Guatemala. Thailand. Malaysia. Swaziland.
I’ve said this sequence of words so many times I sound like a recording. It feels so instinctive, so normal, to say that I am moving to each of these countries. A few days ago, someone asked me where I was going on a mission trip, and my friend replied without thought or hesitation, “Guatemala. Thailand. Malaysia. Swaziland.” When I first committed to world race, these were foreign places to me (and really, they still are). But they no longer sound as exotic to me as Maine or Maryland. I have let them become words I play over and over, and the excitement has fuzzed out.
One night at training camp, our leaders told us that we would be praying about each of the countries we’re moving to. “Cool” I thought. “I can pray for Guatemala. Thailand. Malaysia. Swaziland. I know their names.” But this was so much more than just saying the names of these countries for another time. This night reminded me not to be numb and bored by any part of what lies ahead, because these countries aren’t distant names. These countries are my temporary homes filled with incredible people who are hurting and broken in many of the same ways that you and I are.
That night my 50 squad-mates and I spent looked at statistics for the four countries we will be living in, and prayed. We had one poster per country, spaced around in our group meeting spot, and we would move individually from poster to poster. Sometimes we prayed out loud, sometimes we wrote down our prayers for everyone to see. Sometimes we sat, just letting the weight of this coming transition sink in, letting the Holy Spirit talk to us. Whatever scripture came to mind, people would write down. At the end of the evening, we came together, and some people shared what verses came to their minds, either for a specific country, or for encouragement in our group. Our hearts cried out for God to intercede in world-wide brokenness with His grace, peace, hope, life, joy, and love. My heart cried out as these names I’ve recited hundreds of times started to come to life for me.
The following four photos are the facts and our prayers.
Please look at these, and rather than just seeing numbers, see people. People I get to walk side by side with in their daily lives. People in Guatemala whose friends, family, and neighbors are being murdered at one of the highest rates world wide.
People in Thailand who are enslaved by the millions for the rest of their life.
People in Malaysia who are being sold on the black market for sex.
People in eSwatini (Swaziland) who are battling the HIV crisis, uninformed, and living with a death sentence for their nation.
Please read each of these posters and see people who need to be loved and treated as the human beings they are. Pray for refreshed excitement and life in each of us every day, so that we may positively impact everyone we talk to.
Please give this blog a comment or a share, and be praying bold prayers for us. And remember, I’m still fundraising, so if you would like to join me in being able to go serve in each of these places, you can donate above. Thank you for reading!
Lots of love,
Caitlyn
