Our first day in Ubon from JK

I am challenged in many ways by what I see. We are in a completely different culture with a completely different world view. I can only imagine what Lynn and Amy (and for that matter, John and Kathy) must have felt as they began. The first thing one MUST do here is pray. “Lord, where do we go first?” It reminds me of Philip in Acts 8:
AC 8:26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."
AC 8:30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
AC 8:31 "How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

It seems to me that I what Lynn and Amy and the team are doing here. They are praying and looking closely into the heart of what God wants to happen. Then when they get a word from the Lord, they go forward in that direction.
Here’s an example of what that looks like. As Lynn was praying everyday for months along a road that he walked, God led him to an empty place right above a Starbucks just down the road from where we are staying. I feel drawn to pray with Lynn for that place to be a healing center—a place of business on the second floor, just as people walk across a bridge from the other side of the road. It seems to be a symbolic place of some kind. Tuesday afternoon, Andrew took a video of thi place, and hopefully we will have the opportunity to put it on youtube so EVERYONE connected in prayer with Lynn and Amy and the team here can see this place and pray for an opportunity for the team.
I am also being challenged by Gary Thomas’ book The Beautiful Fight in which I am getting a glimpse of the Kingdom of God. I was very challenged by the idea that when a number of people were dying from disease in the 3rd Century, it was the Christians who put their lives on the line by caring deeply for those who were ill. Their witness led others to Jesus, and the Christian’s death because they stood in the gap for people was the catalyst for the Kingdom to grow.
Lord, help us to see what you are doing here in Ubon.