Training, also known as “launch”, took place in the beautiful coastal landscape of Phuket, Thailand. It is a lush, green island with wild monkeys, mopeds, and 7 11’s on every corner. Our days were filled with walking along the street to stop by the market for some fresh dragon fruit or taking a stroll around the dam. We played ukuleles in the afternoon breeze and worshipped by candlelight. I played banana grams so many times I was spelling out words in my sleep.
Our squad stayed at the SHE (self help and empowerment) facilities, a ministry that takes Thai women out of the commercial sex industry and gives them alternative jobs and homes. Some full time AIM staff and World Race alumni imparted words of wisdom and encouraged us through their own stories and experiences from the field. They spoke as generals preparing armies for battle. And we are ready to put on our armor.
Launch was a time to realign ourselves, to remember why we are here and what we have come to do. Why we have left what we know, our families, our friends, and all the comforts of the western world and traded it for squatty potties without toilet paper, cold showers, dirty clothes, hard floors, strange foods and language barriers. We spent those days of Launch living in community. 44 people crammed into a few rooms, sharing everything and forgetting any meaning to the word “privacy”. What’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine, even your smelly feet. We embraced the heat and humidity, after all, it does make a cold shower feel so much better. We tried adopting Thai culture as best as we could, leaving our shoes at the door and never showing the bottoms of our feet. We went on a scavenger hunt throughout the city, searching for everything from spirit house retirement communities to “sam dam pet pet” ( “pet pet” on any Thai menu means so hot you can now join the circus as a fire breather because your mouth is flaming). This got us talking with the locals and learning more about the culture, we even soaked up some Thai sun rays.
On our last evening in Phuket our ministry contacts wanted to bless us with a night of fellowship. We had a huge bonfire where we roasted hot dogs and s’mores. We ended the evening with prayer and worship, declaring that Thailand would be a nation for Christ, a nation that knows the Lord is their God, not a Buddhist statue.
The next day we packed and cleaned and spent some last moments laughing and serving alongside one another before each team went off to their respective ministry sites. We prayed expectantly, knowing the Lord was about to show up in some huge ways.
* I am still having difficulties adding pictures-current internet connection is slow, but pray it works soon!
