+ day 56 +
Since mid-January I have been counting up the number of days since we left the States.
How many days though have I truly left my comforts?
I find [more often than not] I cling to blogging or emails to close friends about what Papa is teaching me and growing me in.
Unfortunately, this may not be the healthiest form of processing. [maybe I should learn to process verbally with my team. oops. I’m seeing where I run to for comfort…]
Why are my blogs centered around me? Well, because I’m so self-focused. Ouch.
SO! Challenge! I am challenging myself from this day forth, to blog NOT ONLY about my feelings or what’s going on inside me.
I am challenging myself to SHARE ABOUT WHAT PAPA IS DOING IN THE NATIONS!
I am challenging myself to share about the ministry, the peoples I have encountered, the hosts and the faces I will never forget.
Forewarning: I may speak generally because I want to keep stories safe, daughters & sons safe, and I believe in love I can [though vaguely] expound on experiences I have had with SONS & DAUGHTERS!
Where did I see Papa this month in Thailand?
This month I saw kingdom, I saw Papa in youth & kids in Mae Sot.
Almost immediately upon introduction to the vision & heart of our ministry host [Outpour Movement, http://www.outpourmovement.com/ ] a piece of my heart connected.
A string was established between hearts. My heart was drawn to theirs because Outpour gives opportunity to those who have fled Burma to Thailand [because of civil war going on for 60+ years and flee to Mae Sot and are living as refugees]. Outpour has a heart to partner alongside and disciple. They are building into the community and teaching the very individuals that live there ownership and will someday be able to hand over the ministry. YES! These are not Americans who come in to fix someone else’s problem then leave the individuals helpless or without resources & skills.
These missionaries are visionaries and are PLANTED; they are present moving forward in vision & investing in the people now.
I saw Papa in the youth & kids I met and played with in Mae Sot.
The first Saturday in Mae Sot, I had the opportunity to join youth night! I was unsure whether I would mix well because even though I have been invested & volunteered in youth ministry several years in Washington, as that season came to a close, I felt awkward.
The awkward feeling was there, but I have met that awkward feeling before and literally have to choose “no, I belong here and I have a place here” and the lie leaves.
*sidenote* we prayed with the main man invested in the youth [also team wolfpack’s ministry facilitator/visionary/friend/brother, Michael] and another on fire man of God invested in these kids before the night began. We prayed & I heard and felt Papa tell me his fire, his holy spirit is already here, but tonight would be a new wave, a new freedom and a new joy.
[i think he told me this in preparation to be surprised to see that THE FIRE OF PAPA’S LOVE, his Holy Spirit is present here]
These youth- they sing without timidity. They sing out their praise to Papa, their father, the one who has brought them and rescued them from more pain and struggle than I will ever experience. These sons and daughters sang Good Good Father, and No Longer a Slave and I will forever remember the passion and voices that sang it from the depths of who they are.
KINGDOM
Fire
WORLD CHANGERS
These young people are shaking up Mae Sot. They are learning to walk in kingdom culture. They are learning to lean into holy spirit and experience him. They are walking out how to love and REACH their community and share the love & joy of Jesus! [I saw it with my own eyes. We got to partner with them for an outreach into a Burmese/Thai community. These sons and daughters are unashamed. They are bold. They are courageous lovers.]
The kids.
My heart! My heart melted & came alive when I met these sweet beautiful faces.
First interaction: happily greeted and hugged by girls and boys we came to play sports with. My heart was immediately at home. All we could converse was names, but that didn’t stop us from playing.
Two girls taught me a new version of rock, paper, scissors. I didn’t get it after a couple rounds, and almost moved on; but I insisted they teach me; I caught on and we were soon giggling and playing rock, paper, scissors.
One week later we got to play again, and this time two of them braided my hair.
I saw them the next day at church, and this was the last chance I would see them and hug them until who knows when. I was already teary-eyed and crying, and even more so after watching these kids take care of each other, give testimony and sing so unashamed.
These kids are not shy or timid.
Courageous lovers.
They have experienced more pain and poverty than I ever will. I will never fully understand the places they come from, I will never experience what they’ve experienced; but they have opportunity to be taught, see & experience kingdom. They live like sons & daughters. They are loved by Papa and the body.
WORLD CHANGERS.
Shaking up Thailand, Burma, Asia & the world.
PAPA is alive and HE IS DOING WHAT HE DOES BEST!
Loving his sons & daughters! I see the overflow & I got to experience it.
Wow.
Thank you Abba.
I have HOPE.
I have hope for Thailand. I have hope for Burma. I have hope for Asia.
I have hope for the world.
This journey isn’t about me.
These 11 months are not about me bringing the good news.
I think that’s a piece of these 11 months, but it’s not the entire puzzle.
This journey is a puzzle, and I am just one piece.
How big of a puzzle is it? I don’t know.
Definitely more than 500.
I would say closer to 5000.
Actually, this is a puzzle 7 billion pieces big.
Yep. Thanks Jesus for that.
This is massively bigger than me.
Wow.
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If you want to discover more about the ministry we were with this month, see the link below.
I am blessed and honored to have been welcomed into this family. Kingdom!!
http://www.outpourmovement.com/
^our ministry contact/host in Mae Sot.
http://www.missionheir.com/seeds/
^my team got to partner with this vision coming into fruition!
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PRAYER REQUESTS
+ We’re traveling to our next country in a few days. Pray that we would be ready to move with the Spirit. We are hungry for more. I have this vision/word/sense from holy spirit that we [our squad] are at the edge of a cliff, and we can jump off or Papa is going to push us off, whether we’re ready or not. Ready or not, here we go! I believe we’re going to have massive opportunity, many opportunity to see people to love on, to see miracles, to see Papa’s love, to experience his kingdom.
+ Continued health! Thank you for your prayers of health!
+ Unity & vulnerability in team & squad. Seek the best in each other and encourage & strengthen one another.
+ Experience holy spirit in new ways!
+ Hope! I want to walk everyday with the hope of resurrection life! I want it to be in the forefront of my mind.
+ Joy. I want to choose it, regardless if I feel it.
+ Expectancy. I have an expectancy. I want to see Papa move in ways I’ve never seen before. I don’t know, I just see him throwing us in and we’ll never get out & won’t be satisfied with our normal now, because he is going to change our normal.
+ Courage to do what I haven’t done [in regards to new opportunity with worship and playing guitar; I want Papa to use me as a vessel of resurrection life, joy and love]
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