"You're going to meet a girl. She loves her boyfriend. It's not fake. She truly wants to express joy and love and laughter with and to him. She's trying to love him.
You're going to meet a boy. He loves his family. He wants to do everything and anything he can to serve them. It's not fake family... it's love. He's in love with his family.
You're going to meet a man on a street. He'll sell you the best replica watch you've ever seen... and he means it when he says it's worth it! Yeah it's not the real thing... but he's not really trying to scam you; He's trying to feed his family and provide for himself. Doesn't that sound worth it?
You're going to see thousands of pictures of an old man in gold. He's Royalty. The Thai love him. He once traveled 1000 miles by foot to reach a barricaded village carrying food and medicine! You'll meet people from that village! He saved hundreds from the floods in the jungle! They honor him, and they'd die for him... because he would die for them! That's not idol worship... they're honoring a King that they think has laid it all down for them! After all, he serves them!
You're going to meet a boy and a girl. They sell flowers late at night in an area where you can "buy" women or men to fulfill sexual desires with. They don't like being awake so late at night. They also know you probably don't want another flower. But they'll sell it because they want to honor their father and mother.
You'll meet a man or a woman. He's "farang" ...He is honored in Siam. The gold and silver he brings from across the sea ensures a meal and bed for a Thai. He doesn't understand the bartering that's going on. He understands that love is a missing commodity in his life, and money isn't available to them... so why not trade.
Thailand. Everyone loves to play. Everyone loves to dance. They love to laugh. They love good food and would always rather hang out a little bit longer...
You see Thailand does Kingdom-like things. Thailand enjoys... the same things the Father does. you could even say they love their King the way we should love our King. They love their jobs and boyfriends the way we love Jesus... they want to enjoy..laugh with..eat with---play with their friends and family! What does that look like? It's the Kingdom of God!
When you meet these people, and they teach you how to dance... walk them towards the King that really does fight for them. Introduce them to a Lover that doesn't give money...but life! As you sing and laugh with them...tell them there's a love that is free...that returns only more love...and in fact - LOVED THEM FIRST!
Loving Thailand... is simply redemption of what's already happening, but redirected to a source that gives without expectation of a return!"
-Samuel Henderson
