JourneyOnline
IN OCTOBER this year I had the pleasure of visiting a World Vision Aid and Development Project at Lam Thap in Southern Thailand.
There I got to see just what our donor dollars achieve in developing nation situations.
Out of the four projects I visited, one was particularly impacting; a home goat farm that now has around 40 goats.
The goats are housed in stalls raised about a metre off the ground, which protects them from the damp ground and makes it easier to clean out the fertiliser.
The farmer, a Muslim, was particularly delightful and welcoming.
He has six children, who are all attending school now that he has the supplementary income from the goats, which provide
milk, meat, fertiliser and skins.
What is the best gift I ever received?
For the above group photo this Muslim man warmly put his arm around me.
I was particularly touched by this gesture.
A number of the communities World Vision works with in Lam Thap are Muslim.
Here we are, a self-confessed Christian organisation, working without prejudice among many Muslims.
World Vision is doing this without making any attempt to change their faith through means of negotiation (if you …
then we … ), or coercion (us having a crusade mentality), or temptation (through gifts given when a faith response is asked
for thus creating ‘rice’ Christians).
The reward was a hug for a Christian from a Muslim.
That said it all.
Love given and love reflected back.
The best gift I ever received was the love from someone of a different faith who was acknowledging the work of Christians to make this world a better place.
“Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt 6:10)
Photo : Dave Martin is a Church Partnerships Manager for World Vision Australia
