The next battle

A while back I wrote in this post and this one about "Mae", a skinny 13 year-old we found working at a bar who joined The Well after a good bit of persuasion.  Now we're still fighting a second, bigger battle--the one for her heart. 

A couple of weeks ago we sent a team to visit Mae's village in Buriram.  She had not been back for 3 years.  Her 36 year-old father lives in a tiny rundown shack and drinks constantly.  The morning the team left he asked our worker for money to buy another bottle of rice whiskey.  We haven't met Mae's mother yet--she left her husband with Mae, and has been working near Bangkok as a maid.  She promised to come visit the end of this month, but for the last Mae has been unable to reach her.

Of course children react to such turmoil in different ways.  Pear, another 13 year-old that I wrote about recently who has been essentially discarded by her mom, is a charming affection sponge.  Mae on the other hand  stiffens when Judy tries to hug her.  When I tell her I love her, which I do often with our students, she reacts blankly. 

Mae says she wants to be a doctor in order to make a lot of money to provide for her mom and dad, who obviously haven't provided for her.  No wonder we found her in a bar--this little girl never really got to be one.  

There's no other way to the heart of one such as this other than lots of prayer and patience, just being unrelentless in our love.  We tell our students that there is nothing that they can do to make us quit on them, and we mean it. It's just the same as what God does to win and keep our hearts, and of course it's God who is after Mae's heart much more than we are.  I do believe He will get it.  We've seen a couple of soft spots--Mae loves to sing, so guitar lessons are on their way.  At the beach I watched her dig into a jellyfish to see how many tiny starfish it had eaten.  One basic biology or picture book on nature coming up.  We'll keep you posted.

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Gabrielle Eden
Posts: 5

Mae
Reply #5 on : Wed August 29, 2007, 03:04:46

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That last comment was mine. I was trying to see how you can comment only with the one field. I enjoy your blog.

Anonymous
Posts: 5

Re: The next battle
Reply #4 on : Wed August 29, 2007, 03:02:06

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Jim - this helps me so much to know how to pray for your ministry.

Roy Bessell
Posts: 5

Re: The next battle
Reply #3 on : Wed August 29, 2007, 02:22:13

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I am moved to tears.

Dani Huntley
Posts: 5

we miss you guys!
Reply #2 on : Wed August 29, 2007, 01:00:30

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Jim, your blog regularly breaks my heart and inspires me all in the same entry! To hear you talk about the girls, especially the young ones brings my memory back to Thailand like we were there yesterday... Is it a coincidence that I am working/ studying in a concentration of immigrant/ refugee urban youth?! I don't know what God is up to, but I know that we will continue to think of you and pray for your regularly. My prayer for the girls I work with here and your girls there is Proverbs 4:23... p.s. Uptown Baptist Church was a blast!! :)

Bill Graver
Posts: 5

love
Reply #1 on : Tue August 28, 2007, 19:41:55

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I don't want to get you all puffed up or anything, Jim, but I have to tell you that you and Judy and the other staff members are awesome examples of Calvary-quality love.

I saw all of you expending yourselves to show the girls how precious they are and how much Jesus loves them and I have to tell you that it was quite an education.

I think it's so cool what Jesus is doing through you and what He's doing in the hearts of your students.