Instruments of Your Peace

It's a rainy afternoon here in Thailand - a great time to catch up [:cough: Ahem, I use the word "catch up" lightly... It seems to be foreign vocabulary in my life these days] ;-)

I slept fabulously last night and woke up to a great continental breakfast waiting downstairs ... coffee, green tea, and the whole sha-bang. We went out into the city of Cha-am, split up into teams, and prayed and walked through different neighborhoods. As Lisa [Mrs. Caynor] and I were walking through the market, I thought about the shackles and chains these people are living under - without really realizing it. They bow down to their gods, and give their best offerings at the temples... for nothing. They are blinded! Would God help US to cast down the idols in our own lives and would our hearts and lives be offered up as sweet sacrifice to Him alone. After being outside a while, we got extremely thirsty with the sun just beating down on our backs and the sweat literally dripping off of us -- "dying of thirst" you might say. Then I could help but think -- these people are literally dying of thirst. They are thirsting for something. They want to quench this thirst with something, but they dont even know what to do about it. Maybe if they do good works in this life their 2nd life will be better [so they think]. I kept praying that God would help our team to be used as His instruments of peace. Whether it was through a smile or a kind word, I pray that they could've seen just a glimpse of Jesus.

We came back to the hotel, showered, and went back out to the beach for some swimming and lunch. I went w.a.y. out into the ocean and the water wasn't even up to my neck yet -- quite shallow! But it was fun to ride the waves. The water itself is warmer than bath water... ahh, it felt so good. :-) There's still a Californian kick in this 'ole girl, even though I'm now a Coloradoan... ;-) Erin, I thought of you as I walked along the beach ... it reminded me alot of CA, or a Road to Avonlea episode... it was so beautiful! We enjoyed some delicious fried rice and vegetable Chinese rolls for lunch, and then it began to thunder and rain. Some of us decided not to let the rain stop us, so most of us sprinted back into the ocean. It was a happy feeling ... the rain pouring down on us as we swam in the warm ocean water... u.n.t.i.l. people from the shoreline started yelling, "This is when all the jelly fish come up!! Get back!" [It was rather hilarious watching some of the team RUN back to the shore. =D Some of my team mates saw a couple jelly fish... I however did not.]

I l.o.v.e. this song....

"Lord make us instruments of your peace, Where there is hatred let your love increase, Lord make us instruments of your peace, Walls of pride and prejudice shall cease, When we are your instruments of peace. Where there is hatred, we will sow His love; Where there is darkness, we will shine His light. Where there is striving, we will speak His peace to the people crying for release; We will be His instruments of peace. [Chorus] Where there is blindness, we will pray for sight; Where there is darkness, we will shine His light. Where there is striving, we will bear their grief to the millions crying for release; We will be His instruments of peace."