For the month of February, we served at Eagles Rest, a resting place for pastors and missionaries who minister to the poor and who live in poverty themselves. The ministry was birthed out of a burden God had placed on Janine’s heart for pastors who were poor and burnt out. When do they get to be refreshed? Eagles Rest receives visitors mainly from Asia on a referral/scholarship basis. (I was especially excited to see they’ve hosted a couple of Myanmar couples.)
While we were there, no guests were scheduled (though arrivals at a moments notice were expected). Here is a quick re-cap of our month:
-Teaching English alongside an American at a Thai school, grades K-3.
-Holding an English camp (100 kids in the morning and 100 in the afternoon).
-Evangelizing in Phuket, a major tourist city, during the Chinese New Year. I got to share the street dramas I learned in Panama with my new team. We drew a HUGE crowd. We also fought the music of competing booths and worshiped on the streets.
Statue skit in Phuket for street ministry. We drew a crowd!
-Each of us organized and conducted a workshop for the four Ala kids who are homeschooled. I led one on photography and assisted two teammates with volleyball and worship.
Cassie, Alex and Ginger elephant trekking.
-Janine also wanted to make sure we were personally rested and restored for the rest of our journey, this month marking almost half of the Race. Each of us had a personal retreat day with God at a local park. We also got to experience some of the typical tourist attractions like elephant trekking.
-Prayer walking. Eagles Rest has been asked to relocate from the church where they currently have their office. We spent a lot of this month in prayer – for land to open up at the right price and right location.
The local park – one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen! Full of caves, walking paths, trees and of course, monkeys.
-Three days before we left, Rommel and Janine found a place for their office and school room! We gathered in prayer before cleaning and prayed over the house and property. Most houses in Thailand have “spirit houses,” tiny houses for the spirits they believe inhabit the land. The bigger, more elaborate the houses (even gold!), the better to appease the spirits that occupy the land. We specifically prayed to God for the spirit house that stood outside the new place to be destroyed – even if it had to be lightning. Since Rommel and Janine are renting the property, they couldn’t take it down. We cleaned the house, top to bottom for about five hours, then started making trips of furniture. As I cleaned, I reflected on the multiple moves I made in the past few years – how much my family and friends pitched in and sacrificed time and labor to help me. The Ala’s don’t have that type of community here in Thailand, and it was a privilege to serve them in this capacity. The next day, some men showed up and took down the spirit house! God answers prayers!
-Eagles Rest is still searching for their Promised Land for a retreat center – keep them in your prayers!
It is hard to believe Thailand is behind us now, the squiggly language characters a lost reflection in a downed cup of coffee – though plenty of pictures and memories are treasured in our hearts. We’re on to Malaysia – ministering to Muslims on a farm. Keep us in prayer!
