Hey, Everyone!
I’m back from Thailand, currently sitting outside enjoying the Autumn wind and the leaves swirling all about me. Flying back into Atlanta was so beautiful, with the riot of colors and the awesome skyline! Definitely something I will never forget.
So, Thailand is now just a memory for me and that’s something I find hard to believe. How can three weeks go by so quickly? It felt like a week at most. But here I am. The calendar says mid-November, so our planet spun around a lot faster than I expected it could.
Coming into this trip, I had a lot of expectations concerning Thailand. It’s a place I’ve heard about a lot in the past few years. Most of the people at AIM have been to Thailand, especially females. As the stats and the truth about sex trafficking have been increasingly made public, so has the desire to go and set the captives free. It used to be that everyone was clamoring to go to Mexico and Africa. Not it seems like Haiti and Thailand are the hot places for ministry, simply because the need is so new and so desperate.
I’ve heard a lot of stories about Thailand. I’ve seen pictures, and watched a growing number of Thai restaurants spring up in Gainesville. Because of a peanut allergy, I’ve stayed away from the food. But though I’ve watched the culture, I knew embarrassingly little about the country. I don’t like to research a location before I go; I want to be surprised – to smell the spices in the air myself, to watch facial expressions, and see what awesome cultural things make up the country itself. Exploration is so much fun.
We talk a lot at AIM about living without expectations. That’s what I try to do. Still, I found myself surprised by what I found in Thailand.
First of all, I didn’t expect to be caught in a flood.
If you were watching international news, then you heard about the flooding in Bangkok, the worst it’s been in 50 years. Water was up to chest deep in places. But we were staying in the central business district of the city, and the government wanted to do everything it could to keep it dry. The bad news is that in order to do that, they had to divert the water into the residential areas. The good news, for us, was that the area we were in was water-free.
We still saw the effects of the water, however. Sandbags were piled outside stores and in order to enter, you had to climb over them. Shelves were bare of supplies, water boots and floaties were sold on the street, and one day when we did venture out of the city, we drove through a foot of water in another area. Cars were parked up high on bridges (picture Spaghetti Junction with cars parked along one side of every bridge, and you’ll envision the interstate bridges there), and at the airport, the parking lots were all quadruple parked. It’s going to be a nightmare when people return for their cars, because they are all blocked in, albeit dry.
(photos of vehicles driving in water by Connie Rock).
Second, I didn’t expect to find deaf ministry!
One night, in Pat Pong, the first team handed out cards that had Psalm 139 on them. This girl came up, started reading it with her hands, and made the “deaf” sign. The next thing I knew, I was signing to her! Then, at two separate occasions during meals, people came up to me with the cards that said they were deaf and were selling handicrafts to make money. I was able to once again speak with them. And then the last few nights in Pat Pong, I met vendor after vendor who were deaf. We were bartering in sign, actually talking. I am so rusty, but now definitely need to brush up on it before I return in May! There was one man in particular who broke my heart. We talked with him a few times, and the last time I was able to go back and tell him that God loves him. Everyone I met was so kind to me, even though I wasn’t speaking perfectly – I think they enjoyed the surprise of a “tourist” who could speak with them!
Above: one of the many deaf vendors we met. Photo by Connie Rock.
Third, I didn’t expect to speak to any men at all.
With the type of ministry we were doing, the focus is completely on the women. Our team talked a lot about not judging the men, and how to respond when they talk with us. Anti-trafficking ministry is so sensitive and a lot of time brings up a lot of personal stuff in the hearts of the participants as well. We had a lot of intense debriefs as people processed their pasts and the people they met/things they saw on the trip.
In general, when I’m overseas, I stick to speaking with women, teens, and children. I believe that ministry to men needs to be done by men. At the same time, if someone speaks to me and I am in a safe location with others from my team with me, I will respond kindly, but not engage in a long conversation. Several times we were able to share God’s love with the men we met, some of them as they were sitting with the women they’d purchased!
(Photo of Connie sharing God’s love with a woman… and the man who purchased her company).
Fourth, I didn’t expect to meet two incredible (and very opposite) teams that I love so equally and completely.
Connie and I staffed the first trip there and then led the the second, she as the Project Leader and me as the Support Staff. The first team ranged from ages 19- mid-70’s! The second team was twenty and thirtysomethings. Both teams were so full of joy! Both so full of laughter. And I genuinely feel that I made some friends on those teams… and feel so much richer for it!
(First photo: Missing Connie Rock, who took the photo. Second photo- we’re all there!)
There are more stories and pictures to come, so please stay tuned! God did so many incredible things during those three weeks and I want to share as many of those stories as I can with you. Thank you so much for your prayers. Thank you for your support. Thank you for your encouragement! I was able to read your comments and emails while I was in Thailand and they made me so happy! Thank you for taking the time to respond! I thank God for each of you!
