It’s been nearly a month since my team has arrived in Thailand. Our adventurous journey began with meeting in Gainesville, Georgia to undergo some training before hitting the field. I remember how “not-ready” I was for training camp to start. I hadn’t moved out of my house yet, hadn’t packed yet, hadn’t found a way to get all my prescription meds, but I moved forward with each step knowing that eventually, ready or not, I was going to get on a 15 hour flight to Asia.
Maybe you are wondering something like, “what the heck are you doing this time, Megan?” And honestly, most days, I am right there with ya. The amount of times “what is happening?” has run through my head since arriving makes me want to both belly-laugh and cry alligator tears all at the same time. Sometimes, things are just awkward. And funny. And silly. I’m leading a trip for college-aged young adults through Adventures in Missions. It’s a 3-month trip to Thailand and Cambodia. My team consists of 5 dynamic, hilarious, energetic, charming girls who have given up what is “normal” to spend a semester abroad. At a time when they could be moving forward with college degrees, scoring their perfect job, or marrying their boyfriends, they have chosen to leave all things behind and to serve. And to learn. And to grow.
A month into the trip, and it has been full to the brim. I’ve eaten more white rice than I thought was possible, but I’ve also laughed harder than I have in a while. I’ve ridden elephants along Thai mountains, and got sun-burnt on an island where the bachelor once was filmed. While there, I ate all the American food I could find and waited 40 minutes for ice cream. I’ve gotten caught in too many rain storms to count and have spent too many nights scratching at my mosquito bites. We found an amazing Irish pub with delicious apple pie where a Filipino band plays pop songs and we sometimes sing Karaoke and get up to dance. It’s pretty random, and we’ve frequented there too often in our free time. So, you are probably wondering, what do we do here? What is our ministry? Well, that’s a good question. It seems to be ever-changing, and exciting. We help to teach English at a university. Sometimes, we show up and our class is there waiting for us, and other times, a random professor spots us and asks us to step into their classroom to teach something. We teach young kids at the church Monday through Friday, and take care of toddlers at the same time. We go out and do nightly prayer walks, and visit the different bars where women are essentially up for sale. We are apart of a Burmese/Nepali bible study that begins every Friday at 11pm. It lasts for a few hours and it ends with us eating a meal at 2 am. Some of the people apart of our church are refugees who have fled their country during turmoil and are never allowed to return because of their faith in God and their conversion to Christianity.
I don’t know all that much about Cambodia, but we will be partnering with an orphanage while there, and I can’t wait to share with you what God does.
But as far as Thailand, it has been surprising and challenging, life-giving and difficult. It has been full. I can’t wait to share more about how God is moving, what He’s been up to, what I’ve learned, how ministry is going, and all the things, but for now, I wanted to give you just a little update. And ask for your prayer. And ask for financial support. It has been so evident that the Lord has called me to this trip, and to lead this group of young adults. I know that the Lord has brought us to Thailand for a specific purpose and we are His empty vessels. If you are interested in making a financial contribution to Adventures in Missions in my behalf, I would be so grateful. To be apart of this trip and to join this Kingdom-work, Adventures in Missions has required that I fundraise $2,000. Adventures in Missions is a non-profit faith-mission, whose support comes from a team of people who want to invest in what God is doing across the world. I am so grateful and blessed to be apart of their family, and to be apart of this trip. Financial contributions are tax-deductible and can be made right here on this page by clicking the “Donate!” button. Please know that I am deeply grateful for your care, interest, and investment in my life, in whatever way that has looked.
I am blessed, honored, and excited that I get to serve, and that I get to share my stories with you all.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. I truly hope to see you when I arrive back in the States, just in time for Christmas, and I hope to share more stories of my time abroad.
