Here is a little blurb of what’s been going on in Thailand the past month:
This weekend, my entire squad (all 40+) had to do a “boarder run” over to Laos in order to renew our Visa’s and continue working on Thailand!
Essentially, this consisted of a lot of waiting in long lines, filling out paper work, getting in another line, paper work, line, repeat, etc. But it was wonderful to spend time with friends we hadn’t seen in a few weeks and being able to check off another country on our lists! (By the way, Laos is a wonderful country, and if you’re ever close, I recommend a visit!!!)
Just like in America, Christmas happens in Thailand too!!
Although it’s definitely not as big of a deal here. Many locals consider it only a “holiday for foreigners”.
For the month of December, it was our goal share the true meaning of Christmas and how it was more than a “holiday for foreigners”. We put on a whole bunch of Christmas parties, where we shared the true meaning of Christmas!
We visited several different villages, where we played games, danced, and did a skit of the birth of our Savior for kids. For many of these kids this was the first time they had heard about more than Santa or presents for Christmas. It was so special to be able to share that with them. I believe that God planted seeds in the hearts of a lot of kids and their parents!
Additionally, we had the opportunity to have a Christmas party for women who work as prostitutes here in Korat. Last Friday night we went to a park which is a common place for these women to work. We walked around, and with the help of a translator, were able to have some really neat conversations with the women and invite them to our Christmas party the following night.
We offered to “purchase” the women for their time (although to hate that term for people)!
This was the first time the Tamar Center had done anything like this, and therefore we were unsure how it would go. We prayed that 5 women would come.
Guess how many came?!
23!!!!! Wow. God rocks, doesn’t he?!
My heart was overwhelmed when I saw how many were there! Our living room was full to the max. It was beautiful!
Our contacts started off by showing a slide show of what the Tamar Center does for women who choose to leave prostitution. We sang some Christmas songs, played many silly games, and performed our skit to share the story of baby Jesus.
It was truly an amazing evening, and I know that as we continue building relationships with these women, the Holy Spirit will do his part in their hearts!
The truth is, these women don’t like what they do. No one wants to sell their bodies in these ways. They feel trapped. They don’t know how else to provided for their families. Surprisingly enough, many of them have husbands, and children. But this line of work is well paying in comparison with other jobs they could get, and therefore very hard to leave.
Other than that, our time in Thailand has been wonderful so far! We all love the food!! I never thought I would actually WANT sticky rice and chicken for breakfast, but I do now!
We love our contacts. Yoyo and Aon have two beautiful daughters who we enjoy playing with!
Our translator is an angel. TookTik is 23 years old, and couldn’t be more helpful as well as fun and a perfect addition to our team!
Holidays away from home were weird for sure. I definitely missed my family more than I imagined, but getting to celebrate in unique ways with my teammates was memorable and fun!
I also celebrated my 21st birthday a few days! My teammates made my day very special!! And my family even celebrated at home by eating traditional Thai food in my honor! They rock!
God is working on my heart in ways I never expected.
I have been experiencing Him in unique and beautiful ways! I am constantly reminded how much He takes delight in watching us love others.
It has also been incredible to see how my team is growing, as a team as well as individually.
It is a beautiful thing to see these women on my team really being intentional in listening to Gods calling on their lives, rather than what they might have wanted for themselves.
Thank you for continued love and prayer!
God is good, all the time.
All the time, God is good!
xo
