The World is My Parish

Our dishes keep breaking. Every week or so, one more of them ends up being dropped or damaged. Plates, cups, glasses; we’ve lost some of each. We still have enough to get by, but we’re wondering how soon it’ll be before we don’t have enough for a full dishwasher load.

We’re hoping this is a sign, some “still-small-voice-ish” way of telling us we’ll be departing soon. God doing away with stuff we don’t need, getting it out of our way. At least, that’s what we tell ourselves every time we hear another crash. We can leave behind our broken dishes. We’re far more concerned with broken lives. 

The trafficking of human lives is a strange thing. Sometimes it’s done out of greed; parents want more stuff. Sometimes it’s done out of necessity; the family simply cannot afford to feed and care for all their children. Sometimes it’s done out of family loyalty; the child might even agree in order to help financially. And sometimes it’s done out of faith; agreeing to be used and exploited in this life for the hope of a better next life. But no matter what the motivation, it leaves behind a wake of human wreckage. 

Often the family will begin to worry and realize just what they have done to their child. Often the child will escape with nothing left of who they were. They’re left with picking up the broken pieces of a life tragically misused. 

Caring for these is only part of what we hope to be soon doing in Thailand. Pioneers is committed to planting churches. We will be working with the team meeting people and introducing the Gospel to them. These won’t be the kinds of churches we’re familiar with. We’ll likely be meeting in homes or other small places; worshiping, learning, and discipling. Loving the people and showing them Jesus. 

John’s Gospel records the Great Commission this way, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” “The Church is and always has been about mission. That we are sent and how we are sent are equally important. Jesus has it in his heart and mind that we go in both word and deed to proclaim the good news of the Gospel: that Jesus Christ is Lord and has been raised from the dead. All our going must correspond with the way he came. (Jon Brown, "Words of Hope" Devotional, April 14, 2012)."

And in case you’re wondering, we’re all ready to go anytime. It’s a matter of when not if. Every day our hearts break more and more for the people of Thailand. Every night the boys pray for the funds to come in soon so that we can be in Thailand soon. We have been chatting at least once a month via Skype with the team we hope to join.  We’re learning the culture, learning the language, and learning of the challenges we will be facing. We’re planning to head off on a survey trip this coming July, and we intend to be there full-time by August of this year, but we need your help to accomplish that goal. Please consider partnering with us in this ministry.