Flying in to Bangkok

Almost anywhere you fly, you pop into the landscape through the clouds over the rows of houses and buildings that all seem familiar, even 12 thousand miles from your home. The roofs are all shaped alike. The grass is green, the dirt is brown, the water glistens and the cars roll over the grey roads with black tires. A voice breaks over the intercom in some language you can't understand but you know what it's saying: "fasten your seat belt, get ready to land."

But this is Southern Asia and it's not the same. Most of these people have never heard the name of Jesus. They don't know about his sacrifice and resurrection. They don't know that God is their heavenly father.

I interviewed a young Chinese seminary student, Lai En, about a decade ago. His father is a Chinese evangelist who was locked away and beaten on a regular basis back when the fires of the gospel were first being fanned in China. Lai said to me "The Chinese people are smart, they are hard working, but they are empty." He looked down a little and repeated that softly. "Empty."

As I was meandering through the poorly conceived labyrinth that is the Bangkok airport, with its endless areas of transition connected by the veins of moving walkways, I took some time to look in the eyes of people who were passing by on the opposite walkway and thought of that interview with Lai En.

I don't think it was cultural what I was witnessing. Although I was jetlagged like some coldwar depravation experiment, I'm pretty sure I could sense that emptiness of a people who basically have a limited vision of life. Born, work, die.

This is the mindset that we're working to change and it will have to be the work of the Holy Spirit. We can tell them what we think and how we believe and how great it is to have hope, but the faith to believe the message comes from one source. They have to hear it first though and that is why I've come here for these few weeks: to train this select group of Asians who have been called apart to tell the story. I don't think they even know how critical their mission is, but if I have my way, they will.

On the way here I spent a day and a night in San Francisco and saw some old friends, one of whom is Dr. Gary Moncher, the ever youthful president of Patten University in Oakland. We're talking about Beyond Borders teaming up with them on a few projects that are pretty exciting. We'll tell you more when we know more.

Here's a shot of Chinatown in San Fran that I took with my cellphone.








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