Frank's Missions Journal: October Redux

Ok, it feels good to make some progress on the blog, especially when there is 3 months worth of experiences to pore over. Alright here goes reflections for...

October

October was a whirlwind month, I ended my volunteer term at GIS during the second week of the month and that same weekend helped out at a medical clinic up in the mountains. The following week, Pastor JJ, Junya, and I participated for one evening at a youth camp for Karen kids, which most of the Jasper Kids attended. Then I helped out at a retreat/youth camp for missionary kids (high school and jr. high combined around 500 kids), and during the last week of October, Pastor Gil and the family (the Suhs) came to Chiang Mai for some family vacation time. Overall the month didn't lack for excitement or things to do.

When I think about all that happened in October, there are a couple things that stick out. In my time in Thailand, I have met some amazing people and worked alongside some awesome people. In October, God has given me the opportunity to do the same. Before, I helped out at the youth camp, the JK Foundation partnered up with Doctor Hume (friend of Pastor JJ's during his time in China) to run a medical clinic up in the mountain villages. Watching Doctor Hume run the clinic with his wife, Debbie, was incredible. Throughout the day it was very relaxed, and you could tell Doctor Hume loved the Lord in the way he was treating each patient. The greatest part of it was, was that a few came to know Christ on site at the clinic, and we were able to help the local pastor make inroads for the Gospel in this village. To catch you up to speed about this village, it is close to Mae Chang Khao, where a lot of our Jasper Kids are from and there is a good number of Christians there. Because of that fact, the other village we were ministering to, did not have good relations with Mae Chang Khao, where the pastor there wanted to reach out to the neighboring village, which is also where he spent his childhood. For whatever reason, the village had this us against them mentality, and the pastor could not make any progress. Now that your up to speed, because of the success of the clinic (all props go to God) the pastor of Mae Chang Khao is able to build relationships in this particular village and hopefully will be able to share the gospel soon.

The clinic showed that God is able to use whoever and whatever for his Kingdom. If your a doctor, he'll use your skill set, if your an auto mechanic, he can use your skill set. It isn't merely just preaching the Gospel, but you can show people the Gospel by living it out and using your profession and skills that God has bestowed on you. Just depends on whether you will let him.

After the clinic, I got to meet a fun group of people from Hume Lake, California. They were in Chiang Mai, running the youth camp, and they come every couple years to do so, and they run camps every winter and summer out in Hume Lake, California. You can check out there website here and also for pictures from Hume Lake Thailand here. The way they ran their camps, and to run back to back camps for both high school and jr. high kids, knowing how exhausting it is...I give them much props. Everyday they were pouring out the love of Christ to the missionary kids, and that challenged me to do so too, even when I was exhausted as a counselor. Having the opportunity to be a counselor, I really got a chance to get to know a lot of the high school and jr. high kids from GIS. While I was working at GIS, I didn't have much of an opportunity to do so, because I was working mostly with elementary students. Most of the high school or jr. high kids that I hung out with were a good bunch of kids. Some of them knew and loved God, and some of them didn't, it wasn't any different than being in the States. It made me realize, even missionary kids need to be reached out to, and what Hume Lake was doing was meeting that need. After it was all said and done, it was sad that at the end of my time at GIS, I finally got to know some of the secondary students. I can't help, but feel shorted that I built these relationships, but I can continue to foster those relationships as a volunteer at school. At least there is facebook (the beauties of social networking and the interwebs!)

Finally, my time spent with Pastor Gil and the family was a blast! We actually got to hang out a lot, went to the mall, went bowling, stopped by an elephant camp and visited the JK Home. It was like as if I was hanging out with them in the States, sans the elephant camp and the JK Home. Personally, it was encouraging to talk to both Pastor Gil and Joyce about life and missions. It was doubly good to hear about the progress that God has made through them in Cambodia, and also the needs of Cambodia. Plus it's always good to get sage advice from a pastor. We all need wise men and women in our lives to be examples for us. Shoot, I mean, even Paul told his fellow Christian brothers and sisters to follow his example.

What put the whole visitation over the top was being able to hang out with David, Isaac, and Mary (Pastor Gil and Joyce's kids). They have grown up so much since I saw them last year, and they're still oh so adorable. I was humbled that they wanted to hang out with me and play with me because back in the States, I rarely ever did, something I regret now, because they are a lot of fun being around. Oh and if your reading this Jessica aka Ji Young, Mary misses you, told me herself.

Ok, this post is getting way to long, I'll just end it with this note. October was filled with a lot of activities, but the biggest impressions made on me were not the activities in it of itself, but the people. When people give themselves up to God, God will use them. I saw that in Doctor Hume, the Hume Lake staff, and through the Suh's, and I continue to see that in my time here. On top of that, I am building up friendships left and right, and I thank God for every one of those opportunities, and I can't wait for who I'll meet in the final three months that I'm here. Alright now for some picture time.