Soos die meeste van julle gelees het was dit nogal 'n groot ervaring wat ek daar op die eiland saam met die Here gehad het. Dat die wind nou so uit my seile gehaal kan word op die oomblik wat alles net begin sin maak het. Ek wil graag net vir julle vertel wat alles daarna gebeur het. Ons Here het my waarlik tot op 'n punt gebring wat ek net nie meer geweet het wat nou verder nie. Radeloos het ek alles in Sy hande oor gelaat en gesien hoe Hy besig is om Sy Kerk daar te begin oprig.
Die naweek na dit alles het die Here die sinneloosheid van waarmee ons besig is, net baie dieper in gevryf en my nog meer oortuig van die hopeloosheid waarmee ons besig is. As dit nie Hy is nie, en as ons nie Hom na mense bring nie en hulle Hom nie kan sien nie, is ons waarlik met wind besig. 'Hoe Here!' is al wat ek kon uitroep. Nou gebeur die wonder. Sien Hý doen dit self. Ons is maar net die instrument wat Hý gebruik. Verlore in myself, oorgegee in alles met die diep oortuiging dat ons nie kan nie, kom Hý en bring Hý die lewe.
So sit ek weer saam met ons Moken vriende op 'n boot besig om te wag dat die son moet ondergaan. Die gesig is weer een van daardie wat 'n mens net in flieks sien. Die keer begin ons gesels. Oor alles waarmee die Moken sukkel en wat hulle sien en ervaar. Dit was nogal 'n belewenis om dinge deur hulle oë te begin sien. Hulle is waarlik wonderlike mense en ek begin nou verstaan hoekom hulle sulke besonderse mense in ons Here se oë is. Die eenvoud van wie hulle is, die kinderlike opregtheid. Mense, so na God se hart!
Die aand met die duik voel ek iets is nie lekker met my nie. Ek het 'n baie kort asem en my liggaam wil nie so lekker saam werk nie. Maar wat, ek steur my nie te veel daaraan nie. Toe ons klaar geduik het kry ek so koud, dat ek sit en bewe daar op die boot. Ons het toe klaar besluit ons gaan die volgende dag met die Moken as gemeenskap praat. Min het ek geweet wat die volgende dag vir my voorlê.
Met 'n hoofpyn wat skrik vir niks en 'n lyf wat flenters getrap is deur 'n trein, word ek die volgende oggend wakker. Kyk daar was nou net mooi niks in my my wat nie gepyn het nie. Maar die ergste van alles is die swaar lomp liggaam. Ek het skaars genoeg krag gehad om dit op te lig. Met dié liggaam, vergader ons toe die oggend en word die metode van kerk onder die Moken bespreek. Hulle is baie opgewonde omdat hulle nog nooit gehoor het dat God ook van hulle musiek hou nie en dat Hy ook graag wil aanbid word in hulle taal. En dat dit nie God se doel is om hulle almal Thai of Engels te maak nie, maar dat Hy hulle lief het net soos hulle is. Dadelik word die bal in hulle hande gegooi om te besluit hoe hulle die Here wil dien en hoe hulle na Hom wil soek.
Daar sou die volgende naweek terugvoer gegee word oor dit alles, maar die gebeure deur die week het alles gekniehalter. So met 'n koors wat aan die 40 raak word ek toe na die hospitaal toe geneem. Daar word bloed toetse gedoen om maar net te bevestig wat ons al klaar vermoed het, Dengue. So word ek toe opgeneem in die hospitaal, want hulle is bekommer oor die vinnige val die bloedplaatjies in my bloed. 'n Mens kan glo aan die bloei gaan en dan is daar glo groot moeilikheid. So moet ek toe 'n blou rokkie met hempie aantrek en daar in 'n saal van omtrent 60 mense gaan lê.
Nou kyk, dit was waarlik vir jou 'n belewenis hier in die Thai-hospitaal. Die mense kyk baie goed na jou. Daar is nie waarlik 'n geneesmiddel vir Dengue nie, maar jy word net gemonitor om seker te maak dat jy nie begin bloei nie en as jy wel begin, het hulle die vermoë om aan jou bloed te gee. Maar in my geval sou dit die einde beteken het, want hier is al die bloed positief en ja ek is negatief. Die Here is waarlik onbeskryflik want net na twee dae, het my bloedplaatjie telling gestabiliseer en kon ek huistoe gaan. Dat 'n muskiet jou so sleg kan laat voel!
Duisend dankies vir al julle liefde en gebede. Sonder julle sal dit nie vir ons moontlik wees om hier te oorleef nie. Ons kan maar net saam met julle lof aan ons Here bring.
Liefde groete, In Hom, Philip อํานาจ
Yes, the end of the month is long past and I know my newsletter is a bit late this month, but at least it gave you a breather. Everything that happened in April is nearly too much to mention. Feedback on my special prayer request (the meeting between, myself, the Moken & God) has seen 2 of the 3 instalments already being sent to you, so I’m not going to write about that. I am rather going to write about what happened after that and oh yes, my stay in hospital.
As most of you have read, it was a major experience that I had with the Lord on the island - just as everything started to make sense, the wind was taken out of my sails. I would like to share with you what happened after that though. Our Lord truly brought me to a point that I didn’t know which way to turn. At my wit’s end, I had to leave everything in His hands and witness how He started to raise up His Church here.
The weekend after, the Lord went on to emphasise the senselessness of our busyness, convincing me even more of the hopelessness of our situation. If it is not Him we give to people and if it is not Him they see, then we are chasing wind. “How Lord!” was all I could cry out. Then the miracle happened. See, it is He who does it. We are just the instruments He uses. Lost in myself, totally surrendered to the fact that we can’t do it, He comes through and brings His Life.
And so I’m sitting again with my Moken friends on the boat waiting for the sun to set. The view is again one we only see on the big screen in theatres. This time we started talking about everything the Moken are struggling with, and what they see and think. It was an awakening to start to see through their eyes. They are truly wonderful people and I am beginning to understand why they are so special in Our Lord’s eyes. The simplicity of who they are and their childlike sincerity. People so close to God’s heart!
Diving this same evening, I felt something was amiss with me. I was short of breath and my body didn’t want to cooperate properly. But because I was enjoying myself, I wasn’t paying much attention. After the dive I got so cold and sat shivering on the boat. We already decided that we were going to talk to the Moken community the very next day, however I did not realise what was laying ahead for me that day.
I woke up the next morning with a deafening headache and a body that felt as if it was hit by a train. There wasn’t a single thing in my body that wasn’t in pain. The worst was this lump of non-cooperating flesh that was my body. I barley had strength to lift myself up. In this state I met with the Moken community in the morning, as they were discussing the method of church among themselves. They were extremely excited as they have never heard that the Creator God also likes their own music and that He also wants them to talk and worship Him in their own mother tongue.
They were so amazed that God didn’t intend to make them Thai or English but that He loves them just as they are. Immediately the ball was placed in their hands, they would have to choose how to serve Him and how they wanted to seek Him.
The next weekend we would have received feedback about the turn of events but that was all cut short in the week. With nearly a 40 degree fever I was taken to hospital where blood tests only confirmed what we already figured out, Dengue. I was immediately hospitalised because of the alarming rate at which my blood cell count was falling. A person can apparently start bleeding and then there’s big trouble. So I found myself with a blue frock and shirt, lying in a ward with about 60 other people.
The Thai hospital was truly an amazing experience. The people look after you very well. There is no real cure for Dengue, but I was monitored to ensure that I didn’t start to bleed as they would then have had to give me blood. Which would have been my end as the blood is mostly positive and I am negative. The Lord is truly indescribable because just after 2 days, my blood cell count stabilised and I was able to go home. To think that it is a mere mosquito that can put you back like this!
A thousand thank yous’ for all your love and prayers. Without you it would not be possible for us to survive here. We can only give glory to Him, together with you.
Loving greetings
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