When we first arrived in Thailand, we stayed a few nights in Bangkok as an entire squad to enjoy Thanksgiving together. It was so nice that some of our squadmates took the time to plan a delicious Thanksgiving feast for everyone and we could it enjoy the holiday together! Our ministry site was in Chiang Mai so the next day we took a 12 hour bus ride through the night in what I like to describe as an ice box on wheels.
Seriously, even after 2 dramamine I was way too cold to sleep and I tried to curl up in the thin blanket they gave me but even in my blanket cacoon I felt like I was in an igloo. Of course, I actually have two blankets (one turns in to a pillow) AND a sleeping bag, but they were all shoved under the bus and there was no hope of finding them when we did finally make a stop. Needless to say we were all pretty exhausted when we arrived in Chiang Mai the next morning at 8am.
When we arrived at the Chiang Mai bus station, we were greeted warmly and enthusiastically by Rosie and Beck, two missionaries from Australia who are working long-term at Lighthouse In Action (Our ministry site). Despite being tired, I couldn’t help but get excited as we all piled in to a “songthaew” which is like a big truck with benches in the bed of the truck and a roof. You should google it because it is hard to explain. We took a short ride and arrived at our minsitry site, Zion Cafe.
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Zion cafe is a part of Lighthouse in Action and basically it is a safe haven for girls who have been victims of human trafficking. This is a place where girls can live, work, and be surrounded by a supportive and loving community who encourage them to dream big dreams and go for them. Our host, Emmi, is so passionate about these girls and about showing love to everyone we come in to contact with. Emmi told us the story about how she felt lost, lonely, and rejected until Jesus turned her world around. Now, she lives each day to share Him with those around her.
During our orientation, we were given tons of options of ways we could help during the month. There were oportunities for working in the cafe’, going to visit and play with the children in the slums, bar ministry (where you build relationships with girls who may want to get out of the sex trade but don’t have a way out.), monk chats,leading worship or devotionals.
Of course, being the person I am, I wanted to do absolutely EVERYTHING. I immediately started making a list of all the things I wanted to do during the month and how I wanted to jump right in…I was thinking about how I can condition my body to need less sleep and then adjust my budget to allow for more coffees throughout the day so I can still be energized. All the while ignoring the slight head ache and sniffly nose that was starting to develop. I also noticed that half my team was starting to get sick…stay in bed all day kind of sick…but I thought, “no, no, no…God, you can’t let me get sick, I have all my plans, there is no time for me to be sick!!!!”
Then that night, of course, my head started hurting worse and worse. I was forced to lay down. I got even more sniffly and realized that darn sleepless night in the ice box did me in. I was down for the count. I was in no condition to socialize and definitely couldn’t work in a cafe’. UGH. I was really annoyed…”my plans, my plans!” In my sickness, I was able to sleep and then I found a really good book on the shelf in the hostel. I read a pretty good amount but I guess I usually chose books that are teaching me something. This was just a fun novel, one that I normally might not make time for. I actually really enjoyed laying around, sipping tea, and reading this book. I think it was exactly what I needed. I just needed a few days of nothing serious.
Thankfully, my sickness only lasted a couple days (but felt like FOREVER). Now, looking back at the month and realizing how much I actually did do during the month, I realize how important it was for me to rest and recharge on the first few days at the ministry. I realized that its ok to not always be doing something “actively productive” because sometimes the most productive thing for you to do is just rest. I’m really glad I learned this lesson early on, the world keeps on turning whether I am sick or not. This helps me to not feel so much pressure about trying to do all things. I am really working on making the best use of my time and choosing more wisely about when and where I invest myself, because no one has the energy to be everything to everyone.
