocating for the Christian living among it.  

It’s one thing to just live or survive somewhere, but things seem to get even more intense when you are working and praying to bring the Kingdom of God to a place like this.   We frequently take authority over these things and sense the protection of God over us in the midst of great darkness.  Other times, we feel beat up on a little spiritually before we realize what’s going on and pray through.  Through it all we know that we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ!

In a country like ours, we also face stereotyping that causes additional pressures.  Most of the foreign men who travel to Thailand are here for illicit reasons.  Many times I feel as if people think they know why I am in the country, but their assumptions are totally wrong.  At the very least, these tourist men give all of us a bad name.  Just yesterday, I was in a cafe where a young man was openly soliciting Thai prostitutes over his cell phone and the internet.  I realized he was still an older teenager when his Dad showed up at the cafe to pick him up I waited until a moment when they were apart (dad walked outside) and told him what the boy was doing!  But there are many men his dad’s age that are here in Thailand for only that purpose as well, so the battle goes on.  

In addition to all of these things, our family is somewhat of an oddity here.  Complete western families are hardly ever seen.  Most of the time, especially in certain parts of the country, the people have never seen such a thing.  The attention can be fun and useful but many times it creates intense additional pressure especially as strangers approach our kids to touch them or tease them.  Sometimes you go out to relax and get away but find yourself wanting to retreat home because of the stares and whispers.  This is backwards for us because we used to go out to relax when we lived in the States, but now we feel more relaxed when we are at home with each other or with close friends.

The last “plus” is time.  Time, being on time, doing what you say you will do when you say you will do it; all seem to be very fluid in this culture.  Lying is not seen as such a negative thing, but more of a technique for “saving face” and not causing embarrassment to oneself or making the other person feel bad.  Navigating through unfamiliar territory also causes things to take much longer than our Western minds think they should take.  Sometimes we don’t know the unspoken rules of the culture yet and this causes us to lose time as people wait for us to “get it” before action is taken.  Many times we just have to take a deep breath and let patience do it’s work in us.  Anyone who has a Type A personality knows that this is a real hard thing to do because we naturally have a tendency to be impatient.  

All in all we have been doing very well in these last four months.  We have navigated through many cultural transitions and complexities of life as a missionary to Southeast Asia.  We know we have many more to go, but we have been so blessed to finally get into a new home and we are learning new things about the Thai culture and about ourselves every day.  We have made new friends and continue to press forward each day in learning the language.  We have good friends who love us and help us often.  Most importantly, we have people back home who support us and who pray for us regularly.  

This makes climbing the mountain so much easier than it would be without the help.

As I finish this blog among the Thai people in this cafe I am listening to Johnny Cash sing a chorus of “Hallelujah” over the speakers and I am reminded of why I do what I do, why I am here, and why I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I was my pleasure to participate in a recent group blogging project put on by www.bibledude.net where we were able to each review a chapter of Pastor Dino Rizzo’s new book Servolution.  This book has really got me thinking about what a revolution of serving looks like here in Thailand.  Here is my review of Chapter 8 of the book.  Be sure to pick up a copy for yourself and let’s see a Servolution take place together!

Chapter 8 of “Servolution”

“Unlocking the Need- There’s a Great Treasure Inside”

I am honored to be able to review this chapter of Pastor Dino Rizzo’s new book “Servolution.”  Being a native of South Louisiana myself, I know first hand the reputation of Healing Place Church as a church that doesn’t just talk about serving, but actually does it.  

Before leaving for Thailand, while visiting family, my wife and I were able to serve right along side the HPC team as they passed out water, roof tarps, food, and hot lunches to the people who had recently been affected by Hurricane Gustav.  The attitude we saw displayed by the members was upbeat, positive, and contagious even thought the circumstances were tough. (I wrote about here on the blog HERE)

The leaders of this church lead by example and not merely by casting vision.  I know of one of the campus pastors of this community, he also happens to be a friend of mine, who leads a group of fired up servants to mow the lawns of widows in their local community.  I know that this Pastor does this week in and week out simply out of a love for serving these women.  This type of heart is seen throughout the congregation.  

I once heard of another Pastor from HPC ministering to the homeless of downtown Baton Rouge, even spending a night sleeping on the streets, in order to fully identify with what these people were facing.  There are multitudes of untold stories like this coming out of this church.  From ministering to orphans and the elderly, to helping single moms, to feeding the poor (some awesome Cajun food by the way); this church is getting it done in Jesus name.

In Chapter 8 of Servolution, Pastor Dino seeks to help us understand that there is hidden treasure in each of our community no matter where we are in the world.  He reminds us that a revolution in serving starts with people, right here at home, right now.  It’s not about geography.  Every person is important to God, right here and now.  He goes on to remind us that serving is not something we compartmentalize, but it’s a way of life.  

As a missionary, I really appreciate quote Dino included from the great missionary pioneer C.T. Studd, who said, “The light that shines the farthest will shine the brightest at home.”  This emphasis is important because cross-cultural service is not a place for people who couldn’t cut it “back home.”  It is a place for the best and the brightest our churches have to offer, people who go not to be served, but to serve and give their lives for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Dino goes on to check the motivations of our heart.  He shows us the difference between simple acts of service and simple acts of kindness and demonstrates what the difference is between the two.  He reminds us that we are called to serve the poor, which means that many times they have nothing to offer us in return for the kindness we show them in Jesus name.  

I think this is so important and relevant to us in these days because I have a seen a trend in many churches where service and outreach are only targeted towards those who have the ability to add monetary value back to our churches.  We would never say that we believe this or hold it as a value, but our values can be seen in the types of people who are attending our services on a regular basis or where and how our outreach/missions budget is spent.

Finally, we are reminded that like anything that is worth doing or that has eternal value, a servolution will cost those who choose to ignite it.  But like everything in the upside down Kingdom of God, it is in dying to self that we live, and in losing that we gain.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to be challenged to check both their personal and organizational serve.  With Jesus reminding us that he who is greatest in the Kingdom of God is not the one who; gathers the most people, has the best facilities and tech, the most cutting edge services, and the most relevant and engaging messages, but the one who is the servant of all.

John Lambert is an aspiring servant who is originally from South Louisiana.  He is married to Jacqueline, a father of two boys, friend of social media, networker, and cross cultural communicator serving the Kingdom of God in the Kingdom of Thailand.  When in the States, John calls Freedom House Church in Charlotte, NC home.

Web Site: www.spreadtheflame.com

Blog: http://johnlambert.wordpress.com

The New Language of Online Communication

There are so many new tools that make missionary life more connected than it was even five or ten years ago.  Nothing will take the place of the basics of cross cultural work and the principles involved, but there are some great online tools that can add a new dimension to community life and work overseas.     

As believers we should be tuned into the new ways people are communicating in the 21st century.  The world is becoming increasingly more connected and there are fewer and fewer places where there is not at least some type of internet access available.

Here in many parts of Asia, most young people are more connected than their Western counterparts.  In America, more churches are moving into the online world while others are getting left further behind.  

I want to continue to learn about emerging ways of online communication and expression because I have a strong desire to communicate the message and take people along with me in my journey.  Therefore when it comes new ways people are connecting, I want to be a student and not a critic.  How about you?

Here are a few basic tools I personally use on a regular basis and how I use them.  A simple little guide for “the rest of us.”

1.  Twitter:  

I too used to scoff at Twitter, but now I love it.  To me, it’s about finding people who you are interested in hearing more from and starting to follow them.  I have an ipod touch (didn’t need the phone) with the free Twitterfon application.  I can update my status in 140 characters or less anytime I’m near a wi-fi connection.  People who are interested can get a glimpse into my life here in Thailand and share in the things that I see, think about, and experience on a daily basis.  I can also keep up with the ongoing conversation of leaders and people I choose to follow without much effort.  Whenever I want, I can jump in on the conversation at will.  This makes me feel a part of certain communities even though I may be half a world away.  I have set up my Twitter feed so that it automatically updates my next favorite application…

2.  Facebook:  

I only add my friends, people I have met personally, and a few friends of friends or people I would like to get to know better.  Facebook gives me the ability to peak in on any one of these profiles to catch up on their lives, instant message, send emails and birthday wishes, look at posted links, pics, and video from my friends, and update my supporters with instant prayer requests and praise reports.  I have group called “The Lamberts in Thailand” that is by invitation only.  These are people that have opted in to receiving email and I send them periodic updates, links to my newsletters, and prayer requests.  I also started a group for our local church here in Thailand which I think will make it easier for our members and incoming team members to stay in touch with us even when they leave our city.

3.  Skype:  

Besides being in the same room speaking with the person themselves, there is nothing better than free video calling programs like Skype.  We are able to catch up with our family and share life with them as we live half a world away.  In the beginning we had to set these things up for our parents, but now that they have access to this tool, they are amazed at the fact that we can talk over the computer and see one another like we do.  I have Skype on my ipod and can theoretically chat and talk to people through it, though I haven’t tried it yet.  With a few dollars of Skype credit, we can even call cell phones back in the States as well as take care of business with our banks and businesses when needed.  Looking forward to using Skype to do a live update from the field into our local church or to sit in on one of our church’s team meetings.

4.  Blogs:  

I am a WordPress man and my wife uses Blogger.  I like the clean look and she is more frilly and likes the freedom to decorate more.  The main point however is that we have both been blogging for a few years now and have found it a great outlet of communication and expression.   Blogs give us the ability to chronicle our family’s life, adventures, and our expanded thoughts.  When we post we are able to share these things with the world and it’s our hope that through our writing more people will become of needs and be inspired to play their part in whatever God is calling them to do.  

Blogs help demystify missionary life by sharing our struggles and challenges in addition to our glory stories.  We also hope it opens the door for more people to get involved in the work.  I love reading the blogs of other Christian leaders, even those who may think differently than me or have a different focus.  Many times, they help stretch my thinking and get me open to new possibilities.  

Once you find some blogs you like, you can use a blog reading program like Bloglines or Google Reader and read all of your blogs in one place versus visiting each one seperately.  All you need to do is set up an account then subscribe to your favorite blog’s RSS feed.  From a writer’s perspective I use a program that updates my Twitter when I post something that in turn updates my Facebook.  I like to get the maximum exposure with the minimum effort.  A little set up work makes things easier in the long run.

5.  Podcasts:  

 I have just started really listening to podcasts, but I have found some good ones that I really enjoy taking along with me, especially on those really long road trips.  I can listen to good teaching both in audio and video anytime I choose and the best part is that the ones I listen to are free.  All you need to get set up is the latest download of itunes and some kind of MP3 player.  Once you have searched for the ones you may be interested in, download them, and you are set.  I count this time as part of my ongoing leadership education.  

These tools may not always continue to exist in their present form, but you can be sure that the type of communication they represent will only expand and integrate into new forms as the months and years roll on.  They do take a new level of commitment, but I think the initial investment is worth the dividends you will receive.  The best way to engage these things is to just dive in and learn as you go like most of us did.  Best of all, all of the above mentioned tools are within the missionary’s budget, they are free!

If you are a cross cultural worker, what would you add?  What are some tools that you have used to stay connected and plugged in even while you are living in another country? Have you been limited of the use of these tools because of the sensitive nature of your work in a certain country.  How do work around these limitations and stay in touch?

I’m going to be transparent with you and share a few of the hard earned lessons I learned today.  I am going to make myself vulnerable for our mutual edification with a true story, so be gentle ok?  I hope you can learn something from this like I did.

It was time for dinner and I just wanted to get it and get back home quickly.  Here in Thailand, its much cheaper to eat at the market than to cook, so I usually go out for the family and grab a few things for dinner every so often.  I guess I was distracted or maybe not thinking to deeply, but Brayden and I took off on the scooter and headed down the highway without much thought or preparation on my part.

I near the entrance to the University off of the major highway I was on and realize that my engine is beginning to sputter.  I look down and suddenly realize that I’m out of gas.  The light turns green and all of the other bikes and cars have to pull around us as my engine dies!  I take a deep breath and calmly tell Brayden that we are going to have to walk across the highway to the other side.  ”Dad, what’s wrong?” he asks a little frantically.  I reply, “Dad should have got gas at that last station and he didn’t so we are going to have to walk.  Mai pen rai” which means “no problem” in Thai.  

I reached for my phone to call Jacqueline and realized that I didn’t bring it with me.  Doesn’t help to have a cell when you don’t have it in an emergency, right?  So we parked the motorbike in the grass and walked onto the huge campus and down the main road.  We began to make our way to the market when a student of my English class saw us and stopped.  I told him what was going on and he took us on his motorbike to the nearest gas station.  

Once he dropped us off, I realized that I did not have my key on me and would not be able to open the gas tank under the seat, even if I bought gas.  I had turned the bike on yesterday and just kick started it to get it going and didn’t bother to take the key.  In my mind, I didn’t like taking the key because I always had to remember to take it out of the ignition before I took off or else it would shake loose and land on the road.  Hmmm, not a good day to not have it on me.

So once again I calmly told my six year old son that we would need to walk over to the church building on campus and see if someone was there who could help us out.  We began to walk down the side walk when my Thai friend passed us again and stopped.  I had to explain how I was coming up against the “perfect storm” right now and didn’t have a way into my gas tank or a cell to call my wife.  He then offered me his cell, but I realized that I didn’t know my wife’s number because I simply stored it in my phone!!  Thanks anyway.  So I released him to go on to where he needed to be and assured him that we would be alright.

After passing a snake skin and some snake bones on the side of the road, which Brayden thought was sooo cool, we made it through the thick motorcycle traffic to the church building…no one there.  ”Ok, Brayden” I said calmly the third time, “We need to head over to the market and see if we can find a tuk tuk or something.”  So, we walked a good ways before we realized that the clouds were black and small drops were beginning to fall.  You see where this is going don’t you?

I was still intent on getting food and reaching the purpose for this trip in the first place, so I ignored the rain drops!  We get to the outdoor market and stand in line for chicken falafel, which is a very rare find in these parts, when it eventually begins to pour.  I don’t mean rain hard, but pooouuurrr!  I’m talking floods in the streets kind of “pour”.  Brayden ducks under the puny umbrella of the lady selling the falafel as we grab our order and double bag it.  He surprisingly stays calm, enjoying the “adventure” of it all and we decide to just walk it out and get soaked.  ”Mai pen rai”….again!

We make it to the central plaza of the University and see a lowly “song taew” driver waiting out the rain.  By this time, it’s dark outside and they are not running their routes anymore.  I pull out some money and use my new Thai language skills to ask him to take us home.  He sees the cash and bolts for the door motioning us to follow him.  We end up making it home, I pay the man more than I should have, hand him a Gospel tract, and tell him that Jesus loves him in Thai.  He gives me a strong “wai” and says thank you back to me in Thai.

We walk in the house, Brayden begins to tell the story of our adventure starting with “mom, we ran out of gas!” My wife lets out a deep sigh.

We eventually went back to the bike with some gas and I drove it home in the rain while Jacqueline followed me. 

The morale of the story:  What should have been a quick trip to the market and back took me alot longer than it should have, made me work harder than I wanted to, and cost me alot more than I wanted to pay.  In the end, God still had mercy on me and redeemed the whole thing by allowing me to connect with this Thai driver and give him the chance of hearing the Gospel.  In some weird way I wonder if all of this happened for him; at least that’s how I comfort myself for my lack of being prepared!

A giant of Missions work and thinking, Ralph Winter, recently passed away after a battle with cancer.  He was 84. Time Magazine listed him among the 25 most influential Evangelicals in America in 2005.  He has been a huge influence on my life, ministry, and thinking.  Much of my understanding concerning world missions and unreached people groups has come from his ministry vision.  We also share the experience of both being US Navy veterans.

His story is an amazing one.  According to his autobiography, he started the US Center for World Missions without backers, no denomination, not even a single congregation, no mailing list, and only about $100 in cash.  They went from this to a $40 million dollar set of properties that are free and clear and a global impact that will never fully be understood this side of eternity. The university he founded enrolls in various programs over 6,000 new students a year, drawing upon over 900 teachers/professors all over the country, teaching in over 130 places in the U.S. alone, are active in many languages with half of the staff either at regional centers in the USA or in similar activities around the world!

I am so thankful for his heart which has been transferred to a younger generation like me.  The Perspectives on the World Christian Movement Course reader was one of the books created by the USCWM that captivated by thinking and helped me to understand God’s mission from Genesis to Revelation.  I chose to take that information and do something with it and that’s why I am here in Northeast Thailand today among the Isaan people.  

The passing of Ralph Winter represents the passing of a generation.  We, my generation, is now responsible to take the torch and run with it to the nations.  My prayer is that Ralph Winter see more spiritual fruit in death than he ever saw in his lifetime through those of us who have been impacted by the force of his message and life.   His influence will not be missed for it will continue through the countless lives that his vision has touched.

Here are some quotes from other leaders about Ralph Winter

“Nobody in the area of missions had a greater impact on me.”-John Piper (Renowed Mission Mobilizer, Author, and Pastor)

“This is like one big star disappearing. It is doubtful whether a prophetic missiologist scholar like him can ever appear again.” –Pastor David Cho (Pastor of the Largest Congregation in the World)

“History will record Ralph Winter as one of the half-dozen men who did most to affect world evangelism in the twentieth century.”-C. Peter Wagner (World Famous Missiologist, Author, and Mobilizer)

“The death of Dr. Ralph Winter marks the passing of a giant from the scene of missions and GFA owes him a tremendous debt of gratitude for his influence on our ministry.”–Dr. K.P. Yohannan (founder and president of Gospel for Asia which serves multitudes of native missionaries in Asia)

Here is a video where he recently talked about unreached peoples

Since coming to Thailand, I have been working hard to understand in insides of the Thai culture and why things are the way they are here in the Kingdom.  I want to let you in on some of the things that I am learning in the hopes that you will better understand typical Thai life.  

One of the observations I’ve made has to do with the expectations that are put on young men when it comes to religious matters.  Here in the Northeast, just about every young man is expected to become a Buddhist monk at some time in his life.  By around age 20 or 21, in and around the time of college, they are expected to be a monk for a minimum of a few days.  

Once the boys are “ordained”, they then ride around in a procession of pickup trucks in order to let the “spirits” know that they are now monks.  Some stay longer than a few days and choose to live as a monk for many years. There head and eyebrows are shaved and they are expected to listen to a sermon and chant many ancient Pali texts.  Once ordained, the boy is now known as “naak” or “naga” in English. This is a mythical serpent from Indian legends.

The story goes that one day the serpent disguised himself as a human in order to be ordained as a monk.When the Buddha found out, he told the naga that only humans can become monks. The naga agreed to leave the monkhood but asked the Buddha for one favour. He asked that in future, all young men who were about to be ordained be called “naga”. The Buddha consented.  Feel free to draw conclusions here.

The main reason most of these young men do this ceremony is to please their parents who believe that the only way to “heaven” is ride the robe of a monk who is a family member.  When someone in the family dies, a chosen young man in the family can choose to become a “monk in front of the body.”  He literally becomes a monk just for the benefit of the family member who just died. Once he has performed his family duty he is released from the obligation or can continue in it as long as he desires.  

From talking to other Thai young people, many of them don’t want to do this, but they are obligated by a Thai tradition of “repaying the parents.”  If they refuse, most are kicked out of the family and ostracized.  In the villages, I hear that it is almost impossible to be married if a man has not yet been a monk.  There are even derogatory terms for calling that person who has shamed the family by refusing the ordination.  If they have not yet become monks, they are called “unripe” which basically means they haven’t even become men yet.

In addition to this, many young boys become monks over their summer breaks from school.  It’s sort of like a summer camp for them where everyone shaves their heads, learns Buddhist principles, and goes out walking the streets of the village to receive daily alms of rice, foods, and gifts.  They are only expected to keep 10 precepts and not the normal 227 that most monks keep.  By doing this, the boys bring great honor to their families.

The societal pressure for these boys to do this for the family is HUGE.  Of the top three ways of “making merit” in Buddhism, number one and two are becoming a monk or having a son become a monk.  So, for mother’s, their sons are literally their salvation.  The third way is giving money to temple building projects…so that’s why there are so many temple buildings here!

When I consider these things I think of them against the backdrop of certain scriptures (Eph 6:2-3, Matt 10:36-38, Luke 14:26,  Hebrews 11:26 ,Matt 13:44) and realize that there is much to overcome in becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ here in this nation.  But some brave souls have broken through.  Will you pray that many more will do the same?

What I have written briefly is just one aspect of a typical boy’s life in Thailand, in the future I will write about other cultural aspects of life here such as state required Buddhist education, city gates and shrines, wedding ceremonies, funerals, street level religious views, and family dynamics.  Until then, feel free to weigh in on this topic.

Since the “Miracles of Love” Festival there has been some interest on the subject of divine healing and how it works works in our lives and missions work in general.  So I wanted to take a moment to talk a little about it here.  Though this won’t be exhaustive, I hope it will give a little insight into divine healing, how it can work in a believer’s life, and how God uses it to bring people to Himself.

Let me start by saying that I believe that Almighty God is good.  He is not the author of sin, sickness, death, and evil.  These things have come as a result of man’s fall from grace in the Garden of Eden and one day God will bring a final end to all of these things and we will never know them again (see here).  Jesus sums it up best when He says that “the thief (the devil) comes not but to kill, steal, and destroy, but I have come that you might have life and that in abundance.” John 10:10.  In another place it tells us that “for this reason the Son of God was manifested…that He might destroy the works of the devil.”  I John 3:8. Sickness and disease is a work of the devil and therefore is an enemy to be faced with faith in the power of God to destroy it.

When Jesus was beaten and crucifed, He not only paid the price for our sins, but also for our healing.  See Isa 55.  Once he was risen from the dead, He had all authority over the devil and his “works.”  He then gave that authority to those who would be “believers”, not only then but also today.  This is best seen in the verse Mark 16:15, And these signs shall follow them that believe….they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.”  We also see that in the early church provision was made for healing of the body as part of everyday life.  James tells us that if anyone is sick they should call for the elders of the church and the prayer of faith would save the sick and if he has committed any sins they would be forgiven.  James 5:14-15

All throughout the New Testament, we see Jesus healing the sick.  At times the Scriptures says he healed all that came to Him. (Matt 12:15)  In other places, it shows that He was hindered because of people’s unbelief. (see here)  We also see him asking people if they wanted to be made well when they were obviously suffering. (see here)  We also see him telling people that their faith has saved them and made them well. (see here)  One lady who had a flow of blood for 12 years and had been to every doctor she could find was completely healed when she reached out an touched Jesus.  The crowds were all touching him, but her touch was different.  Jesus said he “felt virtue leave him.”  So, we see that this lady found a special touch that caused her to be healed.  It was a touch of faith and it did more for her than a lifetime of doctor visits.  I bet there were other people around Jesus at that time that needed healing, but she was the one who received it.  (Gotta read this: Mark 5:25-34) I believe that God is not moved by our problems, but by our faith.

In overseas missions work, I hear that many missionaries see divine healing much more in their places of service rather than in the West.  Why is this?  I think it mainly has to do with the fact that we have so many other things to rely on in place of God in places like America.  In other parts of the world, where healthcare is a luxury most can’t afford or doctors don’t have the same level of training, many people are in desperate situations.  There faith is much stronger and therefore they tend to receive a higher average of healings.  I heard from one Baptist missionary that he regularly sees people healed in his ministry here in Thailand, but he is unable to share the awesome testimonies of what God is doing back in the churches in America because people would not understand.  People may think he was becoming “charismatic” or going off the deep end, but this was far from reality.  Sad, but true.  He was just using the tools God gave Him to reach lost people and demonstrate the Kingdom of God on the Earth.

“Charis” is the greek word for gift and God has given many of them to the church.  One of them being the “gift of healings” found in I Cor 12.  Not all people have this gift, but all believers can pray a prayer of faith over a sick person and ask God to heal.  Some people say that these gifts are no longer for today.  I ask why not?  Why would Jesus die to give us gifts that we can no longer us?Why would He leave His church without power when the needs are just as great today, maybe even greater.  Well, I don’t believe He has.  I believe this gift, along with others mentioned in the Sciptures, are still available to the Church today.  Countless people worldwide would testify to the fact that God still divinely heals today, whether through the faith of His people or through other means.

Are there counterfeits to what I’m speaking about?  You bet.  But the counterfeit is only a counterfeits if there is something genuine that it is trying to replicate.  In a simple explanation, we are called to believe God’s Word, that He is able and willing, pray the prayer of faith, and to leave the results up to God.   When someone is healed by God, it practically serves to demonstrate the mercy of God, and the fact that He not only has power over sickness of the body, but that He also has power over the ultimate sickness, spiritual death.  Even though all are not healed all of the time, it still does not take anything away from this reality.

We will all die one day.  Healing of the body is only temporary, but rebirth and spiritual healing last for eternity.  We need both, but whether a person is healed in their body or not, we all still need to be healed in our spirits. (John 3:3, I Cor 5:17).  If we or someone we know is sick, we pray for healing.  If we have access to doctors and medicine we use them.  If a person does not recover and even dies, we leave it in the hands of God who has infinite wisdom over each of our lives.  

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have the joy of knowing that whether we live or die, God is with us and we will live with Him forever.   This is the same thing we try to teach others who don’t know the Creator.  This is more important than whether or not God heals.  But when we encounter a person, we will believe God for everything they need.  It’s only what we would want someone to do for us if we were in the same situation. (Matt 22:19)

What about you?  Do you believe God still heals today?  If so, how did it happen?  What kinds of stories have you personally been a part of?

The Miracles of Love Festival crew is back in Sweden and America now.  They did an outstanding job and worked hard the whole time they were in Khon Kaen.  The hit the ground running and didn’t let the jet lag, weird food, extreme heat, and long hard days stop them. Each day the teams split up into about five groups and did outreaches at least two times a day all over the city and campus.  Each evening they hosted the Festival outreach and spent time with the friends they had met earlier that day.  Many Thai people hard the Gospel for the first time and many were healed, saved, and baptized in the Holy Spirit. Johannes Amritzer and his team did a great job communicating the Gospel each night with passion, creativity, and power

The SOS Asia team worked tirelessly preparing and facilitating all of the details for this to take place.  These guys are the unsung heroes.  They planned everything that came with facilitating over 150-200 volunteers being in a foreign country and all of the groundwork for the publicity, the outreaches, the Pastor’s conference, and everything else down to the tiniest details. Time and space would not allow me to tell of all they have done, but God knows and I know thats all they care about too.  As you can tell, I am very impressed with them and we are glad to be a part of the work they are doing.  

While we are staying in the Hughes’s home we have the blessing of employing their helper, Gaan, until they return to Thailand.  She has been a Christian for three years now and has a church that meets in here home out in the village.  She has been telling me of all the great things that have happened to her friends who attended the meetings and how some of them were healed.  One had bad knee pain for three months and it was gone, another had kidney stones and went to the doctor for a checkup…gone, another received healing in their eye.  She was very excited that people she had been praying for from her village attended.  So, if she is a slice of some of the things that have happened through the Festival then I am encouraged that there are many other stories out there that we may not ever hear about, but lives have been changed because ordinary people choose to give up their time, treasure, and talent to serve the people of Thailand.

Since we have been in Thailand so much has been going through my mind lately and I’ve just been trying to take it all in and process it.  God is also doing so many things in me personally.  Writing about it to early doesn’t seem to do it justice, so I just sit on it for a little while longer and hope it distills down into something intelligible and somewhat profitable to others.  Until then I can keep reporting and sharing what I can with the hopes that you will grow in faith to see people around you brought into the Kingdom of God and develop and greater burden to pray for people like the Thai/Isaan people.

Thanks to those of you who prayed for this outreach here in Khon Kaen.  I count you as much a part of the team as the person who flew here and walked the streets.  God bless you for your faithfulness.  If you didn’t have the opportunity, don’t feel bad.  You can start now.  There is still so much to be done!

I recently read this article by a well known worker in the Northeast of Thailand named Paul DeNeui and I wanted to share it with you all. It gives a great insight into the Isaan people of Northeast Thailand and the supernatural struggles they face in coming to faith in Jesus. Take a little time to read it and enter their world with me.

Come Join the Dance by Paul DeNeui

She wasn’t someone you would notice Like so many other northeastern Thai women she wore the short haircut and sarong garments of the elderly. Usually she talked with a mouthful of betel nut which made it difficult to understand her speech. But she loved Jesus. She had a beautiful smile. She longed for worship. And she loved to dance.

Grandma Noo Pon was eighty-two when I first met her at a village Christmas celebration. There was nothing that distinguished her from so many other elderly church members. I was still a new missionary not at all sure that I wanted to get up and dance for the Lord yet. But she was up there. And there is an embarrassing custom here when people dance in the circle of seated observers. They will occasionally bow low with hand palms together to someone sitting outside. This is a silent request to come join the dance. And she invited me.

There is no polite way to say no to your elders in Thai, so up I went. I had enough of the movements down to at least do something, but I soon learned that that was not the important part. I knew dancing was not a “pair” thing. Grandma soon wandered off to another part of the circle. Nor was this a display of talent (I knew I didn’t have that). This was simply a cultural invitation to celebrate life in our Lord Jesus. When people dance they have a certain glow, the light of life.

When the dance was over and the celebration was done everyone went back to their homes. I didn’t think much of Grandma again until a couple of years later when our Thai organization received some funds to help people build toilets. Several of our elderly church members did not have a latrine or toilet to use. Grandma was one of them.

Once again, being culturally inept (this time in building toilets) I wasn’t part of the actual construction. Soon after the project was completed the problems began. The owners of the land where Grandma Noo Pon was living were upset about the location of this latrine. It had been dug without their permission. They stated that she would have to leave. After much discussion with church leaders, the land owners agreed to let Grandma stay if we moved the latrine. We re-dug the latrine.

Later we began having weekly worship at our fish farm and Grandma, living close by, was invited to come. Her health wasn’t very good but she always came. When we ate together she nibbled less than a bird. She didn’t sing but she clapped offbeat. She asked for prayer that she would be hired to harvest rice. She said if she wasn’t she wouldn’t eat.

When Grandma was eighty-six the owners of her property sold another piece of property in a busy part of Roi Et which had been their family home for several years. In typical Thai fashion the family’s old wooden house was carefully taken down board-by-board and then rebuilt on the property where Grandma Noo Pon lived. But her old shack was an eyesore. The owners wanted her out of the way. Once again she was going to be evicted.

Some of our Thai staff, with church leaders, again approached the owners and volunteered to move Grandma’s house (such as it was) off to one side. They grudgingly agreed to this. But when it came time to move her house the rotted boards collapsed. Only a few sheets of tin roofing were salvageable. When the church members began to gather boards and panels to replace the building, the owners were finally embarrassed enough to help. They donated nails and some coconut trunks (notoriously soft wood). Finally a new hut was up under a tamarind tree in the corner of the property, near the latrine. Meanwhile the old family house was going up behind all of this. I noted the large verandah that wrapped around the ground floor. There were double doors to let in cool air. The peaked roof was well above the second floor to keep the hot air up and out of the rooms. The house had plumbing and electricity and a fresh new coat of paint. It was then that I learned no one would ever live in it.

It was a life-size spirit house containing small tables for urns holding the ashes of relatives.

Old photographs of these bygone people hung on the walls. Outside the house were three small spirit houses on poles. Usually only one is placed on a property. Each day family members passed Grandma’s hut to make food offerings to the spirits of that place. To say the least Grandma was less than pleased. It was obvious to her that a spiritual battle was going on and she asked for prayer often.

I found out later that Grandma Noo Pon had done a number of things in her life. She had worked as a maid for the owners of the land on which she now lived. She had raised twelve children. She had outlived three husbands. But she had made her living finding spirit herbs, or rather digging up herbs the spirits told her to find. At a young age she began to worship the spirit of the city pillar of Roi Et. This ancient post, now completely covered with gold leaf and tied with colorful scarves, was positioned several hundred years ago when Roi Et was first established as a marker to establish distances. It was also understood to be the location of the city spirit, the powerful one who watched over the whole region. She worshiped this spirit faithfully and was promised that if she would keep up the worship the spirit would tell her where she could find powerful herbs in the forest to sell. She agreed and it worked. She found many different types of herbs, roots, leaves, and twigs to make specific herbal remedies that healed a variety of ailments.

But the price for this advice was dear. She had to be extremely careful to obey the spirit’s every instruction and heed its every whim. Each phase of the moon a new offering had to be made at the city pillar. If she did not keep up her promises she would have terrible headaches and misfortunes. She could eat only certain foods and she wore special amulets that had to be respected always and be worn certain ways. The instructions were tediously long and she felt she could never please the spirit.

Meanwhile her ability to heal increased. Her popularity grew. In addition to the herbs she could interpret dreams and ward off evil curses. She became a medium to help others with their spiritual dilemmas while at the same time losing her own soul.

One day when she was at the peak of her popularity and her misery, she had a vision of a great serpent rising from the east over the trees where she lived. As it drew nearer and loomed larger, a growing fear came over her. Then, just as it was about to devour her, she saw someone dressed in white also coming from the east. He said, “Don’t be afraid. I have come to drive out Satan.” Not knowing who this person was, she waited. But for the first time she knew to whom she was enslaved.

A short time later two of our Thai church workers moved into the house next to her place. One day they came walking toward her from the same direction as the vision she had seen. They explained who they were and what they were doing and presented her with an opportunity to accept Jesus. Immediately she did so with joy and relief.

That night she had horrible dreams. She felt demons pulling on her legs, her arms, and even on her chest. They threatened to kill her. Not knowing what else to do she called out, “Jesus, Help me!” A stream of light shone down on her and the tugging instantly stopped. That incident convinced her of the truth. The scattered spirits never came near her again. She had freedom at last.

Her spirit was now free, but she paid a heavy price for it. The owners of the property where she lived made life miserable for her. They built the spirit house there to spite her. She often asked for spiritual protection in prayer. Even though her children were all well established none would care for her as is expected in Thai society. Only one daughter, a mute, would come and stay with her from time to time. Normally this woman could say nothing or speak only in grunts, but whenever we came to pray, read the word or pick Grandma up to take her to worship this daughter would suddenly curse in fluent Thai and fly into a rage. “Don’t feed it!” she would yell to us about her mother, “Let it die!” We felt it was demonic.

In June of her last year Grandma’s health took a turn for the worse. She ate very little. She wanted to be with Jesus. Her family refused to take her to the doctor since they were eager to get rid of her. Our Thai staff helped with medicine but finally she stopped eating and drinking. She died peacefully on Sunday, September 10,1995.

At that point the family stepped in, extremely concerned that we would want to take her body away. We assured them we did not want it. We were also informed that they would take care of the funeral. None of us were invited but we went anyway. It was held at the largest Buddhist temple in Roi Et and no expenses were spared. As one Thai observed, “Thai people love the dead.”

I sat and listened to her relatives gossip. They condemned the youngest daughter for refusing to take her mother in because of Jesus (true) Another said that Grandma’s husband died when she decided to follow Christ (untrue). The eldest son noticed our group and asked us all to stand in front of the coffin for a picture. I’m sure Grandma was looking down from her dancing posture of worship in heaven and repeating what she had said so often, “The old way is never satisfied. It is greedy, always demanding more. God is not like that. Thank you God for Jesus.”

This article appeared in the Covenant Companion, February, 1998

We are gearing up for a huge upcoming outreach week here in Khon Kaen where we live and work! We need your prayers now! We have an unprecedented opportunity to reach the large Khon Kaen University as well as other parts of Khon Kaen and surrounding areas.

In just over a week, 120 volunteers are coming in from Sweden, America, and Thailand! These motivated young people will be sent out all over the city of Khon Kaen, the University area, and five surrounding villages. Last report, we have 8 other local churches involved as well.

During the day teams will be doing outreaches all week at various locations including prisons, hospitals, malls, parks, politcal rallies, and local massage parlors (ladies only on this one! We also have a variety of summer class outreaches during the day for students that will include dance, art, athletics, and an English class that Jacqueline and I will lead.

Each night there will be a miracle healing and evangelism crusade that will take place in the heart of Khon Kaen university 22-26 of April. It will kick off at 7:00 pm every day with a creative explosion of dance, drama, music, acrobatics and firearts with profesional artists from Europe, America and Asia.

Most the people putting together this festival and outreach are in their twenties and early thirties and there is something fresh  and inspiring about their zeal and passion to reach the unreached.  We are blessed to be here in NE Thailand for “such a time as this.” 

Johannes Amritzer, a strong young evangelist based out of Sweden who is also the Mission SOS team founder, will give the salvation message and pray for the sick.   He carries a great burden for the unreached peoples of the world and has dedicated his ministry to taking the Gospel to them.  It’s almost scary how he uses the same scriptures that God has given me over the years as he explains his burden for the unreached.  We have very like hearts!

So, Please, Please, Please take some time to pray today and over the next few days and weeks:

• That the people of the city would be drawn to this event from all over. That they would not just see and hear the advertisements, but that they would have a spiritual hunger like never before.
• Pray that multitudes of people would receive salvation in Jesus as well as many creative miracles, healings, and deliverance from tormenting spirits.
• Pray that the churches of the city and all the team members would be united together and with our team and that everyone would have a servant’s heart and mind.
• Pray that new believers would be consolidated into the local church and become dedicated disciples of Jesus and that this city would awaken to the Gospel like never before…that Jesus would be the talk of the town and that multitudes of people would be able to hear the Good News all over the Northeast!
• Pray for the follow up outreaches that we will have going on for weeks after the festival that people would come and get connected into the place that God has for them.
• Pray whatever else the Holy Spirit gives you to pray!  I would love it if you prayed for our family too!

Thanks for joining us in this important outreach. This is certainly not a regular occurence here in the Northeast part of Thailand. We are believing God for breakthrough. Will you join us?

For more info visit:  www.kkufestival.com and www.spreadtheflame.com

*Then drop us a comment on here and let us know that you are standing with us in prayer.  We would love to hear from you all.  

Thank you again to those of you who support us.  We couldn’t be here without you.  You ongoing support makes it possible for us to be here and be a part of this and so much more even after less than two months in the country!