We are approaching our last week in Ratchaburi, Thailand and I don’t think any of us are ready to leave yet. It feels like we are just now getting comfortable with the friends we have made and the ministry we are doing here. Even though I want to be around to see one of the college or high school students finally meet the Lord and ask HIm into their hearts, it has been a beautiful thing to just be here for the amount of time God has planned for us.
In my mind, getting to be a part of the final “link” in the chain of one of the students coming to know the Lord, is the most exciting and rewarding part of the process. Actually though, God placed us here in Ratchaburi for just the amount of time He willed, and it does not matter if we became the first link in someone’s process of coming to know the Lord, by maybe sharing the name ‘Jesus’ for the first time, or the final link leading someone to ask Jesus into their heart, or any link in between. Each time I pray, “God let me be your hands and feet today. Allow me to be a light in this dark world”, I am allowing the Lord to use me in exactly the ways that glorify Him the most. I have to constantly remind myself that my purpose for being on The World Race and for all that I do, both here and at home, is to bring glory to Christ Jesus. “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” Ephesians 3:20-21. So I resolve to “know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” 1 Corinthians 2:2. As long as I am submitting each day to God and his plans for me, I know God will use me just how He wants.
Now that you have an idea of where my heart is in entering this final week in Ratchaburi, I will give you our schedule and some prayer requests for the week. So here it is:
Monday– (a.m.) worship and prayer/planning time for the next 3 evenings of ministry. (p.m.) English training/seminar with nurses at the hospital.
-pray for direction with the training sessions
– pray doors will open up for future ministry in the hospitals because this is the first ministry opportunity the Ratchaburi team has had in the hospitals.
Tuesday– (a.m.) We are blessing a pastor and his family who just started a church, by cleaning and working in their home/church that is in need of repairments. (p.m.) Second evening at the hospital.
-pray for the pastor and his church, that the gospel will be through his church.
Wednesday– (a.m.) Unknown. Maybe a day at the floating market! Whoo Who! The floating market is where all the food and shops are in little boats on a canal. To shop you rent a boat and go from “shop” to “shop”. I went to a smaller floating market on Saturday, but the one we might go to this day is supposed to be amazing. And possibly an elephant ride. I cannot wait! (p.m.) Final evening at the hospital.
-pray for relationships to form at the hospital.
Thursday– (a.m.) Ministry. (p.m.) Unknown.
-pray for guidance in what ministry opportunities to pursue. Possibilities include: Going to a slum; talking and playing with the Burmese children in our neighborhood who’s parents (yes parents, both the mother and father) who work in construction from morning until dark; participating in a weekly small group with the Burmese Christians our team met last week; blessing our hosts, Noi and Bronwyn somehow; etc.
Friday– (a.m.) Trip to Kanchanaburi to swim in the waterfalls near where the movie “Bridge over the River Kwa” was filmed. I think we will actually go to the bridge also. We are meeting Team Less there for a day o’ fun! Team Less is working in Kanchanaburi and we are trying to work out a way to have a goat BBQ with them this evening, because they are staying on a goat farm. The BBQ might not work out if we have to return to Ratchaburi though.
-pray for safe travel and FUN
Saturday– Unknown
Sunday– Return to Bangkok for debrief
Leave for Cambodia October 11th!
