It’s Anything But Routine

For 18 years I held the same job. I got up at the same time, I drove to work at the same time, and saw many of the same people day after day.  My life was very routine, no new situations, nothing I couldn’t handle on my own. I didn’t have to depend on the Lord for much at all.  Suddenly everything I knew changed when I was laid off from my job this spring.  In May, my wife Grace and I received a phone call from Julia O’Carey, associate director of ASAP.  She was inviting us to a benefit concert that was being held in Sacramento to raise funds for several ASAP projects.  Grace and I met Julia through a mission experience two years ago when we traveled to Thailand to teach English at a public grade school in Korat.  During our conversation I told Julia about being laid off and asked if there were any current mission opportunities I could be a part of.  She told me about a language school in Muak Lek, Thailand that ASAP helps fund along with Mission College (a local Adventist college near Muak Lek).  Grace and I prayed about it and felt impressed to go, however because Grace was not able to get time off from work, I went alone. 

I arrived in Bangkok late in the evening, and had to make my way to a hotel before traveling the following day to Mission College, an hour and a half north of Bangkok.  I do not speak Thai, and most Thai do not speak English.  Again, suddenly I was surrounded by change and situations where I had to trust completely on the Lord.  He helped me to communicate and I found my way to the hotel, and the college the next day. 

For the next two weeks I taught English to 35 students at the language center in Muak Lek. I had wonderful help from Pall and Seyha, students from Mission College who assisted me in teaching and translated my class. Ruangrit, a seminary student, also helped with translation. I prayed for the Lord to show me the way and give me guidance.  My background is in computers and project management, not teaching, and especially not English!  The Lord made a way, and impressed me to give each of the students American nicknames, since I was having trouble pronouncing and remembering all of their Thai names.  It also allowed me to get to know each student, and it’s hard not care for someone you’ve looked in the face and given a special name.  It turned into a great exercise as three students at a time would get up in front of the class and practice introducing each other in English. We played Hangman so they could learn to use a Thai-English dictionary, and thanks to an idea from Doris Cairus, a teacher at Misson College, I purchased groceries, and taught the students the English words for each item.  The students quickly learned the words and soon they pretended to buy these items at a store asking for each item in English.  I also told them Bible stories so they could hear English pronunciation and about faith in the living God.  The students had fun and learned quickly.

There are so many people who work together to run the center.  The Lord continually blesses and provides for it by sending volunteers and missionaries.  Most of the Thai people are content with their lives, however less than two percent are Christians.  Through the language center the Lord has made a way to serve and share the Gospel with them.  I have been so blessed by knowing some of these people.  The Lord knows everyone’s name and the Book of Revelation states He wants to give them all a new name someday (Revelation 2:17).  I hope to meet the kids I worked with again when they have their new names. 

 
Do you feel stuck in a routine?  Are you just going through the motions with our Lord?  Do you want to share the Gospel and be challenged?  I hear there’s an opening at the Muak Lek Language Center, trust me, it’s anything but routine.