Mission Trip To Thailand - Dec 2005

Our flight finally touched down at Chiang Rai Airport at around 9.30pm on Tuesday night. The rest of the team caught the earlier flight at 1.45pm and had arrived at the New Life Centre by now. Our delay and missing the earlier flight was due to the incredible long queue at the airport as Angel apply for her entry visa. Then our scheduled flight at 6.00pm was delayed a further hour due to engine trouble.

As we left the arrival gate, we were met with two brothers (we knew later that they were the leaders/teachers) waving a cardboard sign with “New life Centre” written in Chinese. We were quickly ushered into a ute and drove into the darkness of the night with our luggage bouncing along in the back of the ute. I started a conversation with the brothers and realized that they were both hardcore ex-drug addicts with a litany of crime! A silly thought flashed across my mind, “nobody will know even if they rob and kill us both, then dump our bodies in the jungle; who will find us in these thick jungle tracks?” As we drove on in the darkness, I thanked them profusely for their patience, having been waiting for us since 3.00pm, even skipping their dinner! Brother Yang and Brother Wang had incredible tales of drug addiction, brokenness, depravation and crime. Yet how the Lord had delivered them. The power of the gospel and the testimony of transformed lives were right before our eyes!

At about 5am the next morning, the centre was abuzz with the sounds of morning exercise followed by passionate worship and earnest prayers. Breakfast was at 7am, lunch at 12pm followed by dinner at 5pm – every meal is rice with 2-3 dishes of organic vegetables grown by the centre. The sweet potato leaves were the tastiest of all. A pig is slaughtered once in a few days to provide meat for the population of some 250-300 people of the centre and their many new works within the province.

The children are keen to learn and surprisingly, even the local Thai school was so open to us. We taught mainly English and used songs and actions all the way. One of the Thai school class that was allocated to us, the whole class was out in the field playing sport. So we were relocated to a secondary class and I helped Jon in his teaching. We taught about the seasons, the colours, the fruits, months and try to get them to converse by asking them question like where you come from? What is your name? etc. The school Principal was so impressed that he actually asked us to stay for a month or come back again for longer term!

Having read the newsletter from the centre about the harsh and humble beginnings since 1997, I fully expected to see a more primitive setting. But God’s grace and provision are so very real as His servants trusted Him. After a short span of seven years, they have three permanent 2-storey concrete buildings, several “floating restaurants” (dining shelters above the fish ponds) which they use as class rooms and many dormitories for the children and adults complete with water and electricity supply.

After the first week of relative comfort, we were driven to Chiang Khong, a border town and river port on the banks of Mekong River. For a few dollars, you can get a pass to cross over to Laos on ferries. We visited a primitive centre for a dozen children at the fringe of the town. Then we walked to a piece of land, about 5 acres, purchased by faith, ready to be built into a new children centre for some 200 children. We prayed and proclaimed in unison that it will be a land of blessing and shelter as well as a base for the extension of the gospel.

Next we proceeded to climb Mount Pathang which is some 1800m above sea level. Many Miao, Akka and Lisu tribes live among the hill slopes. As the old thatch huts are in the process of being pulled down and rebuilt, we had a campfire and slept in sleeping bags as the cold mountain winds lashed at our faces. The morning greeted us with a sea of clouds beneath our feet as we looked toward the many valleys below us.

What is the most indelible impression for me? I have to say it is the faith of the founding couple. One who has tasted the mercy and grace of God will never be the same. They are driven by the vision and call of the Lord upon their lives. They risk their lives and give their all toward the work. Their love for the children and addicts are so intense. As we respond to the call, God will provide everything – more than we an ever dream or imagine.

Watch Night Service

I have always wanted to go to a Watch Night service. (Churches hold these on New Year's Eve until after midnight.) Last year, we spent New Year's Eve with most of the church folks at our home.

I knew that Watch Night services usually focus on prayer, but I never realized their origin and historical significance until I read this article. Watch Night services began in early Methodism when people kept watch on December 31 and renewed their covenants with God.
The widespread tradition, however, was picked up by African-American churches on New Year's Eve in 1862, when parishioners gathered to pray that President Lincoln would fulfill his promise and enact the Emancipation Proclamation the next day.

Today, Watch Night is mostly celebrated in African-American churches, but I think it's a tradition worth picking up across the churches. It would be an awesome way to start the year.

I reckon it is an awesome way to start a new year.