Building relationships is like training for a marathon. It takes time and consistency.

It has been a year since we moved back to Khon Kaen after language studies in Bangkok and Ricardo resumed his exercise routine at the park. He rises before the sun and walks around the loop, praying and listening to the Bible. After that, he joins other early risers to use some creatively constructed exercise machines on a patch of concrete. Over time, he has become accepted as one of the regulars.

At first, people were characteristically polite, but a little shy to approach this foreigner. The first people to move beyond pleasantries were the elderly men who congregate near the exercise equipment to talk, laugh and debate. As people realized Ricardo could speak Thai, they began to engage him in conversation, and this provided a big boost to our relationship building.

Among our new friends is a man who works at the forestry department. He has invited us to go camping with his family during the holidays. Then there is the man who recognized Ricardo when he was passing out advertisements for our music academy at the university elementary school. We live just across the street from the park, so he knew where to find us. That same afternoon, he showed up at our door to talk music. He is a self-taught musician who offers keyboard lessons to lower-income kids on weekends. His family is very open, and it has been a joy getting to know them.

As we experience what it means to effectively share Christ in this context, with an eye for establishing work that will flourish until Jesus comes, we cannot help but be reminded of marathon training—planning, preparation, persistence and perseverance. To celebrate how God has led us thus far, our team will be participating in the Khon Kaen International Marathon at the end of this month. Some of us will run the marathon, others the mini-marathon, and others the 3 or 5 km run. It is a symbol of our commitment to go the distance. We also plan to use the event as publicity for our music school and to raise funds to sponsor needy kids’ tuition in our program. Please consider supporting this event. For more information, email us at godinthailand@gmail.com or mark the donation envelope, “Thailand, Peace Music Academy, Student Fund.”

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