Singing in the Hills

Exodus 14:30-15:1

That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant. Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.

Luke 15:4 Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, " Rejoice with me: I have found my lost sheep." I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

When do we sing.? When do we rejoice? When do we lift up our voices to God? When there is the experience of freedom and liberation from God. When Jesus becomes real to us and we see him as he is, we open our mouths to others and sing.

A few months ago I wrote to you about the Akha drug addicts who were from the village of Mehter, in the north of Thailand. Currently, fifteen of them have graduated from the program and most recently we had the opportunity to help transport them back to the village. When I drove to Baw Gaow, the final place where the Akha were going to graduate, I was wondering about the changes in their lives. I remember when we brought them some 3 months ago, to a center high in the hills outside Chiang Mai. I would have to say that they were a sorry looking lot. But now, as we visited them for graduation from this very unique program the changes were self evident. There was joy in the air, a new countenance on their faces, as we greeted them and talked with them about life.

On the evening of July 18, we had a special dinner and the graduation ceremonies. We had a final worship service together and some great singing. It was a joyful time. That night as I went down to my cabin to go to bed I heard the singing from a far---- a singing that seemingly would not end. They sang on into the night. Those who at one time had no interest in Jesus Christ now were singing his praises.

The next day we loaded up two trucks and proceeded to drive about 6 hours to the Akha village of Mehter. When we arrived we were greeted by the headman of the village and we had a brief meeting. Later we gathered for a great dinner as the headman provided a pig. (Yes, it is almost like the scripture-- kill the fatted calf--our lost sons have come home.) After, the dinner, we had a chance to report on the experience. Petro and Adjer, Akha evangelists, spoke for more than a few moments. And then, they asked me to speak and I thought to myself-- here is my chance to preach and testify about Jesus Christ to the headman. But I thought about it and said only one statement which was-- God gives the power to free people from drugs. I wanted to say less, because if the Akha men had experienced the freedom and power of Jesus Christ then they should say so. I did not want to testify for them.

So the Akha men stood up one at a time and spoke briefly in Akha about their experience. Then the whole group broke into singing hymns and choruses in the Akha language. Well, they sang and sang . . . for about an hour. Some of us wanted to go to bed-- it was late. This was amazing experience for me. It was very much a blessing to see those who had no interest in the Christian faith and addicted to opium now singing the praises of God and you seemingly could not keep them quiet. Their singing was infectious. My only hope in these matters is that they do not go back to the old ways of taking opium. This is a real risk. The ultimate success is that we will be able lead them to become committed disciples of Jesus Christ. Please pray for these men at the village of Mehter that the Holy Spirit would strengthen them. We have a lot of work ahead of us in developing this village but I am greatly encouraged. The Akha evangelists that I work with say that the headman is opening his heart and there is a good chance that we will be able to build a bamboo church in this village in the near future. That is a miracle.

Oh, there is one brief experience that I would like to mention. When we arrived that afternoon in the village we took a brief tour of the village. The addicts had returned home to visit with family before the big dinner. We took a walk in the village and visited in a few homes. One addict asked me , who had been freed from this burden of opium, what amount of money he could give to me in return for what I had done for him? I was touched by the question. I said to him, You don't need to give me anything, but if you continue to be free from drugs and worship Jesus Christ this will be more than enough. ---Chuck Fox, Chiang Rai, Thailand