thailand campaign English provides outreach to a cutlure Many students embarked on their various campaigns with specific goals in mind. Whether it was to build a house or serve a community in need,the teams all knew their mission.The plan was similar for a small group going toThailand, however,what they took from the campaign was completely unplanned. In the summer of 2007,senior Mary Greer and juniors Kacey Young and Jack Porter embarked on a campaign toThailand.They, along with 20 other interns, lived and worked in the city of Chiang Mai,Thailand for two months.Their main duties included working with the church in various outreach programs. “The outreach duties consisted of training every morning,” Porter said. “Our afternoons were taken up by English classes.” The team was also strongly encouraged to form relationships with the people around them. “Our jobs for the summer were to be a magnet and a bridge,”Greer said. “Basically to become friends with the students and then bridge them into the church so that [the] connection would not be lost after we left at the end of the summer.” They developed these friendships in a variety of ways. “We would began inviting them to other activities [like] hanging out at coffee shops, going to movies, going to the Night Bazaar, etc.” Porter said. They also led cell groups, which were equivalent to a small group Bible study.The girls created a prayer group for the women they came in contact with while Porter also developed strong bonds with the male interns. Along with developing relationships, the group developed a taste for Thai cuisine. “The food was amazing!”Greer said. “My favorites were the sticky rice with pork or chicken, koy soy and fried rice.” Porter, however, had a different view. “The food was a shock to me,”he said.“I took every chance I got to eat American food or at least something familiar.” The food was not the only obstacle the group had to face.The different culture setting proved to be tough as well. “Culture shock hit me terribly,” Porter said. Living in Thailand was a hard adjustment to make, but in the end the group learned what the true point of their mission was. The group’s reliance on God and desire to bring His people closer to Him was a great motivator throughout their time there. “There is a lot of spiritual warfare going on inThailand,”Greer said. “The devil attacked me like crazy, and it made me have to rely more on God and his strength to deliver me.” [Leigh Hutchinson and Jennifer Harris] 28 [student life]
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