Hey Good People,
To mark my nine months here in Bangkok, this update will highlight the major things God has done/been doing as well as take a look at what exciting things are ahead.
God has…
- Prompted a teenage girl in the community I live in to be a mentor for kids that are often-times neglected. We are doing a library project in which every week the kids come to learn, hang out, and develop their potential through engaging in different activities. Moreover, this has been a great opportunity for this young lady to develop leadership skills needed to further impact the community around her. She’s set to go to college next year, a rarity in our community.
- Provided a space for youth to develop creative skills that they can use in their futures as well as help cope with personal strife. In our Art and Photography classes we emphasized finding beauty in everyday life. Moreover, the film shot by Sarah Hanks and her crew (of which I was the Production Assistant) offered an opportunity for some of our students to get experience acting as well as working other jobs on set. The movie’s treatment of the relationship between lower-income communities and the sex industry will be a powerful tool in spreading awareness to youth and young adults, as well as empowering people to pursue change.
- Continued to mobilize the Thai church. An issue here is that Thailand (even the Thai church) is typically really classists. Namely, folks in middle to upper class churches don’t want any sort of association with people in urban poor communities; they are stereotyped as drunks, irresponsible, and deserving of their lot. Many Thai churches, however, do engage with communities. Moreover, Servant Partners/Thai Peace Foundation has built relationships with other middle class churches in order to help promote engagement with lower-income communities and ultimately pursue a more full vision of God’s kingdom—a kingdom which dividing lines between classes are crossed and we pursue peace together.
- Been leading a family in deeper discipleship. The family that I do house church with has come a long way. I choose to not share all their details, but I do rejoice with them over the many ways in which God has delivered them. It really has been an honor to see such clear transformation.
- Finally, the last nine months have been personally transformational for me. Not only have I been learning a ton about incarnational ministry, but God has opened up space for me to develop as a person and strengthen unique characteristics that hopefully will serve others well in the future.
What’s Next?
- These last nine months have mostly focused on training in incarnational service, spiritual formation, and language learning. Now I am transitioning into having more time to engage my community and explore various ministry opportunities in deeper capacities.
- The next term of our Youth Leadership Development program is under way. I will be co-teaching a Health and Volleyball class to middle-schoolers. The objectives of the course are to 1) educate them on physical, mental, and emotional/spiritual health and 2) help them develop disciplines useful for everyday life as they learn to play volleyball as a team.
- I am looking to be a part of a particular yet-to-be-identified project. I recently completed a research project on Education and Parenting in the community I live in that will hopefully provide a springboard to starting something new and unique.
As always, thank you all for your prayers and support, I look forward to keeping in touch with you on what is happening in Bangkok.
Blessings,
Alejandro