Sitting here in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I wanted to post an update from the past month. Since it’s Thanksgiving, I figured I’d do it by sharing some of the things I’m thankful for from each week…
4 weeks ago I was thankful for:
- Darryl and Christina – our hosts on the island of Mindoro. Darryl is a Clemson fan from South Carolina. Years ago, God called him to the Philippines where he met his wife, Christina. Together they run Samaritan’s Feet – Philippines, an organization dedicated to a world with zero shoeless children. They took such good care of us.
- The Mangyan People – an indigenous people group of Mindoro. We had the opportunity to visit schools in their villages and interact with the children. We washed their feet, prayed with them and gave them a new pair of shoes. For some kids, this was their only pair of shoes. The people were so friendly, loving and receptive.
- Fun times on the island. One day, we got to snorkel around a beautiful coral reef with tropical fish and sea turtles. Another day, we took a boat ride to our own private island for some rest and relaxation. We played lots of basketball and baseball with the kids that lived nearby.
- Community – my team and our relationship. We started really getting to know each other by sharing our testimonies/detailed life stories. Each story is so unique and beautiful. They inspire me and challenge me to go deeper in my relationship with God. We have lots of fun together but also have lots of deep, life-giving, sometimes uncomfortable conversations that lead to growth.
3 weeks ago I was thankful for:
- Reunions. We traveled back to Manila and met up with the rest of the squad. It was awesome to hear stories of everyones first month. It was also challenging because now instead of just talking with the same 6 people, there were 32 others with different perspectives and different hard questions for me.
- God’s Promises – specifically Matthew 5:6. It says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” We started reading Matthew as a team and this verse really stuck out to me. Although I don’t have all the answers, this says that if I keep searching for wisdom, knowledge and discernment, the Lord will provide exactly what I need, even if it’s not exactly what I had in mind. He won’t leave me hanging and that’s a promise.
2 weeks ago I was thankful for:
- Leadership – our squad mentor, coaches and leaders. They are intentional in their teachings, questions and interactions with each of us and continually point us to God in all they do. They provided times for worship, learning and rest for us before we left the Philippines which was a great way to process what had happened in one month while prepping for success in the next.
- Safe and successful travels to Thailand. We left the ministry in the Philippines at 1 AM and got the hostel in Chiang Mai around 9 PM. All 39 of us are staying together at one place this month.
- Culture. There’s a lot going on in this city. We’ve visited numerous Buddhist temples and talked with monks. There’s a night bazaar a block away with food, shopping and live music every night of the week. Locals are friendly, but it’s high season for tourism so there are lots of different people around to talk to from all over the world. We also got to go to an elephant sanctuary where we learned about, fed, bathed and played with elephants.
Last week I was thankful for:
- My education and work experience. This month, our ministry was helping with construction at a newly purchased Christian school. I worked specifically on floor plans for the daycare and an overall site plan. It was cool that God gave me the opportunity to use my specific background and skills to contribute to the work being done here.
- New experiences with God. Two days per week are set aside for us to “Ask the Lord” what to do, who to talk to and where to go. This is a new practice for me and honestly, it hasn’t been super easy. That being said, if you had told me a year ago that I’d be walking around Thailand by myself for six hours talking to God, I would have thought you were crazy, but here I am doing just that.
This week I am thankful for:
- Spontaneous trips. On Saturday, seven of us decided to take an unplanned camping trip to Doi Inthanon National Park. We had a great a weekend of adventure and fellowship and were blown away by the beauty of some of the tallest mountains in Thailand.
- Friends and family. Thank you for all your love and support these past couple months. I’m always encouraged by your kind words and prayers.
Tonight is the lantern festival here in Chiang Mai so we are celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow. The holidays make me miss being home a little, but I have no doubt that I’m right where I’m supposed to be.
If you would like to hear more about my trip, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d love to share more of what God’s doing in my life and hear what He’s doing in yours! You can also follow my teammates blogs. They’re pretty cool. Thanks for reading. Happy Thanksgiving. God bless.
