Walking the Camp
Being the only English speaking person working with Phantasanja, at the time, my main job to was to communicate to non-Thai visitors how the foundation served the community in the wake of the Tsunami. At that time it was one of the only foundations helping babies under 3 years old and it was important to communicate to those with a specific desire to help babies; how they could help and how their donation would be used. I went out with Aot and Samruam to deliver milk powder, mosquito nets, nappies, talc and numerous other mother and babycare goods to mothers in the camp and also to surrounding villages and camps. At the time there were a lot of people visiting, bring money to donate, or babycare donations and it all needed to be directed to the right places. I was going through a particularly task driven stage at the time so it was good to be doing something useful and keeping busy ! But I was also feeling quite useless that I couldn't really communicate with the Thai people I was living amongst. I went to bed most nights praying that I would wake up in the morning with a miraculous God given ability to speak Thai ! Well ok... at least that I would learn enough to survive. The Mother and child centre was a day care centre. So Mothers brought their children during the day and spend time making keyrings and later jewellery to sell to tourists to earn some pocket money. By night the same floor space was where we would sleep under our Mosquito nets.
It was an exciting time. We were also working to support some local fishermen to get their fishing businesses back and maintaining a relationship to support them at what must have been a terrifying prospect at going back out to spend hours sitting on the peaceful ocean that just a few months before had wiped out their village and half the people in it. I went out fishing a few times and my proudest moment besides finally being able to actually touch the bate.... was catching my very own fish !
One day I was walking on the track which ran all the way around the camp. I was praying and asking God what I could give to these people. I felt that I had nothing. And the truth is I had nothing to give. A bit of money might feed them for a day but what could possibly fill the sorrow and the loss that each one of these people had suffered.
Having arrived in this area and seen the devastation caused be the wave I had realised just how little I had grasped from watching the TV on December 26th 2004. I could have spend a whole year trying to imagine exactly what might have happened and still I would have been no where near the extent of what did happen. Here I was in the camp. Here I could see the devastation and it's effects. Yet still I had no idea EXACTLY what these people had lived through and survived. I couldn't even speak to the people.
As I walked and prayed I kept asking God, show how I can love these people and serve them in the best way I can.
Just then I just felt a strong impression that God was telling me to pray for them, to intercede for them and to persist in prayer for them.
The bible tells us to pray without ceasing. And to love them through prayer seemed like the right thing to do. I began to wonder how I would do this. And as I prayed and walked I thought... I will walk around the camp each day and pray.
So that's what I did. 7 times a day I walked around the camp and I cried out to God to heal, to bless, to protect, to love and to provide for the people. I didn't really set out with an agenda each day, but I would start from the Phantasanja and ask God to bless that ministry and provide for the immediate and urgent needs there for serving the children. And I would go out from there each day and pray for divine opportunities to show God's love to people. To begin with I didn't feel to successful. Everytime I looked for an opportunity to help someone they would end up giving something to me. I would come back to the tent with armfuls or vegetables, fruit. Every time I stopped to say hello to someone I was invited in for a drink or food.... and how can you say "no" ?.... well aside form the initial "glen jai" no.
Sometimes I would walk and read from my bible scriptures and Psalms that were on my heart for the people. Sometimes I would just be broken and I'd have to keep stopping around the back of the camp for a cry. Other times I would worship God and sing. I tried to keep this to the back part of the camp where there weren't any people... but sometimes I'd forget myself and realise I was walking through the busy part and I was still singing ! Man, I can still blush about that now when I think about it. Anyway - they already thought I was a crazy farrang for walking around in circles for 7 times each day. I managed to learn the Thai to tell people I was praying for them every time I was asked "Pai Nai?" ("where are you going"). My reward would always be an Iced Coffee with the YWAM team at Walli's place. (Practically it was a cafe / restaurant, although it was actually just a couple of wooden benches with a little cooking area). It was good.
The YWAM team were brilliant. They were on placement there during their discipleship training course and their time at the camp actually ran in sync with mine. It was just amazing to have them there to pray with and relax with. And we were able to really support each other through the work we were doing at the camp and around the area. They also gave me an opportunity to have my first proper shower in what seemed like ages ! I will be forever grateful for that.
Being the only English speaking person working with Phantasanja, at the time, my main job to was to communicate to non-Thai visitors how the foundation served the community in the wake of the Tsunami. At that time it was one of the only foundations helping babies under 3 years old and it was important to communicate to those with a specific desire to help babies; how they could help and how their donation would be used. I went out with Aot and Samruam to deliver milk powder, mosquito nets, nappies, talc and numerous other mother and babycare goods to mothers in the camp and also to surrounding villages and camps. At the time there were a lot of people visiting, bring money to donate, or babycare donations and it all needed to be directed to the right places. I was going through a particularly task driven stage at the time so it was good to be doing something useful and keeping busy ! But I was also feeling quite useless that I couldn't really communicate with the Thai people I was living amongst. I went to bed most nights praying that I would wake up in the morning with a miraculous God given ability to speak Thai ! Well ok... at least that I would learn enough to survive. The Mother and child centre was a day care centre. So Mothers brought their children during the day and spend time making keyrings and later jewellery to sell to tourists to earn some pocket money. By night the same floor space was where we would sleep under our Mosquito nets.
It was an exciting time. We were also working to support some local fishermen to get their fishing businesses back and maintaining a relationship to support them at what must have been a terrifying prospect at going back out to spend hours sitting on the peaceful ocean that just a few months before had wiped out their village and half the people in it. I went out fishing a few times and my proudest moment besides finally being able to actually touch the bate.... was catching my very own fish !
One day I was walking on the track which ran all the way around the camp. I was praying and asking God what I could give to these people. I felt that I had nothing. And the truth is I had nothing to give. A bit of money might feed them for a day but what could possibly fill the sorrow and the loss that each one of these people had suffered.
Having arrived in this area and seen the devastation caused be the wave I had realised just how little I had grasped from watching the TV on December 26th 2004. I could have spend a whole year trying to imagine exactly what might have happened and still I would have been no where near the extent of what did happen. Here I was in the camp. Here I could see the devastation and it's effects. Yet still I had no idea EXACTLY what these people had lived through and survived. I couldn't even speak to the people.
As I walked and prayed I kept asking God, show how I can love these people and serve them in the best way I can.
Just then I just felt a strong impression that God was telling me to pray for them, to intercede for them and to persist in prayer for them.
The bible tells us to pray without ceasing. And to love them through prayer seemed like the right thing to do. I began to wonder how I would do this. And as I prayed and walked I thought... I will walk around the camp each day and pray.
So that's what I did. 7 times a day I walked around the camp and I cried out to God to heal, to bless, to protect, to love and to provide for the people. I didn't really set out with an agenda each day, but I would start from the Phantasanja and ask God to bless that ministry and provide for the immediate and urgent needs there for serving the children. And I would go out from there each day and pray for divine opportunities to show God's love to people. To begin with I didn't feel to successful. Everytime I looked for an opportunity to help someone they would end up giving something to me. I would come back to the tent with armfuls or vegetables, fruit. Every time I stopped to say hello to someone I was invited in for a drink or food.... and how can you say "no" ?.... well aside form the initial "glen jai" no.
Sometimes I would walk and read from my bible scriptures and Psalms that were on my heart for the people. Sometimes I would just be broken and I'd have to keep stopping around the back of the camp for a cry. Other times I would worship God and sing. I tried to keep this to the back part of the camp where there weren't any people... but sometimes I'd forget myself and realise I was walking through the busy part and I was still singing ! Man, I can still blush about that now when I think about it. Anyway - they already thought I was a crazy farrang for walking around in circles for 7 times each day. I managed to learn the Thai to tell people I was praying for them every time I was asked "Pai Nai?" ("where are you going"). My reward would always be an Iced Coffee with the YWAM team at Walli's place. (Practically it was a cafe / restaurant, although it was actually just a couple of wooden benches with a little cooking area). It was good.
The YWAM team were brilliant. They were on placement there during their discipleship training course and their time at the camp actually ran in sync with mine. It was just amazing to have them there to pray with and relax with. And we were able to really support each other through the work we were doing at the camp and around the area. They also gave me an opportunity to have my first proper shower in what seemed like ages ! I will be forever grateful for that.
posted by Jo Soda at 5:55 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home