It's (Sometimes) a Small World After All

Diamante and I are back to looking for a church again. We still haven't found a church family within which to plant ourselves in Pasadena. In some ways, I feel like finding a church is a little bit like finding someone to date: no one (person, community, church) is perfect, so how do you figure out what flaws you can live with and which ones you really shouldn't? Except that dating someone is optional (thank goodness!) but finding a community within which to pursue your faith is not really optional. So, onwards the hunt goes.

It just so happened that the church we visited this morning had a missionary couple and a Thai Christian couple visiting--all of whom live and work around Chiang Mai, Thailand, which is where I went to high school! The Thai couple gave the morning message and then I met them and the missionary couple afterwards and talked with them briefly. It was really inspiring to me to hear the Thai couple share their vision for seeing Thai people encounter Jesus in ways that culturally and relationally make sense and for training younger Thai leaders to help people grow in learning how to walk out their faith. And it was crazy to hear about how many people have started walking out lives as Jesus followers through their work. In the experience of most people I know, Thailand is not a place with amazing results in that area, so when I heard them talking about their work, my ears perked up and I wanted to follow them around so that I could see and experience what on earth they are doing that actually works. This is what Thailand really needs: Thai people who love Jesus and his transforming power for individuals and communities, and who have a passion for seeing their people encounter Jesus in uniquely Thai ways.

Sometimes I wish that God would give me a clear call to go back to Thailand, because I miss a lot of things about the country and the culture, but he hasn't done that at this point. I don't feel a lot of clarity about going anywhere, except that I want to go some place international again. Part of me wishes I could just go several places that strike my interest and spend a year or two in each place seeing what God would do. I'd go to Marseilles, France, and see what Jesus is doing in immigrant communities there--and work on my French at the same time! I'd go back to some place urban in Thailand and take a stab at learning how to love people and do holistic community development there. I'd go somewhere else in Asia to see if I fell in love with the country and people I was living with. My problem with the world is not that there are too few options, but that there are too many!