A PEACE of Home
After being on the road nearly four months now, many racers on the squad are beginning to feel a bit homesick or simply tired of living out of their backpacks. I can honestly say that I am not struggling with either one of those things. However, I am a bit tired. Truly any number of things could cause this. Perhaps four months in the heat, sweating both while sleeping and awake, the restleness of not sleeping well in the heat, or the ever-changing environment of moving from country to country and one ministry to another. While there are a number of excellent reasons, I have found for myself the reason is simply that amidst the adventure, ministry, community, and inconsistent or non-existent routine, I struggle to daily find adequate undistracted and fully focused time to spend with the Lord. This may sound ironic since I am on an eleven month missionary trip in which I have dedicated this whole year to the Lord. However, at home, I had a routine in place. Typically I did my Bible reading during lunch time, church on Sundays, family Bible study on Tuesdays, and kinship every Wednesday. But here, as much as I find myself immersed in ministry, prayer, and worship with my team and my squad, I am not finding enough of the personal just God and Sammie time that I need.
When I arrived in Chiang Mai, I heard there was a Vineyard church here in town. I was excited about this because I attended a Vineyard church at home and I was anxious to visit one abroad if there was an opportunity. My first visit was Easter Sunday. Somewhat to my surprise, this Vineyard is a house church in what appears to be a residential area with a sign out front that says “Chiang Mai House of Prayer.” It is down-pouring rain outside when our songtow (taxi) drops us off. We are drenched before we make it inside, but the moment I step foot inside the house I feel a warmth and peace that I have not felt since before I left home. It was something that I immediately recognized but did not even realize how much I had missed. It was like walking into my home church at Blue Route Vineyard. Not only could I feel the presence of God walking into that house, I just felt a comfort and peace like being at home.
I have to admit that it is difficult to “Be still and know [He] is God” when you don’t stay in one place more than a month at a time. Yet coming into this house church was like stepping right into His presence. I literally felt as though each time I entered this place, that I left everything at the door and was simply there to commune with God. Distractions and barriers would fade as I both physically and spiritually walk into His presence.
Not only has the presence of God been abundant and recognizable in this place, I have been blessed to meet, worship, pray, and spend time with Norbert and Cathy, the students in his discipleship program, and other members of this small but intimate church. Although I only had the opportunity to attend four services while in Chiang Mai, I felt as though I was a part of this church. These new friends felt like family, as they should as we are all members in the body of Christ. With months of ministry in non-Christian nations, this house church was like the peace in the eye of the storm. For this month, it was a spiritual home away from home: a peace of home.
