In July, our team was pumped to partner up with Lighthouse In Action Ministries. We had jam-packed days full of café shifts, slum ministry, monk chat, and bar ministry.
At the beginning of the month, Liz, one of our contacts, gave us an orientation about the ministries and Thai culture. They asked us to have one main goal –find the one. Our mission was to find just ONE person to focus on, to pour into, to shine the light of Jesus on –one person to shower with love. This seemed totally manageable at the time and incredibly inspiring.
But then I got into ministry and fell in love with every beautiful Thai soul I came in contact with. It was the sweet girls behind the counter at the café, it was the little kids jumping on a mattress in a dumpster full of bones, it was the monk who liked Harry Potter, or the flawless lady boy trying to make a living. The question became “How do I choose only one?!”
The Lord allowed me to love the person in front of me how He saw fit in the moment. Then, one night, I was walking through the red light district with my teammate, Angela. We had finished up our daily visit to the sweet girl who quickly became her one and praying for the Spirit to guide us to who He wanted us to talk to. All of a sudden this super bubbly ball of sunshine came running up to me, grabbed my arm, and pulled me into her bar. Through her lack of English I met Laa. Laa used to work at that same bar but was there visiting her friend that night and could translate for this fun ball of life. Laa quickly became my one as we exchanged contact info and started texting.
As I got to know her, I learned about her son back in her village, a few “friends” that take care of her, and just a few of her struggles from working in the bar. She had such a fun and lively spirit that made her easy to love. She became my one for the month. We still talk even though I’ve moved onto another country.
Did I see Laa accept Christ while I was in Thailand? No. Did she decide to stop working in the bars? No. But I have to trust that I loved her how the Lord wanted me to in that time. I also know that just as He came before me in Laa’s life, He will come behind me.
The concept of “the one” taught me a valuable lesson in being deliberate with a specific person instead feeling the need to have lasting relationships with everyone the Lord puts in front of me. My prayers and actions can be so much more intentional and go further with just one person. I pray that I take this concept onto my next country and then into life after the race, reminding myself to be super intentional with loving one specific person instead of being overwhelmed by the 50 in front of me. In reality, I can’t change all 50 people lives at the same time, but one is a good place to start.
