Hello everyone! Please enjoy this blog about Parent Vision Trip – when my mom & dad came to Thailand to join me in ministry – written by my mom, Beth Torres!
Parent Vision Trip? I never asked how it came to be called “parent vision trip.” Okay, “parent” and “trip” I understand. But “vision?” Why not “mission” since the goal/plan is to join your child on the mission field? After returning from Thailand and spending the last 24 hours really processing all that I saw and heard, I think I understand the “vision” part. This trip opened my eyes to many realities and now I “see” clearer what God’s purpose in this trip was for me.
Here are a few of the ways God opened my eyes and gave me “vision:”
God will say “no” when He has a better plan. Bill and I started our journey on Monday night, May 21st. We flew standby the entire way to Thailand. If you’ve ever flown standby, you know the challenges you can face. Our flight from Richmond to Atlanta went smoothly. We received the last two seats on the 12:05am flight from Atlanta to Seoul, Korea. Our seats were in the last row. Bill sat down, and just as I was moving to squeeze in the very tight row, the gate agent informed me that I had to give up my seat for a lady who was there, but had not heard her name called. Wanting to stick together, we both disembarked the plane disappointed. We would need to try to leave the U.S. on Tuesday. Fast forward: we got to the hotel at 1:30am; at 6:00am we packed and grabbed breakfast; 6:30am we were on the shuttle back to the airport; then we caught a flight to Detroit, where the flight to Seoul had only one seat left once we arrived. At 3:45pm, we caught a flight to LA. We then boarded a Korean Air flight to Seoul. What a nice plane and experience! God had a better plan for our 12 hour flight than the first plane we got on, which wouldn’t have been a pleasant experience! Our 14 hour layover at Seoul provided us time to explore their brand new airport and nap in the “transfer lounge.” We arrived safely in Chiang Mai on Thursday, May 24 and got to our hotel about 10:30pm.
God uses the young to teach the elder. Each day the racers led us in worship and provided a training message for us. Their passion for authentic worship showed. They each shared their unique gifts to enhance the worship experience. The lessons provided illustrated a depth of understanding beyond their years. It reminded me of when Jesus taught in the temple at age 12. We learned about spiritual warfare, feedback, and our spiritual identity.
We live in a dark world in need of light. The spiritual darkness was palpable in Chiang Mai. The lesson on spiritual warfare helped us to understand this feeling of “lostness” in the city. As we prayer walked through the red light district, we felt the enemy’s presence—both during the day and especially at night. We prayed for the “workers” as well as those who intended to visit this district. During our prayer walk Saturday night, a heavy rain began to fall. I sensed the soaking rain become a source of cleansing. Many of the bars were empty of customers. I prayed for God to provide these women with a different means of income and to know that they have value. As we walked past the open bars, we greeted the workers with the Thai greeting, “sawatdee ka.” In Thai tradition, the “inferior” person greets the “superior” first. It was interesting to see the faces of the ladies, who we greeted first, thus a small way of showing them they are worthy of respect.
God is in the big stuff. On our free day, we visited an elephant sanctuary and learned that even giants need rescuing. This sanctuary provides a place of rest for these elephants, who have either spent time working in local villages or in “entertainment.” Some of the elephants bear scars from their previous owners. Here they find freedom and love. Visitors love on them by feeding, bathing, and interacting with them.
God is in the small stuff. The night market provided us the opportunity to interact with some of the local vendors and purchase souvenirs. In the market, we also had the opportunity to rest and enjoy our daughter’s company. A highlight included a “fish pedicure.” These little fish provided much amusement for our family. The laughter that ensued is most memorable.
God will say “no” when He has a better plan. Yes, a repeat of #1! On our journey home, our Delta flight from Seoul, Korea to Detroit was cancelled. By God’s grace, we were able to fly on Korean Air (YAY!!!) to Chicago. On each leg of our trip home, we “just made” the connecting flight with a couple of sprints in between. We left Chiang Mai Wednesday at 10:35pm and arrived in Richmond on Thursday at 4:00pm! Okay, remember we gained back the 24 hours we lost! We spent about 24 hours in the air on the way home.
While it was wonderful to love on our daughter in Chiang Mai, God opened our eyes to the power of intercessory prayer—for the Racers as well as the people with whom they interact. Satan works on the Racers’ hearts to discourage them and create discord in an attempt to inhibit their ministry. While the city of Chiang Mai has a dark presence, we know our God is an awesome God and He is more than capable of bringing light to this city. The prayers we laid down pave the way for the team coming in July. Please continue to pray for this city.
I also know that darkness exists here in our own city, Richmond. I pray that God provides us vision to see where we can shine light—in the big and the small circumstances. So, in short, I learned that ministry cannot happen without “vision.” Take time to listen to Brandon Heath’s song, Give Me Your Eyes. Here is the chorus:
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see,
Everything that I keep missing,
Give your love for humanity.
Give me your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten.
Give me Your eyes so I can see.
Yes, parent VISION trip is the perfect name for this ministry.
