The Bible says “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” in James 1:17. But what does that really mean?
I think the Father began to answer that question for me, along with other questions I had been seeking answers for with a person who just so happened to be named Gift.
When we arrived in Thailand I had a feeling—a whisper if you will—I was going to love Thailand. I didn’t really know why, but I knew it to be true. We arrived at the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) base in Bangkok and quickly got settled. The next day we had orientation. I had heard some things about YWAM in the past, but I still wasn’t sure what to expect.
Cue Gift. Leading the orientation was this well-spoken funny Thai woman named Gift. She began to teach us all the do’s and don’ts of Thai culture. She began to tell us more about YWAM and what they are doing in Thailand and around the globe. She was funny and approachable, making jokes with us and inviting us to try our hand at some broken Thai. I got this feeling like we should talk.
During a break, I found her and asked if there was a list of all the YWAM programs in Thailand. Offering me jellybeans and smiles, she said “of course!” She then asked what are my interests. I told her quickly I am interested in public health, specifically maternal health and anti-trafficking. To my surprise, she brightened. “I know just the place! There is a program in Perth called the Birth Attendant School (BAS)! They train you to be a midwife and go out into the nations delivering and reviving babies. They have some incredible stories!”
When I heard this I felt like my life came together; I had always wanted to work in women’s health, but not necessarily in the traditional medical setting with the traditional medical debt, I knew my calling to work in the nations was growing, and I have always wanted to go to Australia! That may sound like an exaggeration, but it rocked my world! I had always had an idea of what I wanted to do, but I didn’t know it actually existed. She delivered the gift of a dream becoming a reality to me from the Father!
Over the next few days I got to know Gift better as she traveled with us to train our translator. The more I knew about her, the more fitting I thought her name was. I know our whole team felt that way, but I just felt a special twinkle to the name “Gift.” Not only did she relay a gift from the Father to me, but she also invested in me, continuing to encourage me by showing me the YWAM Perth website and YouTube videos from the BAS, listening to my story, and making cat noises with me while looking up cat pictures on Pinterest (my love language).
The more I looked into the school, the more confirmed I felt. Like a cherry on top, one requirement for the BAS is a completed Discipleship Training School (DTS). Well, it so happens that Perth also has a DTS called Priceless that focuses on anti-trafficking awareness and ministry in Australia and Asia. This literally could not get any more perfect!
I felt like God waited until the perfect moment to surprise me with this gift. He waited until I had a month like last month in India, where I got to explore my identity in Him and learn more about Him. He waited until all the pieces fit perfectly together and wrapped them up in pretty paper with a nice shiny bow, presenting it to me through His Gift. Literally, it was the most good and most perfect gift I could have asked for; for someone to tell me that all my dreams are actually a reality and I can be a part of them! I could not be more excited to continue on this journey the Father has lead me to, getting to know Him more and step into the incomprehensibly great plan I trust He has for me!
P.S. When I finished writing this blog, I was originally going to use this “P.S.” section to mention that I was $400 short of the October 1st financial deadline to continue on the Race, however, before posting the blog, I decided to check my Support Info and—SURPRISE—another gift! Someone blessed me with an Anonymous $1,000 donation, helping me surpass my October deadline and getting me one step closer to being fully funded! God is so great and I am continually blown away by the way He blesses us! EEP! 😀
I know the Father has called each one of my squad mates to the Race, so I know He will provide for them, too! So I just ask that you please consider helping my teammate Mariah stay on this journey by helping her reach her $11,000 financial deadline as well. She is currently $1,485 short of the deadline and needs your support! So please consider financially or prayerfully supporting her to meet this deadline! Our team would not be the same without her joyful snorting laugh!
You can help Mariah out either by clicking on her photo on the side of my blog under “Meet Team Undefined!” section or go to her page at:
