This week I was lucky enough to participate in the Awakening in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I will admit that I went into it with the wrong attitude, but God always has ways around that. I wanted to use those 3 days as a vacation from the race. I just wanted to be a tourist for once, instead of always having to be a missionary. But through a beautiful worship session, a friend’s note, and a lot of tears I realized what it was that God had in store for the Awakening. Surrender.
First off, let me explain the Awakening. Adventures in Missions had the idea to host an event for several World Race squads in the same area, at different points on their race. My squad joined together with 3 other squads, a long term AIM team, and former racers working in Thailand. Two of the squads were in month 3, and the other two squads were in month 7 and month 9. We were all at completely different stages in our race, but we all came together to share what we had learned about the lord, people, and ourselves in the hopes of building each other up and awakening that calling inside of us that most likely got pushed aside in our survival mode.
Since month one, I have been blessed with awesome ministries to work with. But I have noticed that my mind has switched into survival mode. Instead of digging into the culture God has set before us, I have just been trying to make sure I don’t die in this crazy new world that I am experiencing. But this awakening has shown me something. I can go my whole 11 month race in survival mode and not truly experience what God has put me all the way over here in Asia for. To be his hands and feet. I know, it sounds cliché, but it’s so true! If I’m too concerned about my own well being then how will I surrender to the plans he has to use my hands and feet.
At the Awakening, I got to meet with another chef who is in month 9 of her Race. We talked for a while about kitchen life, but then she shared with me how she had been able to bless her team, her hosts, and her ministries through the gift God had given her. I’ll admit, I wanted to get away from the title of chef. I didn’t enjoy my job as a baker at home and I viewed this year as a break from that life. So when I signed up for the World Race I automatically assumed I would be digging wells and building churches for the next 11 months. Not baking Sunday morning church treats in Bali or rewriting recipes for feedings in Manilla. I kept hiding from the gift God has given me while pursuing other gifts.
And now in month 4 of my race, after 20 hours on a bus, an hour getting deported from Thailand, another hour to enter Cambodia, and literally dripping sweat while trying to set up a hammock on the roof me and my team sat down to meet with our hosts. Almost immediately she asked who the pastry chef was. I raised my hand reluctantly, but then remembered what I had learned at the Awakening. She looked so joyful and said “We’ve been waiting for you to come.” They just opened up a café below their library and have been waiting for me personally to help them with it. Me! I had never even heard of the country of Cambodia before I signed up for this route. But God knew exactly what they needed, a pastry chef, and God knew exactly what I needed, a place to use my gift as ministry.
I love God’s timing. It boggles me how he knows exactly what lessons we are learning and gives us crazy opportunities to grow in these lessons at the most perfect times. And what’s more, he usually intertwines these lessons with others so that you know it’s not coincidence, but God. Even this morning as I was sweating to death, I was so graciously reminded that I am in Battambang, Cambodia to serve. I am not here on a vacation, but to make a difference. So I turned off my survival mode switch and prayed for the heart to serve as best I can.
By the way, I’m not lying about sweating to death. It’s so hot here that I feel like I’m in an oven. I had 2 fans blowing directly on me last night, while rolling at a 90 degree angle so that the sweaty part of me could be cooled off by the air coming from the fans. You would think that because Indonesia is directly on the equator that it would be hotter than Cambodia, but you would be wrong. All kidding aside I’ve been in Cambodia for less than 24 hours, and I already know this is going to be a good month!
