My Dad came to visit me in Thailand for Parent Vision Trip. Wow it was an amazing time. Here is his experience.
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Returning to Chicago after a trip to Thailand to see my daughter Chelsea and learn so much has seemed a bit surreal. What I witnessed goes so far beyond what I believed I was there to see in learning the missions Squad B and Chelsea were involved in.
To moderate the effects of jet lag before I got to see Chelsea I arrived about 48 hours early. The first unexpected pleasure was meeting a group of 7 parents of Squad B in Guanzuah China waiting for our connection to Chiang Mai, all showing immediate friendliness and warmth. The next day we got to bond over a mountainous and winding van ride up to Doi Sephur Buddha temple. Our first time together and even though some of us arrived a bit queezy , it was beautiful. Our trip back down the mountain to our hotels produced even greater levels of head fuzziness, those with more fuzz than others took naps. Then it was off to dinner and a show. That day produced a great relationship base for the rest of the week. We really enjoyed each other. Meeting the other parent’s in the coming day was a continued pleasure.
At 2:00 the next day we checked out of our nice hotels in to the Lai Thai guesthouse where the racers would be staying as well. The guesthouse, should I say, had some rugged elements to it, namely no separate shower but rather a shower head that stuck out of the wall of the bathroom wall. One parent affectionately called it a “showlet”. The place had a nice pool in front and open dining seating for our breakfasts. I actually kind of liked the simplicity of it all. Of course we loved joking about the fact the parents got rooms with “showlets” while the racers got rooms with full bathrooms where the shower was an actual enclosed entity.
The next several days were spent sharing, caring, learning, worshipping, and ministry. The divided parts one on one time with Chelsea, time with racers and parents, and time with just parents was perfect. With the most miraculous time for me seeing the daughter who left as what I viewed as my little girl now be a full grown woman. The maturity and depth of a young woman who had grown so rapidly through her 7 month experience as team leader and now squad leader is honestly beyond words. She now played the guitar and lead worship through music, she played zero guitar prior and had never lead worship before. Her skills of articulating in front of a group were impressive and effective. Her ability to touch others hearts with bravery and boldness was so clear, and her conviction in speaking about her faith and relationship with Jesus was unwavering. So many skills to use a life time. Leadership, vision, strategy, conflict resolution, accountability to and from others, feedback to and from others. All with a focus to make better people and create greater fruit.
The most special 4 hours of the trip among one that had so many high points was my one on one talk and sharing with Chelsea for 4 straight hours. It was one filled with the deepest of sharing, transparency and healing. Adult to adult.
The ability to get to meet the other racers and hear their parents speak of their own racers growth was so heart warming. It was clear this experience was amazing for all down to the very last racer, and what an honor to hear each one speak to the group about their experience and love for each other and the Lord. Meeting all the parents and learning more about their hearts, humor and humanity made it all the better. They were a blessing to me.
The entire week was one that I can not imagine missing. I could never have known what this trip was fully about and the unique experiences it involved far beyond ministry. It’s an experience of a life time to live and grow in such a community of 19 awesome God loving young adults. Relationships that will last a life time.
