Drew in Missions

With my time in the Land of Smiles drawing to a close, I’m wanting to write a few more posts before I switch gears to Camp of the Hills. The problem is, I’m not sure what I should do. My posts have been all over the place over the last few months, with stories, deeper insights, and slide-shows. While I have a few ideas, I’d like to take your suggestions. If there’s something you were really wanting to hear about, let me know. If you really enjoyed my slide-shows, I might be able to put another together before I leave.

I’d also like to get your thoughts on what you’re wanting out of this blog in the future. I’m not new to blogging, but having multiple readers is a relatively new development. I want to keep this site fresh, interesting, and uplifting, and that takes your input. Weigh in with what you want to see more of, what you’re not crazy about, and any other suggestion you have.

If you look to the right, you’ll notice that we’re nearing 5,000 views on this blog, not counting my own. That says to me that there are people genuinely interested in what I’m doing, which is pretty cool. I’d like to shift to being a more reader-driven blog. I’m hoping that y’all will suggest new topics of discussion, good books to examine, compelling stories to retell, and other cool ideas that will interest us all.

I expect to spend a while trying to get a feel for blogging post-Thailand, and I may tweak some things here and there, but rest assured that my focus will remain. I want to keep those who are interested posted on my life, what I’m learning, where I am, and what I’m up to.

Well, it feels like forever since I posted in here, although my hiatus was broken by Mom’s post. In that time I have done a lot, from seeing my mom fly off towards America, to jamming out with Tum, Noom and Chris, and doing much more work with the Youth Group. I’ve preached in front of our congregation, as well as led singing in Thai. I even prayed in church all in Thai! That was one of my goals when I first came here, so I’m happy to have reached it.

Today I changed the name of my blog from “Drew in Thailand” to “Drew in Missions.” I don’t plan to abandon this site after I fly out of Thailand. I’ll do my best to chronicle my final summer working at Camp of the Hills in their Inner City Ministry, although I’ll have much less time to write, and I’ll be much more exhausted during my few free times. Posts will definitely be fewer, but hopefully you faithful readers will get a kick out of the hilarious stories a summer at camp brings, and glean some encouragement from the ministry that I will retell.

After that is a big question mark for me. I’m not sure if I will be working, if I will be back in school, or if I will be training for future missionary work. What I am sure of is that I want to continue to tell my story, bring interesting thoughts to light, and examine thought-provoking books together. This will not be my last post. No, this is only the beginning.

I can see why Drew has fallen in love with Thailand. The scenery is beautiful. We swam in turquoise waters and saw multicolored fish, anemones and sea stars. We visited an ornate Buddhist temple at the top of a mountain. Even in this hottest season of the year, many trees are covered with blossoms. The food has been delicious, and the people are so friendly.

Everywhere, similarities and contrasts between Thailand and the United States abound. Cars here zip down streets, stopping at traffic lights, just as they do at home. But the cars drive on the left side of the road; when catching a ride with someone, I keep walking over to the right side of a car, only to have to walk back to the “passenger” side. Many Thai traffic signals (red, yellow and green lights, just like at home) include a digital countdown of the number of seconds left before the light changes from red, yellow or green. Great idea! It would seem to cut down on driver impatience. Sometimes the countdown starts at 50, or 24, or 86. Also just like in B/CS, drivers continue driving as the light changes from yellow to red.

In 12 days here, I’ve not seen one large SUV or monster truck or Hummer. The cars and trucks are small — Isuzus, Toyotas, Hondas, BMWs, Saabs, lots of little Ford trucks. No Chevys, GMCs or Chryslers in sight. Maybe they’re here, but I’ve not spotted one. Many people ride in the beds of pickup trucks. More than once I’ve seen a family — father, mother, 2 children between them — on a little motorcycle, all helmetless.

I have a little idea of what non-English speakers/readers must contend with in the United States. Thai is indecipherable to me, so I have to search for clues as to what a product is or what a store sells. Photos on a label. Store window displays. Products lined up outside the storefront. I point at pictures on a menu, or just order whatever Drew gets.

Surprising to me, though, is that English is commonly spoken and written. Many highway and shop signs are in both Thai and English. Especially in tourist areas, English is a common second language. T-shirts sport the slogans of American products. One of our taxi drivers speaks Thai, English, French and Arabic.

It’s been fun having Drew take the lead on this trip. All his life, I’ve been showing him the ropes. Now, he negotiates for the best taxi price, he speaks to the train station attendant, he explains local customs, introduces me to new foods and clues me in on what actions are impolite.

There’s so much to tell … we fed wild monkeys at a roadside park on a mountain. We climbed up and down a three-story waterfall. We met people from all over the world. Slept on an overnight train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Can you believe that I’ve actually visited a place so exotic as Bangkok?

This has been an awesome trip. So many things are wildly different from home, yet so much is the same. People still take care of their kids, go to school or work, celebrate holidays. It’s great to see how other people live and to contemplate making changes in my own life as I learn new ways of doing things.

Like Drew, I love Thailand, its culture and the people here. I expect I’ll be back.

Well, another birthday has come and gone. I’m now twenty-two years old, a veritable geezer. Despite the fact that I’m well on my way to being an octogenarian, I did not receive the expected gifts of a cane, a tube of Bengay, and Matlock on DVD. Instead, my friends treated me to delicious food and I was given a really cool Thai flag. I also received a card from my Grandmother (Thanks Nan!) and four books from Mom.

The books are looking really interesting. A Thousand Shall Fall is about a man drafted to be a soldier in the Nazi army, who refused to shoot anyone, openly read the Bible, and secretly helped hide Jews and warn people who were going to be raided. I Am America (And So Can You!) is a book dictated by one of my most missed television personalities, Stephen Colbert. She also included a book called Everything Scrabble, which contains helpful strategies for improving your skill, and a Scrabble dictionary. Now I can finally convince them that “Qi” is a real word!

I was in charge of leading singing this morning during church, and that was a good experience. I started off a little shaky, but it’s hard for someone as bad as I am at starting songs on key to deal with that in a new language. That being said, I thought it went pretty well. I think Julie got a video of it, so that’d be cool to post if I can swing it. Let’s hope it doesn’t include stumbling at the start of “Light the Fire.”

Today was our youth group’s first meeting, and it was way better than I could have hoped. I really like the four kids I worked with today, and the other two should be cool, too. For some reason, they all seem to be in an accord about me being super cool. I don’t know why they think so, but I’m not going to complain. They listened well for the most part, although they do seem to have a penchant for interjecting the most random stories that have nothing to do with the topic. This isn’t too much of a problem to me, though, because I’m the exact same way. I foresee staying on-topic as one of our major working points.

Since they are missionary kids, brought up in the church, and attending a Christian school, my thought is that they’ve been taught a lot of Biblical stuff before. They know better than me what they need to learn about, what they think is applicable, and what they’ve heard a thousand times. So I opened it up to them to decide what we would be studying on Sunday mornings, within reason. Asia, the oldest of our group, suggested we work through Max Lucado’s devotional book, It’s Not About Me. The other’s all seemed to be for it, so I’m excited about not only learning new things from the book, but stretching myself by trying to find a way to present it that will be challenging for them, but also applicable and on their levels.

We also set up that we will meet every Monday after school for a little chillaxing and a little encouraging. It might involve food, games, or other fun stuff. It’s going to cut into my day off a little, but it also gives us a chance to hang out altogether, less formally than at a church building. Definitely worth it.

The kids seemed quite excited about finally having a youth group. Obviously, the focus of both churches the kids are coming from are focusing on ministering to the Thais. It makes sense, but they deserve time and attention, and I’m happy to be helping with that. I’m planning to write a lot more about them later, so stay tuned.

I think early on in this Blog, I said I felt like a lot was expected of me, because God had given me so much. God blessed me with spiritual mentors like Chris Fikes and Jon Buchanan when I was in my youth group. Now He’s giving me a chance to bring that back around full circle by being that to these kids. But if I hope to be Fikes-esque or a little Jonish, I’m going to have to work really hard. Keep praying for me, cause I’ve only got about six more weeks here.

Oh, and before I sign off, just wanted to let you know that we may have a guest blogger in the coming weeks. My mom is visiting me, and I’d love to convince her to write something for here. That’d be a real treat for everyone.

I’ve got less than two months left in Thailand, and I’m hoping to make the most of them. That meas tackling new challenges head on. I received one of those challenges this week. The Maw Chaw Church and Payap Church want to give their kids a “Youth Group Experience.” They’ve been searching for someone to step in to that role, sort of like a summer intern at a church back in the states. They’ve asked me to do the job.

This is really exciting news to me, because I loved my youth group. I thoroughly enjoyed our service projects, fun outings, and the friendships I made there. Some of my fondest memories are of times spent with my youth group, and now I have the opportunity to pass that blessing on.

I was also blessed to have some of the best youth ministers imaginable. Chris and Tonya Fikes and Jon and Amy Buchanan were absolutely incredible. They mixed fun-loving attitudes with real concern for our spiritual well-being, wrapped up in an authentic friendship. After witnessing what they did for me, I’m eager to try to be that for these kids.

Please be praying about this new task, as it’s going to take time, patience, and lots of work. But even so, I’m super excited!

“The true prophetic message always calls us to a spiritual defiance of the world as it is now.”

In the Radical Prayer, we bring before God the injustices of the world. We beg, barter, and plead for a world that needs to see the power of God. We brings requests the are filled with passion and fervor. We audaciously petition God to give those around us another chance, to postpone their judgement, giving them another opportunity to come to Him.

Walter Wink once said, “Biblical prayer is impertinent, persistent, shameless, and indecorous. It is more like haggling in an outdoor bazaar than the polite monologues of the churches.” Think about that point. Compare some of the prayers uttered by the Faith Heroes of the Bible to what you hear on Sundays.

In Genesis 18, Abraham is literally haggling with God. “What if there were five less good people? Would you really destroy the whole city if there were only 45 good people instead of fifty?” That is bold. Bold to the point of making me nervous and a little uncomfortable. God’s the Creator, and we’re the created. Are we really allowed to question His will like that? Can we ask Him if He’s sure about doing something?

God knows what Abraham’s doing. Yet He doesn’t smite him where he stands for his impudence. In fact, He concedes to Abraham multiple times, going as far as to promise not to destroy the city if ten righteous people are in it.

In the very next chapter, Lot is fleeing the city, because it’s going to be destroyed, and the angels tell him to run to the mountains, or else he will die. But Lot, even as he’s running for his life, says he can’t, and wants to flee to a nearby little village. He convinces them to postpone the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and to spare the little village.

Moses also bargained for the salvation of others. After the golden calf incident, he went to a very angry God on their behalf. “So Moses went back to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”

Moses basically said if you aren’t going to give them another chance, you might as well damn me, too. That is not something we hear very often in our churches today. Imagine how many heads would shoot up from their bowing position if next Sunday you heard, “And God, please judge the the atheists, serial killers, and terrorists yet. Give them another chance to turn from their ways. If you don’t, you may as well not give any of us another chance, since all sin is the same in your eyes.” I bet at least one person would get whiplash from looking up so fast.

The thing is, if we’re fervently praying for God to change the world, for Him to feed the hungry, clothe the needy, and love those who have never known His love, we soon will see that He wants desperately to do these things. Through us.

Oops.

Imagine you see a homeless person as you drive under a bridge, and you can tell he’s freezing cold. Can you honestly pray with all your heart that God will keep him warm, then drive away in your heated car, with a jacket in the back seat? Maybe I’m over-simplifying, but it seems like if we really prayed radical prayers while meaning every word, we would naturally want to do everything we could to solve the problems we brought before God.

I remember as a child praying for things. They were almost always items I wanted, or skills I desired, or help in my problems. Now I feel like I’ve moved further away from that model, and I see that prayer oftentimes is God showing me where I should be spending my time and effort. If I’m praying really hard for the kids in HYPE, because so few have a strong, Christian male as a role model, it seems like God is whispering in my ear, “I’d love for you to help Me with that…” When I pray for my co-counselors to do a better job at keeping a balance between being a cool friend-type and authority figure, I find that I’m convicted to set an example of how it should be done. And here in Thailand, when I pray for more opportunities to be a light, I remember the times when I’ve missed what could have been a chance to show Christ.

If we presume to tell God that this world is not as it should be, we’d better be ready to do whatever He says to correct the situation.

After a day where we had to replay one eleven track CD for the kids to listen and dance to, I was asked to use my vast repetoire of music to create an energetic, upbeat playlist for us to jam. One of my additions, and a personal favorite, is Haddaway’s only hit, What is Love? It blasted over our speakers, but the question it posed did not go unanswered.

Love is a hungry child being fed seconds before the servers get their food. Love is the soreness you feel the morning after spending all day with kids climbing from your arms to your back to your shoulders. Love is teaching kids how to better speak another language, so that they can maybe sell more postcards, and help their families eat tonight. Love is being drenched in sweat due to a scorching sun, but not complaining. Love is a lice comb that has run through the hair of dozens of little girls, all who were assured that they were sa adt, suay, or as Americans would say, beautiful. Love is a tear in the eye of Christian who can’t bear the pain of leaving these children behind.

What is love? It is a humble servant, earnestly trying to do the Father’s will.

Before reading this post, let me make a suggestion. This isn’t a “Hey, check out all the fun I’m having!” post. This isn’t a warm and fuzzy, feel-good post. These are my thoughts as I looked into a world I had never seen. These are the motions I felt as I looked into a begging child’s eyes. Read this when you have some time to think, not just in the spare moments between checking emails on a busy day. Thanks in advance for taking the time to read and respond, even if you disagree.

I could spend adjective after adjective and paragraph after paragraph describing the time elapsed between leaving the Bangkok church at 5:30 A.M. and arriving in Siem Riap at 9:00 P.M. I could go into explicit detail about the bus break-downs, the difficulties of trying to cross the border into Cambodia, or the bumps, turns and motorcyclists who randomly cut in front of several tons of metal in forward motion. But instead of wasting energy on trivial matters, I’ll cut right to the core of what’s going on.

Street children. Beggars. Babies. Sex slave trade. Eight year olds trying to support their families by selling postcards to foreigners. Amputees.

Poverty. Abject poverty.

And here I am, toting my laptop computer in my backpack full of nice clothes. With an iPod in one pocket and a wallet with plenty of money in the other. Son of well-off, Godly parents. Raised in a loving and supporting community. Given the opportunity to go not only to school, but to complete high school. Able to attend college.

Wealth. Blessings beyond counting.

The world is not a fair place. This is not how life was meant to be lived. The few were not meant to horde money, power and influence. The unfortunate were not meant to be mired in poverty they have no chance to escape from.

Why have we not done anything about this? Why are there people all over the world barely surviving on pennies a day when the affluent drop $20 on a steak dinner without even blinking? How can we justify needing water filters, bottled water, and purified ice because our tap water “doesn’t taste good” when thousands die because of a lack of clean water? How have we convinced ourselves that the wars that are going on today aren’t worth notice? Do we not realize that every casualty of war: every soldier killed, every village annihilated in tribal wars, every victim of the genocides of our time, each one of them who doesn’t know Jesus faces the Judge without Defense?

Why have we as a church not stepped up to put an end to this injustice? Micah 6:8b “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with you God.”

We have failed to act justly in regards to Cambodia. Either we have ignored the call to seek out the needy and remain ignorant of those God has called us to bestow mercy upon, or we have chosen to turn a blind eye to the pain, suffering, and poverty here. Neither is a flattering statement about our faith.

Of course, there are some who have been called to other ministries, and are giving their heart and soul to bringing about the justice and mercy God spoke of through Micah. But I wonder how many people truly fall into that category. I fear I am not a Mercy Lover, but an Ignorer. I’m afraid that when people look at the way I act, the way I spend money, the way I spend my free time, they will see someone ignorant of the world around him, instead of one working for justice.

There are no easy answers in this post. That’s because selling everything you have and giving it to the poor isn’t an easy answer. Dedicating your life to righting wrongs perpetrated against the impoverished, the widows, and the orphans isn’t what we want to hear. I bet there are some church-goers who would consider it too much to ask of them to request that they spend five minutes a day in prayer for Cambodia.

What does all this mean? I don’t know. I can’t fix this on my own. But I do know that a life spent seeking justice, loving mercy, and humbly walking with God would be a life worth living. Guess I’d better get started.

Bangkok is a dirty, smelly city. It’s riddled all kinds of sin, from thievery to prostitution to gangs. It is a city that is famous for some of the evils that are perpetrated within her.

Yet there is a ray of hope nestled in the middle of this bustling metropolis. Somprasong Church is a foothold for God and His word in Bangkok.

I spent two days in the capitol of Thailand, and was amazed by the community of believers that worships there. One hundred and fifty men, women, and children of faith worship together there. But don’t let the number fool you; they are a tightly knit group, yet know how to make others welcome.

We spent most of Saturday exploring the city. And by “exploring the city,” I mean traipsing through malls… Bleaugh! It wasn’t too bad, since we broke it up with a good movie, 10,000 B.C. But the real fun came the next day.

We woke up and attended church, which was all in Thai. I’m able to pick up a few words here and there now, which is quite heartening. Afterwards Julie, Kaz, and I got some lunch, then hung out around the church. One of my new friends, P’Berm, invited me to come play volleyball with them. He didn’t need to tell me twice.

If any of my readers are veterans of my blogging, you may remember many posts on my old website concerning the joys of V-Ball. It’s by far my best sport, and it’s also my favorite. Last night was the first time in a long time I’d played volleyball, and the first time in years I’d played really competitively.

The Thais I played with and against were amazing. They jumped really high, had pinpoint placement, and devastating spikes. The setting was exceptional, and they played unselfishly and as a team. It was a sight to behold.

I was not the best player on the court by a long shot, but I held my own. On the first play, the other team apparently decided to test out the farang. They set it to one of their best hitters, who was right across from me. He and I leapt into the air, him spiking with all his might, me with my arms outstretched.

I felt a stinging sensation throughout my arms as my bare feet found their way back to the cement. The volleyball dropped to the ground, and bounced a few times before coming to a rest. Both sides let out a collective, drawn-out, “Ohhhhhh…” as they looked at me and the hitter. The ball had fallen on the other side.

Whenever I first join a game, I always like to make a great play, as opposed to getting owned. Even though their were many errors in my playing throughout the night, I performed well and proved that I belonged on that court. That first play is now ingrained in my memory. I hope to return there someday, and challenge them again.

The cool thing about Sunday was that church was an all-day affair. Not a lot of Americans I know would count that as a good thing, but it was a real blessing. After church we hung around each other, eating, fellowshipping, and playing games. It felt like everyone genuinely wanted nothing more than to spend time with their church family.

Our mission trip to Cambodia to work with street children is fast approaching. We leave in about three hours for a twelve hour train ride to Bangkok. We’ll head out of there Monday early morning, then spend the week in Cambodia. We’ll get back sometime Tuesday around 6 A.M. I probably won’t be able to post much, if anything, on the trip, but I’ll do my best to write down my thoughts, experiences, and stories. I’m also hoping to read more of the Prayer book during the long rides, so I might have a couple of posts on that ready to go. We’ll see what’s up in a little more than a week. Until then, blessings!