Of Caves, Monks and the Gospel of Jesus Christ

 We did a lot of driving around Trang Province.  Primarily this was for us to see the area..and the people to whom we hope to share the Light of Christ.  As in the last post, we did stumble upon a few places to enjoy the beauty of creation.  In this post, you will see pictures from inside a cave we happened upon, completely by "accident."  I put accident in quotes because I'm a firm believer in the Lord's sovereignty and I believe NOTHING happens by accident.  This cave was beautiful.  The pictures really don't do it justice.  It was tall enough to walk through, mostly.  There were a few spots where we had to stoop over but all in all, it had open rooms and were comfortable for walking.  As you'll quickly notice in the pictures, this cave also is a place of worship for Buddhists.  Every so many feet were idols of Buddha, with incense burning and places for the monk to kneel in prayer, making merit.  There was a bit of a temple like structure outside the cave.  There was one monk living there and tending to the cave...and I did see one Buddhist nun sitting in her little house.  The monk told us he had been tending the cave for 5 years and that he had been in the monkhood 15 years.  The cave was only found about 20 years ago.  You might also notice the light bulbs in the cave strung every so many feet to give light.

 Pictured above is a tree growing in the cave and Wilson filming.

 Here's a picture of the monk who showed us through the cave.  I know this picture looks like he's in jail, but I assure you, it was a doorway and he walking through.  I guess they had the bars on it to protect the cave from intruders or maybe even animals.

 Even though we were on Buddhist grounds, I found it interesting that this spirit house was also on the property.  Spirit worship actually comes from a pre-Buddhist era when Hinduism was the primary religion of Thailand.  The Thais have simply incorporated it all into their belief system.  So, this spirit house is there to appease the spirits of the property so that they'll protect and guard those who live on the property against evil spirits.

And, here's the last large room we visited at the cave.  It opened up into a huge open room...and the monk told us that the cave went on back but, of course, it was pitch black and told us we couldn't go back there. (Not that we wanted to!)
 As we walked through the cave, the monk mentioned how a family from France or a woman from Australia would come and pray (make merit).  As we were finishing up, he stopped at a place and asked us if we wanted to make merit.  I was at the back of the group so didn't hear his question but I did hear NaamFon answer him in Thai saying that we're Christians and can't do that.  He responded by saying Jesus and Buddha were the same...essentially, we're all good people and all paths lead to the same place.  NaamFon took his statement and corrected him by the Word of God and shared that we believe Christ died for our sins and we no longer have to make merit because Christ did it for us.  She was very clear, using Scripture and speaking to his Buddhism but with much respect and a heart of love.  I loved seeing NaamFon sharing the Gospel.  And the monk, still so gracious with us, led us the rest of the way out.  We prayed for that man, and I have continued to pray for him...for his salvation, for he is a man who has devoted his life to the teachings of Buddha.  He obviously is a seeker of truth, and I pray that the Lord would open his eyes to the Truth of Jesus Christ.  I am thankful that He is mighty to save, even in a remote village in Thailand!  I am praying that the words of Scripture and our assurance in Christ alone will speak to him.
As we left, I wondered how many Christians would have stooped and prayed, thinking it was okay to do that?   Would you have kneeled in prayer to an idol while thinking in your heart of your god?  I think it's good to ponder these questions.   Jesus Christ says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."  Our culture tells us on every front that what's true for you is true for you and what's true for me is true for me and that it's all okay.  But this kind of thinking is full of errors.  If we carry that out logically what will result?  What if I think what is true for me is to pull a gun and shoot the person standing next to me?  Is that okay?  Where are the absolutes?  Many claim that there are no absolutes.  But by making that statement, they are still making an absolute statement.  So, I ask you again, you who read this blog regularly, you who may have stumbled upon me here...would you have bowed your head to an idol?  Would you have thought, "there's nothing wrong here as long as I am thinking of my God"?  Christ demands our FULL devotion.  This is why He asks us to count the cost before we bow in worship to Him. In Luke 9:23-26 Christ says, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever would save his life, will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.  For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels."

A Post to Catch you up!

                                       A Thai fishing boat in the Andaman Sea, Thailand.
If you are reading this blog, you are probably already aware of our plans for 2012.  I hope all who read already know that we've been Stateside for 2 1/2 years now and Paul is looking forward to his graduation in May with a Master's in Theology from Reformed Theological Seminary here in Orlando. It's amazing to us to see how the Lord has provided for us the past 2 1/2 years and His goodness to us.  It's overwhelming, actually!
 We are so excited to be gearing up to return to Thailand, hopefully the end of October this year!  We've been praying and praying and praying about so many of the details of our return and I'd just like to lay out a few of those details that the Lord seems to have answered and is still answering.
Firstly, in May of 2011, Paul traveled to Thailand to scout out areas of interest to us in serving upon our return.  We had been praying about one certain province and thinking strategically about beginning a new church planting work there and moving our way south.  Paul's trip confirmed our thoughts and it seems the area we were praying about will be a great launching point.  We are hoping to move there and begin learning the customs of this city/area as it is different from where we were in central Thailand, where we lived in Bangkok.
Secondly, another major point of prayer has been for teammates.  No one wants to be the Lone Ranger on the mission field, and we are no exception!  So, we've been praying. The Lord is so gracious to have given us several folks who are seriously considering and praying to join us.  If you are a praying person, please pray for these folks as well.  Pray for clear discernment and leading from the Lord.  In June, Paul will be taking some of them to Thailand to show them the area and give them a glimpse of what life is like there.  The process for becoming a missionary is quite involved with Mission to the World (our agency) which we are also grateful for, but again, pray for wisdom for all who assess and are being assessed.
Thirdly, Paul started 2012 off calling and making contacts with different people and churches for financial support and he is already scheduled to speak at several different events in the coming months.  Again, we stand amazed at the Lord's goodness.  For the past 2 1/2 years we've looked at each other and said, "we don't know where the support is going to come from."  When we returned from Thailand, most of the churches that support us, dropped us due to the fact that we were no longer on the field.  And, we understand that reasoning.  However, we also knew that we wanted to get done with seminary and back on the field as quickly as possible.  When the churches dropped us, many said they would like to support us again when we head back to Thailand.  So, we're hopeful that will happen, but the reality is that that money has probably already been pledged to other missionaries in need of support...which is good also!  So, long story short, we've been looking at each other wondering where the money we need is going to come from.  We've asked everyone we know for support, we've exhausted our contacts...but already, we see the Lord's wisdom and graciousness and goodness as we step out.  We've been put in contact with many just through simple networking and though we don't know that any financial support will come of it, we pray that the Lord will bless and that we will be able to return in October.  We've also has several people increase their support over the past 2 1/2 years which blesses us.  We are aware that so many give sacrificially to their church and to missionaries and it blesses us and humbles us to be on the receiving end of that service.
So, in a not so little nutshell, that is what is going on with us!  We are eager to return and get back to work in Thailand.  No doubt, the road will have it's bumps and potholes. No doubt we will be discouraged, no doubt we will be even more dependent on Christ, no doubt we will struggle but it's all worth it for the sake of the gospel and for the name of Christ to be adored by all peoples.  Please keep us in prayer, for He hears and He answers...just look what He has already done!

                                          A landscape of the Andaman Sea, Thailand

If you are interested in connecting us with your church, small group, or any other contact, please drop us a note in our comments.  If you are interested in supporting us either prayerfully or financially, please let us know by dropping us a note in the comments or in our inbox at paulcrystal.henry (at) gmail.com.  You can learn more about Mission to the World and us at www.mtw.org.

Pray for the land of smiles, see below

Dear friends,
It's been a while, it's true but for tonight, would you please join us in praying for Thailand? The nation finds itself, once again, in opposition. Please read, watch and listen to the following links.
Thank you!
BBC World
Bangkok Post

A good visit

Yesterday and today we had our dear friend and team leader, Dave Veldhorst, from Thailand visit us. MTW Thailand is having a partnership meeting in Tampa tomorrow and so, we got to see this guy. We had a great visit and it was incredibly encouraging to hear what God is doing in Ram 2 (where we lived) and to think about future missions with MTW Thailand. It made me extremely homesick for all of you who are ministering there, both our Thai brothers and sisters and the foreign missionaries (you know who you are!) and I just can't wait to get back, but I am also trying to be content with where God has us right now. I am more and more thankful for Mission to the World and the way God works through us as an organization, and the godly men and women we have to lead us and their hearts for the nations. We are blessed! Many do not have these same sentiments but I am thankful that we do! I would ask you all to continue to pray for those laboring in Thailand, that God would encourage them and give them the strength to press on in Him.

noises in the night

It was 3AM. Adele woke up crying for a bottle, I groggily made her one. As I was leaving her room, I heard a noise outside on the street. It sounded like someone messing with our trash can, or a neighbor's perhaps...should I take a peek out the front bedroom window and see what was happening outside? I bravely walked into the front room not sure what I would see when I pulled back the curtain. I looked down onto the street...nobody, just our blue trash can overturned and our trash all over the street...I was mortified. What a mess we will have to clean in the morning! I wonder what caused this mess. A "soi" dog or a mean hearted Thai person who doesn't like us? I am confused and a bit scared,the fact that it's the middle of the night doesn't help! Then I head back toward our bedroom, I hear a noise again though so I pause before opening our bedroom door. I ponder, should I go and take a peek again? There is definitely someone out there right now, in front of our home, doing who knows what! I am a bit scared but somehow gather the courage to go and take a peek again. I look down onto the street and there he is. He has a cart dolly and on it sits a barrel. He proceeds to go through the trash spilled out onto the street and collects what is recyclable placing those items in his barrel and putting the non-recyclables back into our trash can. I pray for him. I pray God would bless him. I know it sounds absurd but I purposefully don't take our recyclables to the recycling center (yes, they do have them here) because I have known for some time that the poorer folks of this nation make a living by getting those recyclables and exchanging them for money. I am humbled as I watch this man make his living. I am thankful that in some convoluted and weird way I can help him do it. My heart at ease, I go back to sleep praying for the "recycling man".

On a side note but also goes along with the title of this post, the 8 days the airport was closed there was a quiet about our house at night that we've never known. Our house sits in a flight path and so often around 10PM we start hearing flights taking off or landing for most the night. It's become a background noise and doesn't keep us awake but I sure did notice the noise missing. It's amazing how adapted we become to our environments!!!

[A Thai recycling center in Ram 2]

Free Gift with Purchase

Last week I went grocery shopping and since we were completely out of Peanut Butter, I bought some more. (seen in the picture) So, about 10 minutes AFTER I bought the peanut butter I was in the baby formula aisle and as always there were probably five employees (for the baby formula companies) standing in the aisle (I've never been able to figure out why there are always so many formula employees standing in aisles...I guess baby formula is a big seller here). Anyway, I had a cart FULL of stuff since it had been a while since I had gone grocery shopping and I noticed these employees really checking out what was in my cart. I noticed it and thought it a bit strange but really didn't think too much of it since because I knew I had a cart FULL and they were probably just curious as to what this foreigner was buying up that fills a cart! So, I proceed to leave that aisle and go down the coffee aisle to get our coffee for the week and one of the girls comes running after me, "khough tote kha, khough tote kha" (thai for "excuse me"). I stop and turn around and she's trying to hand me these two beautiful plates. I am sure I looked at her like she was crazy knowing that I didn't want to buy these two plates but then she proceeds to tell me that I bought peanut butter and right now when one buys peanut butter there's a free gift of two plates! Well, how about that? And, they are really nice. They're heavy and perfect for serving fruit or other Thai dishes on. It's the little things that keep life here interesting!