Remember Ambassadors

Today we wrapped up our ministry to the persecuted church.  While our medical staff slaved over medical charts and boxes of medications, the rest of us had the amazing chance to simply fellowship with the children.

In culmination of our ministry, the children at the Vocational School presented us with a short musical program.  They sang a song that was unfamiliar to me in tune, but I recognized the words immediately:

By the rivers of Babylon, where we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.

For there they that carried us away required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? 

                       Psalm 137:1-4

At the time that these words were penned, the children of Israel were in the midst of horrible persecution, perhaps the worst they, as a nation, experienced.  They were in the midst of a strange land, having been conquered by another race and nation entirely.  They had nowhere to go, nowhere to turn, and had only the memory of their holy places in Zion.

Hearing these children sing the words of the children of Israel broke my heart, for they are in the same situation.  They are everything but a conquered people–only not for their sin, but for their faith.  They are in a strange land, trapped in a refugee camp within the borders of a nation that despises them.

And yet, as Psalm 137 turns to God for help and hope, these children have turned their eyes upwards.  It is easy to see why our Savior made childlike faith a prerequisite of entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven, as these orphans demonstrate their simple trust in every act of their day-to-day lives.  And their joy is a wonder to behold, as bright smiles and brighter eyes blessed the hearts of every member of our team.  They are singing the Lord's songs in a strange land, and glorifying God in the midst of suffering and poverty.

When I had the chance to say a few words to the children at their program, I told them in all sincerity that they have helped us to know God more fully.  Their stories and their lives have given us a fuller understanding of the Father's love, and I am certain from what I have seen that we have given each of these lives a dose of hope and encouragement in their own spiritual walks.

That is the Body of Christ at work. 

Tonight's report is going to be a bit shorter than the others so far, but I wanted to give you an idea of the work that we have been able to accomplish.  Today, at CFI's Mae Sot Vocational School, we were able to examine over 60 children.  Far more than just examining them, though, we are determined to give them records that will assist them in the months and years to come.

Here is what that work looks like:

God is opening up the doors for us to accomplish our goals here in Thailand.  Today was the culmination of our work at the Freedom House Orphanage.  Here are the ways that God is allowing us to minister!

Medical Attention

All of the check-ups for the children were done yesterday by our medical staff, allowing them to spend today prescribing medications for the conditions uncovered.  These children are suffering from a variety of sicknesses, from ear infections to migraine headaches to abdominal pains.  The medications we brought should be able to go a long ways to meeting their needs.

And while the medicine is a vital part of our mission, we recognize that all healing is in the hands of the Great Physician, and we took the time to anoint and pray for each individual child.

Supplies

It does not take a lot of food items to give these orphans living in poverty a lot of joy.  But a lot is what we try to give them!  This morning, we filled up a pickup truck with fruits, vegetables, and cookies.  Though these children are sure-footed, I am positive they carried that food up the steep paths far quicker than they would carry much else, quickly taking everything into their kitchen.

Beyond foodstuffs, it was our privilege to carry gifts donated by people like you.  Believer’s Baptist Church in Leesburg, VA, for instance, created these amazing gift bags.  Handing them out caused a spirit only rivaled by children at Christmas, and no one could stop smiling, chattering, or comparing their goodies.  For the rest of the day, many walked around with bags slung over their shoulders in silent tribute to their delight.

Encouragement

It must be very easy for members of the persecuted church to forget about the larger Body of Christ.  Many are in isolated areas, like this Mae La Refugee Camp.  They cannot see our prayers, though they may feel them, and they can certainly feel forgotten.

One of our goals was to remind these precious saints of the love of Jesus Christ through our actions, words, and even our smiles.  God has richly provided us with the opportunities to do just that–and to experience the return blessing of the joy that they give us in return.

Our ministry time here is half over.  Much more to come!  As you lift up our team in prayer, please pray for the health of each team member, and the strength to continue on in the ministry as we become fatigued.  Pray that God would continue to open doors as we move to other children in need of medical attention and the love of Jesus Christ.  Most importantly, pray that the Spirit would shine through each team member to every person that we come in contact with, bringing honor to our Savior and encouragement to the Body.

Last time I visited the Mae La Refugee Camp, here on the border of Thailand and Burma, the children of the Freedom House Orphanage sang the familiar song, "God Will Make A Way."  Their singing brought tears to my eyes, becaue when these children sang, "God will make a way, where there seems to be no way…" they were really in a situation where there seemed to be no way.  Their circumstances were such that, outside of Christ, there was no hope.

This morning I had the indescribable pleasure of seeing these children again, and again hearing them sing that chorus.  And yet again, their singing brought tears to my eyes, but this time for a very different reason.  God has made a way for them, where there seemed to be no way.  A new note of hope is ringing out through the Freedom House, sparked by their imminent resettlement.

Our team spent the day in the camp, doing medical work for the children at the orphanage.  God blessed our efforts, and we were able to see all of the children for preliminary check-ups and physicals.  Tomorrow we have the opportunity to go back to the camp and do follow up medical work for the children that need it, prescribe medications for them, and fellowship with these precious young brothers and sisters in Christ.

We can feel your prayers, in the literal, physical sense, as we see God's hand at work preparing the way for us.  Thank you for being a part of this work!

 

In keeping with the blessings of God that have rained down on us this trip, our drive from Bangkok to Mae Sot was much shorter than expected.  God has truly been gracious to our team, and there is no doubt but that this blessing is due to the prayer warriors diligently lifting us up.

Today, I am again reminded that there is nothing more exciting than having the opportunity to do God’s work.  In our group devotional this afternoon, I shared with our team something that never fails to amaze me: Our chance, the God-given opportunity, to be a part of His promise.

God’s Word is full of promises to His people.  From David in the Psalms, noting that he had never seen the children of Godly men begging bread, to Jesus Christ Himself, saying, “Lo, I am with you alway,” God has staked His character on His faithfulness to His people.

There were times in the Bible that God fulfilled that promise by pouring out blessing from Heaven–the manna in the wilderness comes to mind.  But far more often than that, God uses other people to do that work.  Those people are a part of God’s promise, a piece in meeting His covenant with His people.

I believe I can speak for the team when I say that we are overwhelmed to be a part of the promise, a small piece in proving God’s faithfulness.

And your prayers make you a part of this work.  We can feel them, and they are working–not only on our behalf, but on behalf of the brothers and sisters in Christ that we are here to serve.

Your prayers are working, friends!  This trip has been excellent so far–God has been amazingly gracious to us.

We arrived in Bangkok very late Saturday night, local time, and spent yesterday in Bangkok finding needed supplies.  It is now Monday morning, and we are driving to Mae Sot today to minister.

More updates will follow, but for now I wanted to introduce you to the team:

More to come!