Ten days in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Seven hearts surrendered to God’s Will.
Dozens of songs sung in worship unto the Lord.
Hundreds of people served with joy.
Countless prayers lifted up for those to whom we ministered.
One purpose – to Glorify God and demonstrate His Relentless Love for His people.
Here is the video.
Video by: P Joel Yoon
One of the most powerful things I experienced during our mission trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand, was being able to witness first-hand the Power of Jehovah-Rapha, ‘The Lord Heals and Restores’. When I first heard about ZOE Children’s Home being a place that rescued children from sex trafficking, slave labour and living on the street, I had an idea about the types of kids I would find there. These children had been abused, neglected, abandoned, wounded and betrayed. I was sure they would be withdrawn, sad and uninterested. Boy, was I ever wrong.
These kids were among the most loving and affectionate children I had ever encountered. They were constantly wanting to hold our hands, hug us, tell us they loved us and just smile at us with a sparkle in their eye. I know that this would not be possible without the healing love of the Father being ministered to them every day through the dedicated, faithful staff, bible students and missionaries at ZOE.
It opened my eyes to what an honour it is to be able to share with these children about their worth and value in Christ. While we were in Thailand, we performed a skit that we felt the children might be able to relate to. It portrayed different scenarios in which the characters felt unloved, unworthy and rejected. At the end of the skit, Jesus comes in and exchanges the lies of those identities with His Truth, we are LOVED, WORTHY and ACCEPTED through His Sacrifice. Being able to speak truth into the children’s lives about their worth and value in Christ was a huge blessing to me. It showed me that this is a passion God has put in my heart, to show His Love to those whom society has rejected, abandoned and abused.
One incident really illustrated how far these Truths had really sunken into the hearts of the children. One night each week, ZOE has a special hour of prayer and worship where all of the children, parents, staff, missionaries and Bible students come together to worship God and pray for one another. I really wanted to seize this opportunity to pray for the children and staff members. But again, God had a surprise for me. What happened next was beyond my expectations.
I decided to spend some time praying alone before I began to pray for others so I found a quiet spot in the room, sat down and started singing a worship song. Suddenly, I felt several tiny hands touching my shoulders and my knees. I opened my eyes and saw a group of small children, between the ages of 5-8 years old surrounding ME in PRAYER. I was shocked, humbled and amazed. In that moment, I felt such a deep and powerful sense of Joy, Peace and Love that it overwhelmed my senses. I was truly speechless. And if you know me, you know that is quite a feat.
After some time, I was able to pray for those children and others in that room. But, that one experience really moved in a powerful way. I could sense the Peace and Love of the Holy Spirit so strongly in those little voices praying over me. And the way they worshipped… they sang their little hearts out to God without any reservation or timidity. The way the children worshipped and prayed was not artificial. It was evidence that they LOVED God and even more than that… they KNEW His Love for them. Not head knowledge. Deep, personal, intimate heart knowledge. Of God’s Love. His healing and restoring Love. These children… these precious, prayerful, worshipful children represent the future of their country. I believe that the Unconditional Love of our God, Jehovah-Rapha working in and through the lives of these children is what will ultimately bring revival to the nation of Thailand.
I was inspired to write this poem after that time of worship. I pray that you are blessed.
The Children’s Praise
Let the children come to me, the Father’s heart declares,
With child-like faith, they bless Your Name and cast down all their cares,
You clothe the fatherless in joy, the orphans You embrace,
You stitch the fragments of their lives into a tapestry of Grace
You gently beckon with Your Love to trust and follow You,
Your Faithful Mercy heals their wounds, Your promises are true
You take the ashes of their past and give their hearts a home
You teach them of their value, that their worth resides in Christ alone
In their songs, we hear Your Mercy, in their trust, we know Your Grace
In their love, we feel Your Presence, in their eyes we see Your face
Each child reflects Your Glory, shining brightly as their voices raise,
Revival will come to this land. Revival through the children’s praise.
Amen. Thank You, Lord.
A Girl After God's Heart 