It’s funny how our memories work. Some things we forget, at least until some event triggers us and the memory comes rushing back like the tide. Other things we never forget.
I have such a memory from my ministry in Southeast Asia. It was from one of the first times I stood in front of a room full of Khmu church planters and pastors. God had put something really important on my heart to discuss with them, so important that I chose not to rely on my broken Thai language and I asked my co-worker, PK, to translate from my English straight into Khmu.
I was using a whiteboard and I began by drawing two church buildings. I had limited artistic ability, so I drew simple stick figures. One of the buildings had a steeple, while the other was a hut on stilts. I explained that I wanted to talk about the partnership between churches in North America and churches among the Khmu in Southeast Asia. I particularly wanted them to think about the blessings that have come from those relationships. So, I asked them to name some of the blessings that they had received, and I wrote them on the board under the church with the steeple. They said things like, “Bibles, missionaries, teams, and funds.” They easily thought of many things.
Then I asked them to think of the blessings that the North American churches had received from the Khmu. I was met with complete silence! Some just stared, some looked at the floor, but no one spoke. I re-phrased the question, thinking maybe it wasn’t clear. But still nothing. So I began to list things on the board that I knew of. I said things like “your faith, your courage, your stories, your closeness to the Holy Spirit, and your passion for prayer.” I easily thought of many things. And for every one I named, I could see in their faces a new understanding of how blessings flow in both directions in healthy partnerships.
Fast forward a few years later. I was sitting on the steps outside a hotel meeting room with my Khmu friend, Khamphet, who is a pastor, church planter, man of God and good friend. As we sat there drinking coffee during a break between training sessions, he reached over and squeezed my leg and said, “I think I finally understand something. You really need us!”
Yes. We do. We need each other. Only by being together will the world come to know Jesus.
Please pray for strong global partnerships not only in Southeast Asia but around the world.
