I hate goodbyes. Who doesn’t, really? Often I tell myself “I’ll be back someday” in hopes of coping with the leaving part. I know, I know. My previous training tells me to spend some time grieving and move on. But the truth is I could be back someday. I have been at SHE twice now in the last year. When I left the first time I knew I’d be back, just not sure when. Only God knows these things. I can rest in that.
Besides just venting about goodbyes, I do want to highlight the last couple of weeks at our time in Phuket. God worked in BIG ways within the girls on my team and in the bars. I’m not sure I can even articulate everything. All I can say is God is faithful! He provided divine opportunities to get SHE flyers into the hands of women. One woman quit her job at the bar and is now working at the mall. He has planted seeds in everyone that we have made relationships with.
My friend who I felt like a giant next to! Miss her already!
At the end we had to surrender it all to the Lord’s hands (easier said than done!) and have peace knowing that we’re passing the baton onto the next team that steps out on “our street” in a couple of weeks.
After Phuket we went to the amazing Phi Phi island for our midpoint debrief. A couple of staff from AIM, Kelly and Tamica, flew out to facilitate our debrief time for a few days. They basically helped us “reset” some things as a team so that we are set up for success for our last 2 months of the trip. Everyone felt rejuvenated and ready to keep pressing on.
On a personal note, I chose to get baptized on Phi Phi! I’d only been baptized as a baby, and wanted to do it in my adult life. It symbolizes that I am dead to sin and alive in Christ!
Here’s the play-by-play in photos so you feel like you were there with me! 😉
We are now in Chiang Mai (northern Thailand) and are heading up to the Burmese border to work up there for about a week.
Sorry this blog was longer than normal!
