Our first week of ministry is complete!
When I thought of what ministry on the Race might look like, manual labor under the hot Thai sun was not what came readily to mind. We have been doing ministry at a safehouse called Wildflower Home for women and their children who are victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. The first few days were spent gardening; something that left me covered in dirt and sweat and blisters at the end of every day. At first I was disappointed with the work we were doing. I didn’t feel like what I was doing was having an effect on anyone and it just felt mundane. I felt like there were other more important and helpful things we could be doing than being stuck in a garden all day.
The next few days was harder work that consisted of moving piles of gravel and dirt and spreading it wherever it was needed around the property. It was hot and tiring, but I found something in the heat and the sweat and the mundane. I found joy. I found that it was possible to not really enjoy what i’m doing at all, but still have joy in it, knowing that I’m contributing to the ministry at the Wildflower Home, and that what I am doing IS making a difference whether I see the fruits or not.
I’m also grateful for this kind of work because it has helped me to bond with my team. Every day it’s a 30 minute drive to and from our ministry site in the back of a Songthaew; a covered pickup truck like vehicle with two bench rows in the back. Every drive is something to look forward to with these girls because you never know what’s gonna happen along the way. Sometimes we belt out songs, sometimes we share something the Lord has been showing us or has laid on one of our hearts, sometimes we just sit there and start roasting each other and being sarcastic. ( I’m not gonna lie, roasting and sarcasm are the love languages of most of the girls on my team and some of us have it down to an art.) Sometimes we drop things out of the Songthaew, like sunscreen for example, and it gives us new things to roast each other about.
Ministry is hard, especially when I don’t see immediately or at all how what I’m doing is beneficial. But that’s when I’m given the sweetest opportunity to lean on Jesus and trust that He has me doing what I’m doing for a reason, even if it ends up benefiting me more than the people I’m serving.
-Alaina
