Paradise… can it really be found? I THINK SO! It’s totally in Thailand and it’s probably going to be some little island. This part of the World Race led us to a small island off the coast of Thailand for a few days of mininstry.
We arrived via boat from the mainland. It pulled up close to the long peir, weighed down with our luggage and 27 missionaries! It was quite the race across the sea because off in the distance behind us, monsoon rain clouds were peaking out over the beaches. We arrived just as it started to sprinkle, and quickly unloaded all the packs on the pier.
As the team leaders sorted out the lodging for the days spent on the island, the clounds got closer and closer. Soon, thunder boomed overhead and lightning streaked across the sky. By the time our host had come back to lead us off to our bungalows, it was a massive light and sound show in the sky. The sun was quickly fading behind the mountian on the island, and the muslim prayer calls were sounding off. I lugged my pack down the long pier, onto the sidewalk, and through the village to the bungalows. That was an amazing experience that I’ll never forget and can’t quite express in words. My senses were truly overcome, and my heart filled with the joy of the Lord.
Over the next few days on the island we were going to show the love of God through various service projects and prayer walking through the different villages. Kim Lynch and I paired up for a prayer walk around the island and got to meet many of the locals on the first day. Kim, being the bold friend that she is, led us up to different people’s houses and asked them all, “What’s that?” “What are you cooking?” One grandmother-like lady was peeling some odd fruit on ther porch and quickly offered us a sample. It looked like an apple, and tasted like nothing we had ever had before. In two seconds our mouths were dried out completely, and we were left parched. Along the way we met some fishermen who were cleaning out their nets. I’ve never seen a starfish that wasn’t on the shelf in some beach shop, but these men had huge, multi-colored starfished strung throughout their nets. I had never seen anything like it in my life. They were massive, twice the size of my hand, and beautiful. We prayed as we walked way out into the wilderness for the light of Christ to reach the island. It was a wonderful day in the hot sun, and much appreciated after a month in Tibet!
The second day our teams came together to serve the community based on what we saw during our prayer walks. My team was struggling to come up with a neat idea to serve the community, but God blessed us with a wonderful idea through our host. Instead of serving the community like the other teams who were picking up trash, playing with kids, or cleaning the clinic toliets, we served the teams themselves. We wrote songs to encourage the teams as they worked, bought snacks and water, and prayed for them. It was tough trying to find the teams around the island, but by the time the day was done, we had accomplished our task. We think the other teams liked our songs.
That night we had some free time, and when you are on an island, that’s a wonderful thing. There was a resort on the opposite side of the island, quite a long walk, but beautiful and peaceful in every way. I had already been out there once that morning with Katherine and Kim to have our quiet times, eat the breakfast buffet, and swim before our ministry began. By the time the day was over, I didn’t feel like walking over there. There was a great alternative…
I rented a motorbike. I have never even been a passenger on a motorcyle or scooter or anything, so renting my own to drive was quite the risk. Honestly, I can’t believe the guy let me take it off the lot, but after some much-needed training by Kim, I got the thing started. It’s a good thing I had moved it out onto the sidewalk, because when I reved the engine, it took off like a shot. Of course I panicked, wondering, “Where is the brake!,” but then I remembered to let go of the throttle.
That was my only scary incidence and I caught on quickly… and I loved every minute of it. I was zooming around the island, through the villages, all over the sidewalks, and down to the resort. It was a sad day when I had to turn it back in at the night’s end. Unfortunately the motorbike shop was still a bit of a walk from my bungalow. I had spent all day in my bathing suit walking around the island and I was paying for it. After some slow walking I made it back to my bed and feel fast asleep.
The next day, our last day, we spent the day with the Lord and worshipped Him in many different ways. In fact, we had made a list of 101 different ways to worship God and we tried to put them into practice as we enjoyed the island. Most everyone else got up early and went to a place called emerald cave. It’s a cave that you must swim through, but on the other side, it’s a beautiful beach. I wanted to take part, but due to the chaffing from the day before, decided to stay back and rest.
Not wanting to stay in my bungalow all day, I rented the motorbike again. This time, I got the bike for the whole day. Laura and I took our motorbikes through the fishing villages and out onto this beach. We saw AnnaMarie in the distance walking toward us. She had a motorbike as well, and we all took off down t he sandy beach, into the woods, and on a trail to the point of the island. It was a crazy trip with tiny plank bridges and narrow paths, but it was an amazing adventure.
I met up with Sarah and Kim on the beach later that day for smoothies and snorkeling. Sadly, my swimming skills held me back and I mostly saw the shoreline rather than the coral and fish. After a good dinner, a sunset, and sad trip back to the bike shop… I had finished my day.
My time on the island was amazing, and I can’t imagine a more beautiful place to study worhipping the Lord. I hope everyone remembers to pray for the people of that island because they were so friendly and need the light of Christ desparetly. Look at the “My Pictures” section on the left-hand side. I’ve updated with many fun pictures from Thailand.
