I have just returned from the Land of Smiles – my annual pilgrimage since 2017, except for the Covid-19 years. I would visit Huay Kang, Chiang Rai, where Pannee, our missionary, is based. Every year, a team of mission trippers from True Way spends a week there teaching English and sharing the Gospel, mainly with primary school students.
Composition of the Team
This year was no different, though each year brings a new team, comprising both newcomers and second- or even third-timers. I am grateful for this mix because seasoned members can be there to guide first-timers.
Typically, I aim for eight people so we can have two teachers per class and offer four classes. This year, however, only seven signed up, even though others had initially expressed interest. I decided to proceed with seven, meaning one class would have a lone teacher accompanied by a Thai translator. In the end, God providentially provided a brother from another Presbyterian church to join us. With him, we had an equal number of brothers and sisters on the team.
This brother was a tremendous asset. He played both piano and guitar, came up with engaging games that the children thoroughly enjoyed, and was willing to do anything we asked of him. Although Singaporean, he has some fluency in Thai and hopes to become a tentmaker in Thailand. He had joined us for more mission exposure.
Depending on the team composition, we can vary our activities, harnessing each member’s spiritual gifts to serve God’s mission. Because we had someone strong in creative arts, we not only learned a dance and attempted to teach it to the students for a school-wide video but also performed a mime, which became a platform to share the Gospel.
No one ends up on the mission team by coincidence. Even though I personally invited a few people, I believe it is God who, in His wisdom, brought this team together.
Openness of the Schools
This year, we taught in two new schools. One school wasn’t new, but it had been a long time since our last visit, and the leadership had changed. We prayed to build good rapport so that we would be welcomed back in the future.
We praise God for answering our prayers. After two days at each school, principals and teachers expressed their appreciation for our visit. The students enjoyed the experience, spoke more English, and performed songs with actions enthusiastically. The schools had invited us to return next year.
We also thank God for the freedom to sing Christian songs, tell Bible stories, and share the Gospel. In every school, Ps Suttiporn would inform the principal of our Christian background and asked permission for these activities, which the principals granted.
With Christmas approaching, it was timely that we could share the Gospel with the students as many celebrate the season without understanding its meaning. Using the Gospel tools from Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), we explained the good news of salvation.
I taught the P5 students and had some wonderful conversations with them. One asked why Jesus had to die on the cross, while another said that being born a Buddhist would prevent her from becoming a Christian. I must commend the students for their sincere responses. They were paying attention.
Fruitfulness of the Outreach
We taught from Tuesday to Friday and invited students to Pannee’s church for the Saturday outreach. We prayed for 80 students, and God exceeded our expectations, sending 92. The day was filled with crafts, station games, and Gospel sharing, culminating in an altar call. Many hands went up, and we trust God will continue working in their hearts, that these seeds may fall on good soil.
Encouragingly, the school which was further away sent three teachers to accompany their students. Perhaps the principal wanted them to chaperone and ensure our credibility. By allowing the students to come, the principal had to do his due diligence so that he could be accountable to the parents.
We also had students from the school we taught last year, who, hearing of our visit, came again for the Saturday outreach. Their eagerness encouraged me greatly.
Guess who attended the Sunday worship service? The very much vested principal, along with his wife, younger daughter, niece, and another teacher. Though not Christians, they sat through the service, and we pray that God touched their hearts through the service and our love.
Living Out Incarnation Ministry
On the first day of the mission trip, during our group devotion, I shared about incarnation ministry, especially fitting in this Advent season. Mother Teresa exemplified such a ministry, living among India’s poorest, seeing people through Jesus’ eyes of compassion, and serving each person as if serving him, so much so that whenever she entered a room, the people could feel the presence of Jesus in their midst. You could say that Jesus continued his incarnational presence in the world through Mother Teresa.
Similarly, I pray that during our week in Huay Kang, Chiang Rai, we too saw the students with eyes of compassion, and served them as if we were serving Christ himself. In doing so, we would also have brought the presence of Jesus into their midst – the only way to truly bring smiles into their lives and into the Land of Smiles.
