My parents were with me in Thailand for a week! It was incredible. We explored Chiang Mai together, and they got a little taste of what the race is like. There were a lot of long days and lot of tears, but I wouldn’t change any of it. We even got to play with elephants!
The first night, my teammate JJ taught about listening prayer. For racers, listening prayer is something we practice regularly. However, prior to the race, most, if not all of us had never heard of listening prayer. Most of the parents were in a similar boat. Listening prayer is coming to God, but instead of speaking at him, you simply listen. It was a foreign concept and seemed strange at first. Then someone used the example of a relationship to explain why it is so important. What if you were in a relationship, and it was always one sided? What if the other person was constantly talking, without waiting to hear your response? On top of that, what if they only came to you when they needed something? That would be a horrible relationship.
Unfortunately, this was what my relationship with God used to look like, and quite often still does. If we are honest, most can probably relate to this. Our relationship with God is supposed to be just that, a relationship. Therefore, coming to God to simply listen to what he has to say is so important. My teammate challenged our parents to join us and practice it throughout the week. Like meeting someone for the first time, it starts out quite awkward. However, it becomes more natural with practice. My parents both tried it and practiced throughout the week. By the end of the week, my mom shared a vision she got during listening prayer. She said it seemed strange and she didn’t know what it meant, but she was obedient and shared it! Her vision was with one of my teammates Tayler. We were in front of a coffee shop splashing around in the pouring rain. She even saw Tayler swinging her ponytail around. I wrote it down right away.
It was exciting seeing my parents grow throughout the week, overall it was incredible, but exhausting. We tried to fit as much as we could in one week, and by the end of it, I was wiped. On top of that, the same day I had to say goodbye to my parents, I was off to Cambodia. The travel from Thailand to Cambodia included a 10-hour bus ride, a 12-hour bus ride, and another 4-hour bus ride. By the time we got to Cambodia, I was a zombie. I hadn’t process any of the week with my parents, and I was exhausted. However, right away I had to jump into a new month, in a new country, with a new culture. Thankfully, our hosts are so kind and understanding, and they gave us a few much-needed days to process and rest.
One day I was talking to my teammate JJ and I shared the vision my mom got during listening prayer. A few days later I was having a particularly rough day. I was standing outside a café with my team waiting for a tuk-tuk to pick us up, and it starts pouring. Not raining, pouring. Suddenly, my teammate Tayler jumped out and started playing in the rain. It was impossible not to bring a smile to your face. Then she swung her ponytail around, and at the same time, my teammate JJ and I turn to each other and start freaking out. Tayler had no idea my mom had that vision!
It was exactly what I needed and turned my entire day around. It’s incredible what happens when we listen to what God is saying. When you hear or see something from God, it may seem silly and you may not understand it. However, it shouldn’t be too surprising that we can’t even begin to comprehend God and his plan. In that listening prayer, my mom had no idea what I needed in that moment, but God did. Listening prayer is powerful, and even if it seems silly, share what God shows you!
