ADVENTURES with the
harlands
Episode №6
To kick off our Generations issue, we asked
Luke and Belle to reflect on the fast and slow
of generational change from their view in
rural Thailand.
I
t’s easy to forget about the rest
of the world when living in a rural
community.
Life here in rural Thailand moves very
slowly and adapting to changes made
in cities hundreds of kilometres away
can literally take generations. This is
particularly true for those who don’t
have the means to travel or access to
things like the internet or world news.
Decades ago there was a push to have
all children across Thailand attend
and complete school. This is in stark
contrast to previous generations,
most of whom had only completed
up until grade 3 (if at all). More recent
years have seen a push for education
reforms, particularly English literacy
to keep up with an ever-increasing
globalised world.
While the emphasis on education
has been good it’s left a significant
mark on rural communities. Masses
of young people from communities
across Thailand and Asia have moved
to the cities to study and find work.
When they have children, they leave
them back home with the grandparents
and continue to work in the city to
fund their children’s education. Rural
communities are left with an ageing
population caring for the young.
For Belle and myself,
this means we have
very few peers of a
similar age except
for some of the local
teachers, hospital staff
and other working
professionals. It can be tough to
make connections with people
from a different life-stage, but soon
conversations shift to the joys and
challenges of raising children (whether
our own or, in their case, the grandkids)
and quickly the generational gap
seems to shrink.
It’s interesting thinking about
this slow generational change
considering the story of the Bible.
God’s not bound by time and has
existed for longer than we can
comprehend. So, when He interacts
with people to establish His kingdom
‘as it is in Heaven’, He is not rushed
to completion but demonstrates a
beautiful patience to work generation
by generation. That being said, there
are also times in God’s great story
when we see a ‘suddenly’… a shift
in culture or circumstance at such a
scale that it can only be described as
a move of God.
While Thaila nd has had
a Christian missionary
presence for over 150
years, the Ethnic Thai are still
considered least-reached with only
a tiny percentage of people claiming
a faith in Jesus. Many cross‑cultural
workers have worked diligently, prayed
consistently and waited patiently for a
Thai generation to meet Jesus. There
is still so much to be done, and yet,
as I look around at the young and old
generations in our community, I believe
things are about to change.
I see this change in the villages we, and
our team members, are working. There
are now four vibrant Ethnic Thai faith
communities. Not only have people come
to faith in Jesus, but they are sharing
their faith with friends and family. These
groups are identifying people within
their faith community who will disciple
and lead them into the future, and many
are being trained and equipped for
these roles. We are seeing God change
people’s lives and break down long-held
generational barriers so that people can
come together to worship.
I think God’s ‘suddenly’ in Thailand may
be just around the corner.
resonate · issue 30 · page 2