Well the conference has ended. It is a very rainy night here in Bangkok! Here are a few glimpses of some of the people I met:
I had dinner one evening with a man who had been a police officer in Houston for many years, and a young American woman. They both help run a place in Cambodia where they help rescue women from prostitution. They operate 3 homes where the girls are protected, educated, and set on a good path. Right now there are 30 girls they are caring for. Their stories are truly unbelievable, and reveal the ugliest side of humanity. They and the others running the houses are bringing light and salvation and love and new beginnings to the girls, while teaching them skills and trades.
I spoke with an elderly lady who has lived in a remote area of Thailand for decades, running a small Bible school in a village. She showed me photos of the thatched-roof home she lives in. She said, “Would you think about coming and teaching the students?”. I said, “we’ll talk”!
Met a pastor from Fallbrook, California who was there with a young couple from his church who run a school in the south of Cambodia. They began a few years ago with a handful of students but now have grades k-11 with about 500 students. They not only educate but are very clear that they also teach the Gospel to all the students. They have the favor of the government. They have Muslim parents begging them to enroll their kids in the school, but they have no space right now. They have some remarkable stories.
I met several people from Nepal who have invited me to go to the eastern area of the country to help train pastors.
There is so much more. There are some very dedicated people all over Asia doing wonderful things.
I received a great deal of good feedback from my teaching session, which is very nice! I also taught a workshop on how to extract the true meaning of Bible texts. It was well-attended and there was some good discussion.
So, now on to Mumbai tomorrow morning. Again, thanks for all the prayers.
David