Thailand stretched me, broke me, grew me, and renewed me. Things that I once leaned on for comfort were no longer available, and I had to learn that I can only find true comfort by leaning on God. I went into Thailand having to leave my biological family behind, but I left Thailand with a family of 50 brothers and sisters in Christ; they are a family who continues to lift me up when I feel beaten down, and they always point me back to Jesus. I entered Thailand with a firm grip on my past life, holding on to pains of the past, worrying about the future while missing out on the present, believing the lies that the devil whispered in my ear, trying to live up to the expectations of the world, and not putting God as my first priority. Thankfully, God has so much grace and patience, and so much love and forgiveness, that He spent my two months in Thailand showing me that by not letting go of all of these things, and by me trying to control my own future, I was only putting up walls between my relationship with God. He showed me that even though it might be scary, I have to give him complete control of my future and trust His timing. He showed me that the lies that I once believed defined me where untrue, and that He calls me beautiful, a masterpiece, beloved, and that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. And most of all, God showed me that I need to put him first, always.
On Nov. 6, at 5 in the morning, I hopped on a bus in Chiang Mai, Thailand. 2 more buses, 1 ferry ride, and 35 long hours later, I arrived in Penang, Malaysia. I am staying at PenHOP, the House Of Prayer in Penang. It’s right next to the ocean and is surrounded by mountains and God’s glory. My ministry is praying, P R A Y I N G. I literally get to spend my days worshiping, praying, evangelizing, and interceding for others, and it has been sooo cool!!! On Tuesdays, we even have sessions that are 7 consecutive hours long! It is definitely stretching, but it is so good; I have truly been learning what the phrase “day and night, night and day,” means.
Only 4 of the 6 teams on my squad are in Penang (the other 2 are on the mainland), and we have tighter living quarters then we did in Thailand. Because of this, we have all gotten to know each other better, and my team has gotten much closer. For my team, it has become a nightly routine for us to sit in our beds with Molly singing worship songs in a weird voice, Taylor roasting everyone, Maddison talking very loudly, Hannah chucking bottles at everyone, Alaina keeping us in check by making sure the lights are turned off by 12, and Alyson the night owl sneaking into the room at 1 in the morning.
I have already had so much fun in Malaysia, and I can’t wait to see what God’s plan for the rest of the month is. I ask that you would join me in prayer for chains to be broken and lives to be changed here in Penang. I pray that people’s hearts would be softened and that they would come to learn that there is a God who truly loves them and wants a relationship with them. I pray for boldness over my squad and I, and that as we evangelize to others we speak only words from God and none of our own. Thank you 😉
– A.C. <3
