I walked out into the humid morning air and looked around at the small lake, surrounded by a running track and a lush, green university campus. In the near distance, a large statue of Buddha overlooked the entire city from a hilltop. Beginning a week of visiting our staff and ministries in South Thailand, my wife, Cindy, and I were determined to get a bit of exercise to stay mentally and physically prepared for the full days ahead. I quickly hit the play button on my iPod, anxious to listen to a new worship album while I ran. It seems that God likes to speak to me or drop new thoughts in my heart while I’m running, so I make a habit of running with worship music to give Him an open door. But I wasn’t prepared for the instant rush of emotion as the first song flooded my ears - “Prepare Ye The Way” from Michael W. Smith’s “A New Hallelujah” CD.
Taken from Isaiah 40:3, the passage goes on to speak of smoothing out rough roads, making a highway for our God. Tears filled my eyes as I ran, realizing that that was indeed what we were witnessing as we drove through 5 provinces, listening to ministry reports and visiting our handful of staff. The years of prayer and “plowing the ground” by others are starting to bear tangible fruit. Considered the most difficult area of Thailand to evangelize due to long-standing political unrest and a majority Muslim population, Southern Thailand still only has 10 YWAMers working there full-time.
Last year, YWAM Thailand held its national staff conference in the South, specifically to emphasize the need for more workers and to mobilize more prayer for this region. A year later, I was admittedly disappointed that there were seemingly few visible results of this emphasis. But that was before last month. As Cindy & I visited each ministry team, culminating in our first YWAM Southern Thailand staff gathering, we were so impressed by the creative ways that Kingdom seeds are being planted and watered. Orphans being cared for, free Bibles distributed through a secular bookstore, internet evangelism, a community garden project, Bible-teaching on a local radio station, deepening relationships with teachers and students – all this in a predominantly Muslim region of Thailand! And as we met together, we discovered that God was calling several more YWAMers to the area in the near future.
For security reasons, I’m unable to mention specific people and places. But would you join us in praying for Southern Thailand? There is much work to do if we are to see real Kingdom growth. Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” So as we walk in the opposite spirit of the division, fear, and suspicion that has characterized this region for so long, we trust that God’s Word remains true, and that Southern Thailand will be transformed by the love of God.
For the Kingdom,
