TO ALL WHO LOVE MY HEART AND THE THINGS OF HIS….
The above video is a recap of not only my month in Thailand but a picture of where I am on this journey. The title I chose for this blog is not without purpose. Due to the nature of this ministry, we were told it is not often that you will actually SEE fruit, so with this mindset, we should be looking for our ONE. The one person God is calling us to pour into in month 4. Only I learned more than I taught and was blessed more than I was a blessing. God sent Pang to my table, as I presented my request to Him and waited in expectation. Pang was set aside as my ONE, but He is a God of multiplication so my ONE became THREE, as she is a triplet. It was and is my honor to love Bang, Pang, Fish, and all my sisters, with the love of Jesus in me. I will not tell you their story, because it’s not mine to tell. “Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story.” Instead I will tell you what I learned FROM them and how God revealed Himself in so many ways. God’s favor over me in how fast and how deep all the girls would go with me, blew my mind. I never used anything I didn’t already carry. I had Jesus so Jesus showed up in every conversation. I was in tune with my heart and in constant communion with my Father. I had string, so we made bracelets. I had paper, so I wrote letters. I had my Bible, so I would read it. I had LOVE’S DEFINITION…so I loved from the overflow of His love in my life. I seek Him every day as my source and do not love on empty, but on purpose from the overflow, even on my off days. It was a priority to me to fight for prayer, worship, and time spent in His word to be a central part of my every day.
These three were to me great examples of hospitality, loyalty to my sisters, and humility. Absolute beasts in the kitchen, hungry for His word, and never hesitating to clean floors that were not theirs, and to serve without being asked. Truly just a few observations I made in my one month with my ONE times THREE. Through them God reminded me to not just be filled with gratitude but to speak it into the space I walk. They were always thanking me as I thanked God, for loving them well and being their friend. For teaching them English, helping them set boundaries, and walking them through God’s word. For speaking life, being true to my word, and trustworthy. For my honesty, and the ways I challenge them or stop them mid sentence and say, “Look at me!” repeating my intentionality in the asking of each question and reaffirming my love for them and where it comes from. For saying, “I stand in the gap for anyone who has ever (filling the space with all wounds) and say, “I’m so sorry!” For my persistence in relentlessly pursuing them, willing to be their doormat as Jesus has been in my life and yours. I’m still there listening and walking in my identity, able to love in the rawest form without being wounded. I ask them to free their hands of their phone, and they do, because of the level of trust and respect God has built in them for me. They’d thank me for walking with them in the dark, and being there just to take the journey even if it’s just to the bathroom. Who am am I and how often do I fail to do the same? Truly just striving to be intentional in everything I do or say. I fail every day but there is grace upon grace when I wake to walk in the newness of what He has for me. I don’t speak to be heard, and I’m still listening when the world is satisfied with, “Fine.” If I don’t hear you and am aware that I was distracted, I’ll ask again for clarification. He has blessed my eyes to see deeper than the facade, seeing true need, and I pray I steward it well. How often do you do this in your relationships? For me, not often enough? THAT is all God! THAT is about being clothed with strength and dignity, finding peace and joy that only comes from being in His presence. Seeing that it was no accident I was placed in their path, they daily let me know my absence is noticed, as I point them to the one who is NEVER absent. They proudly spoke of their land and the labor of their people, leading me to appreciation for crops and awe of the God behind it all. They took me to church, to the feet of Jesus, to His word, and to not just my knees but my face for their nation. If I wasn’t opening my Bible in her timing, Paang’s thirst would drive her to crack the code on my phone. God asked that I disciple them early on, and to steward well His favor over me in their lives. So as you will learn watching this video, Thailand Lives IN ME and these girls and so many more are my heart. God is at work, and still asking you, “Does Anybody Hear Her?” He does…and I join all who say, “I do!” These women are always invited to edit any post I write, remove any pictures, and after watching this video, all they could say was, “I love you and I miss you too!” in their own special way and unique gift, to speak the words so few of us say. ONE times THREE Thailand Live IN ME!
