A Week of Encouragement: Thailand Trip Recap

In my last two updates, I shared a lot about my trip to Thailand, and gave a broad picture of what we would be doing. However, I couldn't have imagined all that God would do throughout the time!

Why did the attendees need Soul Care?

Throughout the week, we learned a lot about the life in their country by listening to their stories. Here are just a few things we learned about life there:

• Young people can't go out at night for fear of kidnapping.

  Not by a criminal, but by the military, who would then force them to fight. The families would hear of their fate after several months. This is a constant concern for our missionaries, many of whom are under 40.

  
  

• There are almost no doctors in the country.

  The doctors who had served in the country either fled as refugees or were forced to join the military. This means that there is little healthcare for those left behind. One of our missionaries trains doctors and dentists in secret despite knowing that if they are found out, they would all be conscripted to the military.

  
  

• Guerilla Warfare has emptied many villages and placed a great burden on the people.

  When fighting pops up, families need to leave everything and flee for their lives. One of the pastors on the team was forced to flee his village due to the fighting. When he sent someone back to check on his house, the man stepped on a landmine losing his leg. The government then charged the injured man money for destroying government property (ie. the landmine that took off his leg).

We provided each attendee with a study Bible, so they would have a resource to understand the Bible.

Despite the stories we heard, these missionary leaders were so full of hope and trust in the Lord. They were humble and convinced in their calling, despite the risks. They shared about their ministries in a school a Bible Institute, an orphanage, in church planting, in healthcare training, and in children and youth ministries, all in the midst of a war zone.

There were about 5 sessions each day when we gathered, explored scripture, and worshiped together.

What was the Soul Care Retreat like?

Throughout the week, we stayed in a hotel in the middle of Bangkok that provided food and a conference room for us to meet.

Throughout the day, the international team shared encouragement from the Scripture. In total, there were about five teaching sessions each day (each 60-90mins), along with times of prayer, games, worship, discussion, and personal reflection.

The teaching times focused on topics that would encourage with truth, bring hope, and would include spiritual growth practices that they could take with them.

These cases were full of Bibles and book resources that we were able to take for these war zone missionaries.

Some of the topics include:

• God's Sovereignty

• The Suffering of Job

• How God has Worked through Weakness throughout the Bible

• Psalm 121 and God's Protection of His People

• Spiritual Disciplines and Personal Growth

I, personally, had the opportunity to teach on the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, Prayers of Lament in Lamentations 3, and the Hope of the New Heavens and New Earth during the week. Along with being my first time in Asia, it was my first time teaching through a translator. Praise God, the translators for the week were incredible to work with and did a great job communicating our passion not just our words.

In Thailand, we were offered rice, dumplings, stir-fried noodles, and some sort of meat-veggie stir fry every meal (including breakfast!)

We wanted the time to care for their bodies and their souls, so we tried to meet physical needs during the trip, like food, clothes, and a safe place to sleep as well as spiritual ones.

The attending missionaries from the war-torn country in Southeast Asia repeatedly expressed their thanks for the encouragement and for putting together the week. They made a point to encourage us in our ministries.

Personal Reflections on the Time:

During this trip, I taught scripture to people who have a depth of faith that I can only imagine. As they shared their personal experiences of the war and their perseverance in ministry, our whole international team was inspired and encouraged by their faith.

The most difficult moment on the trip happened on the last night of the trip, when I realized that we needed to send these wonderful people back to suffering. I dug my fingernails into my skin to keep the tears at bay as we prayed over the team.

Both Thailand and the place these missionaries were from are predominantly Buddhist. Traditional shrines were set up among the skyscrapers throughout the city

Throughout the week, we spoke of God's love and sovereignty over his people, and I had to come to terms with it. I needed to trust that God loves these wonderful people, and that His plan for them is good, even if I don't understand it. It meant coming to terms with the idea that I may not see some of them until heaven if God takes them home early.

In the New Heavens and the New Earth, these incredible people will be honored and rewarded for all they have given up in this life, but it doesn't make it less difficult in the meantime.

I ask that you pray with me for this team in Southeast Asia as they face war, persecution, and overall instability. God is at work and is using the war to turn the hearts of the people towards God, but it comes at a cost.

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Prayers and Praises:

For the Missionaries in this War Torn Country:

• Pray that the 20 leaders will share what they learned with the other 25 missionaries who couldn't come.

• Pray that God will protect the team, so that they may better serve Him.

• Pray that God will bring peace to their nation.

• Praise God that some of the team are willing to help with the Ministry Leadership Training Curriculum.

For the International Team who Served Them:

• Pray for the Nepali leader on the team who is going back to a country where the church is persecuted.

• Pray for the teammate who is in a difficult season of transition and has found herself homeless and living out of hotels as a result.

• Praise God for safe travels there and back! We had flights there and home, despite fuel shortages!

• Praise God for the work He accomplished through us this trip.

• Praise God for the work He accomplished in our own hearts this trip.

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