keep their hearts alive

People ask me what the highlight of my Thailand mission trip was and I recall the one time we did prison ministry. But really I think the part that I enjoyed the most was my time at a Thai nursery. It wasn't some extraordinary, mind-blowing experience or anything, but it was such a joy to be able to just love on those kids. I could never understand what they were saying, and most of the time they couldn't understand me, but after just a couple days they captured a huge part of my heart.

On my last day at the nursery, this little girl named Pim was resting on my knee. Most days, going to the nursery was a source of great joy. But that day, as Pim was leaning against me, all I wanted to do was cry.

The nursery is run by a Japanese Buddhist association. Everyday, these kids pray to Buddha. At the entrance to the neighborhood, there's a huge golden statue of Buddha. Buddhism has such a firm grip on so many Thai lives. That last day, I was grieved because I didn't know if Pim or any of her classmates would ever get to hear the gospel. It broke my heart to think that she would never know that there is a true God in heaven that wants a relationship with her.

 If only the gospel were preached more in Thailand, maybe prostitution wouldn't be so common.  We often hear of women being forced into prostitution. Many prostitutes probably were kidnapped and forced into that life, but there is also a deeper underlying problem. So many of those kids grow up in broken families. Fathers are often nowhere to be found. Or they're physically present but emotionally absent. What is the result of this? Young girls, even before their adolescent years, begin to look for love in all the wrong places. They begin to think about love in all the wrong ways.

As Pim rested against my knee, I'm sure she didn't have a care in the world. She's only five years old. I don't think she really understands what she is doing when she recites a prayer to Buddha before drinking her Ovaltine. She's still so innocent and full of life. But I've seen what can happen to far too many souls in Thailand. Every night in Pattaya and Bangkok alone, thousands of souls are ripped apart. It gets to the point where you can look into a person's eyes and no longer see a soul. I can only pray that that will never happen to her or any of her classmates. But the possibility is very real. I thought to myself, "If only someone would come and share the gospel with these kids, with their teachers..." Then they would know true love. They would know self-sacrificing, not self-absorbed love. They would know what the love of a father is supposed to be like.

I don't remember much from my childhood. But I hope that those kids will remember. There was one little boy in the class that wore a cross necklace. His classmate noticed that I was also wearing a cross, and exclaimed "You have a necklace just like Pii Rebecca!" I hope those kids remember the cross that compelled a farang to go and love them.

My friend once asked me if I got any compensation for this. I said no and that I actually had to pay close to $4000 to go. But as I reflected more on this, I thought to myself, "I've received far more compensation than $4000." I was blessed with the joy of being Christ's arms and hands to carry love to those kids. And if just one of those kids accepts Christ, then that is a far greater reward that anything I could ask for. It is far more than the money that I would have made teaching tennis or working in a pharmacy. That will last for only a fleeting lifetime. I'm sure God could bless those who ask with great internships or jobs. But why pray so small? Instead of looking only to benefits in this world, we should set our gaze heavenward-- fix our eyes on not what is seen but what is unseen.

"Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'"

-Matthew 9:37-38

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."

- Matthew 6:19-20