Weeds

This month, my team combined with 3 more teams are working
in one of the most intense places I have ever been in. We are sent out at night
into the streets of Patong, Thailand to build relationships with the women that
work there. With over 200 open air bars, thousands of women, and even more tourists,
there is no shortage of opportunity for God to show up and change lives. During
these first few days, I have been asking God what to share with you all. There
is so much happening out there and so much work to be done that I didn’t even
know where to start. But instead of telling you about these women and these
bars (don’t worry, there will be a time for that), the Lord wanted me to tell
you what I learned about weeds…

During the day, we spend our time split between spiritual
preparation (prayer walking, worship, etc.) and what they like to call “practical
ministry” (painting, weeding, and basically preparing new land for buildings
and landscaping). Weeding is probably one of my least favorite activities,
especially during the summer months of Georgia, which happens to be about the
same temperature as Thailand. I don’t know how many times my mother wanted me
to do yard work with her, and I didn’t even think about joining her because I
knew in my mind it would be miserable and I would hate every minute of it.
Sound familiar? Maybe I’m the only lazy person out there, but somehow I think
that is not the case.

So anyway, I found myself sitting between some bushes
weeding this land and the only thing I could think of was my mother. For the
past few weeks, I’ve been fighting a bit of loneliness which is hard to believe
since I’m surrounded by people 24/7, literally. But nevertheless, loneliness
sets in and most of the time I just think about hanging out with my mother. The
typical activities would be watching movies, going to get ice cream, acting
silly, and things of that sort. But today, all I wanted to do is be at home
weeding with my mother. How many times have I missed out on spending some
quality time with the people I love because I pre-decided it would be a
horrible time? The Lord has been teaching me so much that this year is not
about the people I’m living or working with, the situations I encounter, but how
I respond to the opportunities given to me. When you let go of your predetermined
decisions and let God work with your willingness to bend, amazing things can
happen…

A song that my sister and I sang for my mother a few years
ago during Mother’s Day was the only song ringing in my head as I worked in the
yard. I’ll leave you with a small part of that: