September 25, 2013
Hello everyone!
Change is something that you grow very accustomed on the World Race, and change is just around the corner! It’s the end of the month here in Thailand and it’s been quite the month.
This month my team now known as Team Honda, has been working with Team Eden in Chiang Mai. We have been working with the organization called Remember Nhu, which has consisted of a variety of things. (Remember Nhu is doing AMAZING things here in Thailand and in something like 30+ other countries around the world, but for security reasons I don’t want to share much on here, so if you have questions or want to know shoot me and e-mail or check out their website)
Each week we spent Monday – Wednesday doing manual labor, such as trimming trees, clearing brush, digging trenches, hauling gravel and running the weed eater. Then each Thursday we have had the opportunity to experience different cultural aspects of Thailand, we rode elephants, went to and Orchid farm, went to a Thai Cultural Dinner, and visited a Hill Tribe Village. It was a really nice change of pace to experience more cultural this month. Each evening we also spent time at one of the four children’s homes, playing games, helping with home work and eating dinner before returning to our hosts house for team time.
Thailand has really shown me how small the world is, I have felt very at home this month with our contacts and the organizations volunteers. Which has been bittersweet, because it has made me miss home a little more than usual. You see there are five people who we have worked with this month from Oregon. I’ve had the pleasure of living with a couple from the Portland area, working with a young couple from Beaverton all of who have attended Solid Rock in Tigard (A church I spent time attending on Friday nights during my year at Corban) Speaking of Corban the lady from Beaverton actually spent her freshmen year at Corban before transferring to Oregon State, this is what I mean by small world. And lastly we privileged to work with a man who has retired here in Thailand but grew up in North Marion, and competed against Scio in Sports… It was strange to be able to talk about places in Oregon and hear stories about places I know, in everyday conversations.
This month has been good in other ways too, the Lord has really been teaching me about myself. I’ve been relearning who I am as a person, what I like and dislike, and what lies I’ve been believing about myself in the last few years. I was challenged greatly by my team in positive ways, one day I was challenged to use five adjectives to describe myself, which quickly escalated to 60 adjectives, which I then had to share during team time a few days later. It’s those moments and activities that I know God is going to use continually before I come home in two months to continue and complete his plans for my life here on the Race.
As for next month, MONTH 10 of the Race, my team and I are leaving for Bangkok tomorrow evening and will then travel to Cambodia on Friday morning. We will be spending a few days as a squad in Siem Reap before breaking up for the month. Team Honda will be doing ATL/UHC this month, which if you recall is what Team Reckless Pursuit did back in Bolivia for month 3 of the Race. I enjoyed my time in Bolivia doing ATL/UHC but I have to admit I haven’t been thrilled about doing it again this next month. So I am trying to trust in the Lord and his reasoning for this ministry again. So on that note if you know anyone in Cambodia, that is working in some sort of ministry or if you know someone who knows someone, you should let me know and I will try and look them up and maybe get to experience a day or more at their ministry site. (Which was the coolest thing about ministry in Bolivia, seeing the different ways God is using his followers to serve in a variety of ways around the country.)
With that note I will end this letter and I will talk to you all soon. Miss you all and can’t wait to see you in December.
Love, Katrina
