Bangkok is a massive city. Founded 500 years ago it sprawls now over 600 square miles with a population of over 9 million. I first visited Bangkok eight years ago with my wife on a trip to do some teaching and visit friends of ours in Vietnam. We made a brief stopover in Bangkok for a conference. It impressed me mostly with it’s heat, humidity, and traffic. Eight years later the heat and humidity remain but the traffic seemed less onerous – thankfully!
Bangkok is renowned for some of the best medical care available in the world, and many people in Southeast Asia find it less expensive and more reliable to journey to Thailand for diagnosis and treatment rather than options in their own countries. Thai hospitals are a marvel of efficiency and organization and it’s possible to have multiple appointments with various specialists within the span of a day or two. You can purchase packages of typical or popular tests. Amazing.
The week-long celebration of the Thai Concordia Lutheran Church started in Bangkok, probably because that’s where most people were flying into. The TCLC made all the arrangements for us which simplified things a lot.
Each day we meet to hear a variety of involved persons provide history and context of TCLC’s ministry. We also hear from ministry partners, like Lutheran Hour Ministries. As well, invited guests (such as myself for the LCMS) are invited to share a bit about their organizations. We have breaks in between for networking, lunch at the hotel, and then dinner at the hotel as well. Afterwards there are Thai dance performances from students at some of the schools sponsored by the TCLC or partner organizations like Garuna Foundation. The day wraps up typically at 9pm, at which point most folks are more than ready for bed!
What a great way to meet people and get ideas for how to work together to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
The Nelson Family Indonesia 