These past 2 days have been our team’s adventure days so we’ve been blessed with some freedom to have some fun. Yesterday I did a Muy Thai class with two teammates and our new German friend. Just in case you don’t know, Muy Thai is basically a more intense version of Kick Boxing. Unlike in kickboxing, a Muay Thai fighter can throw knees and elbows, drop the opponent by holding their kicking leg, and much more. We agreed to partake in this adventure because it would be a unique experience, good physical exercise, and we really wanted to hang out with our new friend named Paul. But I was neither physically nor spiritually prepared for what was at hand.
We showed up to the gym and this place was LEGIT!! I mean boxing ring, heavy bags, crazy intense thai fighters, and it was in an open 3rd floor arena with no walls. I was stoked at first sight. As soon as warm ups and stretches were over, I began to really sweat. I don’t think I stopped sweating for the next 2 hours. I had pours waterfalling that I didn’t even know existed!! The entire training session was modeled after an actual match with rounds. Each round, they would teach us basic fight moves and put us to work with them. Each round ended with the final minute being used to punch as fast and continuous as we possibly could. We couldn’t get water until we completed 10 push ups right after our “fast punches” and each water break was 1 minute long. We did over 15 rounds. I could barely walk down the stairs.
The Lord extended his pity on me by sending a rain storm to cool the weather and wash me off before returning to my Hostel. The Lord created a torrential downpour that had my friends and I stuck at the gym. I believe the Lord sent this rain. I said I was neither physically nor spiritually prepared for what I had coming to me. I just did my best to explain what physically got me, but here’s the spiritual part.
The rain had all of us stuck in that gym. My two teammates (Ali and Amy), Paul (new German Friend), and Tom (another backpacker we had just met). As we tried to wait out the rain, we got to chat a bit. We joked about the workout and then began to exchange some rad stories. I asked Frank about his two tattoos and he began to completely open up about his son, trials he faced growing up, overcoming an impossible ailment that caused doctors to say he shouldn’t live past 30 (he’s now 39), and why he’s currently traveling. It amazed me how much he was willing to share. What happened next amazed me even more.
He then asked me about the tattoo on my back. And right there, in the middle of a Muay Thai gym while taking refuge under a tin roof, I got to share what God means to me. I got to share how God speaks to me and how I belive God calls me to speak to others. And Tom received every word enthusiastically! He was, and I quote, “by no means a religious man.” Yet he, through inner working of the Lord, just received the message of a Savior. I was astonished by how impeccable the entire thing was set up. If that isn’t enough, I got to end up having dinner and catching a movie with Paul! We shared portions of our testimony with one another and it was such an encouraging time to simply live out a missional life. None of this was scheduled ministry. None of this was written out on a spread sheet and even if I tried to, I couldn’t possible write it any better my self. This was what it meant to enjoy the life God has given us and also use it for the expanse of His Kingdom. Please pray for Tom as he continues to travel with his Fiancé. Please pray for Paul as he finishes traveling soon then returns to Germany to become a policeman.
A thing Tom said as we were waiting in the rain that I can’t get off my mind is this:
“Sometimes you can’t sit around waiting for the weather to change. Instead, go dancing in the rain!”
*my encouragement to you: if you’re currently or ever will be in a season that seems like bad weather, then while you’re sitting around waiting for it to change consider seeing why God has you there in the first place. Maybe it’s a time to strike a much needed conversation. Maybe it’s a time to spend time with a friend. Maybe it’s time to dance in the middle of the rain. Or maybe it’s just rain.. Not for me to decide, but for you to find out!!! Love you. Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts! Please let me know if you’don’t like to chat. I love chatting.
