"A Stroll through a Village" - by Jason Byers

“A Stroll through a village”

A reflection of 21^st century missions

The aroma grew stronger to the point where I could even taste it. The aroma of “guy yaang” (barbeque chicken) filled this little village that was tucked away in the far off rice fields. It was like I just jumped into an old missionary storybook from the 1950s. Chickens and pigs roamed freely while the local kids gather together just to look at the foreigners white skin and big noise.  As I proceeded down the road, I passed the grandmothers taking refuge from the hot sun under the shade of a banana tree. They sported their traditional village attire and yelled at the pack of mangled looking dogs that awkwardly followed my every step. Something caught my eye, which made me jump out from the pages of this old missionary story and land in the reality of the modern era. I noticed a new Toyota truck was parked in front of an old, wooden house on stilts! At the same house was a red satellite dish tied snugly to the wooden roof, providing the channels for their big screen TV. It was like I suddenly ran into a sign that read, “Welcome to 21^st century missions.”

Seeing the effects of globalization quickly reminded me that things are changing quickly! People in very remote areas in the world are connected and influenced by others across the globe through modern technologies. Yet, in the midst of all these cultural paradigm shifts, there is one thing that cannot change! That is the message of the gospel and the passion for it to touch every heart that beats! In the midst of all these changes may we never let the old missionary spirit of reaching people for Christ die out! Thank you for doing what you can to not let the missionary flame die out in your life by joining us on this journey to see the Isaan people reached for Christ!