Rick Kim

The Immigration Detention Center (IDC) is difficult to find and travel to when you have to rely on public transportation.  It is over a mile walk to and from the nearest subway line.  Calvary Baptist Church orders a large amount of Pakistani food to deliver to the detainees for each visitor.  We also purchase other essentials like water, bread, dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables on the way to the IDC.

Today, I went solo and I was to see someone new that was recently “trapped.”  It is completely exhausting carrying by hand several heavy bags of food in hot steamy weather on very iffy sidewalks that is crowded with people going about their business.  Your hands and feet burn with each step.  Your head spins knowing that you must get to the IDC by a certain time to fill out the visitation application or you will be denied visitation.  By the time you enter the visitation area you are tired and soaked in sweat.

When you see the smile of the person you have come to see, sometimes for the first time, in the terrible conditions they are enduring, your exhaustion completely disappears.  Your little suffering is nothing compared to the person standing across from you, who is enduring more than you can imagine, day and night.  You bring a little sympathy, comfort, money and a taste of home to somebody in a desperate situation, you realize and are thankful that it is a privilege and honor given to you by God to serve others as Jesus gave His life for me.

I visited an Ahmadi Muslim man from Pakistan who was “trapped” one month ago after arriving in three months ago to find work to support his wife and family.  In Pakistan he could not find enough work to support his family of five, four daughters and a son who has a brain and back injury.  He could not communicate with his family back home while at IDC because he had no money and they do not know of his current status.  He does not know anyone in Bangkok who can help him.  He has applied for UN asylum refugee status and it will be many months before his case is reviewed.  He is living a nightmare having his hopes and dreams to support his family dashed because he was unfortunate to be caught by police officers whom he was not able to “pay” to continue his dreams.  Please pray for him and his family, for safety reasons I cannot disclose his name.

He has many needs at IDC.  On this visit I gave him money call his family and to use at the commissary at the IDC.  I will provide for him what I can while we are able.  To support him and others detained at IDC we need your help.  Please donate to our fund to help him and others like him.

Glory and praise to our Lord.  The final edits have been made to the JoyFlow workbooks, correcting and updating them with the help of the staff at Thailand Bible Society (TBS).  Four workbooks of 2,500 each will be printed in two to three weeks time and they will be available through TBS.  All this could not have been possible except through the Grace of Jesus Christ.

There are no “chance” meetings between fellow workers.  God through His perfect ways, gives answers to the prayers of the many who toil in spreading the Good News and makes Himself known to the unreached.  The married couple who are JoyFlow Creative were seeking the assistance of the senior pastor of a Korean church in Bangkok, it was their and our first visit and Sunday service there.  The couple had created children’s workbooks of the Holy Bible and started a series on the life of Jesus Christ.  We had a very brief meeting after service, due to scheduling conflicts we parted ways but my wife and I knew, God was answering our prayers.  Never in our wildest thoughts did we imagined it would be in helping create books about Christ in that ten minute “chance” meeting.

For the several months leading up to our first visit to the Korean church, my wife and I were feeling lost and hopelessness were creeping into our thoughts.  The Thai language is very difficult to learn and can be overwhelming along with the weather, the culture idiosyncrasies that you must adapt to and accept; it is a dark land where the gloom of darkness seeps into the light within you.  God led us to seek out a healthy Korean church to realign ourselves with what His desire for us; to be ourselves in Christ, to have faith and walk the path He wants to walk at His pace.

That “chance” meeting has led us to walking along with many brothers and sisters now.  My wife and I give glory to God that He provided.  TBS, JoyFlow, Christian Education Department, Baptist Student Center, House of Blessings Foundation, our mission organization, Covenant Sukhumvit, Egeiro Club, LifePoint Bangkok Campus, New Vision Church, Baptist Coffee, Evangelical Church of Bangkok, Liquid Metals Group, Bangkok Union Church, Khlong Toei Slum Ministry and many other organizations to be named that have helped us in our walk.

We wanted to especially recognize our sending church and my family.  Without the members of Good Community Church of Torrance and its leadership in providing guidance, training, donations, prayers and fellowship, our mission would have concluded many months ago with little fruit.  Now we look to serve many more months and years to come, working with believers to plant the Good News into the children of Thailand but also to the bordering countries by translating the workbooks and other books to their respective languages.  My two adult children and other family members have suffered in our absence.  We want to thank them for their understanding and support in our godly received desire to serve in the mission field.  Without you and your blessing, we could not have moved forward in this journey of faith.  Noah and Kaila, know we love you always.

Praise the Lord!  We are extremely close to finalizing the editing of all the children’s workbooks we have been working towards.  Praise the Lord!  Our sending church as authorized us to print 2,500 of each of the four updated workbooks.  Praise the Lord!  He made it possible for us to be here in Bangkok and follow faithfully in His name.