20 January 2019
Dear Phyllis,
Today I am in Laos. I am writing his letter a couple of days early but will send it out on Sunday. In many ways it is obvious that this time in Laos has been ordered of the Lord.. It is really natsukashi (nostalgic) to be here. I have a long rich history with Laos. Some of my greatest experiences have been played here.
The primary purpose for this trip has been to get a Thai visa. This is costing us an arm and a leg, but I thank God He has miraculously provided for it. I have been out of my mind several times over the confusion of what is going on, and now all I can do is thank God someone else is handling this, as I have no idea how to do it. In the mean time I am trying to keep my eyes on Jesus for what He wants to accomplish beside getting a visa.
My mind goes back 21 years when I first set foot in this unique isolated kingdom. I have been reminded of a time when I spoke to 80 young people from the states who had come to Thailand to help carry Bibles into Laos and Vietnam. I spoke to them about Four Abilities,
I said of the four “abilities” the least important is ABILITY. God is not looking for gifted people with great ability. He is looking for simple people with clean hearts who can get the job done. You don't have to be gifted to be a candidate for God's service.
A basic qualification to serve God is AVAIL-ABILITY. God has a problem finding people who are available. We all have our projects and pet things that to us are important. When I first left Japan to go to SEA friend asked me, “Bill, why are you going to Vietnam?” I replied, “That isn't the question. The need is there. The question is why don't you go?” “Well, I have my job and family here and I can't go.” “Fine, You stay here. I'll go.” Availability is one of the requirements for someone who wants to serve the Lord.
Then the next requirement is DEPEND-ABILITY. This is critical wherever you are and whatever you do. Paul told us that “it is required of a steward that the man be found faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2) In a critical mission, if a person is not dependable you simply cannot trust them and God can't use them.
In the work that I came here to do sometimes EXPEND-ABILITY is important. Some missions are impossible if you are not expendable. Bows are not expendable – arrows are. Guns are not expendable – bullets are. Airplanes are not expendable – missiles are, But guns and airplanes are worthless without bullets and missiles. Someone has got to be expendable to do some jobs. Psalm 127:4 says, :”As arrows are in the hands of a might man so are children to the youth”. What the Lord needs today is not a basket full of bows but a quiver full of arrows. If someone isn't willing to give their life for Jesus sake, please don't get in line to serve the Lord. What, pray tell,, was Jesus talking about when He said “Unless a man bears his cross and follows Me he cannot be My disciple” (Lk 14:27)? What is a cross for, if it isn't something to die on? Is it a surf board at a beach?
I was sitting in a restaurant here in Vientiane one morning where the wife of a close friend was at another table with two visitors from the states. After a while one man came over to shake hands with me and said, “I understand you are Bother Andrew (the Dutchman who founded God's smugglers) and the bravest man in Laos.” I replied, “I'm sorry, sir, but you have been misinformed. I am not a great mission leader but simple donkey. And I am not the bravest man in Laos. I am simply one of the most expendable turkeys in the Lord's inventory.” The fact that the Lord made me expendable enabled me to do things that would have been difficult other wise.
As I have been here in Laos this time I have been reminded of the amazing ways the Lord has miraculously lead in opening up contacts. All I had to do was be there and the Lord led me to people. The first night I landed in Bangkok, I was walking out of arrival and asked a business man if he knew a good hotel to stay in. He gave me a business card of a hotel that I gave to a taxi a driver. I was later stunned when I discovered that was the closest hotel to the church that was the key to lead me to contacts that ended up with me working with the underground church in Vietnam.
I told you about the time I was eating in a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Luang Prabang (Laos) and the Lord sent an angel who checked me out in Laos telling me where to find Christians.
One time I was coming down the Mekong River on a slow boat when I met a Christian man from India who told me of the Philippine embassy in Vientiane. That turned lout to be the most profitable contact I have ever had in Laos. In retrospect I wonder now if that might have been an angel. After I was well established with the Philippine Embassy church they had never heard of him.
I told you about the time I lost my bus with my back pack in northern Laos, and that wound up opening the main route that we used for many years getting Bibles into northern Laos.
Oh my goodness any one of these incidents would have been the epic experience of a lifetime, but they have been the legacy of a 21 year sojourn in SEA.
There are just a couple side notes to mention. You don't have these experiences when you are wading ankle deep in water. You have to get out in water over your head before you feel the arms of Jesus supporting under you. And secondly all these things have happened while I have been moving. You don't experience these miraculous leading of Jesus sitting at home watching TV. If you move He will guide. All you have to do is be available and He will lead you.
One or two more stories. Two years ago when Pammy and I were over here we wound up at a guest house where I never would have gone. The taxi driver who took us from the bridge crossing from Thailand to Vientiane didn't know my usual guest house, and wound up taking us to a guest house that I would not have chosen. I was bad sick and didn't care where we went. Pammy went in to check and said it was slightly higher than what I wanted, but I didn't care. We discovered an American missionary was staying there. Roger has turned out to be one of the most significant men I have ever met in Laos.
He is not a professional missionary. He has never been a minister. He is just an ordinary layman that is totally sold out to Jesus. He was a very successful business man who made a lot of money. His wife died, and, as he was getting up in his 60s,, he wondered, what am I doing here just making money? Roger decided to go to Laos to see what was happening. When he got here he discovered that Laos produced some of the highest quality coffee in the world, but their marketing was terrible. With his business skill he got involved helping the producers market their product better, and has elevated it to be the #1 coffee in Laos, and America. The business is booming, and he is turning most of the money back to the Laos. Then he got involved in pigs. He said the main point in raising pigs is feed. The Lao feed was terrible. He sent to the states and had some high quality pigs sent out for breeding. Then he devoted himself to growing high quality feed. He set up several farms under his strict supervision to grow and dry corm properly. He went to Christian rehab centers and got men to make the equipment for producing feed and raising pigs. What he is doing is on a level never before seen in Laos. The government is highly impressed and is 100% behind him. He is right up front and says all of this is in the Name of Jesus. He now has over 200 farms all over Laos growing feed and raising pigs. Roger is really, really, big news with the Laos government officials, and he has given Christ a face never before seen.
When I first came to Laos 21 years ago, Laos had the reputation as being one of the most dangerous, hostile, countries in the world. Today Laos is totally different. They are having open Christian rallies in Vientiane and churches are considerably more open. I don't know if it is all because of Roger, but what he is doing is certainly unprecedented.
Yes, of course, Pammy led a guest house employee to Christ this morning. There is much more to say but I am out of space. It has cost a fortune but the Lord had His own way in sending us to Laos to get this Thai visa and giving me another glimpse into the wonderful, wonderful, ways of God.
Oh thank You, thank You, thank You, Jesus,
bill
PS: Praise the Lord we are home to Chiang Mai. I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I have a beautiful one year Thai visa stamped in my passport. The bad news is that I lost my passport in the border town of Udon Thani last night. BIG PROBLEM!
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