Team verse

The Lord will always lead you. He will satisfy your needs in dry lands and give strength to your bones. Isaiah 58:11

Wow, I hardly know were to begin, Thailand 2001 has been an amazing life-altering experience and Gods faithfulness just overwhelms me! From the very beginning it was clear to see that our small team of nine was unique! (I think that’s what you would call us any way!) Each person individually gifted yet as a team there was a special unity and we were excited to see how God would use us in such a different culture from our own. I don’t think it really sunk in what we were doing or where we were going until we stepped off our twelve hour flight and arrived in Bangkok airport! The 39-degree heat wafted in our faces and within minutes our new clean Exodus t-shirts were soaking with sweat! How nice!

We spent our first few days in a Christian mission hospital, doing language study and learning about cultural differences. Each of us inwardly preparing for the task of living in Thai Buddhist homes for two weeks and teaching 1800 kids English! The list of do’s and don’ts seemed endless: don’t cross your legs, don’t show your feet, don’t touch their heads, don’t use your left hand, always eat with a spoon, keep your head lower than elders, greet with a wai (a special Thai greeting), take your shoes off before entering a house and it went on! The chances of offending Thai people were huge! But we knew that God was on our side and he wouldn’t let us put a foot wrong.

Our first night in our Thai families was frightening but we soon settled in and adjusted to their way of living. It was fun to meet up as a team each morening and just laugh at what the other members had experienced the night before. Perhaps some of the most memorable moments would be riding on the back of a moped to school each morning, without a helmet, and may I add that the roads in Thailand are not quite as safe!

Teaching was a time in which each member of the team had to set aside all their inhibitions, fears and shyness! The kids loved singing and dancing and a class did not pass without at least one Westlife song and an SClub7 dance! We taught in pairs and had three hours of teaching everyday, in between classes the pupils would cram into our ‘staff room’ and ask us endless questions…after two weeks of constant questioning, we needed serious patience!

Buddhsm is something we were confronted with daily, from morning meditations to visits to the local temples. Some of the most heart-breaking times were watching kids who we had grown to love and to adore bowing down and worshipping Buddha. It tore us apart to see a people with so much love to give, yet none of it was going to the ultimate love-giver, that is God. We had many opportunities to share Jesus with these kids, most of which stemmed from a colour-coded salvation bracelet which each team member wore! It was amazing to see how God used something as insignificant as a bracelet to provide opportunities for His gospel to be shared.

Evangelism in Thailand is so much different than at home! God's love had be shared by how we lived our lives and we just prayed that the Thai people would see God in our hearts and in how we loved them in return. Someone once said that our lives are the only bible some people will ever read, certainly this was the case in Thailand! We left our province of Uthai-Tani after two weeks, we left families who we had grown close to and children we now considered as friends, we left them caught in a web of Buddhism, never knowing if they will ever remember our words and accept Jesus. But as a team we need to have faith that God called us there for a purpose and that purpose we fulfilled. God is still in Thailand changing lives and working in hearts. We must have a faith that can move mountains but still remember that it is God who moves those mountains!

After two weeks of hard work we had a week to travel in Thailand and relax! We did many exciting things, riding elephants, swimming in waterfalls and bamboo rafting to name a few! The whole team dressed up in traditional Thai clothes, make up and all, and went for a photo shoot! I have laughed endlessly at these photos since I have returned as will you if you see them!

OK, I think its time to draw this to a close although I could write a whole book on the beautiful country of Thailand! I just want to finish with a few of the things that God taught me and I hope I speak on behalf of the team. Firstly, our God is huge, don’t ever limit Him, he is an awesome God and His power is available to us, all we need to do is ask! God has a perfect plan for each of our lives, God has you were he wants you at this moment in time for a special purpose! You may be but a peck in comparison to the vast universe, but God knows exactly who you are! No matter what you will ever face, God is greater, the task ahead is never as great as the power behind you!

Finally from the Thailand team who had a totally amazing experience of God, who’s lives and hearts are changed and who have beautiful memories that will last a lifetime, always remember: if you want something you have never had before you must do something you have never done before! If you are thinking of going on an Exodus team next year…GO FOR IT and prepare to be changed!!!