Part of the World Race culture is to never know plans and to be okay with that; it is a part of relinquishing control and allowing us to stay present everywhere we are, not focusing on what is coming next. So even as a squad leader, I don’t really know what I will be doing until a couple of days before it is happening. This month was no different. I knew I was going to be with a new team for the month in Thailand and that I would be in Chiang Mai. I like to be surprised, so I generally don’t do research about where I’m going and did not know anything about this city or ministry.
Have you ever arrived somewhere and thought, “My heart is on fire, about to leap out of my chest!”? That is actually a good thing, despite how it sounds. Sometimes I feel this when I visit my parents in my hometown or am hiking up a mountain, or step off a plane to a new beautiful country, but I have never really quite felt like this.
We arrived in Chiang Mai on July 2, just another Wednesday. We pulled up to a cute, modern cafe called Zion Cafe where there were locals and Americans buzzing inside and this small Thai woman with spiky hair, glasses and a killer arm tattoo is holding the door open for us, welcoming us inside. I introduced myself and it was Emmi, the owner of the cafe/hostel and founder of the ministry, Lighthouse in Action.
We started the first part of a three day orientation with one of the staff. With everything she said, my heart beat faster, my dreams became more tangible and my appetite grew (figuratively and literally as we ate the best pad thai I’ve ever had.) We learned how to say “hello” and “thank you” in Thai (Sa waa dee ka/kop koon ka) along with some other basics. We watched a documentary about sex trafficking around the world, Nefarious (go watch this movie now, please) and we learned about all of the different conduits that this ministry is actively using to be a change in Chiang Mai. The joy I have had since arriving in Chiang Mai is overflowing.
This is a place that has so much spiritual warfare because of all of the darkness and depravity that goes on, and yet I cannot get enough of learning about what God is doing here. I feel energized when I have a conversation with a storekeeper, or a rescued girl behind the cafe counter, or children in the slums. I can try to pinpoint why I feel so alive here: living in a hostel, working in a cafe, building relationships with people, night markets, amazing food, exploring a busy city (all things that feed my soul), but in reality, its unexplainable. Those are all sweet things God has given me every day, but I also believe He is preparing me for something big; Something that I can’t explain or imagine and the humbling thing is that the people I get to work with here are in the same place.
God is preparing them for something big, too. He has rescued them from a life that was empty and full of hopelessness and is showing them His love and freedom. They have the chance to do anything and for the first time in many of their lives, someone believes in them enough to make it happen. This ministry is one of the most life-giving organizations I have ever been a part of. I am honored to see how God is using His people to change lives, stories and family trees. PLEASE prayerfully consider supporting Lighthouse in Action.
