In January six families responded to the call of the Holy Spirit and went on a short-term trip to Thailand.
The team’s first engagement was a Drug Rehabilitation Centre that provides a faith-based rehabilitation program for men.
The Centre’s model is based on a family style community with a 1.5 year in-house residential program. Recovering participants pray, study the Bible, fellowship, exercise, perform daily chores and attend Sunday worship. The Word of God cleanses their hearts and that manifests into a transformed lifestyle. Some graduates of the program are called to further equip themselves by attending four-year discipleship training in a small scale Bible college.
We were blessed to help out during our visit, attending devotions, hosting activities, assisting with daily chores such as woodcutting, and building new toilets.
We also spent time at a local Chinese school dedicated to teaching one of the many highland ethnic minority groups who live in the mountains of northern Thailand. The school’s founder, Pastor Paul, was a drug user himself in his young teenage years and by God’s grace, after rehabilitation at the Centre he continued on with his discipleship training.
Through his transformed life, with his wife he returned to his hometown, built the school and set up an orphanage next to his residence. The school helps children from drug abusive families and those who have lost family members due to drug related death or imprisonment. Paul understands these children personally and his heart’s mission is to show them God’s love.
During the trip, God definitely took us into new territory to purposefully realign our perspective. When we read the gospel, it becomes more real. We see Jesus constantly active among the broken. By stepping out into the unknown, we give God the opportunity to show us problems we may never have seen before. Having His perspective on the world’s condition may open our spiritual eyes wider and awaken within us a greater desire to step out of our comfort zone
for God.
