It’s story time again!
Once upon a time about 5 years ago, a friend of mine planted the idea in my head of moving to Thailand to train Muay Thai. Some of you may remember this phase of my life. I was quite enthusiastic and determined. Now at the same time that I was spending HOURS every single day researching and planning my great move, I was also looking into the World Race for the first time. I was passionate about both adventures, trying to decide which was for me. But life happened and years passed.
It was a rather sudden epiphane when I decided to leave for the world race when I did. God simply put it on my heart and showed me that it was finally the perfect time for me to set out on this great dream of mine. How fortunate and excited I felt to be on a route that included my beloved Thailand. I would finally get to see it! Not only that, but last month in Cambodia I learned that my team would be stationed on Phuket island; a place that brought a rush of memories back to me. All those hours and days spent researching Thailand and Muay Thai schools; and now I would be in the very area that I dreamed about!
And here I am. But there’s more.
Pause for effect….
So my team and I were staying at a lovely little hostel in Phuket Town. We happened (by an obvious direction of God) to befriend an awesome gentleman by the name of Kevin. It turned out that he’s a boxer! Naturally, I was ecstatic at this revelation. He invited us to come watch him practice at his school sometime. Naturally, I nearly fainted for joy.
Now as you can imagine, there was just a sliver of hope in me that I might actually get to learn something while watching him train and, perhaps, even get a bit of a lesson. Maybe even just practice punching a bag for a few minutes. (Words cannot express how I miss my dear punching bag back home) But God had better plans than that.
So we got in our taxi and headed for Kevin’s school.
As we drew near, we entered what was obviously Muay Thai central. We passed school after school. And as my excitement rose to nearly unbearable, we actually passed the very school that I once planned to live and train at. I nearly burst into tears. After all these years, I was actually here! How God loved to show how much He cares.
We continued on to Kevin’s school, where things got even better!
We got out of the taxi and I did my best to contain my excitement. It seemed a good idea to avoid hyperventilating in front of the coolest guys I’ve ever seen. Seriously, Thai boxers are the most physically fit human beings on this earth. But I digress…Where was I?
So there we were, five white girls at a Muay Thai gym, awkwardly standing around grinning, excited to watch our new friend practice. And then they offered us a brief lesson. I might have blacked out a little there…
Best. Day. EVER!
This bunch of super gracious friendly guys were more than happy to teach a bunch of clueless white girls the basics of their art. It was amazing! I got to practice stance, jab, cross, left and right hook, knees, (that was almost embarrassing) and when it came time to practice kicking, my instructor looked at the instructor next to him and exclaimed, “Hey, she can kick! She can kick!”
Overwhelming. Joy.
After our mini lesson, we moved to the sidelines to watch the practice. THIS is where my beliefs about Thai boxers being the most fit human beings on earth were absolutely confirmed. These fighters were astonishing! When they kick a bag, it sounds like freakin gunfire. And when they kick repeatedly…Well I’ve never seen, or heard, anything like it. Respect, my friends, respect.
We then learned that one of the boxers has a fight this coming Saturday in the very town that we just moved to. I’m praying that I will be able to go. I’m dying to see a real Muay THai match; how awesome?! I also learned that one of the fighters who had been instructing me earlier is one of their A-Team fighters and has a big match coming up in Bangkok this weekend. What an honor! What a day.
I dearly hope that the awesomeness of God’s glory shows up in this story. See it. YEARS ago I dreamed and planned and couldn’t decide what I wanted to do. But I had goals. And even after I moved on with life, God remained faithful. He said, “Here you go! Let’s put ALL THE THINGS in one big adventure for you!”
Five years ago, I had NO IDEA how to move to Thailand or even how to travel at all. I had no means of supporting myself. I now support myself, am traveling thoroughly, and He actually took me to the very place I want to be so I can check it out and, hopefully, make some friends here. Life altering. How I love how He works in my life. All the days.
Thank you SO MUCH my dear loved ones for all your support. I’ve had support coming in from so many unexpected places lately as I rush to meet my next deadline. I am overwhelmed.
