We are entering our final month in Thailand which is so crazy to think about!! The past few weeks have flown by, but they have been filled with blessings and so many God moments. After Christmas, schools in Thailand went on break for New Year, which left us with a little extra freedom in our schedule to say yes to a few different opportunities. While we started with no plans, and I was still regaining my strength from being in the hospital, our lack of a plan was just what God used to carry out His plan.
The Friday after Christmas we drove to Maya Mall to do two of my favorite things, watch the sunset and eat acai. We chose Maya Mall because A.) they have the best Acai and B.) they also have a rooftop deck. It was absolutely amazing, and I could have stayed there all night watching the sunset and then the stars. You can see so much of the city and the mountains surrounding it. I love sunsets because they remind me of how intentional God is as a creator and a father. Everywhere we look the beauty of creation points to the creator who loves us and wants a personal relationship with us.
While we were watching the sunset, we were invited to climb Doi Inthanon (the highest mountain in Thailand) with a few girls from the Teach With Cru program the next day. We didn't have anything planned and had been wanting to go there anyway, so we agreed to join them. It was a little cloudy, but the views we got to see were absolutely beautiful. I was again reminded of how big the God we serve is, and yet how He is still personal. We explored a few of the trails around the top of the mountain and stopped at some ornate gardens. Everything was so beautiful. Well, while we were at Doi Inthanon, P'Sao (from Athletes in Action) called us and invited us to a Christmas party that night. The phone call was a bit confusing as most phone calls go, but we agreed to go with her. She told us that she would pick us up from our house and that we needed to pack an overnight bag.
We got home and quickly threw together what we would need for the night and church the next day before piling into P'Sao's car. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, but we were with P'Sao so we knew we would be okay. It took us 2 hours to get to our destination which was Chiang Dao. P'Thap drove us the whole way. We arrived at a church building that was lively inside and out. Kids were laughing and running around outside. The church was part of a local orphanage that is home to about 200 kids. When we entered, the church was packed with all the kids and people from the local town. It was their Christmas party and boy was it a party. They had performances by a few of the kids on stage intermixed with raffles for people to win prizes. The room was filled with so much joy. At the end of the night, they gave out a few big prizes and then everyone was given a gift. I was standing by the window because it was quite warm in the church. I got to see a bunch of the kids who had run outside to open their presents. It was the sweetest thing ever and it reminded me so much of the time I spent at the orphanage in Haiti. Chiang Dao means "city of stars" and that is so true. There were so so so many stars in the sky, more than I'd ever seen before.
The orphanage complex has a few rooms for visitors and we were blessed to be able to stay in the complex. We woke up early the next morning, which was Sunday, to watch the sunrise and do our quiet times. It ended up being really cloudy, so we couldn't see the sunrise, but it was super peaceful. When we finished our quiet times and turned around, the mist had cleared and there was a huge mountain. It was so cool. We met a couple from Canada that had come to serve. the wife had come to teach the older girls how to sew and bake, and the husband came to fix things. When they asked him to fix some unfixable wardrobes, he ended up buying wood for new wardrobes and had been teaching the older boys how to build them. We got to see the progress they had made on the wardrobes which was really cool. We were also blessed to be able to join them for their church service. When we walked into church, they asked us to sing a song during church. We agreed and decided to perform "I Thank God", a popular song from back in the States. We totally wung it, and it was so much fun. After church, as we were stacking our chairs, a little girl ran up and jumped onto my back. It was the cutest thing ever and my heart almost exploded in that moment.
We ate the most delicious lunch ever before getting back in the car to head back to Chiangmai. We had agreed to do an outreach event at Tha Phae Gate, which is a popular tourist attraction and the start of the biggest night market. P'Thap agreed to come with us which was really exciting. We started the night with worship and prayer in a hotel, before heading out to the streets to share the Gospel. We set up a table that had Gospel tracts in Thai, Burmese, Chinese, and a few other languages as well. We also had a guitar, kajon, and speaker. The streets were so crowded with people from all over the world. It was craziness. Amidst the hustle and bustle, many people stopped to listen to the worship music, take free books, and talk with us. It was the coolest thing ever and there were so many God moments. I was handing out some Thai booklets, and I gave one to a girl and her three friends. She spoke a little English and I speak barely any Thai. We were able to communicate a little, but I wasn't able to tell her exactly what the book was about, so I called over P'Thap and got him to explain for me. It was exciting to be able to encourage him to be bold in his faith and to share the Gospel. Whenever there was someone who looked really interested in the book, but only spoke Thai, I would call him over and have him explain. I also got to talk with a couple from Milan, Italy. They were so kind and interested in what we were doing. We didn't have any English tracts, but I was able to share the Gospel using The Four bracelet I had on. They were so interested in what I was saying, and I asked them if they had ever heard anything like what I was saying. They had never heard anything like it. It was such an amazing night and weekend of the Lord working in so many ways. All we had to do was say yes to the different opportunities that fell into our lap, and God was so faithful in each and every one. That is what God calls us to do each and every day. All we have to do is say yes to following Jesus and He will use us to do so many amazing things. It is so rewarding to be able to join the Lord and serve Him. My encouragement to you is to give God your yes. Even if it seems scary, silly, or insignificant, just say yes. You won't regret it. God has great things planned for you and He wants to include you in His perfect plans.
Since that weekend, we have resumed our normal ministries at Hang Dong High School, School of Promise, North Chiangmai University, and the Hosea Center. At Hang Dong High School we have continued to help Teacher Sand with his English classes. There have also been a few events and meetings that we have been able to be a part of. At North Chiangmai University, we hosted an English workshop for students to work on their English skills. We got to hear about their culture and share some of our culture and the Gospel with the students. It was so much fun. We were invited by Nicholas (who heads up the Tha Phae Gate outreaches) to join him at a school where he had the opportunity to share the gospel and give the students comic books and coloring books with the Gospel message in them. We had so much fun dancing with the students, waving to them, smiling at them, and of course, sharing the hope we have in Jesus with them. We also got to join Athletes in Action at a soccer event hosted by a few local churches. We supported them as they shared the Gospel in Thai, and we got to cheer for the players and encourage them. I went on campus (North Chiangmai University) one day to use the basketball hoop. I ended up meeting a bunch of new Chinese students and playing with them. I also met a few of their kids who were so adorable. I only knew four words in Chinese, and they didn’t know any English, but somehow they managed to communicate that they wanted to race me. It was the surest thing ever! We have also continued to join in the outreaches at Tha Phae Gate every Sunday night. We have had so many amazing conversations and the Lord has really worked during our time there. We had the opportunity to meet a bunch of Israeli soldiers who just got out from serving in the war. It was crazy to hear their stories, and there were two guys in particular that we connected with really well. We were able to share the Gospel with them using our sports bracelets. That led to a great spiritual conversation, and it was cool to learn about Judaism from them and share the similarities and differences of our faith. We talked to them for a while, and then they came back a second time and talked with us even more. We also met a few teens from Myanmar. Like many of the Myanmar people we have met, they are here seeking safety from all of the wars in Myanmar. We talked to them for a while and invited them back the next week. They came back and we got to talk to them even more. We only had a speaker the second week, but we made the most of it. We taught them the Church Clap and Cotton Eyed Joe, which are common dances in America. We also played the chicken dance, which was so hilarious. A bunch of French people ran in and joined, making it such a special moment with smiles all around.
Also, we successfully renewed our visas for 60 days. It only took 8 hours in the trunk of a car, but we made the most of it. Praise God! We won't have to worry about renewing them again, as they will last us until we head to Croatia.
The opportunities and doors the Lord has opened for us have been endless. We have met so many amazing people and it is going to be so bittersweet when we head to Croatia. That being said, some things and people you can be praying for:
Pray for the people we have been witnessing to at Tha Phae Gate. Pray that the seeds we are planting will grow and that the Spirit to work in the hearts of all that we have encountered.
Pray for the people we will witness to in our last few weeks. Pray that the Lord will prepare their hearts to be open and receptive to the Gospel message.
Pray that we will be bold in our faith and confident of our identities in Christ.
Pray that we will be able to love those God has placed around us deeply. We have made so many good friends here, and we want to be intentional about the time we have left with them.
Pray especially for the Myanmar students- they have expressed that we are some of their only friends. Pray that we can help connect them with Gary and the Myanmar family that can continue to speak truth into their lives. Also, pray for them to accept and believe the Gospel for themselves.
Pray for team unity and health. The air pollution and "cold" weather have taken a toll on all of our health. Pray that we can stay healthy to be able to finish our time here well.
Pray for continued personal growth in my walk with the Lord.
Psalms 46:10
He says, "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
A verse that Gary encouraged me with this past week. We don't need to earn God's love or favor. He freely gives that to us. God desires us to know and be known by Him. We don't have to constantly do do do, but we can rest in the arms of our loving father. God is more concerned with who we are becoming than what we are doing - a piece of advice I was given during our training in Orlando and was reminded of this week. I was really encouraged by this because I tend to get distracted and busy with what I'm doing and I don't prioritize my personal spiritual growth. It has been so refreshing to prioritize my relationship with the Lord, and to really pursue Him and grow this past week. I encourage you to really think about who you are becoming and be intentional about pursuing the Lord in that.
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