Sunday afternoon
It’s Sunday afternoon, and I’ve checked into a small cabin in Doi Saket, about 10 minutes from our main campus. Dr. John and Bob have begun their return trip home, and I will be joined in a short while by Eric and Josie Biddle, who will be staying for a while as interns here in Thailand.
It’s a shame that Dr. John, Bob, Eric and Josie missed this morning’s church service. It was really a delight to worship with our kids. Among our five orphan homes in Thailand, we have eight different hill tribes represented. On Sundays, many of the kids dress up in their traditional tribal garb, but all of the kids worship together. Our worship services are a picture of the kingdom of Heaven: multiethnic, multigenerational – diverse, but unified.
This morning, I wore a traditional Karen tribal shirt as I spoke from Exodus 2. I reminded the kids that, as in the story of Moses, God loves to do His greatest work through individuals with humble – and often tragic – beginnings. At the end of the service, all of the adults prayed for the children and begged God to heal their emotional scars and empower them for leadership in their tribes and in the nation of Thailand.
Tomorrow, a group of young people from an American parachurch organization will come for a few days to run an English camp for our students, who are finishing up their spring break. I will continue meeting with our staff to craft plans and policies, and I’ll also try to spend as much time as possible playing with the kids at each of our orphan homes. It is such a blessing to serve these kids.
Please continue to pray for each of the children and for the staff. And pray for Asia’s Hope. It is neither easy nor inexpensive to run this ministry. Our needs far outstrip our resources, but we are trusting that God will move in the hearts of churches, businesses and individuals in the U.S. and Canada to give generously to God’s work here.
When I return, I’ll be looking for volunteers to help me with some fundraising goals I’ve developed. Please start asking God if He wants you to get involved with Asia’s Hope at a deeper level.
I’ll try to post some pictures later. Right now, I’m going to take a few minutes to rest before my ride arrives to take me back to the orphan home. Peace.