Thailand Missions (2016) "Sowing Seeds in the Mud"
The second and third years prepare the same annual game stations to welcome and get to know the first years. We expected dancing and maybe carnival type games, but it was a combination of Acteens initiations and Korean variety show games. These "games" displayed the students' creativity, wild side, and familial kindness - every first year student was looked after by a second or third year - even though they forced them to do some pretty extreme stuff, like rolling through the mud blindfolded, pouring rain or shine!
Friday was also our last day of teaching at Jian Hua (the Chinese night school at MVC). God brought to my mind a few students I should look out for to say goodbye to. We didn't have a goodbye party or evangelistic (EV) party, so we would need to be very intentional about saying our final words as we didn't know when we'd see these students and teachers for the very last time.
Following the examples of the apostle Paul and Alex Chan (one of the young adults I went with on my first mission trip to Thailand), I wrote goodbye cards to a select few girl students I got to talk with:
"Nice to meet you! Thank you for being kind to me. You are very nice and funny. Hope to see you again later!"
As the school day was about to end and I had to go around campus to find these girls, I was worried that they wouldn't understand my simple English. I debated if I should scrap my letters; they might not keep them anyway... But God affirmed me that my faith and works can go a very long way even if they do not understand now. I was reminded that God alone causes the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6-9). So right before looking for the girls, who are non Christian, I quickly wrote in each letter:
"Phra jow weiphon!" (God bless you!)
Pray for the seeds that God will grow: that they will be nurtured and deeply rooted by the bold truth and mystery of the gospel.
With that being said, I hope this encourages you to trust in the Lord and His ways wholeheartedly. I pray that you will be renewed and enlightened by God's truth and grace so that you will be willing to go proclaim God's word and salvation, too. Perhaps at MVC! Praise God for the growing relationship between us and the Thai and Chinese teachers at MVC and Jian Hua - they are very interested in keeping connected with us!
-Alisa
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