Heading into Thailand I REALLY wanted to be in the city. I was really struggling with being in places that were far from cities and I was never able to just get away and go to a coffee shop or something. When we got our set up sheet and I found out I would not be in the city like planned, I was a little bummed. I was looking forward to Thailand the most out of all the countries and I was worried I really wasn’t going to enjoy it and was going to miss out on something. Yet, in the short four days that we have been here God continues to show me day after day why he placed us at this location.
This month we are located at Sending Hope International which is located in the hills of a town called Wiang Pa Pao. During the year it is a safe home for girls ages 5-18 that come from different home situations. They may live too far from a school, come from a broken family, or a family that just can’t provide for them. During the month of April they also have a week long camp where children from the hill tribes come and enjoy a week of fun.
This month will be a little different for us as we have many things going on that will split our month up. For this first week we are just spending time with the girls, getting to know them, and playing games. We will then have a three day conference called Awakening with other squads here in Thailand, and then we will come back to Sending Hope International for a week of camp. For our last week here in Thailand we will be having whats called Parent Vision Trip where some squamates’ parents will come and work alongside them for a week of ministry. My parents unfortunately can not make it, but we have prayed a lot about it and are at peace about their decision. After PVT we will then move on to Malaysia!
Now that you know a little about our month I want to talk about how God has really impacted our lives this week through the twenty five girls we are living with. Every day we play games with them, love on them, and try to communicate with them to the best of our ability, but my favorite part of the day is in the evening when we do worship and a message. For the past two nights the Lord has been so present through them. They spent time yesterday interceding on behalf of Sending Hope and worshiping our Lord in a way that was so strong and heartfelt, then tonight they did something I never expected,
they prayed for us.
individually and in pairs 25 girls came and prayed over our lives. I have no idea what was said but I could feel the Father’s presence in that moment stronger then I have felt it in a long time. It was hard not to cry when holding hands and hearing the sweet genuine prayers being prayed over your life from a six year old. There were times when I felt myself shaking my head yes or even saying yes out loud knowing that that could only come from the Holy Spirit.
I then began to question my prayer life, or sometimes the lack there of. How could I say I just can’t pray very long or I lose my focus after I sit with these girls and see how strong their prayer life is? How can I pray such little prayers when they sit here and pray big prayers knowing the Father is going to fulfill them? I left the message tonight knowing that I need to continue to work on praying big prayers and believing the Father will answer them. That I can and will be able to spend more then five minutes in prayer, and that interceding on other’s behalf works and is something I need/ want to grow in. I left tonight feeling loved and challenged by the strongest group of prayer warriors I have ever met.
