The Community of Bethel

One of the communities we are involved with here in Thailand is that of the Bethel Church. Bethel is located just outside of Chachoengsao. It’s a community that runs along the clawng, a river that twists and turns through the area. Kids swim in the clawng, woman wash clothes and men fish for their food. It’s a different area than the rest we have been exposed to.  Paved streets turn to gravel roads, and small apartments turn into small, one roomed, tin shacks. Many homes are perched above swampy areas where water is level with entrance ways. It is here that we see the most poverty. Bethel church is in the heart of the community backing the clawng. Us guys lived here in what we called “gilligans island” (a small grass hut) up until last week before moving in with the girls for safety concerns. Other than that, we are here every Sunday for church and every Wednesday night for kids clubs and small groups with believers from the church. Last night was an incredible time of strengthening relationships with the people of the community. We arrived around 5 o’clock and gathered all the kids in the local park. We had some songs, stories and crafts prepared. Small crowds often gather to watch the “forang” (foreigners). We have known these children for two weeks now, but last night sealed the bonds we had previously created. Many of our team members connected strongly with the children, while others are geared more towards the youth or adults. It’s a perfect mix, and together we function well as a team. It seems as though all our gifts are being put to good use!

After we said la gone to the kids, we went to Ba Wao’s home for small group. Ba Wao is like the community Oma. She’s perfect in every sense of the word. She cooks for everyone, smiles constantly and simply, breathes love. She has developed quite the bond with none other than our very own Adam Bergman. She constantly refers to his big muscles and will use any excuse to get a hug from him. I sense she has a small crash on him, one we of course tease him about during team times. I look forward to seeing this relationship blossom over the weeks to come. I’m taking some solid video, so stay tuned.

I’m writing this post as a reminder to all of us to be thankful for what we have. In our time together last night, we were asked to say what we are thankful for. Ba Wao was the first to answer that she’s thankful for everyday she has. As I heard her words through translation, I looked around her one roomed tin hut. Water was level with her doorstep, her front porch almost submerged in swamp. The rain slammed down on her tin roof, making it next to impossible to hear anything in our circle. The lightning outside flashed through the large gaps in her walls and I could count about a dozen small lizards crawling on her walls and ceiling. Her husband passed away last year and she currently is on medication for diabetes and fighting problems with her ankles. Ba Wao has every right to be unhappy, yet she shows more joy than anyone I’ve come across in my 23 years of life. That night in team time I asked where we have all seen God at work in the past few days and two of the seven answers reflected Ba Wao’s evident joy in the Lord. We ate together, sang together, and listened as Aaron shared with the group. All this while crammed together in her home, circled around rice plates on her floor. Her hospitality, joy and love have inspired us all. Ba Wao has been such a blessing to our team and I thank God I had the chance to meet her in this life. May we all be reminded how blessed we are.

Our team is doing great, no need to worry. With each passing day, we love it more and more. Dave and Louise have been incredible mentors, hosts and teachers. But I will save a separate blog post for them ;)

Continue to pray for safety, health, opportunity and continued joy.

From Sam, Acksanna, Jody, Jeremiah, Adam, Aaron and I – we love and miss all of you friends and family back home. Thank you for your love and support.

Love,

Team Thailand