Isan Lovin'

Disclaimer: In the course of my blogging, I may make some pointed criticism at our Western worldview or American Christianity, but this does not mean that I think the Thai worldview or Thai Christianity is inherently better. All worldviews that are not centered around Christ are inherently sinful. However, I have an excellent opportunity to step out of the Korean-American world and try to observe it from a more outsider point of view. When we never bother to challenge or question certain values or beliefs that we hold in our society, Christians especially begin to equate certain secular values as being inherently Christian. I love studying intercultural relationships precisely because it gives me the opportunity to constantly evaluate cultural values I hold so I can affirm or deny values that are not of Christ.

Ralph Winters (the founder of the U.S. Center for World Mission, who recently passed away) similarly wrote:

"One of the most important functions of the missionary movement is to continually rescue the faith itself from becoming lost through institutional and cultural evolution and absorption....That process of trying to make our faith understandable cross-culturally has in many different but vital ways pumped back into the home church a constantly renewed sense of what is, and what is not the [gospel]....Unless we become as serious about rediscovering the true faith in contrast to the assumptions of our own culture, we will trumpet an uncertain sound wherever else we go."

So please feel free to comment or shoot me an email any thoughts, questions, or concerns you may have in the course of reading my blog, and may God bless us in discovering and rediscovering the true gospel of Christ together.
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Some Isan children waiting for dinner. Don't be scared of that Apocalypto girl, the white powder stuff is mosquito repellent (I think).

Yum, fresh chicken for dinner.

During the last stretch of our STEM mission trip, we got to visit the hometown of our Thai pastor, P'Mee. (The trip itself took 12 hours one way - that was pretty tiring, but fun nevertheless.) It's not as shigol as you can get, but it was pretty rural-style living. As you can see in the picture above, people in Isan kill their own food (I didn't kill the chicken. I probably would have cried.), shower with buckets, grow rice, and live in these houses that look like a treehouse made in a combination of Thai and Western style. All in all, it was a very "mission" style trip. (Not to say our mission trips to Chiang Mai and Tokyo are not missions!)


Anyway, our main ministry was to teach English at the local elementary school to students from first to sixth grade. We sang taught some children's Christian songs, performed some dances and played games. Some of these students were so smart and picked up our English songs and lessons so quickly. It was actually kind of sad because when we first arrived, the students were being taught from a video screen because there's no money for teachers. I don't know that much about child development or education, but I do at least know the importance of teacher/student interaction. I hope to come back again and help out more in Isan. (And I can! P'Mee comes to Isan every month and wishes to eventually move back to his hometown to do ministry when he finds a replacement for Grace Fellowship. So pray for him!)

After teaching at school, we invited all the students to come to P'Mee's house for dinner and some more presentations. We performed some children's skits that try to show the importance of sharing and love, but when we threw the candy into the crowd of children, what do you think happened? Some kids got a bunch and others got none. So we tried to hammer in the point by bringing up some kids who had none and some who had a lot. They were asked to share and those who gave little received little, while those who gave much or all, received much more than they had in the first place. I still don't think they got it in the end... =(

My final thought for today:
I think far too often we take certain values at home for granted. P'Mee told me how in Thailand (and Isan) it is expected for politicians to steal money and take bribes. Very little judgment is place towards people who take for themselves funds that were set aside for the community. I'm not saying American society isn't corrupt - any society that does not place its worth in Christ will ultimately be corrupt (and Newsweek labeled America as a post-Christian nation anyway). But regardless of being "post-Christian," many Christian values remain dominant, even if people's hearts have not been spiritually born-again so that they want to live out Christ-like values. Even though the state America is very well headed toward the secular state of Europe, I think people still understand values of sharing and fair play, even if they don't want to do it.

But in Thailand, they neither have these values (ahh I know it's a really broad and divisive statement, just bear with me) nor do they want to do it. One of the things I thought about getting involved in was helping those exploited by Thailand's sex industry. I don't know if I'll have time with the ministry I'm doing, and if the opportunity comes I at least want to be more aware of this issue. But more and more I realize that these things are but expressions and fruit of sinful nature. If it were possible to arrest every single owner of a brothel and every customer, would the problem really be solved? I'm in no way downplaying the efforts of those involved in social justice - all the prophets in the Bible call for helping the oppressed and loosening the chains of injustice. I think these things are absolutely necessary to stop the crimes that are occurring presently. But in the end, Jesus sought to do more than to make people stop doing bad things. He went to the root of the issue - our hearts. We all need for God to replace our heart of stone with a heart of flesh that will give us new desires and affections for Him and His ways.

And so in Isan, I learned just how important it is to really understand the Thai worldview and ultimately point Thai people towards a worldview centered on Christ. And it starts with children before they have become socialized into sinful ways. Every lesson of love and sharing is one seed planted towards the future harvest of a relationship with Christ. These children will eventually grow up and many of them will never have the chance to step outside of their worldview and question whether their values are ultimately right or wrong.

So please pray for these children and all the children of Thailand that from an early age they will have the opportunity for the seeds of the gospel to be sown. And take some time to thank God if you were born with Christian parents or grew up in the church. It's so much more of a blessing than you might think.

And thus I conclude the first month of my trip with STEM. Let's hope and pray that the next 12 months I have alone will be even more full of blessings and insight.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Eric