For as long as I can remember, people have called me a warrior. In fact, I even dressed up as William Wallace while at training camp. Coincidence? Who knows. Here’s the truth about me though, I’ve got passion. I’m bold and with that not afraid to tell you how things are. I’m also not really afraid of much that this world can throw at me. the only thing that really matters though in my warrior “vibes” is that I’m down with the homie in heaven.
Okay for real though month two brought me to a whole different level of what it is to be a warrior for Christ. I found myself partnering with an organization called Outpour Movement (http://www.outpourmovement.com) in Mae Sot, Thailand right on the border of Myanmar. Outpour is a kingdom business which supports local ministries in the area involved with street kids and Burmese refugees.
I was involved with writing up various paper work and researching supplies for a new art school that is being built which is part of Seeds. (http://www.missionheir.com/seeds) Pretty much the school is being designed to be a place to drastically change the outcome of people’s lives by giving them skills, dreams, and hope. My kind of party.
I was all about it but for real, desk work and sitting in front of a computer all day is not my thing. I was okay however with putting all I had into the ministry opportunity which was before me. Helping homies that help homies.
Thailand is a beautiful place. Ever since I landed in Bangkok it felt a lot like home to me in random weird ways. The Pacific Northwest is place full of art and food and both Bangkok and Mae Sot had a lot of both. Portland foodcart vibes for days. It felt pretty comfortable while I stayed there. I was also staying in a huge comfortable house with all my friends so you can only imagine how dope that would be. However, something just wasn’t right in my spirit. I didn’t sign up for the race to be comfortable.
Well once again God knows the desires of my heart before I can even begin to comprehend what I want. I was riding a bike into town to get a bite to eat from this place we call the green house (because the walls were painted green.) Super clever, you dig? 40 baht (about a buck and some change) could get me a Coke and as much curry or pad thai as I wanted so I found myself there quite often.
Anyway I’m riding my bike and a car pulls up and Steph, one of our squad leaders, jumps out and tells me she wants to talk. I’m like cool, what’s good? Before I know it she spills out that oh hey this opportunity has come up in Cambodia and I’ll be leaving the next day with her and another squad mate, my homegirl Romany. I was all in. It was time to party. I don’t really know how exactly I got chosen to go other than God knew exactly what He was doing and knew my heart better than I knew it.
Next thing I know I’m on a 20 hour, double decker bus ride headed East across Thailand and into the heart of Cambodia. Siem Reap, home of the infamous Angkor Wat temple. All I knew at this point was that Adventures in Missions had very recently took up management of a guest house and they needed help getting the place up to a higher standard. Kingdom business. Impacting the surrounding community and changing lives. I was into it.
My first steps into the guesthouse I noticed very quickly that the entire place was filled with pictures and statues of various Hindu gods and Buddhas. I was a little taken back and instantly felt weird about the whole idea. God was stirring something in my heart. This was a house of God kept repeating in my thoughts.
My team and I soon discovered our time here in Cambodia would not just be cleaning cobwebs and painting walls. We were there to begin a process of cleansing that house from all its dirt. Physically and spiritually.
After a few nights of staying in the house we came against a lot of spiritual attack in various ways and it became clear to us that the paintings had to go. I was confident in that. I was also becoming very aware of my own confidence in who I am, a son of the one and only living God. My time to truly shine as a warrior for Christ was beginning to rise up in me.
I was not afraid of what lies or distractions the enemy could throw my way. I also realized how much of an impact my bringing up with prayer over me was affecting who I am. God was at work in the place and at work in me. I was not afraid.
As the week progressed we began to pray over each room of the house and after each one I would anoint the mantles and invite God into each space. The spirit was at work. Strongholds were being broken in those around me and in the house itself not because anything we did, but instead because we were giving God the glory. We soon found the only thing we could actually do was praise and worship our creator.
A fire was ignited in me during this time. It’s hard to explain other than coming out of this experience I am not even close to who I was before. My passion for Christ and my desire for those around me to walk in confidence in my savior has lite up my world. I am feeling extremely blessed and overwhelmed by God’s love and grace.
The warrior spirit inside of me is alive. I’m ready to charge at whatever comes my way. Gods got me so why should I be afraid. The only thing the enemy can try to do is distract me. The same goes for you. Ask yourself now, what does it actually mean to be a son/daughter of the one and only living God? If that doesn’t blow your mind, I don’t know what will.
