We arrived in Chang Mai Monday morning, which was Sunday night in the U.S. I am still getting used to the idea that my night is everyone back home's day and vice versa. So far the jetlag has not been too bad. Praise God for that!!
Our last two weeks of training were bittersweet. We were blessed with a day off, because of Hurricane Helene. It was really nice and also needed to have a midweek day of rest. The hurricane also totally missed us. The most we got was a little extra wind and a normal amount of rain.
We had people from Story Runners come and do a whole-day workshop with us which was fascinating. Story Runners is a Cru ministry focused on bringing God's word to oral learners all over the world. They taught us the techniques they use to memorize Bible stories and share them with people. I found it very interesting because I have memorized a lot of scripture but never Bible stories. It was also cool to hear how impactful the stories are for people around the globe.
Our last full weekend in the U.S. was fun-filled. On Saturday we went to a small town with lots of local shops. They also had a farmer's market that we were able to enjoy for a little before it started to downpour. We had Jill come over for dinner, and we helped her make green papaya pad thai. It was pretty good, but the fish sauce made our apartment smell for a few days after that. We went bowling Sunday night as a little team bonding activity, and it was a lot of fun.
Tuesday, October 1st, was Cru's National Day of Prayer. we spent the day praying for a bunch of different ministries, schools, and countries. They provided a free lunch, which was amazing!!! There were so many people in the office for the day of prayer, and we thoroughly enjoyed walking around and meeting new people as well as talking with the ones we had already met. In doing so, we had the opportunity to meet David Robbins, the president of Cru.
On Wednesday we had our commissioning. It was encouraging to see how many people came to support us and send us off. It was a sweet time of prayer, fellowship, and goodbyes. On our way out of the office on the last day we finally saw an alligator. It was such a blessing, because we had been looking for them all month long. We spent all day Friday running errands and packing, before having another delicious dinner at Kamise's parents' house.
We flew out of Orlando on Saturday. Our flight was delayed an hour as we were on our way to the airport, but it was a blessing in disguise. I got motion sickness patches and put it on in the car, but didn't realize they took 4 hours to start working. However, with the delay, it was almost exactly 4 hours until our plane departed. As we were on the runway about to take off, we had to turn around and go back because they had to recount the luggage. This was a tad stressful because our layover was getting smaller and smaller, but spoiler: we made it! It was also super fun because my window was right above the conveyor belt into the plane. I took that as the perfect opportunity to play rock, paper, scissors with the workers who were loading the plane. Then we started holding up messages to them which was hilarious.
Other than that, our travels were pretty smooth. The 13.5-hour flight from San Fransisco to Taipei, Taiwan was not as bad as I thought it would be. I slept for the majority of it. We were also given two meals which were pretty good. I got up and walked a little, but apparently not enough. I did not know this, but your legs will swell from sitting for too long. I had taken off my shoes to get more comfortable and had to loosen them quite a bit to get them back on. So learn from my mistakes. If you are going on a long flight, make it a priority to get up and walk. Your legs will thank you!! After the 13.5-hour flight, the flight to Chiang Mai flew by. We made it through customs with no hassle and picked up almost all our bags from baggage claim. The only casualty of the trip was the guitar we had brought. We tracked it and found out that it was left in San Fransisco, but it should be sent to us soon.
There was pretty bad flooding in Chiang Mai right before we came which devastated a lot of the city. We were supposed to be attending a conference for all of the Cru staff in Thailand, but because of the flooding, the conference was canceled. We also had to find a new hotel, because all the ones we had reservations at closed. We met up with Gary, who is the main Cru staff over here we will be working with. He helped us exchange our money for Thai Baht and get sim cards before we headed to the hotel we will be staying at for the next two weeks. We have settled in quite well, and have been doing some sightseeing. I will be writing a separate post about all the things we have done so far and the ways God has already been working.
Some things you can be praying for:
The Holy Spirit would work in and through us
Safety for the team as well as good health
Continued team unity
The hearts and minds of the people here would be open and receptive to the Gospel
The Lord would protect us from the intense spiritual warfare of Thailand
Some Praises:
Everyone on the team is fully funded
We arrived in Thailand safely
The Lord provided an amazing hotel (my bed at the hotel is more comfortable than my bed at home)
The jet lag has had minimal impact on us
Nahum 1:7
"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him."
Even when everything around us is uncertain, when our environment is completely different from everything we have known, and when our circumstances are continuously changing, God is constant and we can run to Him for peace and protection.
Meggie, it is such a blessing to get your posts and follow along in your adventures. Grammy and I are so proud of you; from a little girl who warmed our hearts with her giggles, to a beautiful young woman with an incredible passion to share the word. We love you most ❤️