I ended my last post talking about how the Lord will sustain me, and oh has that been true these last few days. We had been looking forward to moving into our house since the moment we got to Thailand, but we had no idea how much work that would be.
We first got to see inside our house and started moving in on October 17th. The previous renter was a missionary family from China who came here during the pandemic. They just moved to Portugal to continue their mission work there. Gary was good friends with them and was able to work out a way for us to rent the house after them. Because of the friendly switchover and the fact that they were moving to a whole new country and couldn't take many things with them, they left a lot of their stuff in the house. This was a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing because we didn't have to furnish our house, and it was pretty exciting finding random cool things. However, there were so many things we couldn't use or didn't need. So we now have a huge stack of stuff outside our house that is awaiting a new home, and it is exciting to know that we will be able to bless people with the stuff we don't need. We also had to undergo the massive task of cleaning the house. It was extremely dirty (I don't think they ever cleaned their house). We scrubbed the house from ceiling to floor (quite literally), and it took about a week until our house was finally finished, but it was so refreshing once it was. We clung to Nehemiah 8:10 - "The joy of the Lord is our strength" as we cleaned our house, and sought to find joy even in the dirtiest of jobs.
The house finally feels like ours and we are so so grateful for a place to live. It is so nice to have a Christian family that lived in the house before us. There are so many crosses and reminders of God's grace and provision everywhere we look, which has been such a blessing. The location is also amazing. Our backyard backs up to North Chiangmai University, and we have a gate and bridge where we can easily walk onto the campus.
Gary introduced us to three girls who he disciples who are students at the university, and they were able to give us a tour of the campus which was so cool. The campus is beautiful and shady, and they have opportunities for us to be able to play soccer and volleyball with the students there. We are hoping to be able to build connections with students there while we are here. We are also excited to continue to meet with the three girls and hope to be able to build one another up in Christ.
We had issues with the plumbing for the first week or so, but thankfully the Landlord was able to fix them. At one point we were down to 1 working toilet and 1 working shower in different bathrooms. I don’t know how that happened, but it was kind of convenient.
Julianne and I are roomies again which is so so fun. I enjoyed rearranging our room and making it feel more homey. I also scrubbed the walls near my bed and when I tell you there was a change in color, I’m not lying. Beds in Thailand are also super hard (on Christ the solid rock I sleep), which is a drastic change from the amazing hotel beds.
Every property and house in Thailand has a spirit house, which is a house on a stand where they place offerings to appease the spirits. Our house is no different, and because we rent we aren't allowed to remove it. When we were cleaning our house and going through all the stuff I found a nativity figurine set. I moved them aside, but then I was struck with the idea to put them into the spirit house and turn it into a Holy Spirit House. So that is what we did, and we were told that the owner most likely won't take it away, because he doesn't want to anger the spirits.
We also have a few coffee shops that are close by. We have enjoyed going to one in particular called Asgard. We had a Bible study with the three girls from North Chiang Mai University and a few other missionaries who are in Chiang Mai. They also have free WiFi, so we go there to work on our blogs and anything else we need to accomplish online. The worker who is typically there is super sweet! We were able to give her a Gospel tract in the Thai language and introduce her to one of the students.
The night markets have finally opened back up after the flooding. We thoroughly enjoyed walking through the many many many stalls of food and all sorts of trinkets and art. They have bugs that you can get to eat. I have yet to try and I don’t know if I will. They also have this fruit called durian which is super smelly, but most of the locals love it. We tried it one night and it’s safe to say none of us were fans. It tasted like rotten eggs and onions blended together. The worst part was after eating it you would continue to taste it the rest of the night. During one of our visits to the night market, it absolutely poured. I didn’t bring any rain protection, so I got absolutely soaked, but it was super refreshing. The heat here is super intense and in just minutes outside I start to drip with sweat. One of the nights heading to the markets we got a songthaew that had speakers. It was the sweetest moment driving down the streets with the music blasting as the sun was setting. On the way home we put on Thai Christian music and shouted Jesus loves you!! พระเยซูรักคุณ!!
We have this little red car that we have been using to get around. We had been told there were issues with the engine, but it worked for us, even though it didn’t have power steering. However, one night when we went to the markets we realized that the coolant was leaking because when we arrived the engine was hissing and smoking. We let it cool off as we walked around and got dinner. We were also able to find more coolant. We went back to the car and were inspecting the engine when two locals saw five girls standing around the popped hood of a rusty old car, so they came up and helped us. They were super sweet and told us to take it to a mechanic the next day.
I have thoroughly enjoyed picking up all the Thai that I can. However, it is an extremely difficult language to learn because it is a tonal language. This means that different words with different tonal inflections convey different meanings. Thai has a total of 5 different tones. I have definitely messed up time and time again, but I enjoy trying and I think the Thai people also get a kick out of it. I have also enjoyed the dragon fruit. It is so so good here, and I have eaten soo much of it.
Our schedule is still up in the air, and the schools have been on break, but there have still been so many opportunities to serve. We were able to help a few of the students from the School of Promise pack Thai booklets that are sent out all over Thailand for Christmas that contain the Gospel. We had a difficult time ordering a grab (the Thai version of an Uber) as most of the locations are in Thai, and sometimes when we copy and paste addresses they don’t come up and we have to guess. Well, that happened to us on the way to the house where we were to pack the booklets. We ordered a grab and thought we were going to the right place, however we were wrong. We realized this when our driver dropped us off at a local temple instead. We tried to ask him to take us to the right place and told him we would pay him more, but he didn’t understand. Instead, he smiled waved, and drove off. We decided to just walk to the right place to avoid the incident happening again. We made it to the right place safely just a little late and very sweaty.
We were also able to help clean up the Athletes in Action’s office from the flooding. Funny story- our songthaew driver got lost on the way and drove around for an hour and a half in circles trying to find the place. I was so sick by the time we got there, even though I was wearing my motion sickness buzzer.
We have also been able to help out in an after-school center. I have really enjoyed our time there and being able to get to know the kids and hang out with them. We get to play a lot of fun games with the kids as well as teach them about Jesus. One of the days, I was with the younger kids and we told the story of Jesus calming the storm. Another day, we were able to talk about the mystery of the Trinity. This is something that a lot of people don’t talk about because of how difficult it is to understand. We shared Isaiah 55:8-9 which says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." This verse helps me find peace in not being able to understand everything about God. As I was meditating on it, I thought about how important it is that we don't understand God. I mean if we could understand everything about Him, He wouldn't be greater than us and He wouldn't be God. With Buddhism being so prevalent it is important to emphasize that we serve 1 God. We were able to use a short film from the Jesus Film about the Trinity that was in the Thai language. It was so cool to be able to show them something in their language, even if we couldn't understand it (and don't worry we watched the English version beforehand, so we knew what it was talking about). - shameless plug...Jesus film has many short films that are super helpful for Biblical lessons or starting Spiritual conversations. They make them in so many different languages as well. I highly recommend checking them out!!
Chris is one of the teachers at the center and he is soo cool. He is one of the humblest people I’ve met, and so so patient. He always joyfully answers our never-ending stream of questions whether they be about the center, the Thai culture, or his life. One of the days after we helped out at the center, he took us to the white temple which is on top of a nearby mountain. There were so many steps up to the top, but it was so worth it. The view was gorgeous, and the temple was beautiful or สวยมาก! While we were up at the top, some monks came up and we got to talk with them for a bit, and even got a picture with two of them!
One of our favorite restaurants in Chiang Mai is The Dukes. They serve American food, and even though it’s a bit more expensive (by Thai standards - which means it is about the price of McDonalds in America), we have been there three times already.
The best part about our house being clean is that we are finally able to have people over. Our first house guest was Fair one of Jill’s friends from China. She was super sweet and I loved talking with her. After she left Kamise started dancing, saying something was in her pants and had bitten her. She ended up taking them off in the living room where we were horrified to find a massive rhino beetle. For the rest of the night, we were all super paranoid about beetles being in our pants.
After church this past Sunday, the Athletes in Action (AIA) staff took us to this gorgeous lake park. It was absolutely beautiful and had these floating huts with tables to order food. The food was amazing!! We also got to explore around and see a bunch of hay statues.
Tuesday was Jill’s last day with us before she headed back to the U.S. We went to the Elephant Cafe that was in the mountains. It was so amazing!! We got to pet, feed, and take pictures with the elephants. They also had coffee and refreshments and the surest outdoor seating area. The mountains all around were just WOW. Before we took Jill to the airport we stopped by our old hotel to say hi to our friends. They were just as happy to see us and said that they missed us. We got to give them the Thai Gospel tracts and are praying that the Holy Spirit works in their hearts!!
People to Pray For:
Pray for the family that used to live in our house - pray that they would adjust well to life in Portugal and would be able to serve the Lord well.
Pray for the 3 girls from North Chiangmai University (Pim, June, and Fern) - pray that they will continue to grow in their faith and that we will be an encouragement to them.
Pray for the worker in the coffee shop, that she will read the booklet and ask Pim any questions she may have. Pray that the Spirit will soften her heart to the message of the Gospel, and pray that we can continue to be a light to her.
Pray for Chris, one of the teachers at the Hosea Center. Pray that we can be a blessing to him and his family. Pray for his wife’s health as she is dealing with cancer for the third time. Pray that the Holy Spirit may sustain him and give him strength to endure the hardships.
Pray for our hotel staff, that they will read the Gospel tracts, and that the Holy Spirit will work in their hearts.
Pray for Jill as she goes home, that she will not experience any Jet lag. Also, pray that she will be led by the Spirit as she helps to plan next year’s gap year!
Prayer Requests:
We are in a season of waiting and figuring out where and what ministry will look like for our team. Pray that the Lord will open doors for us to work with students at North Chiang Mai University and Hang Dong High School and that he will direct us in which opportunities to continue.
Pray for continued team unity. Pray that we will serve each other and others well.
Pray for my motion sickness. I have a few remedies that have been working, but sometimes the bumpy twisty turny Thai roads and traffic are difficult for me, even with them.
Pray for my teammates who have allergies. It is hard to communicate them with the language barrier and this has resulted in many tummy aches. Pray that the Lord will overcome that obstacle and that they will not be taken away from ministry because of their allergies.
Pray for good health
Pray that our house will be protected from bugs.
Zechariah 4:6b
"Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty"
This is one of the verses that has stood out to me in my morning quiet times. I took a hold of it this week as we were serving in different capacities, and weren't always the most prepared. It was a little reminder to be led by the Spirit in all that I do and to trust that He is working in every moment.
Hi Meg
It's great to hear from you again 😊 I can't tell you how much it means to me to get your updates. I don't know how you find the time to write in such detail about all of your adventures. It sounds to me like the Lord is using you in exactly the way he wants. Just trust that he will continue to put on your heart what his will is. Keep those blogs coming! Pappy loves you ❤️ Stay safe, have fun and keep sharing his word....