The weeks leading up to the trip to Thailand were busy. The invitation and decision to go to Thailand came a little more than 6 weeks preceding actual departure. There was much to do administratively to prepare for my absence and in preparation to go. So much so, that clearly defining and stating what I hoped to receive was a bit fleeting. Somewhere in the early part of our trip, I recorded in my journal, and vocalized to those of “Team Colorado” as we would come to be known, that I was going as a blank slate for God to write upon whatever he wished. As I reflect upon the total experience, I do so more as a sponge being wrung out, having absorbed as much as I could about the culture, the work of missionaries, our work experience, and the environment of being in a foreign land, and particularly the Huai Namkhun (Akha village). As with the wringing out of a sponge, some things come gushing out and others require a more thoughtful compression, and continued squeezing to excise the significance of everything seen and done. Much of what is recorded here is “gushing.” In the passing of days, months, and possibly years, under the unction of the Holy Spirit, I am sure I will continue to wring out life lessons. There are many lessons, which I suspect will find their way into sermons on humility, stewardship, personal satisfaction, the need to pray for those globally, and other subjects.
In the days preceding our village work at Huai Namkhun (Akha village), we were exposed to the culture: sights and sounds of the cities of Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai; the ministry endeavors of American Baptist missionaries and partners, verbal insight as to the customs of the land and its variety of peoples. Evident throughout the land were the secular and spiritual images of the people. From a secular perspective, pictures of the royal family are abundant throughout the land, mainly the King, are everywhere: billboards, street signs, in busy metropolitan places, in small villages and roadside markets, bathrooms, calendars, and other unlikely places. The love of the King is evident and obviously, people look to him as their guide for current and continuing success of the land. He and all that concerns him is reverenced.
From a spiritual perspective, images of Buddha are even more abundant. As the tangible image of their faith, Buddha is worshipped and present in all sizes and varying positions. The Thai people are a superstitious people. Spirit houses, little replicas of Buddhist temples or shrines, appear at the forefront of homes, businesses, hotel lobbies, restaurant, taxis, and like the picture of the King, in other unlikely places. Daily offerings are made at these spirit houses to appease the evil spirits and keep them at bay.The worship of these two, the King and Buddha, were in obvious contrast to the silent witness of the crosses worn by each of our team members and the simplicity with which we worship our God.
We had three occasions to attend church. Two in Chiang Mai, at the Chiang Mai Bible College (also known as the Siloam Karen Baptist Life Development Center) conducted in the Thai language, and at the church attended by many missionaries and conducted in English. The other was in the village conducted in Akha. In each service, we observed the Western influence with regard to the order of service. For those non-English services, the order of service was recognizable as were many of the melodies of songs. As I observed the preaching, the peoples response—sometimes of great laughter—Paul’s admonition in 1 Corinthians 14 regarding speaking in tongues became more real. Although his reference was to the ecstatic use of tongues, the result of being in a service and not understanding the language was essentially the same. “Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me” (1 Corinthians 14:10-11). Those verses took on different meaning. It caused me to wonder if there are those who come into our churches and leave unedified because they are unfamiliar with what we commonly take for granted.Much of what our missionaries do is to help elevate the lifestyle of the people by attempting to discover and market the resources of the people. For the most part their resources are a good work ethic, the ability to stay focused on what we would consider mediocre tasks, the use of physical labor, and the ability to design and craft items for sale.
In Chiang Mai, we were taken through the process of growing coffee beans that are processed and sold to Starbucks and other vendors. It was not the pristine factories, as we would experience in America. A dozen or so people processed beans grown and sorted for size and quality by villagers and shipped off to other world markets. This kind of enterprise is not what I would have thought about in terms of the role of a missionary; however, is their any mission greater than helping people to become self-sufficient and to have a purposeful livelihood. That is where the Gospel really touches the lives of people.
At the Akha village, the first observations were of contrast. The simplicity of the bamboo huts were juxtaposed with a church of Western design constructed of brick and mortar, a few solar panels mounted on poles, motorbikes, boom boxes, people dressed in Western branded attire (emblems of Nike, Adidas, Marlboro, etc.), children clean and well cared for, and a few color televisions. Obviously, they are not devoid of Western culture, but at the same time living in the simplicity of a bamboo hut. One has to wonder what they think of video images portrayed on television in light of their simple lifestyle. Yes, it was quite the contrast and something that caused reflection on the abundance, and in comparison opulence, of the Western lifestyle.The source for the water supply was approximately three miles from the village. The laying of the pipe took us through dense jungle trails, previously established by the Akha men, and often-precarious pathways along hillsides. The Akha were as surefooted as Rocky Mountain goats and traversed the terrain with little problem. I wish that could be said for us as well. The combination of the heat, the terrain, and the carrying of supplies was quite the experience. Noticeably absent were an abundance of bugs, birds, and other animals one would have expected in such an environment.
In spite of the language barriers, we were able to work together in a spirit of harmony. Some things require no words. A strong work ethic seemed to transcend any lack of ability to communicate.
In addition to the work, personally, the greater challenges were food and leisure time. It became immediately evident that variety of menu was not a strong point in the Akha diet. The staple of course is rice, vegetables, and at the request of our missionary host sprinklings of beef, pork, shrimp, and chicken were to be found in various dishes. Although it was a healthy diet, eating essentially the same meal items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, did become a bit taxing. Fortunately, later in the days of our stay, we were able to add some fruit, which was deeply appreciated.
On the matter of leisure, the Akha workers played a game called LaKraw. It is the equivalent to volleyball where instead of where hands are used to volley; they only use their head or feet. The agility required was amazing, particularly after a hot hard day in the jungle. Those of us, not so athletically inclined and agile watched. The village is alive from dawn to dusk. The nights became very long for those of us used to staying up late to watch the late night news, Jay Leno, and CNN. However, in the passing of days, we began to make the adjustment.In reflection the greatest things I came to see were:
One, that mission is about more than just sending money for support but also about grasping the day-to-day ministry of the missionary. Being a preacher, I previously had thoughts of missions primarily about the proclamation of the Gospel. I came to understand that we are “the hands and feet of Jesus” as Karen Van aptly quoted the theme for our American Baptist Mission. Helping to construct a waterline to bring water to the village seemed like such a small thing. I came to see it as significant, not only in providing water giving life, but more so in establishing relationship with the villagers as representatives of a larger body of believers.
Two, I had tangible, verbal and touchable, evidence for the support the church gives towards support of missions. I came to see how important the work of global ministry is, that the Kingdom of God is large, vast, multicultural, multiethnic, rich, poor and in many other ways diverse. The concerns of many of our western churches are trivial in comparison to some of the challenges our brothers and sisters face in other places throughout the globe. As a pastor, I am more committed than ever to lead our church to support those who are willing to invest themselves in the lives of reaching others for Christ.
Three, being of African American descent, I have always had a sense of what it means to be a minority. The experience of racism, discrimination, Jim Crow and all that goes along with it has always been a reality. In Thailand, I learned of those who were refuges from Burma, particularly the Akha tribe, who were refuges in a land who, in many ways like Blacks and the American Indian, are relegated to a position of being less than and limited to areas of settlement. Citizenship, if obtained, comes at a high price and without it, essentially little or no resources are available to them from the government: travel, employment, education, healthcare, etc.
Four, I have a greater sense of the meaning of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). I see the matter of making disciples in a much broader sense than merely the sharing of the gospel and people coming to Christ. It involves meaningful and helpful relationships with the people of God and sharing the love of God in unconventional ways.
