So…I realize that I’m long
overdue for a blog, so let me update you on my life!
After leaving Malaysia, my team headed to Bangkok, Thailand
to meet up with the rest of our squad. We had a few days there to spend time
worshiping and hanging out with our squad leaders, Tara and Robby, before they
went home! It has been a fun and challenging 4 months with them, but we all
feel confident that Krissy and Austin will be amazing squad leaders for the
remainder of the year! Seeing them off was sad, but it’s going to be exciting
to see how the Lord uses them in the next stage of life! We also got to meet
and hang out with some racers from other squads…
the month. They have decided to split up all the men and women and combine
teams. My team, along with 4 other girls from another team, are working in the
village of Nong Buaban near Chaiyaphum, Thailand. We are about 5 hours north of
Bangkok. We are working on a YWAM base, living with a precious Thai family.
When we first arrived, some of us were a little hesitant and still grieving not
being able to work in the red-light district. It was hard for me to accept, but
after spending two weeks with the people here, it’s hard not to fall in-love
with the community.
town speakers rambling on for about an hour in Thai! Apparently it’s just town
announcements, but it’s hard to imagine what they could be announcing,
considering we are in the jungle! Breakfast is usually around 6am and then we
gear up for construction. We are working on building a wall around the base.
The afternoons get up to about 105 here, so it’s imperative to get started
early! Mid-morning the adorable town children start rolling in for an English
and bible lessons. It’s been fun getting to know them! The gave us Thai names
too…mine is Num Pung, which means honey…apparently my face is sweet like honey!
haha! Which is also hard to imagine considering I’m covered in dirt and sweat
24/7!
fellowship with the local women and practice a dance for a big event. It has
been a fun way to build relationship with the people in the community. This
past Saturday, we got to perform the dances in a big ceremony held for the
governor. It is going to air all over Thailand on Thai TV!
The ministry in the village here is just in the beginning
stages, so it hasn’t been as structured as other ministries. It is nice to be a
part of the beginning and really help to build up our contacts and empower
them. They have all kinds of plans and visions for what they want this place to
look like eventually and it’s awesome to get to be a part of the foundational
stages (literally…with the wall we are building :)! We are working on
helping our contacts to get the ball rolling on some pretty amazing ideas, such
as… an on-campus coffee shop used to minister to locals, an English school,
training course for the local women to provide jobs, and a large evangelistic
event at the end of the month.
working with girls in the bars. It’s been truly heartbreaking to hear the
stories and see the pictures. It’s so much worse than I ever imagined. One thing
we learned is that most of those girls and kids come from tiny villages that
offer no job, no money, no hope…villages just like the one I am living in. When
I pass a precious little child riding by on a bike or walking in the street, I
can’t help but wonder what the future holds for them. The parents sell them, or
they go on their own to support their family. It’s just a way of life here…too
common for me to stomach…
