Reflections on 2 weeks at CCEC in June 2023

Three months ago, my 9th grade son approached me with the idea of going on a missions trip to CCEC with our church, Austin Chinese Church. Although I was vaguely aware that members of our Mandarin-speaking congregation went every summer, I wasn’t certain what they did or had I ever considered joining. I was hesitant to let my son join the team since the summer seemed better used to explore future career opportunities. In addition, since my son is under 18, our church was requiring a parent to go as well. After a lot of prayer and consideration, my husband and I decided to say yes and trust God with our son’s future as well as my time.

Immediately after joining the team, I encountered my first challenge of language. Having quit Chinese school when I was 11 and running a household that only spoke English, I was now thrown into team planning and prayer meetings with 5 other native-Chinese-speaking adults. I felt bad every time they had to switch to English for me, knowing that it made it harder for them to express themselves. Yet through those actions, God used their considerateness to build a foundation of trust and grace for each other’s abilities.

After arriving in Thailand, I experienced more language challenges after being assigned to a class where the children could not speak English or Chinese. It was extremely hard trying to teach, let alone communicate, and sometimes our sentences would comprise of simple words like “Teacher, toilet!” and “Okay, toilet!” Through this time, I learned to rely on God for creative ways to convey intention through pantomime and care through smiles, and I was reminded of just how magical that time in the Book of Acts must have been when suddenly everyone could understand what was being said through the Holy Spirit.

As someone who frequently speaks, writes, and uses words as both a tool and badge of pride, the inability to connect with others through language was a time of weakness for me. Of course, we know that through our weakness, the Holy Spirit is strong. As I learned to receive the kindness of dorm kids who would help translate, I was able to feel the love of God through nightly praise & prayer, and as I was forced to observe more than speak, I was convicted by Ton and Sabine’s indefatigable daily examples to return home and persist in serving with both kindness and firmness.

Even though I came on this trip solely to honor God through supporting my son, I am leaving encouraged by the examples of all the children and staff, as well as the school’s mission. I am thankful for the opportunities to teach and get to know the school kids better, and to gain a wider perspective on God’s image reflected in each child that He has created and put here on earth. I am thankful for seeing the Holy Spirit work through me, in bringing children to me that wanted to connect and would make efforts to surpass the language barrier to share about their family situations and hopes for the future.