I have to apologize for not posting a blog about my time in Thailand, I wrote a blog called “I am Judging the men in Thailand” and accidentally missed placed it and shed a tear in remorse for losing it. So I will eventually come around to rewriting it. Hopefully. Because it was great.
For the last sixteen days my team as been in Myanmar working with a really great ministry teaching and preaching. I know that seems really broad but in respect to our ministry they would not like us to mention their name or where we are on social media because of the government shutting them down. So that’s the context of where I am and what I will be doing!
Traveling into Myanmar from Thailand was quite the long journey by buses, but after 3 days of travel we made it to a wide open campus in the middle of no where it seemed. How I would describe this campus is like a small summer camp, everything is close enough to be an easy walk and enough away to have room to yourself. We enjoy the outside and appreciate when it rains off and on all day because it cools off the humidity, it’s always HOT. We like the rain
We are living together with three world race teams, 21 people in a three room house, two squatty potties, showering behind a tarp outside, hand washing laundry, sleeping on the floor, using a gas stove top cooking all our meals and no wifi.
The first day at a new place is always an adventure, everything is new, like lizards everywhere in the house, goats hanging out on the porch that eventually pee and poop all over your shoes, but as the days go by it becomes normal that there was a frog on the squatty potty that scared the crap out of you at 1 am in the morning and a lizard on the toilet paper, bugs and flies that could be graciously classified as a plague and a perpetual heat that leaves you in constant sweat. Showers are nice after the first five minutes then you are back to sweat, everyone understands that everyone smells bad so we don’t make a big deal about it.
But you are probably wondering what we do with the students here, we teach Bible and English at a mission’s college for four and a half hours each day, out teams have created our own lesson plans going through the outline of the entire Bible, we teach Bible and English combined. From creation, sin, Abraham and God’s promises, David, the prophets, introduction to the New Testament, Jesus’ life, death and resurrection etc…
Each racer gives daily devotionals in the morning and preaches every night. The students speak level one to level three English and our ministry wants them to learn by listening to us speak English while being taught it. The college leader (principal/pastor) wants the students to learn English to start reading English books about the bible, in Burmese the books are limited to christian material. I will post a video of the library that they have here at the end of the month, every christian author you could imagine, bibles, bible dictionaries etc.. it’s a theologians dream.
These students are amazing. 20-30 students ages 14-38. Its like any other college, you have the jokers, the shy girls, the over achievers, and the cool kids. Learning their names is difficult, but it pushes us to form a relationship with each student.
I love it here. You are probably wondering why because of how I explained the environment we live in. When you have no physical comforts except the five minutes of clean shower feeling, the food we cook (rice, beans and oats are our staple and we love them), the kindest shop lady down the road who sells snacks and the glorious nap after class if plausible. You find that you are inherently thankful for things like sleep and food and for people, you could complain about having no air conditioner and no wifi but I wouldn’t have to time to sit face to face and talk without being distracted, I wouldn’t have the laughs of bad smells and the memories and moments of learning life from a Myanmar culture. It’s real. And I’m loving the raw life.
Prayer requests!
Prayers for the students, if you are or were a student you know what to pray for! Above all that they will seek first the kingdom of God and desire a pure relationship with Jesus. That these students will be disciples and therefore disciple others
Prayers for the leaders of the college.
Prayers for one of the teams that are traveling to another college this week to teach in preach in the mountains!
Prayers for health and healing from annoying sicknesses and infections over our team.
Prayers for the final $1,000 to come in to be fully funded so I can keep doing what God is actually doing!:) (please pray and if you are led to donate scroll to the top of the page and click “donate” you can donate anonymously or by name, any amount is a blessing!)
Thank you supporters, I love you and am honored to have you part of this journey!
Remember to thank God for everything.
Love Gabby:)
