ASIA: ( I wrote this about a week and a half ago, so even though it says we are in Thailand, we are actually in Malaysia now) 🙂
It’s a whole new ballgame over here!
I can’t believe that we are almost done with our month 6. Thailand has been so different than my first 5 months. Asia is a completely different ball game than Central America/the Caribbean. Buddhism and Islam overwhelm this country. It is hotter than any place I’ve ever been, with about 900% humidity (insert overexagertion here) hehe. There are squatty potties to use in most schools and a lot of public places, but I’ve only really HAD to use one twice. The culture is to be very respectful to others. Everyone takes their shoes off before entering houses, shops, and schools. You bow to greet people and you can’t walk beside a Monk or even speak to one if you are female. Everyone loves seafood here. Not eating everything on your plate is considered rude. Also, I went to a Thai jazzercise/zumba class twice and loved it. 🙂
Our ministry hosts have been amazing. We have been working with a ministry called “Share the Love Foundation” and their church “Phang Gna Church.” We have done landscaping, teaching English at schools, hosting English camps, prison ministry, Sunday school, a mobile library for kids, praying with and building relationships with people in a nearby Muslim village, and bar ministry/ ministry against sex trafficking in the red light district.
This month hasn’t been easy at times. Being in Asia has really made me realize how far away from home I am. I have struggled with not having independence like I was so used to in the US. I have struggled with living in community this month, even though my teammates are wonderful and beautiful people.
Even though this month has been tough for several reasons, it has also been really beautiful for several reasons. It was amazing to see the impact that our ministry contacts have had on their Muslim neighbors. After the tsunami about 11 years ago, they helped rebuild their houses that were damaged. By doing that, they started relationships with them and that has carried over through 11 years. Going to that village and getting to pray with those people was a really amazing way that God chose to use us this month. Another really wonderful opportunity that I got earlier this week was when I shared my story/testimony at the English camp. I got to share with the kids that sometimes we don’t have it all together. Sometimes we make mistakes and we don’t choose to walk down the paths that we probably shouldn’t. However, Jesus’ love is unconditional. That means that there isn’t anything that I can do to make Him love me any more and there’s nothing that I can do that would make Him love me any less.
I also got to share my story with some girls at the prison that we went to. We sat and talked about life for a while and I got to hear a bit about their struggles and fears. I loved every minute that I got to spend with them, but it was hard to see that some of the choices they made in their past has put them in jail and that they have to deal with those consequences. It was awesome to get to love on them a little bit, because that is something that they are not used to getting. The truth is though, that even though they have made mistakes and have maybe even messed up really really bad, they are still loved. That’s the reality of Jesus’ love.
So, even though I am very much so out of my comfort zone here, and maybe everything isn’t going how I would like it, God still chooses to use me. I am continually so humbled that I get to be on this journey, that I get to love on people in so many different parts of the world, all the while growing closer with The Lord and learning a whole lot about myself. So, I decide daily to embrace the parts that are uncomfortable, unknown, and hard, knowing that those are the things that push me closer to the Lord and that teach me the most.
