Wait just one second, hold the phone, are you telling me that my ministry for the month is “working” in a coffee shop!?!? Okay you are going to have to pinch me because I must be dreaming! I love coffee shops and have thought about owning and running one off and on for years (so what if the original thought was a diner, same-same but different) this is amazing!
This month was not what I was expecting, I know, I know, we are constantly told on the race to not have any expectations, but really I never thought that I would be eating amazing food, living in a beautiful building, above a coffee shop, next to the red light district, and half a mile in any direction from a 7eleven. After staying in a nice place last month, I thought for sure I would be taking bucket showers and eating the same thing for breakfast lunch and dinner; but that isnt at all what happened.
My team is here at Lighthouse In Action with Team Peculiar Treasures and Team Throne Unveiled. When we first arrived we were given a great briefing on the Thai culture, the different ministries and an idea of what our month could look like. Then, we were asked to pray and talk in our groups about where each team should be. God put Peculiar Treasures in the bar ministry, Throne Unveiled in the slums, and my team in the cafe (with the opportunity to join the other groups). One of the thoughts that kept going through my head was God why do you have me in the cafe? You know this is my element, I love coffee, I love customer service and three minute conversations, the atmosphere, really most everything about it. I thought you were going to take me out of my element on this trip?.
What God had for me this month was learning to love people how they receive love. God gave it to me in a double whamie sort of way; in our team as part of diving in and really getting to know each other on a deeper level we all took the love language test to see how each other receive love, the we wrote them down, put them on the wall by the door and made a point to show love to each other in the way that, that person receives love. We also wrote down names of each person on our team and then drew someone, the person that you drew you would spend the next week taking time to know them going to dinner with just them, spending quality time with them, but most important praying for them. The person that you draw was yours to specifically pray for.
In the same manor, as part of our orientation we were told that the Thai culture receives love in the form of gifts and quality time. Learning how those around me receive love has stretched me to not only show love how I receive it or how I like to show it, but to really devote time and energy into get to know the person that I am loving; asking question, observing, spending time with them, listening when they speak and making the time when I am around them uncluttered by unnecessary distractions. And most important praying for them, what better way to love someone then lift them up in prayer often?
Same, Same, But Different. I am learning the same thing in my relationship with Christ. This month I have made it a point to spend a lot more time in prayer, reading the bible, learning how to do intercede for others by joining Peculiar Treasures in their intercessory prayer while the group is out in the bars, and filling the quiet parts of my life. Quiet times like when I am washing dishes, cleaning tables, waiting on the bathroom (lets be real seven girls one bathroom, you have plenty of time to pray), and praying for all of the people that I am learning to love.
Love is an action verb, putting it into action in every situation is a hard thing to learn and live but it is what we are called to do. Love God and Love People.
1 Corinthians 13:13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
