My childhood was simple and structured. We got up at the same time every morning, ate a home cooked breakfast, went off to school, arriwed back to a home cooked supper, and went to bed at the same time every night. We went to church every time the doors were open, and the thought of change never crossed my mind. It was so easy to do what was right. At the age of 11, I realized change was mandatory. My heart needed something I couldn’t give it. Only my Savior, Jesus Christ, could make me complete. It was the beginning of many changes to come. Time passed and then there was Danny. We grew up in the same church and were high school sweethearts. He was outgoing, spontaneous, romantic, and he swept me off my feet! Before long, we couldn’t get enough of each other. We could go on a date and still manage to talk on the phone for hours. As marriage approached, Danny moved away to go to seminary. I guess I became a female version of Moses and I asked the Lord, “are!you sure you want me to marry this guy and leave the only town I’ve ever known?” I had lived in the same house for 19 years. Nothing had ever changed so much as this. My mother was a godly role model of submissiveness and so I followed Danny to central Florida.

Danny led the music and was head of the youth at Westwood Missionary Baptist Church. I slowly picked up all the other jobs that go along with that. We both finished college and just as I was getting comfortable again . . . there was Thailand. At first, it was just a topic of conversation, although every time it came up I had and uneasy feeling it wasn’t something we were just going to talk about. About that time, I began a study in the book of James. Little did I know how applicable that first chapter would become to me. As verse 4 states, “let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” I needed to have patience, which in that verse literally means cheerful waiting and endurance. I was supposed to be completely patient in every situation that was about to happen.

I finished college, landed a job teaching first grade in one of the best schools in the county, and Danny had preached in view of taking the pastorate of several churches. Things were falling right into place. Danny came home one afternoon and brought Thailand back up. He wanted us to take a trip that summer. In praying which church he thought the Lord would have him go to, he just couldn’t get Thailand out of his mind. So, my gut feeling was right. For the first time in my life I was going to get on a plane. Then, I would travel half way around the world and walk into the unknown. I had to wonder how I was going to cheerfully endure something that scared me to death. Verse 2 of James chapter 1 kept ringing in my ears, “count it all joy.” Well, we saved up our money, packed our bags and flew around the globe.

I stepped off the plane into a foreign land. The sticky heat hit me immediately. Florida summers had nothing on this! We spent 30 days sweating, drenched in rain, eating exotic foods, sleeping on the floor, riding in vehicles cramped with crowds of people, and walking until I felt like my feet were going to fall off my body. I couldn’t talk to anybody, not even Danny most of the time. He decided that Thailand was where God wanted him to serve. I was so overwhelmed with how things had so quickly changed. What about my job? What about settling down? What happened to my house with a big yard, front porch, and white picket fence? I loved Danny so much, I was willing to leave anything behind, but it took my heart a little longer to really be counting it a joy. I found myself in James chapter 1 again. Verse 5 jumped out at me, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally.” I felt as if I had hit the bottom, and I had nowhere to turn but up. God so faithfully supplied. He gave me wisdom and peace more abundant than I could have ever imagined. We wrapped up things in the states. We parted with our families and then moved to Thailand.

This flight was different. I walked off the plane with such an overwhelming peace. My heart was moved with compassion for a people who so desperately need Christ. Thailand has changed me. I can’t say I always counted everything a joy, but God is so faithful to supply my needs. When we moved to Thailand, we didn’t have a house. We spent the first two weeks looking for a place and finally found a two-story concrete block home. It had grass in the yard, a fence around the house, and a concrete driveway. It was already looking good to me! The landlord gave us a tour of the inside of the house. It had 2 bathrooms, both of which had American toilets. There were 3 bedrooms, a living room, and a room that I could convert into a kitchen. We signed a contract and moved into the house 3 days later. We went out the next day and started getting supplies, furniture, and appliances. The first thing I got was a washer and dryer. It took the people 2 full days to install them. We bought the only dryer in town and the people installing it didn’t even know what it was. They ended up cutting the plug off and hot wiring it into some wires hanging down the walls.

We quickly learned things didn’t operate the same in Thailand. It seemed that even the simplest day to day activities were difficult. To begin with, I started cooking with a one burner hot plate. Most modern appliances are so expensive that it took us just about the entire first 2 ½ years we were here to get completely set up. You would be surprised what you can cook with one skillet and one burner! I fed our first group of ten visitors with that thing. By Christmas of that year, I got a stove, oven, and refrigerator. As long as the electricity cooperated, I was able to cook a few American dishes. Also by that time of year, the church was starting to grow. Services were still pretty chaotic. Nobody knew what to do. People were talking while we prayed, walking around while Danny was preaching, and you can forget about anybody singing on key. They had NO concept of church, let alone did they know anything about God or the Bible.

That first year seemed to progress slowly. One day, when our keyboard was burnt up by the horrible electrical surges we frequently had, I sat in the back of the services while Danny led the music and played the guitar. Tears came to my eyes. I suddenly realized that these people were singing the words to the music. I was singing in Thai, “PraJow san dee (God is so good).” We were praising the Lord. Nobody was walking around and nobody was talking. Everyone bowed their heads to pray and people were even giving when the offering plate was passed. These things might seem so frivolous, but to me it seemed as if they had come so far. Verse 25 of James chapter 1 spoke to my heart, “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” Really, nothing that has been accomplished in Thailand is because of me; it is because of the perfect law of liberty. It is because these Thai people are actually receiving Christ and worshipping Him. It is amazing how the Lord changes people.

Things in Thailand have their own time. It took a year before services even seemed somewhat “normal.” Everyday life takes more time too. It takes longer to shop for things because you might have to go 3 or 4 places just to find what you are looking for and you are still likely to come home without it. It takes longer to pay bills since everything operates in cash. You must go to each office and individually pay which most of the time requires waiting for the other 52 people who are in front of you. One day, a few weeks into the dry season, I decided I had better water my yard before the grass all dried up. It rains for 5 ½ months out of the year and the rest of the year not a drop. I went to our local Lotus Superstore (a Thai version of Wal-mart). It is set up the same with a food department, clothing, home supplies, cosmetics, electronics, and so on, but it is catered to the Thai people. Most of the food is Thai food which includes lots of rice, fresh vegetables, and fresh fruit. They sell pork, chicken, and fish in the meat section. Dairy products, baking goods, and pre-packaged foods are hard to come by and are very expensive when you do find them. So, I move to the department that should have a water hose. I see a green garden hose wrapped in clear plastic, put it in the buggy, and took it home. Mission accomplished, right? Wrong. I opened up the package and found that there was nothing to screw the hose to the faucet. It didn’t matter much since the faucet was just a piece of smooth pipe at the end. So, the next day we went back to the store to purchase a metal clamp. We bring that home and it was the wrong size. On our third trip to the store we get every size clamp they sell, just in case. I was ready to water my grass, right? Wrong. The water pressure was too much for the old piping and the PVC broke down to the concrete. Three days into my project, and a lot of work later, we had new plumbing, clamps enough for every faucet in the house, and a long garden hose. Our yard finally got watered. Everything in Thailand has its own time.

I praise the Lord He has given me the opportunity to serve in a place that is slowly changing. And though that change is not fast paced, I see progress and the Lord’s hand working. I thank God that people’s hearts are slowly changing and becoming more open to the Lord. Maybe one day Thailand will become a Christian nation. We must tell them one soul at a time. Continue to pray for me and my family. We need your daily prayers as we continue is His service.

In Christ,
Rachel Jones

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