I am starting to panic because I only have about a week and a half left and I feel like I haven't taken as many pictures. I see albums on facebook with hundreds of pictures from a week long trip and here I am in Thailand for over a month with only about 200 pictures. I am really bad a taking pictures; I forget that I have a camera all the time. I realized that I didn't even take pictures of the school so that everyone can see where I am working. Well, now I did. All my photos are on facebook so go there to look at more pictures.
Anyways I was talking to one of my students, Por, and he asked me if I was learning anything while I was in Thailand. He was afraid that I wasn't because being American, I probably already knew more than he or the other students did about academics and Jesus. He was afraid that the trade was not equal; that I was giving more that I was gaining. And he is right, the trade isn't equal, but actually the other way around; I feel like I am gaining so much more that I am giving. Truth is that they know so much more than I know. Everything I am. They are ten times more.
I have friends and family who are proud of me for what I am doing. But then I see the students and what they are doing. And I am nothing. And I am so humbled by this. I am in such awe of their love of God and other people.
By the way, this whole conversation was in Hmong. Holla.
It's so crazy how I can pray in English and they in Thai and prayers get answered. Sometimes, I forget how great God is.
Pictures of the school. For more go to facebook :)
My third year class.
So every Thursday the third years are driven to some part of Khon Kaen, dropped off, talk to strangers, and pass out bibles.
They are all so good at soccer!
This is Aer. A volunteer from Australia and I taught him how to shake hands and blow kisses. He is quite the charmer. He wanted to take a picture of us shaking hands :)
"Everything I am. They are ten times more"
ReplyDeleteIsn't that amazing?!
There is this quote I like said by people in a city called Soweto in Africa that says "Life is not so much about our circumstances as it's what the Lord has done in us."
And these people, and what you have said speak so much truth! We feel like we do a lot for groups that we deem "less privileged" than ourselves, but they understand God on such a totally different level then we do. I'm understanding so much more cuz of your pictures Kim; The less you have, the less there is in between you and God. Or rather, the less you have, the greater the opportunity to spend more time focusing on God then on other things.