Dear supporters,
You’ve heard a lot about my month in Thailand, but let me tell you about Q squad’s month.
3 teams engaged in bar ministry all month. We saturated the city in prayer and showed Christ’s love to the friends we made.
1 team served in Zion coffee shop, our headquarters. They ministered to the ladies in the kitchen, some of whom know Jesus and some of whom don’t. They also served and conversed with patrons in the shop and served the rest of us by facilitating meals.
1 team reached out to students at Chiang Mai Community College. At first, they were not welcome on campus, but God opened the door, and they were asked to teach English classes every day, attend a school festival, and tutor the students in English.
1 team was the prayer and worship team for the month, praying over the rest of us as we went about our ministries and worshipping all around the city.
And the final team did outreach in the slums and with kids hanging around the night market. However, God also gave them an extra assignment. He connected them with a retired vet named Tony who is very influential in Chiang Mai. In just two weeks, Tony has been awakened spiritually and is now experiencing God, rather than hating Him! Please be praying for Tony, because once God gets a hold of him, his influence in Chiang Mai will facilitate a rapid spread of the gospel throughout the entire city. (To hear more of this amazing story, follow Zac’s blog http://zacharyblankenship.theworldrace.org/)
July has also been a really bonding month for Q squad (Coming into the month, I didn’t know everyone’s names, but I do now :). Let me tell you about the biggest bonding experience we had. During the first few days, the staff challenged us all to be vulnerable, to share our deepest, darkest secrets, the things we've never told anyone and swore we would never tell. Then they opened the floor and person after person stepped to the front to share their stories. Every atrocity known to mankind was brought to light that night–rape, cancer, murder, abandonment, betrayal, suicide attempts, drinking, depression. But that was not the end of anyone's story. Everyone's story was a story of redemption. Of how God had carried them through their darkest times and had brought healing and meaning out of the worst situations. I walked away from the time not at all overwhelmed by the evil in the world, but rather amazed at the goodness of our God and His ability to redeem all things.
I wish all believers might have the chance to be a part of a sharing experience so powerful and so intimate. Those who shared their stories, their sins, and their struggles were set free from the power of those nightmares (1 John 1:5-7). AND they helped the rest of us walk in greater levels of freedom as we realized we are not the only ones who have experienced __________, and that just as God redeemed their terrible situations, He can redeem ours as well. One guy, in particular, who had lost both of his parents at a young age and had suffered at the hands of an abusive step-father was able to honestly say that he was thankful for all of that because it drove him to a relationship with God closer than he would have ever achieved without those trials.
When he said that, so many puzzle pieces fell into place in my head. The number one thing worth living for in life is intimacy with God (John 17:3). Everything else in life, everything, is worth giving up in order to gain greater intimacy with God (Philippians 3:8, Matthew 16:26). I am no longer hung up on all the evil in the world. I am no longer hung up on the injustices of this life. I can endure all suffering because through it I will gain more of Christ. Suffering is not the enemy–failing to reap the benefits of suffering is. We will see what changes this shift in worldview brings to my life.
It’s amazing how much my love for my squadmates grew as they invited me in to the most intimate places of their lives. I would wish to experience such love and intimacy in all my relationships, and I hope you, dear reader, choose to pursue vulnerability and intimacy as well. Please share any relevant stories you may have!
Love yall,
Katie
