A Day in the Life: Asia
Over the 5 months we spent in Asia, there were so many changes. First there was a team change, eventually there was another team change. It brought challenges and victories in ways I couldn’t figure out how to put into words. Instead of doing a separate blog for each Asian country I decided to combine the last 4 of them into one blog.
Soon before our debrief time in the Philippines we got word that we were going to have a team change. That meant saying goodbye to Unwritten and welcoming my new team. My new team initially picked the name Reliance. We spent time talking about things we were trying to grow in and all of us mentioned how we were learning to rely more on God. Over the next 3 months, we learned more about each other, more about God, and more about what he wanted for our lives. We became a family and we finally earned the name The Wolfpack.
Vietnam:
In our first country as Team Reliance, we were assigned to find the “unsung heroes” in Vietnam. Unsung heroes are people who dedicate their lives to serving God but don’t get earthly recognition for it. Our job was to look around Da Lat and find these people, most of whom had to work in secret because of their government. It was an incredibly difficult month. We struggled to find light in the darkness of Vietnam. A lot of us felt like a huge part of us was missing because we couldn’t talk openly about God. After spending hours in research and a few divine appointments, we were able to spend time with some Unsung Heroes who opened our eyes to the beauty of Vietnam and the work God was starting there. Our days ranged from spending hours in a local coffee shop doing research to playing with children in a school for kids with special needs where I was able to use some of my sign language to communicate. God is definitely doing some big things in Vietnam and I pray that I will be able to return there one day.
Cambodia:
Oh, Cambodia. Cambodia marked the half way point of the Race and it definitely felt like that. Time felt like it was speeding up and slowing down all at the same time. I know that sounds confusing, but trust me, walking into month 6 was a time warp. We spent the month at Samuel House International School where I partnered up with one of my teammates to teach a first grade class. I got to help out with math and teach science, which I ended up liking way more than I thought I would. At the end of the school day we did an after school program with a group of missionary kids. We played games, studied the Word, and went on prayer walks. To add to our list of roles this month we also performed skits, danced to songs, created games, and preached to children in a village on Sundays.
To say Cambodia was a busy month is probably an understatement. I’ve never been so exhausted in my life. On top of that, I was struggling with the emotions that come with the reminders of the deaths of people I love. If you want to read more about how I felt that month check out my blog called “I could die tomorrow.” But, even in times of trial God is good.
Malaysia:
Malaysia was a spiritual encounter like I’ve never before experienced. If you want to see the Holy Spirit move in huge ways, you need to head to Gua Musang. Due to sensitivity issues in this majority Muslim nation I am unable to give a lot of details about who we worked with on my blog. Let me just tell you though, our hosts are fantastic people. They prayed with us, prophesied over us, and together we discussed God’s word. We spent the month tutoring students who struggled in school and our hosts encouraged to be constant in prayer over our students. On the first day there, I began working with a 7 year old girl. She was hyperactive, bouncing off the walls, and didn’t seem to be able to read a word of English. Throughout the month I spent equal time in prayer and tears. I didn’t think that I would see any difference in this child by the end of the month but I continued to pray. I began to notice little positive changes in her attention span. My teammates joined me in prayer over her. On my last day of class with her I sat and listened as she read me an entire Dr. Seuss book. Praise the Lord!
Malaysia was a month I thought I was just going to have to get through in order to get to the months where I was most excited about going. However, God decided to use that month to radically work in my life. My team went from being friends to being family. They taught me how to be open and vulnerable; they taught me how to trust again. I am so thankful for my time in Malaysia.
Thailand:
Surprise! Month 8 snuck up on me so quickly. We spent the first couple days at debrief in Pattaya, Thailand. We had our second team change; I am now on Team Unreserved Pursuit with 5 other godly women. During our time in Pattaya I had my first experience with bar ministry. My entire squad went out to Walking Street, a place known for trafficking and prostitution, to pray and show the love of Jesus Christ. My group passed out roses and hugs. We prayed and sang down the street. It was hard and we weren’t prepared, but the Lord still showed up. We met many women, heard some of their stories, and watched men walk out of the bars alone. I am so grateful for the experience because it prepared me for the rest of the month.
I spent the month in Chiang Mai at Lighthouse ministries. Wow, it was incredible. I was placed on night bar ministry. Every afternoon I would walk down Chiang Mai’s version of “Walking Street” praying and every night I would put on my nicest outfit and a little bit of makeup and head out to the bars. After some listening prayer and divine encounters I ended up sticking with two bars. Although I was originally hoping to spend time in as many bars as possible, we felt God was telling us to focus on those two. In our time there we met some amazing women who were stuck in some pretty difficult situations. We became friends with a bar owner who invited us to his bar during their holiday celebration. We got to see one woman we connected with leave the bar during our time there. We were privileged to host a Beauty for Ashes event where we pray that the Lord planted seeds in the minds of some of the other women. God was so faithful during our time in Thailand. I am hoping to post another blog about some of the ways we saw him move.
Parent Vision Trip:
Thailand also held a family reunion. After 8 long months away I finally got to see my parents. They came to spend a week in ministry with me and it was awesome. I was able to introduce my mom to the women in the bars who had changed my life. I watched my dad play “football” with a little boy in the slums. We worshipped together; we prayed together; we laughed and cried together. God gave me the opportunity to let my parents in on a new and important part of my life and I am forever grateful. I am also blessed to share that on the 26th of April I was baptized by my parents. It was an incredibly special moment for all of us, one that I will treasure for eternity.
