Words cannot express the feelings I have when I look at this picture. I would like to try to share with you what this meeting means to me:
As we were traveling to the mountain village to teach English, Robert (our host) told us we would stop at the home of one of the elders of the church. He explained that this man was very ill and had only a short time left on this earth.
We traveled in a truck to the village with 6 of us riding in the back of the truck and 5 in the front. When we arrived at the home, we were each met with a warm hug. This was a surprise because Thai people are not big on hugging. They "wai", which I find is a very warm greeting. (Wai is putting your hands in front of you as if in prayer and tipping the head. The higher the hands are held the more respect you have for the person. If the hands are near the nose they receive much respect.) The woman who met us treated us with great respect, but also there was a feeling of closeness and appreciation for our presence.
As we entered the house, Robert told us that this house is also the church building for this village. One room had a podium, song books, etc for that purpose. It was a large house by Tai standards, but probably not so big by our standards. Even so, there was a special place for the worship of the church. Robert also explained that this couple had three boys and 1 girl-all grown. The boys are all preachers and the girl is married to a preacher. Every one faithful to the Lord. We also learned that this man had once chosen to be a Buddhist monk, but instead dedicated his life to serving the Lord God.
When we saw this gentleman, he was covered to the neck with a blanket and was wearing gloves since the mornig was chilly for Nebraskans, cold for Thais, and the house has no heat. There was a tank of oxygen by his bed and he had difficulty talking because he was quite weak. Robert interpreted for us as the man talked. As we entered, he asked that God bless us and bless the work that we are doing.
We sang 5-6 songs-some that he requested, some his wife requested and some we chose. Many of them were about the promise we have for a special place in God's presence when this life is over. After the singing we were led in prayer by Bon (who prayed in Thai) and then Tom (one of our team members who prayed in English).
Before we left, Robert asked if he wanted to tell us anything. (This is the part that is difficult for me to report because I was so overwhelmed with the way that this 'uneducated' man spoke and my words do not do his justice.) His words were full of grace and wisdom. His speaking made me think of the fishermen that Jesus asked to "follow me". He talked about the foreigners and Thai who had come together in that place because of the love that God has for all of us. He told us that we must continue to teach the world about the good news that is so important for everyone to know. He encouraged us to remain faithful until death to the one who had suffered so much for us.
I have summed up what he said in my own words and they are very inadequate compared to his. His love and his wife's love for us-people they had never met before-were so very evident. Their faith in Christ Jesus was so strong. I will remember this couple as an example of Godly people the rest of my live. I would never have expected to find such eloquence and encouragement in a small village in the mountains of Thailand, but I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to meet this very special brother and sister.
Sheila
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