Well, unfortunately I am writing this blog about Thailand a week into our month in Cambodia. However, that will not take away what Thailand has taught me.
To start things off I will give you a few highlights from the month: we rode elephants, I ate a scorpion and a cricket, we taught English at multiple schools to multiple age groups, I shaved my beard, and I got baptized at a waterfall by my team and our host Pastor!! There were so many little things that happened last month that looking back on it now has left such a huge impression on me. From our extremely silly, energetic, and passionate host, Pastor Ekachai to Pim, the 5 year old girl who I met at one of our schools and would not let me out her down the entire time I was with her.
There will be a blog shortly following this one talking about what the Thai people taught me, but I would like to focus on what God and my team has taught me this past month.
Coming into this trip, my main focus was to serve the people of the nations we are going to and nothing more. While that is perfectly fine to want to serve the beautiful people of these countries, I was forgetting to help contribute to the group of 6 other people I have been living with the past few months. One night, one of my teammates told me that she loves seeing how I really light up when I get around the kids and just come alive but she wanted to see more of that with our team. At first, I thought “that’s kind of dumb, I can’t help what brings me joy”. I had nothing to respond with though. The rest of the month I wrestled with that challenge from my teammate and kept on telling myself that I’m here to serve these nations and not make life long friends (even though I already have). It’s not that I was being mean or even uncivil to my team, it’s just that I was pouring out all I had to the kids and saved nothing for my team who are also on this trip to grow in God’s heart. At the end if our month in Thailand we ha our debrief here, in Cambodia and that’s when that challenge from my teammate took full circle.
I have come to the conclusion that it is perfectly fine to be on this trip serve these people and want to grow in Christ, that’s pretty much the initial appeal to everyone on this trip. However, you can still pour all you have into ministry and still be able to pour in to your team too. Maybe these won’t be life long friends after this is all over, but we are all on the same side on this trip, and that side is the side God is on. These are my brothers and sisters I am with on this trip, and regardless of personality differences or interests, they are 110% worth fighting for. For their feelings, for their happiness, and most of all their relationship with Christ.
Thailand has taught me how much I have really missed out on 3 amazing months that could have been even better. After our debrief here in Cambodia and a week in to ministry, I have made a conscious effort to really fight for my team an our relationships with one another and with Christ, and this one week alone has matched the entire 3 months prior to it.
Thailand to me was just one of God’s stepping stones to making me into the man He wants me to be. There was some amazing things that happened in Thailand, but the most amazing thing that happened was the realization I had on what I’ve actually missed. To be continued….
