THAILAND MISSION REPORT

Dear Friends of Ambassadors,

For each person, highlights of the trip may have been different but for me, one of the highlights was to see these Ambassadors working so hard to bring the love of Jesus in word and deed to the far off hills of Thailand. Each one got stuck in and got actively involved. A good example is our visit to a remote Akha hill tribe village.

Our host was LuKa whose parents were the first Akha Christians in Thailand to receive Christ. Their story can be found in the book. Without a Gate by Jean Nightingale. We were privileged later to meet these first Christians. Luka was actually the first Akha to be born after their conversion and had the first Christian name among the Akha tribe. We took four 4Wheel Drive vehicles up the muddy and slippery roads and across rivers to the village at the very end of the road just a few miles from the Burmese border (deadend). There we set up a medical clinic where our three nurses began the long job of helping those with medical needs not just from the Akha village but from the neighbouring Lisu and Lahu tribal villages too. While they treated the sick with medicines and advice, other members of the team were praying for the sick. Outside our little church were waiting patients. While waiting for their turn the team redeemed the time by painting the children and adult's faces and balloon modelling for the kids, and in between by singing Christian praise songs and their tribal participation by singing their tribal Christian songs accompanied by drums and tambourines.

That evening we had a wonderful meeting in which we enjoyed mixed Akha worship songs and dance with those of our own English version. It was beautiful to see all these Akha villagers respond to the altar call to dedicate their lives to Christ. That night we slept in Akha houses. The men's house belonged to the headman of the village. He was at one time so opposed to the gospel that he fired a shot to the evangelist but when his addiction became too much, he sought out Luka's Christian drug rehabilitation unit where he was marvelously converted and set free from drugs. After a good night's sleep on the upstairs floor of his home, we were woken up by smoke coming through the cracks of the wooden floor where we slept as the tribal men were making their Akha tea on their wooden stove below!

Luka and his wife Ghan also have a children’s home which looks after 54 children. In fact, most of our ministry were among children. Prior to visiting Luka’s place we had the joy of ministering to two children’s homes in the mountains of Chiang Mai full of Karen tribe children organized by a Filipino couple, Pastor Rudy and Mayang Manalac. On each visit, we were able to entertain and minister to the children with dramas, games, face painting, balloons and able to share testimonies with them. God alone knows the situation of these children, but the love shown by these ministries to these most unfortunate ones truly reflects his love and hand.

For most of us, however, one of the most moving part of the mission was to the street children found on the Burmese border. When we first came across the street children begging for money and gifts, our first reaction was to see them as a nuisance, and to want them out of our way. This, however, was before we met the ministries reaching out to these kids headed by Frank, Duranne, Burt and Theresa. In a drop-in-centre close to the border we learnt of these kids who spent their times on the street. We were shown two board games of snakes and ladders in which snakes represented the dangers for kids on the street such as glue-sniffing, being picked up by local police/people and sold to ‘farang’ (foreign outsiders) for sex. The kids themselves are often abandoned by their families or sent out to beg by parents who are often opium users. Woe betides a child that does not bring enough money home to these parents. We met one child who was permanently crippled after his furious father boiled boiling water all over his feet.

For many of us used to Christian TV and publicity we have seen large Christian meetings as the pinnacle of Christian ministry. After the recent trips to Philippines and Thailand and seeing the ministries that reach out to the ones and twos, the poor and the most unfortunate with the love and gospel of Jesus Christ---I believe , I now have a new and greater perspective on what it means to be a “light in the world and salt in the earth”.

We did so many other things on this trip praying in Burma and Laos, around the grand palace in Bangkok; enjoying the best of Thai culture –Thai Cooking Class, food, dance, markets; and having great fun - bamboo rafting, elephant riding and a dinner cruise on the river boat, that I don’t have time to tell you all about it.

We do want to thank everybody who gave so generously to help the mission become a success. Most of our luggage outward bound was full of clothes, toys, and medical equipment to give to the children and adults in need. Thanks also for all your prayers too.

I hope you can also join us for our next Thailand Mission Trip 2006 (September probably). We are planning a weekend mission to France this November 3-6, 2005 and ones to follow  are Lebanon, Argentina and Uganda, Philippines, Kenya -- in the near future.

With every blessing

Love

Chris & Carmelita

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR PRAYERS & SUPPORT

If you would like to support the mission and ministry you can pay into the account of Mr C Ragg. Please contact us for further details.