Helping Those Who Come Behind

Today we are sharing a continuation of an earlier story. The Rattanapamonsooks shared earlier about Bui and today we hear from their teammates, the Griffiths, as Bui continues to grow in faith and service.

We still get confused often. Holidays are different. The seasons are different. They still change, but it's always hot. The Thai school breaks aren't uniform, and then there are the international schools and their calendars. All our old indicators for what time of the year it is are no longer helpful, so we write emails asking supporters about school in July or tell someone we've been here almost 3 years; when actually it's been 3 and a ½.

In the void, our annual youth camps anchor our yearly calendar. And while it doesn't help us save face in communication with supporters or when small talk involves dates, it does provide three pronounced seasons; pre-camp, post-camp and the other “normal" time. We've currently just begun the pre-camp season. It's filled with visiting youth homes to announce the camp and invite them to attend, recruiting and training volunteers, and lots and lots of other logistical details that Adam strangely enjoys. Last year's camp was a huge success, but there is still room to grow, so this year we are trying a few new things in our continued efforts towards a fully locally supported and sustainable Christian youth camp for youth from the youth homes within our network.

We believe that while it is true that youth are the future leaders of the church, it is also true that youth are ready today to do ministry. To live out that truth, this year one area of emphasis is sharing ownership of the camp with the youth by inviting them to serve alongside our staff. Saturday, the 24 youth who made decisions to pursue ministry at the camp last year will gather at our office to discuss how that decision has impacted the last 10 months of their lives. We hope that at the meeting many of them will respond to the challenge to serve at the camp (by sharing testimonies in workshops, leading morning devotions, manning prayer stations, etc). We already know one of them will.

Bui recently graduated high school, which means this year he'll be too old to attend the camp as a participant. However he has been actively pursuing our team for some time asking for ways he could contribute to this year's camp. He wants to pay forward the experience he got to have last year. Whatever role he takes on, we will work with him to prepare and hold him to a standard of excellence, but we care much more about the impact it could have on him and the younger youth that see him serving. May they realize God not only invites them to be a part of His kingdom, but is already extending an invitation for them to help build and expand it. Pray for Bui as he does just that, offering the chance for others to experience the same transformation in Christ that he has.