Thailand was a phenomenal month and there were so many amazing things that happened! Here’s a few of the truths I learned while I was there:
Set Goals and Have a Plan to Reach Them
I am notorious for having goals, but not having a plan to reach them. I’ve been frustrated with where I’m at multiple times on the race (where I’m at with God, community, missions, etc). I’m frustrated because I’m standing on the edge of the cliff, staring into the promised land, but it seems so far away. Then I received the brilliant feedback that I need short term goals. I need stepping stones to reach those goals. My whole life I’ve set too lofty of goals (they are good goals though) and haven’t given myself grace when I constantly fall short, which led me to give up on them. Although some of the short term goals seem “easy”, it constantly helps me to continue moving forward each and every day.
Simple Faith
We had a phenomenal host this past month, his name is Pat. Pat is literally living the Word of God out. He listens for God’s voice and obeys what He hears (as long as it’s biblical)! He currently has 4 guys who recently got out of prison living with him. They are murderers, rapists, drug dealers, and traffickers. He has a family with 2 daughters (ages 14 and 2), but God told him to disciple these young men by literally living life with them, and he is. Pat constantly reminded me that a relationship with Jesus is simple. If He tells you to do something, don’t wait and ask for 5 more signs, simply be faithful and obey. Live uncomfortably, without fear, trusting God in ALL situations! Listen for God, and obey. It’s really that simple, don’t complicate it!
You are Rich
An ongoing joke in Thailand was Pat calling me rich. Mainly because I was Asian and living in California (that was the context of what He knew). It’s not an adjective that I was super fond of being called, but it did make me think. Here on the race, we’ve been living off $5 a day for food, $5 for lodging, and $2 for transportation. That is potentially the cost of a single meal in the US. It made me think about the ways I spent my money in the US, and realizing how much further that money could go if I used it to invest in the lives of those around me (both in the US and the world). God has abundantly blessed people with wealth to continue passing that blessing on to others!
Password Protection Update:
For the first time on the race, our blogs need to be password protected. This extra security measure is used to prevent the government’s systems from scanning our blogs for “flagged” words like Christianity, Jesus, God, etc. There are Christian churches around Myanmar and schools that teach about Jesus, but it is frowned upon for a foreigner to share about Jesus. We are not in any danger, but it’s just an added precaution to protect our ministry hosts!
