Dangerous Destinations

Ruth Anne: With less than 48 hours to go now, Megan and I are in the mad throes of packing, midst some disturbing news headlines.

If you haven't been keeping up with world news, you might not know that political unrest, focused mainly in Bangkok (Thailand's capital to the south), has seen that city put under a state of emergency, and prompted other countries to issue travel warnings.

We're still going. At least we are as of Friday night - the time of this posting. It's a tricky decision. Lots of factors come into play, and there may still come a point where we'll have to postpone our visit to Hot Springs. I've spent the last few days getting my head around that possibility.

But the situation right now is such that air travel is not disrupted, Chiang Mai, far to the north, is not directly affected other than so-far non-violent, pro-government rallies at the university (no where near where we will be). And our Thai hosts will be there at the airport to greet us, taking us to Hot Springs up and out of the city. We have been assured that our destination is not dangerous.

There is a distinct advantage to having both Thai and Western friends who live there, speak the language and know the culture. They've experienced the political unrest first hand already for many years and have that sixth sense about danger or lack thereof. They can help interpret the news from "the inside", and reassure us that our time in their country will be as safe, at least as safe as any long distance mission trip ever is anyways.

Which brings me to the point.

No matter what the circumstances, you always go not knowing. Always. When you follow God into Regions Beyond, it's always a dangerous destination, on more than one level.

We have and will bring prudence to bear on the decision to go or stay, inviting the opinion of the people who know the situation best, and being willing to set some criteria for remaining at home. We will submit to the call of those in charge and those who love us and have a vested share in our well-being. We will exercise all reasonable caution, in all the traveling and the entire time there. We will. Reckless abandon is not good stewardship.

But the bottom line is that moving out into Regions Beyond will never be as safe as staying put. If I wanted to stay safe, I'd never have gone on that first trip. That was not safe, not for my heart. That was not safe, not for our church, who has since then risked so much, and invested so deeply in order to reach out to 15 kids who didn't have anything and now are thriving. It's not safe to go where there are spiders as big as your hand in the bathroom, sinister microbes lurking in the water, and angry mobs rioting in the streets.

It's not safe to go where you'll be knocked out of your categories, thrust into cultural mind benders, and pushed to the end of yourself emotionally and psychologically.

It's not safe to expose yourself to the agonies of desperate, beautiful, poverty-damaged people, and look into the eyes of children who have been abandoned. It's not safe to look into the face of hopelessness and dare your heart not to be demolished.

It's not safe. Who said anything about safe?

Of course, let's not be stupid. And that's where the criteria for cancellation could still come into play and ground us. And I'll cry for three days, and then get on with planning the next trip. I'll stay home.

But I still won't be safe. Not if I let God keep taking me to all the dangerous places He longs to make lovely by sending His ambassadors there.

And here's another thing. This safety thing. It's all about me. What about our kids? If it's not safe for me to travel there, how safe is it for them to live there? This is our family, living there, where it's not safe.

So....I'm still packing....so far. But if we go or if we stay, this thing we've got going with Hot Springs, with real live people living in dangerous situations, it's dangerous.

I have to admit it. This following hard after God thing....has taken me to some very dangerous destinations.