From Zack Thompson in Thailand on June 27, 2006

A Day in Thailand....

7:30 AM - Wake up, jump in cold shower (you get used to it).  After my cold shower I begin sweating, which will continue pretty much constantly to varying degrees until the next time I shower.
 
After showering and such, I go downstairs and say hi to Max, make a cup of Nescafe (you get used to it, 2 sugars and alot of milk) and talk with Max until Jeff comes by in his truck and picks me up around 8:30.
 
From 9-11 we have language class, the six of us with a tutor in the A/C room at Jeff's house.  This is normally great.  Today we went over giving directions and it was very tedious, but usually I love it.
 
We sit around for a bit until we go to lunch.  Everyone usually eats for the equivalent of about $.60, but remember that teachers at the language school here make about  the equivalent of $200 a month (I'm not the only one!).
 
At 1PM we go to church planting class, which has been very thought provoking.  We have some time after 3 to work on whatever projects we have or send email like this.  Then we go to dinner and head back to our hosts.  Sometimes we eat dinner with our hosts.  Last night I played soccer with Max and a bunch of guys from the neighborhood and it was awesome.  Then we went to the market to eat and look around.
 
Then, Max and I kill time until soccer comes on (at 10PM) by talking about all kinds of things.  Thai people are very open about their families and history and everything, even if it is bad (being overly emotional, i.e. emotional at all about things is bad in buddhism, so why would they worry about talking about bad things from their past).
 
So far we haven't watched the late games, that come on at 2AM, so I usually go to bed at about midnight when the first game ends.  First I take another cold shower.  After my cold shower I begin sweating, which will continue pretty much constantly to varying degrees until the next time I shower.  Finally, I try to rig up my windows and the fan in my room so that I can fall asleep.
 
So, there you go!  This schedule will change very soon when we start our weeks of travelling, but for now, this is it.

 Thank you so much for your support during our time in Zambia. We will be flying home 2 weeks from today...it's hard to believe the time has gone so quickly! We will be in Ndola for one more week, then we will head to Lusaka for a few days to speak at conferences, and finally we will finish our time relaxing in Livingstone and Victoria Falls.
 
God has been challenging us individually and as a team, some of which I have shared in previous emails. As we launch our final weeks here, I  ask that you would consider our team verse when you think about and pray for us. We selected the verse as part of our preparation for the trip this past semester.
 
"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality."
                                              -Romans 12:9-13
 
God clearly knew what he was doing when he directed us to that verse back in February. Every single piece of it has been vital to our ability to function and carry on as a team and in our ministry. God has been so faithful to us, and we are learning to be truly faithful as well. Please pray through the passage for us, and include every clause. Even the part about practicing hospitality has been a major factor in our time here. God is so good!
 
My final thought is one from my devotions, and it is a challenge to myself and to each of you. The second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. This is obviously easier said than done, but I want to suggest a little exercise to change the abstract concept of love into concrete steps that can demonstrate the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
 
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." 
 
The challenge is to insert your name where the passage says "love." (i.e. Melissa is patient, Melissa is kind...and so on. For those who know me well, you already realize what a challenge this is for me!) If we are truly loving, we will be able to insert our name without the sarcastic laughs of those who know us best. Try it. Try being patient and kind and humble and self-sacrificing. It's definitely a challenge for a lifetime, but I am realizing that it is one worth undertaking.

I am sorry about switching back and forth between greetings in Fang and Spanish, but that is such a part of life here.  It is difficult to only speak one of the languages here in Equatorial Guinea. :) In fact it is  almost necessary to know some of both. The people here speak Fang as their native tongue, but they are not allowed to speak it in the schools so the schools teach them Spanish.

For the past two weeks, I feel like every day here is a new education, with a whole new set of problems and ways in which God is working. Today, my teammates and I started discussing the report that we are going to write in July that will go back to the Rainbows of Hope headquarters, so that they can know what the climate is like here for future children's ministries working through the local churches. This is a heavy task, but an important one for Rainbows of Hope and the thousands of children at risk throughout Equatorial Guinea.

I find myself continually astounded by the poor health, lack of education, corruption, and the reality of witchcraft and tribal religions. It is sometimes difficult for me to look at the problems here and not want to start trying to solve them right away.  Many things here, almost everything, is deeply rooted in tradition. The missionaries and churches require a lot of patience to learn to love the people in their current circumstances. I would ask you to pray for continued safety, health, unity, discernment on how best to love the local children and their families, and ability for the team to be in the spiritual battles underway.

For the people of Equatorial Guinea, I ask that you would pray for willingness to truly learn what it means to believe in God and have faith for every part of their lives--that their faith would be their own and not something they believe because someone tells them to. I ask that you would pray for discernment for the local pastors to see the need of children here and know the right course of action.  

For me, I would ask that you pray for health, joy, peace, strength, and patience. Sometimes I wake up and think that I just cannot go to another school with hundreds of kids who are so malnourished that their bellies are bloated or fight against several language barriers, but then I remember that I am not able to do any of these things. It is only Jesus who gives me strength and He renews my strength daily. I am so grateful that God has sent me here to experience this world and these people, He has guided me every step of the way and I know that He will guide me home again. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. I wish that I could send you all pictures of these kids and the African sunsets here. You will just have to take my word for it that they are both beautiful.