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When Natalie Nordstrom, daughter of Dr. Phillip and Melanie Nordstrom heard about an opportunity to spend four months studying abroad and doing missions work through Evangel University of Springfield, Missouri, where she is attending school, she was the first in line to apply. "We had a chapel at our school called the Eurasia Experience. We were warned that it wasn't for the faint of heart, and if you get freaked out easy, not to come. As we entered the hallway, there were guards posted at the doorway with what appeared to be guns, and they enacted what a passport check, and the other dangers of entering a foreign country would feel like."
"We then sat through a dramatic presentation of what it's like to live in a country without Christ," said Natalie. "And then it just ended, no mention of how we could help, what we could do to make a difference." But it did not end with just watching a video for Natalie. "It weighed heavy on my heart," she said. "I went to the campus pastor and told him that it was not fair to tell us what is going on in the world, but not tell us what to do."
The pastor shared with her about the possibility of spending four months in Bangkok, Thailand, teaching English for Relational Evangelism. "As soon as I heard about the chance, I asked him how to apply. On my way out of the cafeteria where the pastor and I had spoke, I called my parents, and halfheartedly joked with them that I was going to Thailand. But in my heart I knew that I really was going. They said, "Cool, but what are you talking about?" Once her parents learned the details of her opportunity to minister in a foreign country, they were totally supportive of the trip, according to Natalie.
A group of five students left from Springfield Missouri headed to Bangkok Thailand on January 12, 2011, where Seripop Church would host them for the next four months. Bangkok is the capital, and main port of Thailand. It is the cultural, educational, political, and economic center of Thailand. With a population of over nine million people, it faces the typical problems of big cities including traffic congestion and housing shortages . In addition, poverty, prostitution, and human trafficking are huge issues within the city.
"There are a lot of differences culturally," said Natalie. "When you walked out of the doors of our residence in Bangkok and turned to the left, you were in the middle of a poverty stricken shanty town, with homes made of tin and cardboard. You saw children digging through garbage dumps, searching for metals or anything their parents could use to make items to be sold on the streets. If you turned right, you were in an elite, wealthy area with five story malls, rooftop waterparks, and a booming economy. The rich and poor live side by side."
"The biggest shock for me as a Christian was that most people in Thailand have never heard of Jesus, so there is no name for Him, or God. The main religion of the country is Budhism, with Muslim being the second religion of choice. There are less than 2% of the population who are Christians. Our biggest struggle with sharing our faith was having to borrow Buddhist terminology, and explain the difference in our Christian religion. I learned just how blessed I am to live in America. I am grateful for the people I love, the food I eat, and for the religious freedom I have, even the freedom to know and understand about the many different types of religion. Even though they seem to have religious freedom in Thailand, they really don't because most have never heard of Christianity, and live with the social pressure of conforming to the religious practices of the majority."
The students had many opportunities to share their faith. "We would pass out flyers that announced a free English class, and the location where they could join us. In the process of teaching the people English, we would share our testimonies with them, and why we came to Thailand. We would also invite them to church."
One particularly memorable experience for Natalie was when they gave the Book of Hope, a book with the four gospels written in story form in the native language, to a young girl. They also gave her an advertisement for an English class. "She read the whole book the night before she came to the class, and she was so curious about what she had read that she came to the class with questions. We were able to tell her our testimonies and invite her to a Good Friday service. We watched her dedicate her life to Jesus at that service."
The students also did outreach into the red light district of the city where prostitution and human trafficking are huge problems. "There is a lot of sin and corruption, so that when you tell them about the freedom that comes with receiving Christ, they want to experience that. Many of those involved in these horrible ways of life would leave, if only there was a way for them to support themselves," Natalie said.
"My trip to Thailand impacted my life in a major way. I could never forget the people, culture, and stories of how God brought His light into one of the most spiritually dark places on earth. This summer I am working with Christ Community Church's youth group, and I am so excited to be able to share what I have learned about spreading God's love. My trip did not end in Thailand, in fact, I am now beginning the next leg of this mission trip. My goal is to now share with all of Southern Illinois the same story of Christ that I proclaimed in Thailand."
When Natalie Nordstrom, daughter of Dr. Phillip and Melanie Nordstrom heard about an opportunity to spend four months studying abroad and doing missions work through Evangel University of Springfield, Missouri, where she is attending school, she was the first in line to apply. "We had a chapel at our school called the Eurasia Experience. We were warned that it wasn't for the faint of heart, and if you get freaked out easy, not to come. As we entered the hallway, there were guards posted at the doorway with what appeared to be guns, and they enacted what a passport check, and the other dangers of entering a foreign country would feel like."
"We then sat through a dramatic presentation of what it's like to live in a country without Christ," said Natalie. "And then it just ended, no mention of how we could help, what we could do to make a difference." But it did not end with just watching a video for Natalie. "It weighed heavy on my heart," she said. "I went to the campus pastor and told him that it was not fair to tell us what is going on in the world, but not tell us what to do."
The pastor shared with her about the possibility of spending four months in Bangkok, Thailand, teaching English for Relational Evangelism. "As soon as I heard about the chance, I asked him how to apply. On my way out of the cafeteria where the pastor and I had spoke, I called my parents, and halfheartedly joked with them that I was going to Thailand. But in my heart I knew that I really was going. They said, "Cool, but what are you talking about?" Once her parents learned the details of her opportunity to minister in a foreign country, they were totally supportive of the trip, according to Natalie.
A group of five students left from Springfield Missouri headed to Bangkok Thailand on January 12, 2011, where Seripop Church would host them for the next four months. Bangkok is the capital, and main port of Thailand. It is the cultural, educational, political, and economic center of Thailand. With a population of over nine million people, it faces the typical problems of big cities including traffic congestion and housing shortages . In addition, poverty, prostitution, and human trafficking are huge issues within the city.
"There are a lot of differences culturally," said Natalie. "When you walked out of the doors of our residence in Bangkok and turned to the left, you were in the middle of a poverty stricken shanty town, with homes made of tin and cardboard. You saw children digging through garbage dumps, searching for metals or anything their parents could use to make items to be sold on the streets. If you turned right, you were in an elite, wealthy area with five story malls, rooftop waterparks, and a booming economy. The rich and poor live side by side."
"The biggest shock for me as a Christian was that most people in Thailand have never heard of Jesus, so there is no name for Him, or God. The main religion of the country is Budhism, with Muslim being the second religion of choice. There are less than 2% of the population who are Christians. Our biggest struggle with sharing our faith was having to borrow Buddhist terminology, and explain the difference in our Christian religion. I learned just how blessed I am to live in America. I am grateful for the people I love, the food I eat, and for the religious freedom I have, even the freedom to know and understand about the many different types of religion. Even though they seem to have religious freedom in Thailand, they really don't because most have never heard of Christianity, and live with the social pressure of conforming to the religious practices of the majority."
The students had many opportunities to share their faith. "We would pass out flyers that announced a free English class, and the location where they could join us. In the process of teaching the people English, we would share our testimonies with them, and why we came to Thailand. We would also invite them to church."
One particularly memorable experience for Natalie was when they gave the Book of Hope, a book with the four gospels written in story form in the native language, to a young girl. They also gave her an advertisement for an English class. "She read the whole book the night before she came to the class, and she was so curious about what she had read that she came to the class with questions. We were able to tell her our testimonies and invite her to a Good Friday service. We watched her dedicate her life to Jesus at that service."
The students also did outreach into the red light district of the city where prostitution and human trafficking are huge problems. "There is a lot of sin and corruption, so that when you tell them about the freedom that comes with receiving Christ, they want to experience that. Many of those involved in these horrible ways of life would leave, if only there was a way for them to support themselves," Natalie said.
"My trip to Thailand impacted my life in a major way. I could never forget the people, culture, and stories of how God brought His light into one of the most spiritually dark places on earth. This summer I am working with Christ Community Church's youth group, and I am so excited to be able to share what I have learned about spreading God's love. My trip did not end in Thailand, in fact, I am now beginning the next leg of this mission trip. My goal is to now share with all of Southern Illinois the same story of Christ that I proclaimed in Thailand."
