Dateline: After Clinic #5 in Bandam Rongrat (near Tak Fa)
File this one under the category of “Stories Too Amazing to Not Be True.” Dianne has always told our teams they shouldn’t be surprised at anything that happens when we go to Thailand. You are likely to see and hear almost anything.
Today, we returned to a village where our Forest Park team visited just seven months ago in November. There is a farmhouse situated in the middle of sugar cane fields about three-quarters of a mile outside of town. Think of swaying palm trees in the yard and cool breezes blowing across the best looking farmland I have seen in Thailand.
There is a church that meets at the farmhouse in a garage-like space they added on to the side. Several years ago, there was just one Christian family here, much like the village we visited yesterday. They have now grown to become a small band of believers, and our Thai missionaries see the opportunity for a breakout.
How did this one Christian farm family come to be here? About 40 years ago, the man who became father of this household was going to school in Bangkok. While there, he saw the movie “Ben Hur” where the main character encountered Jesus in two scenes. Being moved by the portrayal of Jesus’ compassion in the movie, he sought out one of our missionaries to learn more. As a result, he was the only Christian in the village when he returned to the family farm in central Thailand.
Ben Hur? I have heard some crazy stories, but none like this. This farmhouse has been incubating Christianity for this village for decades because of Ben Hur.
Our clinic was set-up in the farmhouse, and 98 patients traveled out of the city to see the doctors. Leaders from the city government stayed with us and helped for the entire day. One patient believed and another five want visits in their home to learn more.
Our Kids Team was accepted enthusiastically in the local school where we worked with hundreds of students from 1st through 9th grades. When we left, they all sported cross pendants around their necks and had heard the message of Christianity in both English and Thai. As with all the other schools we visited this week, they want us to come back.
By the way, for all you Joplin tornado veterans, you will want to know that Samaritan’s Purse has been here, too, sometime in the past. I saw their Operation Christmas Child shipping boxes up the rafters being used as roofing material to stop leaks.
An unlikely story–one we are truly blessed to be a part of.
Paul Eckels
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