Working Hard in Thailand!

A couple of my days here in Thailand required much more physical work. A team of ten people arrived from Illinois on Sunday night, so Ashley and I joined forces with them to tackle a project on the property. There are 7 family style homes built so far and each one has a cement water tank. They all needed to be sanded, primed and painted. So, we got to work! Below is a picture of some of the team I got to work with. They were so much fun, I'm so glad I got to spend time with all of them. 

At night time, we enjoyed praise and worship together with the kids ages seven and up. Then they split into pre teens and teens for groups. The praise and worship is so incredible! A few of the teenagers and a couple Life Impact staff lead it. They pour out their hearts to God and it is so refreshing! When you are on their main property, called The Promised Land, there is such a peace and joy. Seeing what these children have been rescued from and then seeing them here happy, healthy, and praising God; I think it would be difficult even for an atheist to hold back praises to The Lord and Jesus. I am so thankful for the time I get to soak it all in. 

Another day, we went to visit a small village called Gate Two. It's a Burmese slum right on the Thailand/Bhurma border. Life Impact has a program called Supported Projects where they give food and supplies to families or individuals who can't support themselves. A lot of them are single moms who would otherwise be a huge risk for selling their kids if it weren't for the help. There was a large group of women who came to hear about the gospel and most received Jesus in their hearts. While part of our team was sharing with the women, the others were playing games with the kids and one of our interpreters shared a Bible story with them. 

Ashley and me in the village. 

There were a couple more small villages we got to visit to pass out food and minister to the people. It was such a humbling and awesome experience. We broke up into teams and would get to go into an individual's house. If they didn't know Jesus, we would tell them about him, while an interpreter translated. Then we would pray for them. There was one woman in a village that some of our team members were able to pray for. She was blind, but after they had finished praying for her, her sight was being restored. She said she couldn't see their faces when they approached her, but after they prayed for her, she could see their faces. People, God is still in the miracle business. We just need to step out in faith. I am so thankful for the time I got to spend with these people. 

Somewhere in the mix of these days, we got to go to a beautiful waterfall and have a picnic. 

After the water fall, we headed to the dump to pass out some tangerines and minister to people. The Life Impact team has been ministering to and helping the families at the dump for quite a while. So many of them know Jesus. But we were still able to pray for them and share Bible stories with them. 

I don't want to go into a bunch of details about how gross it is at the dump, because that's obvious. Our team was able to get past the smells and focus on what was most important. It definitely puts into perspective how much we are blessed with. Also, something I found really interesting - when I asked people what we could pray for them, not one of them said, "Please pray for me to get out of the dump and get a big house." Instead they asked for prayer for unsaved family members or maybe a health condition. 

Here are a couple of beautiful girls who I got to share with just how special they are to God and that they can pray to Him any time they need help. They are just a couple of the many children who have to dig through trash all day for recyclables instead of being able to go to school. They'll make about 3 cents a day. 

Here's another woman who lives at the dump. 

Below is a picture of Randall. He was with the team from Illinois. He walked down a steep area where some kids were by their houses to give them some food. This man didn't stop at heaps of trash or swarms of flies to reach out. He is a true man of God. It was such a pleasure to serve with this team from Illinois. 

Here's one more of a typical house that they live in. 

Here is the "lake" that they bathe in. It's filled with black snakes. 

I'm not showing you these photos to make you feel sad. I hope that instead it makes you feel empowered to do something to help others. We live such a selfish life in our comfort. You can make a difference by using the gifts that God gave you. Maybe that doesn't mean going to another country. Maybe you're supposed to help children learn to read or visit people in a retirement home. I don't know. But if you don't know, then I encourage you to spend time asking God and seeking out your purpose. You won't regret it. Also, know that this life is temporary. And while these people live in a slum now, most of them have accepted Jesus in their hearts and will spend eternity in the presence of God. 

God bless you all and thank you for your prayers. 

Amber