November? No, Remember! Part 4
5. Project Kwam Wang - Sabaidee, Laos!
I don't think I can ever say this enough: Laos is an unforgettable nation, mainly because of the unforgettable journey that God had taken me through. The initial idea was to paint a school building in Vientiane, but imagine our shock when the team saw a building with 2-walled rooms. Instead of complaining, the team quickly came together to lay bricks and cement. 5 days later, we have classrooms with 4 walls and whole school of happy children.
The highlight of the trip came later. To catch our flight in Lua Prabang, we took a 6-hour bus ride into Vang Vien, a magical, spectacular heaven-on-earth. The 2-hour tubing experience to enjoy the peace and scenic view of Vang Vien mountain range, the lovely morning breakfast with a morning sunshine and green mountains. It was a great time of serenity and reflection.
Then another 6 hours of bus ride across the mountain into Lua Prabang. Tasted one of the best, cheapest beer, Beer Lao! One thing that has really been unforgettable, was that magically beautiful Kuangsi Waterfall. It was dreamy!
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| Red bull? Read again! |
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| Coconut Pancake. Tracy insisted that I try. |
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| That amazing Kuangsi Waterfall. |
The biggest take away from this trip was the change of my mission mindset. Meeting Wei Ling, our local guide and coordinator, who is a Singaporean residing in Laos, was perhaps by divine intervention. As a fellow Christian, she shared with me how some churches approached mission here wrongly because of most churches from developed worlds has the wrong idea of what Laos is as a nation. There is no persecution per se. The government is willing to turn a blind eye from those who choose to practice the Christian faith so long as their presence does not threaten the government.
Perhaps mission in Laos isn't really about saving people from an iron-fist, socialist government. They don't need saving, they need the Gospel, and our high-and-mighty, holier-than-thou, better-than-thou attitudes do the exact opposite of what the Gospel needs.
Keep Laos in prayer. God is working in this nation, and who knows, maybe we will be the ones who will bring love, friendship and ultimately the Gospel into Laos?
6. God - The Same Yesterday, Today and Forever More
I intended to write longer. Trust me, so much has happened in the past months I have no time to process them thoroughly. By the time of writing this post, it's been a month since Part 3 was written. Yet, one thing has never been clearer to me: I am living in God's constant blessings. To that I must thank God, for the things He has shown me, for the goodness He has given me.
I intended to write longer. Trust me, so much has happened in the past months I have no time to process them thoroughly. By the time of writing this post, it's been a month since Part 3 was written. Yet, one thing has never been clearer to me: I am living in God's constant blessings. To that I must thank God, for the things He has shown me, for the goodness He has given me.
In the midst of God's abundant providence, it's strange that I still find myself envying others for the income they have, for the places they travel, for the things they own. However, sitting down and recounting all these has helped me to realised that I have far more than enough. I am ashamed, for I have been too focused on what others have, not what God has already given me. Yet I am glad, for the grace of God has allowed me to once again praise Him for all He is.
To all who cares, I am alive and well. In fact, never better. Praise God, for He is good!
Love • Christ • Unity
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