BlackThaiTalk - November 2018 Newsletter

HARVEST
H
ere
About 20 people work together in lines
as they walk through the field cutting
the rice with their sickle. It was obvious
that I (Liz) was new to the job as I tried
my best to keep up with the line, not
leaving any rice behind.
in Ban Luang the fields have now turned from a dark
green to a deep gold as the harvest begins. This week we
have spent some time helping our friends harvest their rice
field. It’s quite an experience.
As we all worked together this verse
from Matthew came to mind. In the
modern days of the west and our great
big harvesting equipment, I don’t think I
have ever really understood the metaphor as clearly as I do now. I
step forward, cut a bunch of rice, lay it behind me, and repeat, to the
beat of my fellow harvesters. As I try to keep up I wonder how hard,
even impossible, it would be to harvest this field alone.
As we take rest in the sala (small wooden shack) we share a meal
“The harvest is plentiful but
the workers are few. Ask the
Lord of the harvest, therefore,
to send out workers into his
harvest field.”
together and encourage each other on the work well done. At one
point about 15 women sat together in the group chatting and
passing around water. I asked my friend (and fellow believer), Tong,
now that we’d cut the rice what happens
next. She told me that the cut rice stays in
the field for at least 3 days to dry out
before they come back to collect it all up. I
asked her what happens if it rains and she
says we just need to pray that it doesn’t.
In front of her family and friends she
asked me to pray to Jesus that it wouldn’t
rain before Thursday. Sadly as I write this,
a day later a huge storm has hit. Please
pray that not all of the harvest will not be
lost and for peace for those that rely on
this for their yearly food and income.
Please will you ask the Lord of the harvest, to send out
more workers here in Thailand to join us in His work.
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