Thai cuisine has been some of my favorite food on the Race so far! The many spices and intense flavors accompanied by frequent trips to the squatty potty have been something I needed to quickly get used to. There are the occasional moments when I eat bad meat or decide to down an entire bag of crickets and worms. I seem to get a kick from pushing the limits with how much my stomach can take. Before coming on The Race, I wanted to be sure I took opportunities which were out of the ordinary, which sometimes entails eating a freshly cooked scorpion in one bite or maybe eating a hot pepper which inevitably makes you cry and throw up (don’t eat weird peppers randomly handed to you). These in the end become memories I’m thankful I have and make for some great stories I get to share with you. #NoRegrets
Recently, the Lord has challenged me to slow down, breath, disconnect from distractions and simply be still in order to reconnect with His heart. I often find myself moving 100 mph, focusing on the very next thing instead of being present in the moment. Swaziland made this rather easy, but since coming to Asia it has been anything but that, requiring me to choose into the stillness. Practically, what that has looked like is literally taking moments to step back, visually and audibly taking in what is around me, spending less time on my phone or just entirely leaving my phone back home from ministry, and these things have changed everything. It’s also nice to see my phone tell me my screen time was down 50% from last week!
Ministry here in Thailand hasn’t ceased as we continue working on the farm and teaching English to the staff. We finished our painting projects after having a few paint fights with my teammates. The farming project involves many hours in the sun, digging, watering plants, working on the irrigation system, and hauling leaves and manure. Expect me to come home looking as dark as an African. The standard for beauty in Asia is pale skin whereas in America, we desire tan skin. The locals find it very strange that we work in the sun without our shirts as they try hard to avoid sun exposure (#skincancer). Working in the fishponds have been my favorite part of ministry, making sure they stay clean and ensuring the fish are happy.
Soon, I’m wanting to make some sort of Question & Answer blog/video! Don’t hesitate to leave any questions World Race or Non-World Race related in the comments or you can message me directly on social media.
Until then,
Matthew
