First of all I would like to say, Merry Christmas friends and family. Two months ago I wrote from Guatemala that I had an opportunity to work in a hospital with Cerebral Palsy children and that is what I ended up doing. It was one of the most draining and memorable ministries so far on the Race! Guatemala seemed like it went by so quick and I left many good friends there. I even miss living in the twenty two person house with teams Renown and Valiant. That house and Antiqua, Guatemala will always have a special place in my memories.
I’ve been in Bangkok for three weeks now. I love Thailand! The food is really similar to what my mom makes at home, which is a nice little perk. My parents are from Laos, which is right next to Thailand. Thai and Lao are very similar and share a lot of the same vocabulary. Long story short, I can speak Thai and it’s fun to converse with the locals. It excites me to be able to serve these people.
The whole squad is scattered throughout Thailand with every team in a different city doing different ministries. Some teams are doing some really exciting ministries like ministering to the poorest parts of Thailand and prison ministry. My team is teaching English at the A-mane English Center in Northern Bangkok. When I first heard that we were going to be teaching English in Bangkok my initial reaction was something along the lines of, “Really? That doesn’t sound exciting. I really wish I had a different ministry like ministering to the poor parts of Thailand, homeless ministry, rice farming or anything besides teaching English. God’s going to show up so much in those exciting ministries”
Before I was on the race I had a vision for why I wanted to go. I was really passionate. I wanted to go feed the hungry, serve the poor and bring healing to people. I wanted God to show up big through me. I still want those things and He still does show up for me, but my vision of the whole World Race has shifted. These four months have left me astounded. It’s so hard for me to explain all I’ve gone through. I have gone through doubt and pain. Some days I doubt the existence of God and ask, “Why do I even serve Him?” It’s funny though the farther and farther I take my doubt, the more I start to realize that Jesus is real. It’s quite paradoxical, my doubt leading to the strengthening of my faith. I’ve begun to realize how true it is that this is the World Race, but it is a race I’m running with God and God alone by my side. It’s a time of my life where I can really focus on Him with every distraction unwillingly stripped away from me. I’ve begun to learn more of who I am. I’m figuring out my identity and it’s so exciting. Who knew being your own person could be so much fun! I’ve begun to learn more of how God can use me to do amazing things. It’s true all you have to do is say, “Here I am God, send me” and He will. Anyone can do these amazing things you just have to say “Yes” to God. And amazing things could mean a million different things to a million different people. It’s not just about feeding the poor, clothing the naked, and all those other great humanitarian acts. It’s not just about ministering to other people. The amazing thing that happened to me is how God ministered to me. I could go home right now and be happy with what God has revealed to me about Himself and with what he has taught me about myself. I could be happy with that. That would be good, but I know God has so much more than that. My Good and God’s best don’t even compare. God’s best for us is unfathomable. It’s a goodness that surpasses understanding. I guess that’s the type of grace we sing about. His grace is so good because He gives us so much more than we deserve and He gives us greater gifts than we could ever give ourselves.
It’s a pretty cool thing to be living in Bangkok. City life is quite an adventure especially going to downtown Bangkok with public transportation and the modern skyscrapers that tower over you as you walk. I love living in Bangkok and I never thought I’d admit it but I love teaching English at A-mane English Center… God shows up wherever you are.
