I encouraged my mom to write about her experience of Parent Vision Trip (PVT), because I was planning to incorporate it into one of my blog posts. However, what she had to say was both powerful and inspiring so I decided to have it stand alone.
Here’s her thoughts on PVT and all it entailed:
“Mom, I’m inviting you and daddy to come to Thailand and join me on the race,” Kai said.
“Ummmmm…no we can’t go. We both don’t have passports and do you even know how much a trip to Thailand would cost?” I replied.
I love the enthusiasm of youth. Especially in Kai. She never sees the roadblocks, only the possibilities.
But there was a little tiny voice in the back of my mind that said…
What if?
I decided to get a passport. Not for Thailand specifically—just in case I needed to go and “rescue” Kai on the race. She was always getting sick and I thought maybe it was time for me to be a responsible parent and go and bring her home where she would be safe.
When talking with Kai, she would ask me about the trip. It was called PVT or Parent Vision Trip. It was part of the World Race and allowed parents to get a glimpse into what their World Racers were actually doing on their race. I knew she wanted us to come, but it just seemed too much.
Too much money, too far away, too long away from home.
But still that voice… What if? Could I actually do this by myself? My husband, Bert, could stay home with Hoku, my youngest child, and take care of matters at home.
Aaaaahhh! Travel out of the country by myself?
No way.
I don’t like to even fly domestically. I can’t do this. I’m too scared. So many things could go wrong. Plane crash, kidnapped, become ill and then stuck in a foreign country. Nope, not for me.
But as I saved up money and put it in a jar, the jar became labeled, “Mom’s Trip Money.” For what trip? I don’t know, just “Mom’s Trip Money.”
I looked at flights and then filled out the application for the PVT. They said they would love for me to come.
Whoa. Am I going to really do this?
YES!
I bought a ticket late one night without talking to anyone and then paid for the cost of the PVT. I was going to Thailand!!
Now I had to convince myself and my family that I made the right decision. They were a little hesitant at first, but once I said I had everything covered they began to get as excited as I was.
I had made my flight plans so that I would arrive in Chiang Mai a few days before meeting up with Kai. I wanted to see some sites since I would be traveling so far and to a different country. My friend graciously decided to join me and off we went!
Chiang Mai was incredible! The sights, smells, people and food were so different and yet the Asian culture was very familiar to me after living in Hawaii for so many years. I appreciated the respect and humbleness they showed and loved their smiles and eagerness to help.
Finally I got to meet up with Kai! It was amazing to just be able to hold her in my arms and see how much she had grown!! We talked and got caught up on both our trips to Chiang Mai. Mine flying from Honolulu, and hers coming from Malaysia. She gave me a heads up on what we would be doing while in Chiang Mai and my self doubt started creeping back up.
I was nervous to meet the other parents, there was no way I could do Bar Ministry, I don’t know what I was thinking coming here. I’m not a missionary, I don’t know how to go and talk to people about my faith.
Well, of course Kai was positive and gave me the pep talk I needed to hear. We gathered with the other parents and their racers. We had a small praise and worship time and got to hear about what the racers had been doing and about other PVT groups that had come before us.
It was amazing to hear the racers talk and looking at these twenty-somethings I was in awe of how truly amazing and special they are. These kids were not just “lost souls” looking for a good time to travel the world for a year. There were students with degrees and masters from prestigious colleges with specific goals set out before them and lives that were planned and organized and wanting to change the world for the better. WOW!
Lighthouse in Action was the group that we would be partnering with in Chiang Mai. Emmi and Liz filled us in on the work that they were doing and gave us some guidelines and information. In Chiang Mai during their slow season there are 5,000 people involved in the sex trade and during peak season it jumps to 25,000. They help the children who want to get out of the business and train them with skills to get a real job. Emmi and Liz told us what to expect when we went out to the bars and to “wear Jesus on our skin”.
I was scared to death.
I don’t even go to bars at home, how was I going to go in a bar and start up conversations with girls/boys who were involved in the business of paying for sex?
Nope, I wasn’t going to do it.
I started to cry and felt so embarrassed that I had come this far and now I couldn’t do what I was there for. I noticed a lot of the other parents felt as emotional as I did and not surprisingly it was our own children who came to comfort and encourage us.
Three racers, Luke, Lisa, and Vashti prayed over me to give me strength and courage to go out and show these young children that Jesus loves them no matter what. A calmness came over me and I told Kai I was ready to give it a try.
We left the café and headed to the Red Light District. Just casually walking and talking and silently praying that everything would be okay. We decided to walk into a bar that was quiet and near the sidewalk. We ordered some drinks and struck up a conversation with the server. She was a young mother with a two year old son and a baby girl on the way. Nora was so sweet and shy. Then the “mamasan” Mary came over and started talking to us. She was bubbly and sweet and soon we were sharing pictures of our children to each other.
Wait, what?
These ladies were just like my daughter and I! It was so easy to just chit chat about life and being mothers and forget that their lives were so different from mine. And yet they both wanted the same things for their children as I did for mine. As the night went on and the conversation flowed we were invited to come back the next night for Nora’s sons birthday party! We were so excited! They wanted us to come back!
As we walked back to our hotel I couldn’t believe how amazing the night had gone. From being scared to tears, to an invite to a birthday party, the power of the Lord was definitely around us. We told our story to the rest of the racers and parents and we all had similar experiences. What started out as a very scary night turned into a night of promise with Jesus leading us all.
The next night Kai and I returned with a small gift for Nora’s son and were treated like family. They served us barbecue chicken, shrimp, watermelon and pineapple. We stayed for a few hours and enjoyed talking to Nora, Mary, Westin, and Troy. The night ended with group pictures and hugs all around.
As Kai and I walked back to our hotel, I couldn’t help thinking of how fortunate my life was. I was blessed with a loving family, husband, and a home on a beautiful island. God is good.
My daughter challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and walk with her on her journey with God. I didn’t trust myself, but she knew that if I trusted God instead it would be life changing.
That night I let go.
I started to believe again.
I saw how important it was to let go and let God lead. He has led me to the start of a new journey. I’m not sure where I’m headed but I know that I’m ready to go.
That’s the exciting thing, the unknown.
But I know I’m not alone.
He is with me.
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*The names of those we met are changed in this blog post.
