Those 50 days strung together with love
Thanks for traveling to Northern Thailand
▲"Although the fifty-day short-term missionary service is to help others, I am the one who is helped the most." The author Pan Gege (second from right in the back row) is both satisfied and warm in the pure love and smiles of the children.
Thank you Lord for giving me the opportunity to serve as a Chinese teacher for 50 days at the New Life Gospel Drug Rehabilitation Center in northern Thailand. I teach children from ethnic minorities to learn Chinese, hoping to equip them with better livelihood capabilities and, more importantly, to spread the gospel through teaching.
new life sketch
Before going to the field, I was examined by Mrs. Zhang who returned from the Gospel Center in Taiwan. She gave timely advice and reminder: "Servers must have a strong heart and not be hurt easily."
The person in charge of the workshop, Teacher Zhang Yu, and every other co-worker are so kind; Principal Zhuo gives me guidance on teaching; the Taiwanese co-workers discuss each other and pray for each other; the simplicity of the children...these warm feelings are very important to me. For me, a novice teacher with only church Sunday school experience, this was a great encouragement.
The children had to memorize the Bible every day, and the pace of memorizing the Bible at that time was the Book of James. God used this to remind me: I must listen quickly, speak slowly, and thank God.
In a place like Thailand where the pace of life is "slow down", you need to be more alert. I deeply understand that you must seize the time and do what you need to do, otherwise time will fleeting.
It is simply a beautiful resort, with romantic floating restaurants, wonderful farms, lovely cows and sheep dotted on the green hillsides, and geese swaying, ducks croaking and chickens hopping next to the quaint farmhouse. It is so beautiful. There are innocent children playing everywhere, cats and dogs hanging out with each other. It is difficult to imagine the thorny missionary process in this peaceful paradise. I sincerely admire the perseverance and confidence of Mr. and Mrs. Zhang Yu.
Life there is like going back to the early church in the Acts of the Apostles. Brothers and sisters live in harmony, everything is in common, and everyone’s daily necessities are provided. Everyone obeys the leadership of the leader, and gathers together every day to praise God. What a scene. It's so beautiful and kind.
For the first time, I felt like I could live without money. But from another point of view, the need for money there is so real and great! There are two to three hundred mouths to be fed every day, and more than two hundred children have to pay school fees. The amazing thing is that I often see Teacher Zhang Yu leisurely enjoying the cool air in the thatched hut. If he does not have heavenly faith in God, he will be very disappointed. It’s hard to find such rest!
Life in Taiwan is fast-paced and has many material needs. Going to Northern Thailand allows people to return to nature, simplicity, and unpretentious happiness, and experience a short period of regular life without mobile phones, telephones, TV, newspapers, or Internet access, and with simple meals. In just fifty years, God, my health has greatly improved. There I realized that if the right person does the right thing in the right place, God will bear all the responsibilities.
Love is more important than knowledge
Knowledge is important, but love is even more important. Before I left, I often asked God to put His love for the children in my heart. I hoped that the children would not only learn Chinese knowledge from me, but also feel God’s love from me. Thank God, by His grace, the children and I have developed a wonderful relationship, and I enjoy serving there.
I know very well that the relationship with God is the key to the success or failure of service. Teaching effectiveness must come from more prayer, more lesson preparation, and then complete trust and surrender.
My pronunciation of Mandarin is not accurate, and the second and third tones of phonetic notation, as well as the retroflex and non-reflex sounds, are often confused. At the group gathering before going abroad, the sisters laughed and embarrassed me: "The children who are new to their lives and speak Taiwanese Mandarin must be taught by Jianing." "The shortcomings remind me to learn with an open mind again and try to pay attention to pronunciation in class.
Numerous treasured memories
Those fifty precious days and countless precious memories will never be forgotten...
The forty-nine children in the class were making a lot of noise during the second class one day. Thank the Lord for reminding me of the characteristic of children who can’t sit still for five minutes. This removed the frustration in my heart and allowed me to watch them play with appreciation for a while. Then correct it. But that day I was a little tired and unable to suppress it, so I could only slump on the chair and call on the Lord. The wonderful thing was that the Lord immediately gave me wisdom. I asked the kid who made the most noise to be the deputy monitor, responsible for keeping order on one side and leading by example, and asked the squad monitor to take charge of the other side. As a result, it could be described as "quiet" until the end of class. From then on, as long as I encouraged these two boys , order in the class can be maintained, thank and praise the Lord!
After teaching the children for about ten days, I often found heart-warming words such as "I love teacher" and "Stay here, don't go back to Taiwan" on the blackboard, copybooks, and cards. Thank you Lord for bringing me the pure love of the children. Lots of warmth.
"Gu, Gu..." "Clog, Ji, Xi..." The chorus of various birds and insects such as owls and crickets appears every time in the dead of night. "Du... Dou Gei... Dou Gei..." One night, the gospel center's pet Duo Gei (a big gecko about a foot long) made an unexpected cry that echoed through the sky, which really startled me, haha! Simply wonderful.
Also, there are Western false cherries that can be seen everywhere. They are small, bright red, sweet and nutritious, and bear fruit all year round. They are nothing short of a gift from God to this place. And the delicious soup with Laliu (local spice) is delicious. The most unforgettable thing is God’s presence, no matter morning or dusk, rain or shine, in the green mountains, in the curling clouds, in the smiles of the little children, in the beautiful songs of the children, I often “see God’s” comfort. The hand of power.
to love and to receive love
In their hard life of going to Thai school during the day and studying Chinese at night, the children often have different types of carnivals due to the constant arrival of short-term mission teams. This is happy for the local minority children, and the short-term mission teams certainly go there. To help people there is also to receive help. The many testimonies of the New Life Gospel Drug Rehabilitation Center in Northern Tai are inspiring. What they see and hear in the workshop can enhance the faith of God’s children. The short-term mission team will definitely get more than what they pay for when they go there.
“Now abiding are faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love.”, may all love, thanks, and praise be given to God who loves us. I would like to use this short article as the most beautiful gratitude and remembrance of everyone, things, and things in this period of service!
Author profile
Pan Gege, whose original name was Pan Jianing, took this pen name because of the grace of Heavenly Father. Gege, who still has a childlike heart and loves children, now lives in the countryside in central Taiwan. She is currently focusing on writing children's stories. She once worked as a reporter and land agent.