It’s been quite a while since I blogged! Blogging has been overwhelming for me because it can be so hard to explain what we are going through as missionaries. So, I just wanted to give a short update about what our ministry looked like in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand.
Vietnam:
My 1st team, Meraki, was in Ho Chi Mihn City, Vietnam. We worked at a local school and taught English, math and a few other subjects to various grades. In the morning, I taught 4th graders, and high schoolers in the afternoon. Speaking the gospel is illegal in Vietnam, which was very difficult since my whole purpose is to share about Jesus.
We learned that we are also called to love like Jesus… and even if we can’t share about his name, we can love others like he does.
Once a week, we would help a group make 1,000 meals for patients and families of a local hospital. It was fun to interact with the women who showed us what to do.
An unexpected surprise was a women named Gia. She is a women women who just became a Christian 3 months ago. She helped us get around town, took us to our church, and helped us translate. We loved her sweetness and were able to pour truth into her life!
Hector brought a student to know Christ by practicing with his guitar. While he was singing about Jesus in Spanish, the student asked him what it was about. He as able to share the gospel to him in the safety of our home, and the student accepted Jesus right then! Even if it is just one student in a month, it is all worth it! We planted many seeds this month to a country who is lost.
Thanksgiving: We celebrated Thanksgiving at Gia’s Aunt’s house with another world race team! We had a big feast of sort of American food and spent quality time with each other. It was hard to not be home with my family, especially because it was also my Dad’s birthday!
Cambodia:
NEW TEAMS!!! In December, we got new teams. Our new team is called Refined n’ Devine. I am still on the same team as Josh and Hector (from team Meraki). We were sent to the outskirts of Phenom Pehn, Cambodia. Our ministry was at ITCS (a college and seminary). Students came from all over Asia (Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma, India, Philippines, China and more!) We taught them English which can help them share the gospel to others who speak English. I LOVED working with older students who were so great to us. Each Sunday, we would go out to the villages and give a children’s service with the university students. They also provide a meal to the students and adults who came out.
We also went out to the neighborhood around the school once a week on our own time to evangelize. This is something that God has brought out in me on the race. I learned that I love talking to strangers and it comes natural to me. We did listening prayer and headed out to see who God led us to. We had such great times talking to the locals and I can see God’s handy work all around!
Christmas: We had an amazing AMERICAN food Christmas eve dinner at a restaurant about 30 min away. Then, for Christmas, we helped the students put on a program for the local community. Most of the people who came are Buddhist, but you get to eat if you come which is nice! It was amazing to see Jesus’s name spread in their own language. We also went out to the villages on Christmas to have another Kid’s service.
Thailand:
This month, it is just the girls! The guys are all together for a man-istry month. We are in a village in northern Thailand. This month has been very difficult for me because the language barrier is HUGE. We have only found one person (about 1 mile away from here) who speaks sort of English. We are English teachers at an all Buddhist Primary school. We have not met any Christians since we have been here. It has been super hard for me this month to teach English and not be able to share much about Jesus because of the barrier. However, I learned today that no, they might not be able to remember words or sentences I speak, but they can remember how I treated them. We are probably the first American, English Speaking, or white people they have met. We can show them Jesus’s love through a high five everyday, a hug, or simply a smile! This month, I am learning how to love in a simple way!
We will be off to Central America next month for month 7!
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