We parked the trucks in town, strapped on our back packs and went looking for another village. It got dark, except for a sliver of moon that lit the dust on the road. That spooky bit of light and the fog that soaks everything at night made the walls of jungle on each side of us look really creepy. Some at the front of our column of 15 missionaries had turned on their flash lights. We’ve been in this jungle for five weeks already and our city-bought flashlights have all failed the torture test. The little round flashlights they sell in the villages mount to your forehead with an elastic strap leaving your hands free to shoot at any eyeballs that glow back at you in the dark. We all look like Stuart, the one-eyed minion.
We were told that there are ten villages along this road, none have a gospel witness – perfect because we want to move on from the past month of wonderful church organized Christmas and New Years events and preach to people who’ve never heard. There are thousands of Karen and other tribal villages in this area of northern Thailand. The Karen were traditionally animist, until 150 years ago when American missionary, Adonarim Judson, fulfilled their ancient prophecy that a white man would bring the ‘Book of Life’ and show them the way to eternal life. Now about half of the Karen tribe living in mountain villages across Myanmar and Thailand are Christian. The Buddhists are working hard to make the other half fit in to the official national religion.
The jungle walls parted and we stood on grass. On our right, the silhouette of a building with a lamyong sticking up from the peak of the gable indicating a makeshift Buddhist temple – we were tired and we sometimes sleep in temple buildings. Our electric minions had gone on and found the bamboo house of the village headman and by the time we stragglers caught up they had obtained his permission to stay in the village, and sure enough, back to the temple where there was a little school room we could sleep in. We had icy dip showers, unrolled our sleeping bags, worshiped, prayed and slept.
I think some of the boys were praying that there would be breakfast.
This was our faith, that any village that would receive us, would receive Jesus too. In the morning there was an announcement over the village PA system that translated; “Anybody who would like to help feed the guests could take a portion of their breakfast to the old school.” A can of sardines and a handful of rice showed up. This wasn’t looking too good but suddenly we were summoned to a house in about the middle of the village.
A young family welcomed us to a beautiful big breakfast. We recognized the man – just a week ago we had been called to the top of a mountain near our base camp, seven hours from here. This man had driven his old Toyota pick up too far over the other side of his mountain corn field and the best 4X4 in the area couldn’t pull it back up. He needed the winch on our Jeep. Me and the boys did a fine rescue job that night and the man was super thankful.
There are a hundred villages between here and there and a dozen other roads we might have chosen to walk down, but God had prepared an open door. Jesus was touching this family and they offered to lead us house to house through the village to pray for the sick. A couple of blind eyes opened and there was healing and deliverance for several people. By 5:00 we packed up and followed the road out the other side of the village.
At the final moments of sunset we arrived at the next village. Those were some steep hills, it’s no wonder so many people here needed prayer for their knees. Look up the sides of those mountains, as far as you can see, and they plant corn up there!
Someone along the road told us there was a Christian man living in this village. It turns out there is a fine church of 30 baptized members. The pastor welcomed us, with slight suspicion, until we discovered that the pastor over him is a good friend who has sent several of his youth to study in our Bible college.
And, he was coming to speak here tomorrow, as tomorrow was New Year’s Communion Sunday for this outpost church! We had a great reunion and a great time of ministry and encouragement together. Maybe by now the boys had stopped praying for food because we have been fed royally every few hours.
In the next village we are back into the stronghold of the ancient religions and demon worship. The only welcome was from a drunk lady who wanted to take selfies with us on what must have been the original phone camera. We were passed from person to person until a nice couple invited us in and cooked us some supper. We got to love on people and hearts were opened to receive the good news and some powerful prayers.
This was the end of the road, nothing but raw jungle from here on, and we had hiked so far from our trucks that we would have to walk all night to get back. Our new friend from the first village drove in and gave us a ride back to town.
It’s like you could spend your life in these villages, investing in the salvation of these people, but don’t we feel like that everywhere we go?
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Thank so much for partnering with us for the salvation of Asia. We love and appreciate you,
Al & Terry and team.
