I have answered this question with a big, fat
“I have NO idea, wherever the Lord leads me!” the past few months.
BUT NOW I KNOW!
I will spend my next nine or so months ministering to God’s people in Guatemala, Thailand, and Botswana! Here is a little blurb about each of my locations!
- Guatemala– This majority spanish speaking popoulation lives in “the land of the trees”. Literally, Guatemala translates to “land of the trees”, and is a largely forested & mountainous region of Central America, rich with Mayan culture! Denim originated in Guatemala, so the 2014 denim obsession owes a big thanks to the Guatemalans. The population lives largely off of the land, working as poor subsistence farmers. Lastly, they are plagued with unequal income distribution, with the 11th highest income inequality levels in the world & a large refugee population.
- Thailand– The Thai people speak almost entirely (to no ones surprise) Thai! This is the home of the Siamese cat, so with any luck, I will find myself lots of kitties along the way here! Also, it is rumored its illegal to leave your home without undies on in Thailand. I have nothing more to say about that. With a 94% Buddhist population, this likely to be the most theologically challenging location I will be ministering in. Thailand is a major human trafficking hub, known for its booming sex tourism industry & lack of government action to stop sexual exploitation on the part of the Thai government.
- Botswana– The majority of Batswana (plural adjective of the people of Botswana) people speak Setswana. Botswana is home to the largest elephant population in the world! With 23% of adults 15-49 living with HIV/AIDS, Botswana has the 3rd highest AIDS prevalence rate in the world. They also have the 3rd highest Gini coefficient in the world, meaning immense income distribution inequality. In layman’s terms, the rich are RICH & the rest are living in dire circumstances.
I was elated to find out my countries & google-stalked all of them & daydream of the people I will build relationships with overseas in these corners of the earth. I love thinking about how God has already hand-chosen every single person & conversation I will experience. I love the thought of me attempting to speak the dwindling spanish vocabulary that I have stored up from high school for three whole months. I loved the time spent early this morning with my roommate (who knows a bit of Thai 🙂 teaching me the musings of a Thai Hello, Thank you, & God bless you. My heart is overjoyed when I think about how God chose ME to bring hope in the name of Jesus to orphanages, brothels, & slums in these three countries.
I found out my locations toward the end of training camp & came home to this sweet surprise draped over my blinds in Madison.
I open my eyes each morning with the realization that I am one day closer to this God-ordained experience I will embark on. I say “God-ordained” because I am almost sure it is just that. The only thing standing between me & my future ministry is a minuscule $2,200. I have no doubt that God will provide every penny & more if this is His will for the next chapter of my life. I need to be 100% funded by August 18th in order to purchase a plane ticket to Guatemala & pack my bags. Will you be a part of God’s provision for me?
