Early morning on Monday the 5th September, Jeff Callow and I, Bruce, drove to Phattalung with a desire to find a spot to train the leaders who would be helping lead at Adventure Outreach "Master Class" camp taking place in two weeks time in the basics of rock climbing. The spots we found were not ideal and so we went to inquire at the local council if they knew of any possibilities. 

Very quickly we were escorted into the the Mayor's office and offered water and coffee...

We explained what we are looking for and why. The Mayor was very excited about our plans. He not only told us where to find a suitable cliff, but assigned two staff members to drive us around to the various places. The Mayor is very eager to build the tourist industry in this area of Thailand. His hope is that with us creating climbing routes it may create jobs and stimulate the economy. He is hoping climbers will come and rent the equipment from the council and pay a guide to take them to the various climbing points in the area. The following week we went back to set up the first climbing route.

On Saturday, 24th September, while we running the Adventure Camp Master Class to train leaders, over 100 locals arrived, including the mayor, police chief and several other local government staff, to see these crazy people climb up and down a mountain. 

This story has a very clear path that can be seen and one that is not so clear. The obvious is that a climbing route has been setup and the economy may or may not be impacted by the new climbing route. 

The path that cannot be seen clearly and the one that excites me is that in a very short amount of time a few of us have been able to build a relationship with the people in authority within the community. We have been able to share our faith and some stories about who Jesus is with a few of them and why we live and work in Thailand. Please pray that their hearts will be willing to hear the Gospel message and respond to accept Christ. None of us live close to Phattalung and so we trust that God's Spirit will continue to work in their lives with the seeds that have been sown. I rejoice and give thanks to God that we have been one piece of the puzzle in sharing the good news in this area. Maybe you are the person that God is calling to go and live and work in Phattalung!