So right now, we are on a bus going from Bangkok, Thailand to Pang Nga, Thailand. We left at 7:30 p.m. and it is a 12 hour bus trip so we will be pulling into our destination well after the sun is up. The purpose of this trip is to show us some of the FHI relief projects that are going on in response to the tsunami. So far the trip has gone well. Nathan and Alex are both out cold. Gillian is reading a novel and I am listening to music on my MP3 player. I suspect we will go to bed in a couple of hours, but who knows. It is at times like this when I wish I had brought my new laptop so I could watch a movie or something. At least I can write an e-mail while on the bus. This trip has had its surreal moments. It is strange to think that I am on the other side of the world from home. For you guys on the East Coast it is only 10 in the morning. And our day is wrapping up.
The boys are doing great. The only thing that has been hard for them is the adjustment to the Thai food. Basically, they won’t eat the food that is prepared in the Thai style. Thankfully, with all meals they serve fresh fruit. So the boys have had fresh pineapple, bananas, watermelon and some really strange fruits that apparently only grow in Asia because I never saw them in South America. They have also eaten more American food like fried chicken strips, boiled eggs, beef stew, and cereal for breakfast for a couple of days. We have had pizza twice, eaten at McDonald’s once, and today we ate at Sizzler – a steak house that they have in the states. Of course the boys got chicken nuggets and French fries and they were very happy. Also, today Gillian and I bought two new backpacks for $13 each. Normally the backpacks would cost around $80 each in the states, but we got a good deal here.
Gillian and I are doing great. We are eating well, and drinking a lot of water. The weather is pretty hot and sticky. Think July in SC, only not as hot – just as sticky, but not as hot.
We are learning a lot about FHI’s ministry and having a biblical worldview. Our instructor for three of the days was Darrow Miller. He is the vice president of FHI. He has a real heart for the poor and some great training that has been growing our perspective of holistic, biblical ministry. God has called us to minister to the physical needs as well as the physical needs. One of the examples that stood out in my mind is about a government agriculture program in Africa that gave farmers resources that essentially tripled their crops and the money the brought in. The report that went back to the US govt. was that the program was a success because more money was made and the crops were successful. From FHI’s perspective the program was a failure. The reason why was that no biblical instruction or changes were made in the community, only money and agricultural instruction. What this resulted in was that 2 months after the crop success the farmers that had all this extra money didn’t have a godly perspective on the new wealth and blew it on alcohol and prostitutes. This is why the program was a failure, simply meeting physical needs, and providing agricultural training still leaves a void that only God can fill. Money by itself is never the solution to poverty. An entire change of mindset and worldview is necessary to empower people to come out of poverty,
Well, I am starting to get tired so I will see if I can get this e-mail sent and head to sleep.
Thank you for your prayers and support,
Justin
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