A Vision Realised!
I was away in Thailand for the past week. It was a good time of learning and fellowshipping with leaders from all over the globe. It was also a great time of feasting. The weighing machine tells me that I have gained at least 1kg over the past week :( I had eaten so much good food that I could stop eating for the next 3 weeks and probably still survive.
The camp was held in Khon Kaen (north-eastern part of Thailand). We need to drive for around 6-7 hours from Bangkok to reach Khon Kaen. David Chen (pastor from Hope Bangkok International Fellowship), Arlene (pastor from Hope Hong Kong), Claudia and I decided to take a little road trip from Bangkok to Khon Kaen.
We stopped along the way to eat some fantastic steak. I had a complete lesson on the different types of steak (T-bone, prime rib, ribeye, sirloin etc) from the very informative menu. The pieces of meat were big and thick adn juicy! I did not know that Thailand actually has their own farm that produces such good steaks!
After our dinner, we continued our journey towards Khon Kaen. Part way during the ride, our car engine made a strange noise that we had not heard before. And then shortly after the coughing, the car died. We were stuck in a god forsaken pitch-dark part of the highway.
Being leaders, all of us began to offer our opinion of how we should handle the situation. We managed to agree on a few things.
Firstly, we prayed for the car but it still did not work.
Secondly, someone had to stand in the front of our car to signal to the oncoming vehicles so that they would not hit our car or worse still, us! We used a small torchlight and our handphones to do so. The oncoming vehicles were traveling at such breakneck speed in such darkness and it was rather dangerous.
Thirdly, David, being a Thai, would be responsible to call for help.
While we were doing all these, a truck pulled over. David told me that they were members for some “love your city” program that offered to help those in need. They tried to start our car but to no avail. Then they warned us of robbers in the area before leaving us (more like abandoning us). That wasn’t very helpful! Telling us the danger and then fleeing off!
David then called the local police to come to our protection and rescue. They agreed to come but they did not.
We also called our church back in Bangkok and the Bangkok church called up the members of a church that is some 100km away from where our car died and they came to our rescue.
The "city lovers" and the police failed. But God never fails as He works through His people. Imagine driving some 100km (one way) at 1am in the morning to help us. This is so unreal!
Pastor PN once shared a vision about how we would plant so many churches all over Thailand that if our car is to breakdown anywhere in the country, we merely need to sing a very familiar Hope song and Hope people would come to our rescue.
It did not happen exactly in that way but it was close enough! They even mobilized a member who used to work in a garage to help us. They tried for around an hour to resurrect our car but to no avail. They even apologized to us for not being able to help us after we had woken them up at around 1am and making them drove some 100km to some “ulu” place to help us. We did not even know how to respond to their apology!
Anyway, we manage to reach our hotel in Khon Kaen at after 3am in the morning. What was supposed to be a 6 hour trip turned out to be an 11 hour adventure.
Looking back, it was fun to spend time with friends doing life in such unusual circumstances. But we all told David that once is enough! More importantly, I am truly amazed with the realization of the vision. Whenever Ps PN shared it, it would draw many heartfelt laughter but we got to experience it first-hand.
I am truly grateful for our Hope family in Thailand. May such Christ-followers cover the whole earth as the water covers the sea!
The camp was held in Khon Kaen (north-eastern part of Thailand). We need to drive for around 6-7 hours from Bangkok to reach Khon Kaen. David Chen (pastor from Hope Bangkok International Fellowship), Arlene (pastor from Hope Hong Kong), Claudia and I decided to take a little road trip from Bangkok to Khon Kaen.
We stopped along the way to eat some fantastic steak. I had a complete lesson on the different types of steak (T-bone, prime rib, ribeye, sirloin etc) from the very informative menu. The pieces of meat were big and thick adn juicy! I did not know that Thailand actually has their own farm that produces such good steaks!
After our dinner, we continued our journey towards Khon Kaen. Part way during the ride, our car engine made a strange noise that we had not heard before. And then shortly after the coughing, the car died. We were stuck in a god forsaken pitch-dark part of the highway.
Being leaders, all of us began to offer our opinion of how we should handle the situation. We managed to agree on a few things.
Firstly, we prayed for the car but it still did not work.
Secondly, someone had to stand in the front of our car to signal to the oncoming vehicles so that they would not hit our car or worse still, us! We used a small torchlight and our handphones to do so. The oncoming vehicles were traveling at such breakneck speed in such darkness and it was rather dangerous.
Thirdly, David, being a Thai, would be responsible to call for help.
While we were doing all these, a truck pulled over. David told me that they were members for some “love your city” program that offered to help those in need. They tried to start our car but to no avail. Then they warned us of robbers in the area before leaving us (more like abandoning us). That wasn’t very helpful! Telling us the danger and then fleeing off!
David then called the local police to come to our protection and rescue. They agreed to come but they did not.
We also called our church back in Bangkok and the Bangkok church called up the members of a church that is some 100km away from where our car died and they came to our rescue.
The "city lovers" and the police failed. But God never fails as He works through His people. Imagine driving some 100km (one way) at 1am in the morning to help us. This is so unreal!
Pastor PN once shared a vision about how we would plant so many churches all over Thailand that if our car is to breakdown anywhere in the country, we merely need to sing a very familiar Hope song and Hope people would come to our rescue.
It did not happen exactly in that way but it was close enough! They even mobilized a member who used to work in a garage to help us. They tried for around an hour to resurrect our car but to no avail. They even apologized to us for not being able to help us after we had woken them up at around 1am and making them drove some 100km to some “ulu” place to help us. We did not even know how to respond to their apology!
Anyway, we manage to reach our hotel in Khon Kaen at after 3am in the morning. What was supposed to be a 6 hour trip turned out to be an 11 hour adventure.
Looking back, it was fun to spend time with friends doing life in such unusual circumstances. But we all told David that once is enough! More importantly, I am truly amazed with the realization of the vision. Whenever Ps PN shared it, it would draw many heartfelt laughter but we got to experience it first-hand.
I am truly grateful for our Hope family in Thailand. May such Christ-followers cover the whole earth as the water covers the sea!
posted by Jeff Chong at 2:07 am
9 Comments:
Wow! :D When I read this, I'm so reminded again of what makes this church so special, this church family that I love and I'm proud to be part of... that we're all ready to drop anything to go down and help one another... thanks Ps Jeff! it's a very timely reminder once again about what true Biblical fellowship is about again! :D
Much love,
YA
Hee...Reminds me of driving...
Very heartened to say that God always guides me back home whenever i travel to unfamiliar places in Singapore (ok lah... maybe not unfamiliar to most of u but me lor...Cause i'm direction blind k...) Everytime when i start my car, i'll just say a very simple prayer to God for help. And it works all the time!
Got a street directory in my car, but i rely on the "live (pun intended) navigator" when the route gets too complex looking from the map.
Try it someday. Bet you'll feel very shiok after reaching your destination.
Celine
I am truly so amazed at the spirit of the Thailand brothers n sisters...! Its really the spirit that plants a church, not just methods, woahhhh
Hi YA & Leslie, yes... its a good reminder for myself as well. The attitude and character are really keys to buidling God's Kingdom. I need the reminder!
Yes Celine, I tried that before. It took me a much longer time to reach my destination. Perhaps the same thing happen to Moses and that is why they took so long to get out of the desert :)
LOL (laugh out loud) abt the Moses' joke. anyway i shared to some people in NYP abt this...they said the car broke down cos u all probably ate too much and the car find it too heavy! hahaha
so what's the "hope song" that we have to sing? perhaps by this time next year it can actually happen... but we have to know the song first! :P
- ks.
haha leslie... perhaps, we had really eaten too much :)
Hi Keng Suan, it is called the family of God. I have heard it sang before in English. You can ask some of the worship leaders for it.
oh yes i remember it vaguely... i heard it in the hope camp in thailand. :)
real enough, this is the kind of love we can't get outside except from Hope. The tangible love that we have for one another is totally real & evident!
It's just another example on how Hope church ppl won't fail to lend a helping hand.
this shoudn't just happen in Thailand! and soon more SG brothers and sisters will be bale to testify on God goodness and love in days to come.
Which also means most of the driver is in danger? haha!
Post a Comment
<< Home