What better way to start off the World Race than with some good, hard manual labor? I was actually excited to hear that my team would be working at the land SHE Ministries had recently purchased. They are looking to expand their facilities in the future and wanted us to do some of the preliminary clearing work around the land. When I discovered that a bridge needed to be built over a small pond, I knew that was the project for me. Along with several other guys, we began engineering and constructing the bridge. We definitely had a slow start, trying to secure the support beams in the thick, unstable mud, but once they were in place it didn’t take long for the bridge to take form.
While I continued working on the bridge, my teammates, Justin and Beka, crossed over the pond and began hacking down and clearing out the brush in order to make the land usable for outdoor gatherings. During our first week at the land, I saw these projects simply as tasks that needed to be done, but as our time in Phuket carried on, I began recognizing the spiritual significance of our labors. In reality, we were laying a new foundation for SHE and for all of the women that will come through this ministry in the future. I began thinking ahead and envisioning what this property might look like in 10, 20, or 50 years from now. I was simply gaining a new, truer perspective.
I also had somewhat of an epiphany while working on the bridge. In a moments time, I recognized the countless similarities between our work at the land and at the bars of Patong. Our main objective in the bars was simply to build relationships, or bridges of trust, with the women there. As those relationships grew, the women allowed us to ‘cross the bridge’ and move deeper into there personal lives. We continued chopping down the overgrowth with kind words and true concern and we could see hints of light entering their faces. However, just like the land, there is still much clearing to be done in the lives of these women. I am confident that as other teams carry on with the work that God is accomplishing in Patong, the darkness will eventually be dispelled and there will be freedom in that place.
