I've been spending some time in Thailand recently. I've been
here before, but for a little boy from the suburbs, Thailand is so very… other.
Here are a few of the things that have stuck with me this trip: I met a woman named Jim and another named Moo, a man named Chai and one named Somchai. I watched a ferry load up with motor scooters and head across the river for their morning commute.
Politics are complicated and traffic even more so. A Thai friend explained there are 9 genders officially recognized. It can be very difficult to tell who is a woman, and who... wants to be.
A man tried to stop me on the street, holding pictures of women, like items on a buffet in his restaurant. The man across the street from him had young girls on his menu, all within view of a policeman. The encounter is more than unsettling as it provokes difficult questions about God, about society and about me.
These issues aren't unique to Thailand. It’s only that it is so pervasive I’m not allowed to claim my inaction is due to ignorance.
All the while, people are struggling to initiate change. I've talked to Thai businessmen, passionate about the impact of radio on their communities. A struggling pastor, longing to see more growth in his church. A missionary, building relationships with prostitutes, through English teaching, on the roof of a brothel.
After 180 years the evangelical church is only .5% of the population (yes that’s a decimal point before the 5). The cultural, societal, economic and spiritual issues are extremely complex. Still people get up every morning and lean into the pain.
Thailand is not for the faint of heart. You should visit. But only if you want to be changed forever.
Here are a few of the things that have stuck with me this trip: I met a woman named Jim and another named Moo, a man named Chai and one named Somchai. I watched a ferry load up with motor scooters and head across the river for their morning commute.
Politics are complicated and traffic even more so. A Thai friend explained there are 9 genders officially recognized. It can be very difficult to tell who is a woman, and who... wants to be.
A man tried to stop me on the street, holding pictures of women, like items on a buffet in his restaurant. The man across the street from him had young girls on his menu, all within view of a policeman. The encounter is more than unsettling as it provokes difficult questions about God, about society and about me.
These issues aren't unique to Thailand. It’s only that it is so pervasive I’m not allowed to claim my inaction is due to ignorance.
All the while, people are struggling to initiate change. I've talked to Thai businessmen, passionate about the impact of radio on their communities. A struggling pastor, longing to see more growth in his church. A missionary, building relationships with prostitutes, through English teaching, on the roof of a brothel.
After 180 years the evangelical church is only .5% of the population (yes that’s a decimal point before the 5). The cultural, societal, economic and spiritual issues are extremely complex. Still people get up every morning and lean into the pain.
Thailand is not for the faint of heart. You should visit. But only if you want to be changed forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment