At the beginning of my World Race, there were two things of which I was undoubtably certain: 1) I did not want to go to Asia, and 2) I did not want to be on an Unsung Heroes team.
You see, I never felt “called” to Asia. I always knew that it would be easy with my teaching degree to get into an Asian country as an English teacher. Yet every time anyone suggested this, I recoiled. “No, Jesus,” I thought, “not there.” Equating Asia with dirty, smoggy, crowded cities, I had no personal desire to travel there. When applying for the Race, I scoured the page for routes that did not go through Asia.
They do not exist.
The World Race loves sending teams to Asia. There is a lot to learn there, a lot of kingdom-building to do, and so much opportunity for growth. People in Asia need a hero (more specifically, they need THE Hero). Nevertheless, I did not want to go. I resigned for the route with the least terrifying Asian countries and said, “Maybe I’ll get over it before then. Or better yet, there will be a major route change and we will go to South America instead.”
I had also heard rumors of this thing called Unsung Heroes, where a team is sent to a city with no contact, no place to stay, and no plan. It is the responsibility and ministry of the Unsung Hero team to find and connect with local ministries and missionaries (the unsung heroes of each country), to shine light on their Kingdom work, support and encourage them in any way possible, and hopefully facilitate a partnership between them and the World Race. Through this partnership, teams can continue working with them in the future, not to take over or change their vision but to support it. Being a megaplanner, this was terrifying to me. And I did not trust God and the leading of His Holy Spirit enough to provide for the team.
But God did something funny. Something He tends to do. Something He has done quite a few times this year.
He completely changed my heart.
It happened slowly, over time, but before I knew it I was looking forward to Asia. People kept telling me that big things would happen for me there. And I was excited to be so completely dependent on God, with nothing but my new, true trust in Him and a listening ear. I craved the challenge. I strongly desired to see how God would show up. I prayed and prayed to be on an Unsung Hero team, hoping my latter prayers would “cancel out” the former. I asked. Then I waited.
Two days before we flew to Thailand, the team leaders announced their new teams and ministries. I would be going to Chiang Mai, Thailand, on a completely new team, to do Unsung Heroes.
I danced in my seat, filled with so much expectancy.
And I know God is working here. I LOVE this city. Chiang Mai is beautiful, invigorating, fast-paced, yet somehow peaceful. Chiang Mai makes me feel bold. Chiang Mai is searching for a hero. God is fighting for the Thai people. He wants to be their hero.
Not only am I on the Unsung Heroes team, but The Lord saw fit to make sure I was also the Unsung Heroes Team Lead. In this role, I am responsible for making sure that ministry is being completed and acting as a support for my team as we follow God this month to these missionaries. By the end of the very first day of research, we had leads and we had meetings set up. We have a place to stay for the entire month. God is already proving so faithful. He is already opening doors to ministries here in Chiang Mai.
But I still need your help.
We still need more heroes.
If you know of any mission contacts in and around Chiang Mai, please message me.
Please pray for my team, as well. Pray that God continues to open doors, to lead us to contacts, to provide us with other ministry opportunities, and for safety and provision. Pray for the ministries that we do meet, that God will continue to bless them and use them to further His kingdom. Pray for me, as God challenges and grows me through this leadership opportunity.
And pray for the country and people of Thailand. They need The Hero.
