I know I haven't posted in a while... I had a fab friend, JB, come visit and I didn't want to interrupt the fun to sit at my computer. More on that visit later...
Wrapping It Up- The Hmong Village
I want to wrap up my tripblogging by sharing about our visit to the Hmong Village. I'm not sure I can adequately describe it-- it's almost something you must see for yourself to fully understand. But it was a huge part of our trip, so I did want to share it.
A group of 6,000 Hmong people were brought from Laos to Thailand by a human trafficker who promised them papers and legal status. They were left on the side of the road, with no papers and are considered illegal by the Thai government. They rarely leave their village because they can't work and are under the constant threat of deportation to Laos.
The team in Thailand has not only started a church in the village, they have also brought relief aid to the people in the form of rice shipments. If you are interested in giving toward the relief effort, visit http://www.rlingo.org/ for more information. From the moment we arrived, the people of Nam Khao Baptist Church were gracious, generous, and kind. It was overwhelming in light of their living conditions.
After greetings and visiting, they fed us a huge meal. Sitting down to eat a meal given by people who have almost nothing was one of the most humbling things I've ever had to do. We Americans are so spoiled and used to having so much.
After the meal, we had a service that evening. During the service, the church members gave each person in our group a small gift. I can't stress to you enough that these people have almost nothing-- they hardly have basic necessities like clothes, shelter, and food, to say nothing of the "extras" like electricity, heat, transportation, schools, stores, jobs, and even safety. I think I'm sacrificing when I give out of the excess that I have. These people sought to be a blessing to us and truly sacrificed even though we would think they would be justified in just receiving. Their attitude showed they counted it a privilege to give to us-- such a difference from American Christian thinking!
We went back the next day to fellowship with the church members. They are desperate for Bible teaching, so we had devotions with them and even had a chance to teach them some hymns (at left). What a blessing!
The day went by quickly as we spent time in the village. It was SO hard to leave, knowing not only that you may never see these people again, but also that they very well could be deported back to Laos.
I learned so much from this experience. In the end, I believe the Hmong Christians are far richer than we Americans because their faith is amazing and strong. What do we need to trust God for? All of our needs and even our wants are at our fingertips. I'm not in a position where I must trust God for daily needs- like food. The Hmong Christians have nothing BUT the Lord. Their attitude was one of faith, hopefulness, and even joy despite their circumstances. They actually TRUST the Lord, which is something I believe we mostly only talk about.
This experience taught me to be more grateful and content, to learn to live with less, to trust the Lord more, and to complain less. It was a powerful lesson and one I hope I don't soon forget.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and support while I was in Thailand. There is really so much more I could say about my trip, but I will finish here. My message to everyone has been: If you get the chance, go on an international missions trip!
- Julie -
Wrapping It Up- The Hmong Village
I want to wrap up my tripblogging by sharing about our visit to the Hmong Village. I'm not sure I can adequately describe it-- it's almost something you must see for yourself to fully understand. But it was a huge part of our trip, so I did want to share it.
A group of 6,000 Hmong people were brought from Laos to Thailand by a human trafficker who promised them papers and legal status. They were left on the side of the road, with no papers and are considered illegal by the Thai government. They rarely leave their village because they can't work and are under the constant threat of deportation to Laos.
The team in Thailand has not only started a church in the village, they have also brought relief aid to the people in the form of rice shipments. If you are interested in giving toward the relief effort, visit http://www.rlingo.org/ for more information. From the moment we arrived, the people of Nam Khao Baptist Church were gracious, generous, and kind. It was overwhelming in light of their living conditions.
After greetings and visiting, they fed us a huge meal. Sitting down to eat a meal given by people who have almost nothing was one of the most humbling things I've ever had to do. We Americans are so spoiled and used to having so much.
After the meal, we had a service that evening. During the service, the church members gave each person in our group a small gift. I can't stress to you enough that these people have almost nothing-- they hardly have basic necessities like clothes, shelter, and food, to say nothing of the "extras" like electricity, heat, transportation, schools, stores, jobs, and even safety. I think I'm sacrificing when I give out of the excess that I have. These people sought to be a blessing to us and truly sacrificed even though we would think they would be justified in just receiving. Their attitude showed they counted it a privilege to give to us-- such a difference from American Christian thinking!
We went back the next day to fellowship with the church members. They are desperate for Bible teaching, so we had devotions with them and even had a chance to teach them some hymns (at left). What a blessing!The day went by quickly as we spent time in the village. It was SO hard to leave, knowing not only that you may never see these people again, but also that they very well could be deported back to Laos.
I learned so much from this experience. In the end, I believe the Hmong Christians are far richer than we Americans because their faith is amazing and strong. What do we need to trust God for? All of our needs and even our wants are at our fingertips. I'm not in a position where I must trust God for daily needs- like food. The Hmong Christians have nothing BUT the Lord. Their attitude was one of faith, hopefulness, and even joy despite their circumstances. They actually TRUST the Lord, which is something I believe we mostly only talk about.
This experience taught me to be more grateful and content, to learn to live with less, to trust the Lord more, and to complain less. It was a powerful lesson and one I hope I don't soon forget.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and support while I was in Thailand. There is really so much more I could say about my trip, but I will finish here. My message to everyone has been: If you get the chance, go on an international missions trip!
- Julie -
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