What Draws Me?

This past Sunday we watched a video in church from Thailand. With all the buisiness that has been going on over the last few months I have had little time to sit and think about why I am going back. When I speak to people the automatic response is most often a head response. I know what the right answer is, I know what is being asked of me and I give the appropriate answer. But I think I have forgotten truly why I have fought so hard to get to this point of returning to Thailand. What draws me so steadily back? And then I saw their smiles, their laughter and most meaningful of all their worship. To see their hands raised while singing songs to the Lord brought back a flood of memories from my time in Thailand. Time of laughing and eating and fellowshipping. I remembered the late night volleyball and going to the beach at 12am with a truckload of Thai young people to avoid the tourists. I remember sitting on the floor sharing a meal at 9 pm not understanding hardly a word and yet feeling like my heart had found it's home. I remember the first time I sat down with one of the guys I had befriended and understood his life's story he was pouring out to me in Thai.
The video showed a baptism that had just occured at the beach in the city of the missionaries and my thoughts went back to baptizing former prostitutes in a pool in one of our friends homes and what a joyful day that was. I remembered why I longed to return so much my entire body ached when I came home a year ago. It is for the people. Not the food, not the sun, not the adventure. Although all those things are an added blessing and I can't wait to experience them all again. But it is the stories that draw me to return, the tears, the smiles, the hopes, dreams, and fears in the peoples eyes. The joy on their faces inspite of their lostness. These are the brothers and sisters I want to see beside me in heaven raising their voices in unison praising the Lord. I remember why I have fought so hard to return.