As our time in Asia comes to a close I find myself in a position of reflection once again. With each new country I learn more about myself and more about my God. Before arriving in Thailand, at the end of August, I had only been through-out the US and Africa. The Lord used those experiences to mature the spirit of justice within me and also to place within me restlessness until I step willingly into His will for me. I wasn’t sure that I would even like Asia; but I found myself falling in love with its people and cultures. Asia has continued the growth process within me and it has brought healing as well.
Thailand brought to me the most heart wrenching yet rewarding ministry experience thus far. I was blessed by the opportunity to spend 6 weeks among the bar women in the red-light district of Bangkok. I spent most of my night making friends with women and a few lady boys who were actively involved in prostitution. I got to spend my days with women who had taken the offer, provided by The Well, to leave the nightlife behind. I was amazed to find within the women at The Well an amazing spirit that could not be quenched. I found them trusting in the Father to provide for their families and to provide healing and wholeness for themselves. These women are truly women of strength. God used them to reveal in me a need to be self reliant, a lack of trust in my God to be all that I needed Him to be, and an arrogance and pride in own resilience and competence. These women are still on my mind often, I love checking my email and finding they have taken the time to write me. One of the ladies is even in her first month of Discipleship Training with YWAM. God is good! I still don’t understand His redemptive grace but I am so thankful for it. I look forward to maintaining the lines of communication and hopefully, one day, to have another opportunity to be with my friends there. As a side note, it was a really special experience to have my birthday while there. Our friends were so sweet to do what they could to make me feel special while I was away from home.
The next month we found ourselves in the “Mecca of Buddhism” in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Siem Reap is the home to the Angkor Wat Temples where many devout Buddhists make a pilgrimage. I found that Cambodia was a challenge for me; I had to get up everyday and choose to be engaged. After our month in Thailand, where so much of myself was poured out, I think I struggled with the idea that I had more to give to Cambodia. While there we taught English and Computer classes at the University of the Nations but the Lord used that month to show me that He is sufficient and how He wants to use me to care for the “lowest” of society. God began speaking into my heart the vision of how my life should look after this race is finished. It was a difficult but exciting time to be able to see His plan unfolding. God proved His sufficiency when, every morning I would wake up and think I had nothing left to give, and He would give me the strength and encouragement I needed for that day. We got to work with a great team of missionaries from YWAM. Founkie and Haya, Steve and Roselette who were all Filipino; & Sokly a local Cambodian woman were the full-time staff in Siem Reap.
