I have just spent the most relaxing and amazing time on an island in Thailand….what a great sentence! So glad it’s true! We arrived in Bangkok around noon on the 28th of August, a little sleepy-eyed from the 12 hour flight, but excited to be on yet another continent. We got to the YWAM base here, where I was surprised by two of my amazing friends that I worked with in Australia who happened to be here too! It was a little taste of home for me…I love you, Corey and Brooke!
So, after a 30 minute reunion and a little lunch, we were off to the island! My head was still spinning from the jetlag and the surprise, so it took me a second to realize that the white sand beach we pulled up to on the speedboat was our home for the next 5 days. It was nothing short of a paradise resort, and we were there to enjoy it. We had met up with the January team again, as we have done for all of the debriefs so far, so it was back to being just the 80 of us!
How do I describe the week? Basically heaven on earth:
– A room that I shared with only one other person, complete with a bathroom and a real mattress! (trust me, that matters!)
-A 2 second walk to the most beautiful beach, with our own little Thai restaurant overlooking the water ( I partook of the amazing smoothies and shakes more than a few times! Oh, and yes…Thai food is even more amazing in Thailand!)
-These Asian lounge chairs that you lean back on that were always set up right on the beach itself
-Amazing fire show guys who lit sticks on fire and twirled them around!
-A completely relaxed schedule that allowed for hang out time that was much needed and appreciated
-A group of people all around the same age who are in love with God and have given their lives to be used by Him, and who also know how to have a good time and enjoy life to the full as well. No stuffy Christians here, I assure you!
It was amazing, and even through the play and the fun on the beach, God did alot in me those 5 days, without me really asking Him to! He just made me see the simple truth that my life is at such a great place right now. Being sold out for God is not only fun and rewarding some of the time….it is the standard, really! He has promised in His word to give us life to the full, and I think we all saw how true that promise is this last week. Being in missions isn’t always about the suffering and the hard times and the harsh conditions. The Lord is a Father as well, and knows how to give good gifts to His kids. His perfect will for my life is full of blessings and excitement.
I am blessed to be able to say that at 23 years old, I am perfectly content in where I am in my life and my walk with the Lord. I could ask for nothing more, and am in need of nothing. Giving your life fully to God doesn’t mean you are signing your life away to permanent trials and struggles, complete with the poverty mentality that seems to plague people in ministry at times. God is the God of fun and passion and even relaxation! How do we miss it so many times? He’s not a harsh taskmaster…He’s my Daddy and I got to chill with Him on the beach in Thailand for a week …and I get to wake up everyday and say “This is my life!”
