A month ago I was able to connect with an old friend. We had both done a Discipleship Training School with Youth With A Mission 
(YWAM), with our outreach in Thailand. It was over twenty years ago when I flew out of the Bangkok airport – but Phil did not. He and his young family stayed behind and became long-term missionaries serving the Thai people.
It was amazing to catch up after so many years, and to hear stories of how God has worked in their lives and in such a beautiful country. There was one story that caught my attention over all the others.
YWAM Thailand was chosen to host a global gathering for YWAMers a couple years ago. This is a big deal, drawing thousands to be encouraged and to build camaraderie and strategy going forward to reach the nations. Phil worked with a team for over a year to plan and execute this conference in Pattaya, a resort city in Thailand known for beauty and sin.
The leadership of the gathering was wise in their planning. They knew that a majority of the attendees would be from the Majority World (Third World is an outdated term – the majority of the world population lives in Asia, Africa, and South America; basically the conference would not be focused on Western attendees). Therefore they tailored the program accordingly.
Translators worked together to bring messages to a broad swath of languages. Instead of the big name Western speakers dominating the agenda, leaders from Majority World areas brought the Word. There were workshops when attendees were split up into groups where one or two experienced people would be with younger attendees, so that the wisdom of older leaders could be spread wide instead of concentrated in their own groups.
My favorite part of the story was hearing about the worship. Different groups and leaders from various nations worked to lead worship sessions. Phil spoke on how special it was to see the diversity of worship – how each nation/ethnic group brought different aspects and flavors to the times of praise. It wasn’t overdone Western songs from K-LOVE. It was a glimpse of heaven.
We saw a highlight video. It was so beautiful. To see the Thai dancers, the haka performed by Maori brothers and sisters, the special touches by peoples I didn’t even know about, it was truly a peek into future glory.
The Lord has created amazing diversity in our world. As a writer, I feel that it is my obligation to write in such a way that I can show a small taste of creation, which isn’t just natural wonders, but cultural treasures as well.
I know that there are stories that do not lend themselves to a diverse cast, and that’s okay. Sometimes the cultural mandate of the day demands a certain quota of representation, even if it’s not the story for it. And there are challenges to writing/presenting other cultures in a sensitive way that is not appropriating said cultures.
However, when I saw the nations brought together in such a gathering in Thailand, and I saw the amazing sights and sounds that came from a true unity in the body of Christ – a unity made richer by the diversity, I was deeply moved. It truly is a representation of what the Bride of Christ will be. If I can showcase that even a little in my writing, then I believe it is worshipful and glorifying to the God who made us all.
May we all be able to show glimpses of eternity in our work as Christian creatives.