Thailand Team at Mission Fest

During last year’s Seattle Mission Fest, the team was on a mission trip in Thailand, so we did not have the chance to attend the festival. This year, we are very glad that the entire crew can attend the event together. The Holy Spirit moved in everyone’s hearts and made a way for us to go together. Initially, some of us were committed to different events, but it turned out we were able to attend together.

The layout of the host church was like a maze. We looked at the room map and were confused by it for a while, unable to find the booth exhibition on the first evening. There were many different seminar options. We chose some that interested us, joined them, met up afterward, and shared what we learned from the separate seminars. Some of us were interested in estate planning, so I also had the chance to learn a few things at an early age from our team member. I attended a seminar about Muslim culture and how the Muslim community’s structure impacts their beliefs. Essentially, you cannot start a conversation by denying the authority of their religious texts, as it equates to saying their parents, uncles, scholars, and the entire community are wrong. It was a very interesting perspective. The British speaker also mentioned Muslim contributions, like inventing ice cream cones, which is helpful for reducing prejudice against Muslims. Ken attended a missionary care class. He has done a lot of missionary care, communication, and prayer service in our church, which is one of his passions. As a well-known short-tempered person, I attended the “Angry Missionary” session instead. A counseling professor from a Christian university in Oregon delivered the session very well. He mentioned being angry when Charlie Kirk was assassinated. We agreed that Charlie did a wonderful job responding to challenging questions assertively, respectfully, and graciously. During the later worship, we were amazed by the beautiful worship service. The next day, we found all the booths at the very bottom level. I delightfully, but not surprisingly, met my former student fellowship counselor Danny Geng and brother Letian there. They were supporting China Outreach Ministries. Danny went to the ER several days ago for a heart issue. Please pray for Danny to stay well and rest, and may God protect him from any heart disease. Surprisingly, two ladies at different booths told us the same thing: that they pray for ECC to host perspective training on the Mandarin side. Please keep this in our own prayers as well. If it is God’s will, let it be. Later, we scattered for different seminars. On Sunday, when meeting at church, we were still excitedly checking in with each other. I am grateful that God has built a wonderful team full of passion and action over these past several years. Please also pray for the team’s future and where God leads us.