Dear Phyllis,
Gomen nasai (I'm sorry). It isn't that I
don't have anything to write about this week, but there are so many disjointed
items in my head that to try to place everything on the table would be like
emptying refrigerator and calling it supper.
Perhaps the main topic this week is my Thai
visa. Within hours I will be on a bus and train headed south to Penan, Malaysia Malay Peninsula in the Andaman Sea
As I mentioned last week, I am in a bit of a
quandary for guidance. I have been thinking seriously that perhaps the Lord's
time has come to move on. The Bible run last week was a personal disaster. A
very serous misunderstanding came up between my dear brother Mark and myself,
and I feel strongly that I can no longer work with him on Bible runs. I have
worked closely with him for the past 13 years, and he has carried me for the past
nine by providing a marvellous house for me to live in free. He has not asked
me to leave, but I feel if we can no longer work together it is wrong for me to
live there. I am in the process of making them a very elaborate custom kitchen.
I am about the half way mark on that job. But when I get that done I do want to
go on another extended trip across China China Kazakhstan Central Asia which is 98% Muslim.
That is Uyhgur country. If the Lord shows me that this is the time to leave Thailand China
There are several things against it. One is I
love Chiang Mai. This is the best place I have ever lived. I love everything
about it; and the Lord has given me the finest shop I have ever had. Kashgar is
an extremely remote place and is bitter cold in the winter. The language would
be a major problem. Thai is difficult. Like in 13 years I have made extremely
little progress in learning this language. But the Thais are forgiving. If you
are a gaijin (foreigner) they are not too surprised if you cant speak their
language. But in China
John Cathcart used to talk about God's lolly
pops. God very often will give a person some special project that seems more
designed for the person enjoyment than a serious endeavour for the Kingdom of God Canada
But my present lolly pop in Paul and Marisa.
Jeana was dramatic, but Paul is just stunning. He is about the biggest no-hoper
I ever met. When he first started coming to Scott’s Bible study a couple of
years ago I thought it was a waste of time. I would put him right at the end of
the line of candidates for salvation. And there was nothing in Marisa that
would distinguish her from any other dyed-in-the-wool Thai Buddhist. I still
haven't figured out how she got saved. It is just like Jesus just dropped by
parachute into their house and took over. The takeover was sudden and inexplicable.
Everyone was shocked – especially Paul. He never had a chance. I told him,
“Give it up, Paul. God has got you in His cross hairs and there is no way you
are going to get away.” Marisa just went bonkers for Jesus and started reading
the Bible like a starving Siberian wolf eating a caribou. Paul made a vow at
New Years that in 2011 he would read the whole Bible. He started at Genesis 1:1
and finished it today.
Paul has a bad background. He is as rough as
they come. He has worked in state prisons as a supervisor for many years and
has a chequered history for working with the FBI and CIA . He was hired to
take out a Muslim terrorist in Thailand Thailand US Romania
My lolly pop is go overt there on
Friday night. It isn't so much of what I can give them, but the privilege to
watch what the Lord is doing with the most unlikely material. Paul is still a
dead-head, but he and I both are dumb founded at what the Lord is doing in and
for him. His face is changing. His spirit is changing. He is still somewhat
unteachable but he is so bewildered at what is going on, he is intensely
curious and open to suggestions for answers. There is no denying the miracles.
He says consistently when someone suggest a reference in the Bible he will open
the book at random at exactly the right page. He says that happens almost every
time. Much to his surprise many of his bad habits have just quit. Paul is
bewildered by the dramatic inexplicable change that is coming over him.
The other day he came over to tell me
about an unusual dream he had. He said he was in a totally dark place, and
suddenly heard fierce dogs barking. He was badly frightened, but saw a big rock
and jumped up on it. Then he saw one of the dogs. It was terrible, but had the
face of a demon. The the dog talked to him and pleaded, “Come down! We can't
get you on that rock”. Then a handsome man appeared who invited him to go to
his house to see his friends. Paul asked, “Does this mean anything or is this
just something I ate. I never had an experience like this in my life.” When he
told me the dream, I immediately thought, the Rock is Christ. Of course as long
as he stands on that Rock the demons can't get to him. And the handsome man was
an angel inviting him to Christian fellowship with the family of God. When I
told him that he replied, “That is exactly what Scott told me”. The double
witness makes me believe this was a real dream sent from the Lord to warn him
of the demonic world he just escaped from.
The last three Friday nights have been
unusual. Three weeks ago they asked me about baptism. In spite of the language
barrier we had an unusual good time explaining baptism to them. Two weeks ago
Paul said that a Buddhist priest had come to his daughters school and both of
them had been forced to bow before an idol and mouth some chant. He pleaded,
“What are they supposed to do? It is important that they get and education and
if they don't cooperate they will get kicked out of school.” I fired back, “The
most important thing in life is not to get an eduction but to obey God and
honour Christ.” Then we had a wonderful time studying Daniel 3 (Nebuchadnezzar
fiery furnace).
Last Friday night was different. Paul
had a lot of question about some of the grey things in 1st
Corinthians – length of men and women hair, women's head coverings, lady
preachers, etc. I explained to him that those things are commonly ignored by
the rank and file of Christians and are somewhat controversial. I told him of
my experience in Russia
As much as Paul and Marisa are an
amazement to me, the girls are no less surprising. Beno is Marisa's actual
daughter by a previous marriage. Ning is a niece who asked if she could come to
live with them. Both of them have terrible backgrounds. Both of them have been
raised in a sewer for most of their lives. They both are 12 years old. It must
have been a terrific shock when they first came to live with Paul and Marisa a
few months ago. It would have been like getting off a space ship to live on a
different planet. There was no warm up or any wading in. From day one it was
church, the Bible, and Jesus only. It seems that their taking hold of Christ
has been almost as instantaneous as their mothers. And their hunger for the
Lord almost matches hers. I told you how she scolded them one night and told
them it was time to go to bed, They protested, “But, Mommy, we want to read the
Bible some more.'
Last Friday night we did not have a
structured Bible study but the three gals quietly read their Bibles while Paul
and I talked in English. You should have seen it. They sat there riveted to
their Bibles like kids reading comic books or their zombie classmates glued to
a computer screen playing computer games. But the thing I find most surprising
is their spirits. They are as happy, well adjusted, young ladies as I have ever
seen. How they could crawl out of the sewer they both were in and in a few
short weeks be so cheerful is a mystery. They are just a joy to be around. I
could wish that all 12 year olds were that blessed.
This family is my lolly pop at the moment. It is a great
privilege to be able to walk a few miles with them and watch the amazing grace
of God transform that family. Ironically I have several close friends who would
refuse to accept that this is real. Their assessment would be “This is a
demonic diversion. What is happening is a delusion. This is impossible because
Jesus does not do things like this.” They both are divorced with a sordid
background. With that unresolved failure it is impossible for them to be saved
Jesus doesn’t bless an adulterous situation. Moreover it is doubtful that
either one has considered some of their sins of the past wrong, much less
repented of them. Paul has a long ways to go before he gets his hallo for his
head. He has little awareness of the heinousness of sin and Christian
standards. But it sure is fun to watch what seems to be an amazing work of God
at the moment
And surprisingly Jesus is still
working in me, bill
