Blue and Green team split up again for this ministry point. We were very excited to come and impact the lives of those here in Laos. We partnered with Hands of Hope, an organisation that focuses on providing education and basic life skills to deaf people. The green team was ready to take up any challenge handed to us.
Our team started our 10 days in Laos on the right note by praying for this ministry point. We felt it said that we are going to focus on bonding as a ‘family’. We didn’t hesitate to put that in practice! Every night we came together as a team to have family nights, we played games or watched movies – after a long day of work this was so refreshing. Not only did we glorify Jesus by loving each other during our family nights, but we put on our armour of God together as a symbol for our readiness to do God’s work. We realised how important team unity is in this way and what better way to do it than with Jesus. Our team prayer sessions during our time in Laos also brought healing, revelation and breakthrough to individuals. It is so important to accept Jesus’ pouring into our own cups before pouring out to others.
“The Spiritual atmosphere in Laos was quite heavy and had an impact on our team. Each morning our team got together before work, we worshipped together and symbolically put on the armour of God together. Jesus showed us anew what it means when He is fighting for us and equipping us daily. Ephesians 6:10-18 is the scripture that we really held onto.”
-Lizé
After putting our armour on in the mornings, we had sign language lessons facilitated by 2 of the deaf students. It was amazing to see how we figured out a means of communication without words or sounds. We really enjoyed it and learned so much! We ended up telling stories to one another in sign language with lots of creativity and laughing involved. By learning to ‘speak’ their language we could almost instantly connect with them. It was so special to see how eager they were to communicate with us. After our classes we went straight to physical labour. Some of us tackled the hard soil of the vegetable garden, others learned how to work with cement and bricks, building a new bathroom. We also painted a beautiful mural focussed around the Bible verse ‘Proverbs 31:8 Speak up for those who can’t speak up for themselves’. We hope that this powerful verse will encourage everyone who sees it. Not only did we do work outside, but some of the team members used their talents in the kitchen by showing the students how to make pancakes and by hosting a delicious butter chicken night. They truly appreciated it and we enjoyed it just as much as they did.
During our time here the host truly blessed us; taking us for a hike up a very beautiful mountain. We were in awe of God’s creation – the green trees, river streams and hills. We spent the rest of our day at a waterpark and had a blast! The fun did not stop there. We had the privilege to watch Laos’ national soccer team in action against Nepal with the deaf students and a group of Canadian short term missionaries.
“What an incredible privilege it was to work alongside the deaf community. Stepping into their world and experiencing life through their eyes was truly humbling. Such a calm and peaceful place, filled with people whose kindness left us in awe. They welcomed us so warmly, patiently teaching us sign language and even cooking for us almost every single day. What a beautiful community, and what a blessing it was to be part of their lives, even for a short while!”
-Morgan
Laos taught our team the importance of unity and having faith in the midst of darkness. If we fix our eyes on Jesus we won’t get stuck in the trials and tribulations, but see the many blessings God gives us. God has so much grace for all of us as we learn to draw near to Him. After all… everything that comes out of us should come out of a place of knowing Him.
The Green Team