We made it! After months of waiting, talking, and preparations sessions we finally touched down in Thailand, the place we have been dreaming about for months. Ever since I got here I have come to the realization that I had built up the expectation that I would have no problem in a different culture because I had spent so much time in Haiti and was fine there, but God quickly humbled me from that. Thailand and its culture is such a unique and beautiful place and I am so clueless here but oh there’s such beauty in cluelessness.
We landed in Bangkok on the 11th and spent a few days in the suburb of Bangkok where we prepared as a squad and got familiar with the new culture. That consisted of getting local food at the night market, shopping for new Thai pants, talking to locals, and ten of us deciding to jump onto a bus and tram to get to downtown Bangkok one night. It’s safe to say the language barrier is something that is hard to work around but with Gods graces and our patients we were able to find ways to break that barrier and have some fun times.
Four days ago my team and I hopped in a van and drove two and a half hours north to a small district in Thailand called Tak Fa. It is a small, quite town with some of the friendliest people I have ever met. We were quickly welcomed with smiles and a new home by Pastor Pairot and his wife Meow who have been serving the community as some of the only Christian influence for around ten years. In an area that is predominantly Buddhist (with a monk temple that is within walking distance of our little home) it’s amazing to see how much God has blessed them and used them to shine in the community. We are staying in a small house next door to them that they use as a youth center. It has clean, running water; two rooms that they built for us before we came; and A/C!
Our ministry for the next month is traveling to different schools to teach English classes and share about Christ through doing skits for the children. If you would have told me a few months ago that I would be teaching AND doing drama stuff as my ministry I probably would have been less than enthusiastic. However our God is so much greater than our fleshly feelings and always has a better plan than we do. Today was our first day of ministry and all I can say is my heart is full. I had the privilege to teach the older grade children with my teammate Jake and then take part in our skit at the end of the day. It was so amazing to see the children responding so great to us and to see my teammates jump in full force for this ministry, even if it wasn’t what we had in mind.
We won’t be at the schools the whole time because they have a break during the month of October, so we will be doing village ministry then. I cannot wait to see how God grows me in this season and I can easily say I already love being called a teacher here.
Please keep my team and I in your prayers as we continue this journey. Our bodies are still trying to get back on a normal track and get used to the new food so some people have been under the weather here and there. In addition, just pray that even through the language barrier we will be able to show God’s love and grace to a culture where some people have never even heard the gospel. Thank you so much for the support and I will try to have another update again soon!
First day teaching english!
“But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke” -Acts 6:10
