kingdom stories

A Collection of Stories and Lessons I’ve Learned After Being on the World Race for Two Months

 

Writing this because I realized I don’t quite share enough stories with you guys. I do talk quite a bit about the things I am learning and what the Lord is doing in my heart, but I truly want to apologize for the way I have selfishly left you out of the ways I have seen God bringing His Kingdom all over the freaking world. It’s changed my life and I believe our stories have the power to change other people’s lives in turn. For the past two months, I have been taking an online class through Truett McConnell University in which I learn and write blogs on certain topics, and this blog is a sort of “Everything-I’ve-Learned-In-A-Mash-Up” kind of blog. These past two months have opened my eyes in a million different ways, and as a seal of this awakening, I am going to share all the simple, and insane, ways Jesus has revealed Himself to me and all the things He’s taught me.

1. Always Turn Around, Always Say Yes

During my first month on the Race, I was walking with a group of friends to the Sunday Night Market in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It was our “off day” of ministry, and to be quite honest with you, I wasn’t really looking for people to love or be Jesus to or anything of the sort. Nope. That might have been the last thought on my mind. We ate some good street food, bought some pants, and had a grand ole time! Super easy and comfortable night. As we were on our way out, shouldering our way through a whirlwind of people and street carts, my eyes drifted down to the ground as I saw a man. Sitting right there in the middle of the crowded street, people walking past him right and left. He sat there with a can for money, a pair of crutches, and two disabled legs. My heart broke as I saw Him there, either going unnoticed by strangers in a hurry, ignored by tourists who were too uncomfortable to stare, or brushed off by pedestrians who stopped to give him 20 baht and continue walking. As I met his eyes, I saw a timid smile come across his face. I stooped down to give him some baht I had left over, and ask Him for his name. _____ was his name. My teammate and I talked to him for a hot second, but I looked up to see our group disappearing out of sight. I quickly caught up with them and went back to my “night off” when my heart started beating out of my chest. I couldn’t shake the voice in me that just kept saying “Go back, turn around, go back, turn around, GO BACK KATIE GEEZ TURN AROUND.”

Haha. Sometimes the Holy Spirit has to get sassy with me before I actually listen. My buddy Amanda and I, kind of telepathically, looked at each other and said in unison, “I feel like I need to go back.” Thanks Jesus for friends who will do hard stuff with you. We walked back with our friend Emma to _____, and just sat and talked with him just to know him. It was kinda awkward, but thats okay. We prayed for healing in His legs and that God would bless Him and comfort Him and pursue Him. I felt a strange sense of peace wash over me as I sat there holding my new friends hand in prayer. Maybe _____ didn’t walk that night, but as we walked away, Amanda said, “Katie, while we were praying, I saw Him walking with Jesus.” For me, that hope makes everything worth it. God is pursuing Him, and I am simply thankful Abba allowed me to be a part of his story.

2)   Washed in Grace

During my second month, my team worked at an orphanage for at risk girls for human trafficking. Irs called Sending Hope and it’s basically my dream ministry. Orphan girls who live in primitive villages are sought after by pimps because of their vulnerable position, so Sending Hope rescues girls, loves them, educates them, and disciples them. We taught english and played sports with 40 Hilltribe girls for two weeks and loved them with everything we had. On our second to last night with them, we had worship and sang songs with the girls and the staff, as per usual. After the last song, we were led by the hand to bowls of water filled with roses and a chair in front of each of them. As I sat down, my dear friend Fai, a 13 year old Hilltribe girl, sat on the ground in front of me and picked up my foot. I was already tearing up, but as she placed my foot in the water, she sat there with her hands on my feet, praying over me before she washed my feet. I lost it. This was one of those moments where grace flooded my entire being. How is it that this beautiful, innocent, servant-hearted girl is the one washing my feet? She literally deserves the whole world yet I am the one receiving this grace. As sweet as this moment was, my favorite part was that after the girls washed our feet, we got to wash theirs. I got to pray the biggest, bold prayers over my Sisters. I prayed that they would give over their whole lives to Jesus. I prayed that they would do miracles in His name. I prayed that they would never lose their childlike faith and joy. I thanked Jesus over and over again for choosing me for this moment. I never thought I would find the Kingdom in a tiny Thai village in the mountains, and certainly not through 40 little girls, but that’s my favorite thing about the Kingdom. It’s found most in unlikely places and people. It always surprises us, always leaves us in awe. I am so confident that the Lord is going to use each little girl that He placed in Sending Hope for a purpose so much more than they could ever dream.

 

3) Be a Hendricks and a Q.E.

Both of these stories are from Thailand, but last week I arrived in Malaysia. On our first full day in Penang, Malaysia, we were given a paper full of questions and told to go out into the city and ask locals our questions. Topics of interest were food, religions, culture, and more. Malaysia is INSANELY diverse. On one street in Georgetown, there is a Muslim Mosque, a Taoist Temple, a Hindu Temple, an Anglican Church, and a Roman Catholic Church. Our main goal in going out to these places was to be a learner and a friend, not someone who is out to convert people and tell them what’s wrong with their religion. Since everyone speaks english, it’s super easy to make friends (YAY FOR NEW FRIENDS). My teammate Olivia and my team leader Zibby were walking around at the Taoist temple when we came across a man named Hendrick. Assuming he was Taoist, we asked him our questions which he gladly and knowledgeably answered. He has kind eyes and speaks wise words. As we were talking though, we noticed that He obviously didn’t believe in the idols people worshipped there. We asked, and sure enough Hendrick was a Christian! Such a divine encounter. His testimony is powerful and He goes to these places of worship to meet people, befriend them, and ask them the hard questions. He does this regularly and is such a light to the people of Malaysia. On this same day, my team and I were sitting in  a coffee shop when a barista named Q.E. asked us what we were talking about. She overheard us talking about Jesus and turns out, she is a new believer! She is the second Christian in her family and her parents don’t pprove at all. We got to encourage her and go back regularly to visit her and hang out with her while she makes bagels. I love that sometimes, ministry looks like encouraging brothers and sisters by being a sign that they are never alone, even if they are in the minority. God sends us to His people to unite his church and just remind us that He is pursuing all people. Meeting these two people reminded me that the Kingdom is unstoppable and uescapable. If we have eyes to see and ears to hear, we can truly go from one divine encounter to the next because the Kingdo is all around us.

 

These are just 3 of my favorite moments so far as i am going into my third month of this journey. I am learning that God is truly reconciling each of us to Himself. He wants our hearts. I can’t wait to share more about Malaysia. I seriously have a fire in my heart for this place.

In love and gratitude,

KT