The God Who Hears THAILAND
Our next stop was the city of Chiang Mai where we stayed with another close friend and longtime missionary, Cynthia Friesen and her adopted Thai son, Maceo. In addition to spending hours over heart to heart talks, praying, playing games, and sharing good meals together, we had the beautiful opportunity of joining her in her world of ministry in a girls’ juvenile detention center, visiting the homes of several brand new believers from their newly-launched house church, leading worship and prayer ministry for the members of her Life Group, and praying individually with several of the women at Naomi House (a refuge for at-risk women to learn a trade and f ind f inancial, spiritual and emotional stability). The 10 days with Cynthia went so quickly and it was hard to say goodbye to this friend who feels so much like family. Our last destination was the city of Mae Sot, a city on the border of Burma (Myanmar), where we ministered to several small groups of men and women who had literally fled for their lives from the Civil War happening in their country. In each setting, we spoke to them about a God Who hears the very cries of their hearts and is leaning in close to meet them right in their places of deep pain, trauma, loss, and fear.
In one of the meetings, the man sitting next to Geoff asked how he could be freed from fear and healed from the PTSD he was experiencing. He had watched his best friend get shot and killed right in front of him as they were fleeing the country. Geoff looked into his eyes, and took a moment to really see this dear young man in front of him. Looking in his eyes and loving him. Then he prayed, asking God for healing and the power to forgive such horrif ic offenses. God was present. Jesus was in the room. And the Holy Spirit knit their hearts together as this young man, and many others around the room, began the process of releasing their lives into the hands of God. It was a powerful, beautiful, and life changing moment. “Geoff and Jill came with the joy of Christ that was so desperately needed among the Myanmar people who have taken refuge in Thailand. In our neighborhood alone, there are over 200 refugees, many of whom are widowed or single women. Jill was able to share her testimony with a small group of them one Saturday evening and the gospel was received by several women. On another occasion, the Holy Spirit came powerfully at a women’s ministry night at the church and many of us were met in a special way. My own family of four was blessed as they mentored us with their presence and gentle wisdom through our final week in Thailand...I’m so glad God sent the Ludlows to Mae Sot for such a time as this.” (Ryan & Logan, Short-term missionaries in MaeSot, Thailand)
HAVE A CONNECTION WITH A LOCATION OVERSEAS THAT MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN HOSTING A FULL SAIL TEAM?
If you would like to connect us with a missionary or full-time Christian worker somewhere outside of the US, please email us at info@fullsail.org or call our off ice line at 559-627-8202. Even now, we are praying about possible International Outreaches for 2024. So let’s chat!
7A M O A S I S D E V O T I O N S B AT TA M B A N G , CA M B O D I A
