Out to Isaan

We are currently sitting sitting in a Starbucks near the King’s Palace waiting for this team to finish their tour. This smaller group of eleven from Olivet Nazarene University has been a real treat. This is a team of all girls who travelled with us to Korat, Thailand in Isaan (the eastern and most unreached part of the country) to work at Baan Jai Di, Children’s Center.

Baan Jai Di was started in the home of Duan, a wife, mother, and teacher in a small village in Korat. Her dream is to reach her unreached village and the surrounding area for Christ. She is doing this through providing after school tutoring and English teaching to children in this rural area. Children in Thailand almost always seek extra help with school, especially with English, since how well they perform in school largely determines how many opportunities they will have for success later in life.

Duan works with the children and gets to know the families as well. She often helps provide food and necessary items for those who are in need. All the while praying for those around her and sharing what Jesus has done and is doing for her. Her husband Tom, who suffers from kidney failure, is also instrumental in both supporting this outreach and in ministering to the adults of the village with his own testimony of faith and perseverance.

These past two weeks, the team from Olivet represented Christ by teaching English and sharing the gospel in the village schools and by spending time with the children at Baan Jai Di after school. They also spent an evening working on Duan’s farm helping to plant corn (by hand) that Duan will then sell to make money for Baan Jai Di. Her goal is to build a covered area in front of her home so the children have more room and so that she can accommodate more children.

The Thailand DS, Ajaan Lamp, also joined us for three days of our time in the village to love on the children and to help us pass out “the shoe that grows” to the children of Baan Jai Di. This team of girls had a great time getting to know Duan, Pastor Lamp and Pi Bi as they worked and served together. They ate food that was very new to them, worked very hard in the heat, and kept smiles on their faces and love in their hearts the whole time. Jesus’ love really showed in the lives and services of these young women.

We were asked several times why we were there, why we would come to a place like this little village in Korat. We were able to answer that we were there because of the love of Jesus. While there, a young woman named Pok Pok, expressed a desire for her young daughters to be raised Christian. She herself is still learning what that means, but she sees that we have hope, and joy and life and she wants that for her daughters.

Today is our last day of this trip and we are spending it touring Bangkok before they fly out late tonight (technically early tomorrow morning). I’m ready for the rest (we get eight days before the next team), but we have loved every minute of serving with our brothers and sisters in Christ and introducing them to this part of the world and the beautiful people our Savior gave His life and conquered death for. We will hold each visitor in our hearts and treasure the time we’ve spent together.

If you would like to help support the work at the Baan Jai Di Children’s Center it has just been added to the list of Approved Specials online at http://www.nazarene.org/global-missions-project?project=3030