Group photo taken in the training/orientation room.
Seated (left to right) Steve, Yahm, Reed, Laura, Joann
Standing (left to right) Lek, Oom, Nok, Boom, Dennis, Tak, Waan
The names of the local staff are their nick names for us westerners (shortened version of their real names).
Dom: Bookstore Staff, newest member
Lek: Follow-up, 14 years
Yham: Follow-up, 12 years
Nok: Accounting, 20+ years
Tak: Studio technician and musician, 7 years
Waan: Studio technician, 4 years
Boom: Director, 16 years
Dennis: Boom's husband. He is technically a Volunteer for LHM. He is a missionary from Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS).
Dennis gave us an nice "Why are you here" talk. In short - there is no "pre evangelism" it is all evangelizing. I can’t be as eloquent as him, but here goes…
What good is a short-term missionary when we don’t even know the language. There is no way we will lead someone to Christ, nor even hope to present the Gospel. Thailand is a Buddhist country, with 1.6% being Christian. We stand out. People can tell we are foreigners. We will be going to a part of the country where we may be the first foreigners that they have ever seen. Our mere presence can invoke inquiry – Why are we here? Why are we helping them? Why did we come so far to help them?
Dennis mentioned that when he first came, he saw a large banner on a building that says “God Loves You”. He thought that was a stupid waste of money. Many people can’t read, and most can’t read English. Then he herd the testimony of a woman who said her first exposure to Christianity was the sign. She wondered what it said, investigated it, and so her journey began.
Our particular mission is to reach out to 1,000 people and give them eyeglasses, some for the very first time. Many will be able to see again, well enough to resume their careers. Life changing for the individual. The decision was made to hold the clinic at the only church in the region. It will be hot, and not air conditioned. There may be more comfortable locations available nearby, but by holding it at the church, people will now know where the church is.
The clinic is just the first step in reaching out to the 1,000 individuals served, the 1,000-2,000 family members who come with their person, and the thousands who see the improved life of the people helped.
The clinic also helps JIL and the local church to build a relationship with the community. The next time JIL wants to hold another event, the local authorities will be much more receptive and open – we help JIL and the local church to open doors.
After the orientation to LHM, we were given a quick overview of the plans for the clinic, and the optometrist group. The clinic will be held about 240 miles south of Bangkok in Prachuap Khiri Kahn (PKK). The optometrist group is coming from a 100 to 200 miles north-west of Bangkok (they have much further to travel). This will be the 2nd clinic that JIL has held with them. They are a group of young people who volunteer their time to provide this type of service to needy communities. They are happy to provide their time, and only ask that we cover the costs of their travel and eye glasses. I believe the cost of each pair of eyeglasses is about $8 USD. In order to serve that many people in such a short time and inexpensive way, the glasses are pre-made with a variety of prescriptions. After an eye exam, the individual then picks the pair of eye glasses most beneficial to them.
Sunday will be our day for worship (morning) and travel down to PKK (5+ hours) by car. On Monday, we will meet with the local church and optometrist team for more orientation, planning, and setup. The clinic will be held on Tuesday-Thursday (morning and afternoon), and Friday morning. There are 6 districts (kind of like a country) near the church. Leaders for each district were given a certain number of slots to offer. There is much more need (demand) than we can serve. Each person is given a day/time slot, so they will not have to wait long in the heat. We are anticipating highs of 90 degrees and 70+% humidity. 150 people each morning/afternoon, 3 hours for each shift, means we are serving almost 1 person per minute.
Richard Li
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