World Race application process I was so excited for the opportunity to
serve in Africa. My grandparents had been missionaries in Africa and my
niece is from Africa so I have quite the affinity towards this continent. What
I wasn’t expecting was God to open up my eyes and break my heart for the
girls of Thailand. To be honest, I hadn’t give much thought to
Thailand. I never had the desire to visit Asia nor did I feel much of a
burden for the people. Not to say that I didn’t feel bad for the things going on in Thailand, I just always felt like my calling was to the people of
Africa.
God clearly had
another plan. Slowly, he started to raise my awareness of Thailand and the awfulness
of the sex trade industry. Week after week stories of Thailand, the sex trade industry, and the women who are affected came to my attention. I was reading Redeeming Love for my book club
(yes, I was in a book club…don’t laugh) the month I was accepted
which really broke my heart for women who are stuck in brothels. I
also got an issue of Boho magazine and in it was an article of a woman who
helps the girls who have gotten out of the sex trade industry by teaching them
skills to make money a different way. I heard a sermon about Thailand and all of the suffering that is going on. I had 2 separate
friends visit Thailand a month apart. I also saw a few World Race videos about what fellow racers have been doing in Thailand. God literally began to
break my heart for the girls of Thailand.
we sang the song Hosanna by Hillsong United. Here are a few lines:
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart for what is yours
Everything I am for your kingdom’s cause
As I walk from earth into eternity
As I pondered the
words of this song I realized something. Over the past 4 months God’s
has opened my eyes to the previously unseen (in my eyes) situation in
Thailand. He has begun to show me that he loves these girls just as
much as he loves me. These girls I have never met are my sisters
through Christ and I am striving to love them as he loves me. And finally,
he has broken my heart for what is his. Each one of these girls are BEAUTIFUL
DAUGHTERS OF GOD. They were beautifully and wonderfully made. I am blessed and honored to be able to go to Thailand to love on these girls and show them who God is.
Although I expected I would
find out what I was most passionate about while I was out on the Race, I never
expected to find out beforehand that my passions had changed.
