Yesterday was an ATL day here in Thailand, which means you go to the Lord in prayer to ask Him to direct you in what He has planned for the day. I had been seeking the Lord and what He would have me do, this lead me to going to monk chat. So in our morning team time I had mentioned this and another teammate Megan said she would love to go too. The two of us decided to go after lunch and to take the time to share life with these gentlemen. Monk chat is just the opportunity for the monks to practice their English and to share life with them. Right after lunch we left Zion and began our ATL day, heading to the temple.
We had a map with a temple marked out but come to find out it wasn’t the right temple. Temple is like churches in the South here, on every corner. At every house there are spirit houses, these are ways to go to Buddha without going to the temple. We stopped at the first temple where we meet Mai, she directed us to the right temple and we continued our journey. Walking into these temples is very hard for me, knowing that they are a place of business. Aimlessly we walked around not sure where we needed to go but kept walking. After making a big circle, we make it to monk chat and sat down with 3 monks. They are all in their early to mid 20’s and were very open to having us talk to them. It all started by us asking about Buddhism, how they became monks, and gaining an understanding of Buddhism. Early in the conversation we were asked if we were Christians and we immediately said YES! This allowed for the monk to also ask us questions about our beliefs and we were able to share with them about what we believe and how Jesus came to save us all from our sins. This was a great time and opportunity for me to educate myself on Buddhism and their beliefs.
Monks we chatted with during Monk chat
After leaving this temple, we decided to stop by the temple where Mai was. There we received a FREE back massage and meet 2 gals from England, whom we chatted with about the new baby George. We had a brief chat with Mai to learn that she was here in the city for the week volunteering for the holiday. The spirit led us to her and we thought we were going to share about our faith but this opportunity didn’t arise so we kept moving. Next we met a man on the street selling bracelets to ward off evil spirits. Megan decided to buy one to remind her to pray for Thailand. Continuing our journey we cut down the bar street which is the street where we are staying. There we meet 3 kids whom we played with for a bit. After playing for a few minutes, we continued our journey and were headed home for dinner.
Free massage from student
New friends on the streets of Thailand
Low and behold the Lord showed up again and put some more people into our path to share about our trip and what we are doing. Tuesday I had spent the afternoon prayer walking with some gals on my squad who are doing the bar ministry this month. This is a time to prayer walk the streets and look for opportunities to build relationships with the ladies working in these bars. I had met a bar owner this afternoon and had stopped in the chat with her for a bit and even had a game of pool with a girl working there. On the way back to Zion, we passed this lady again and I immediately told Megan we had to go back. So we did and she remembered me and we make small talk for a bit. There was an older gentleman sitting there with a Thai lady. He asked us where were from and we said America, he asked which states and we shared. Upon sharing, he said his name was Don and he retired here from Arizona. Don now has a Thai wife and lives 5 hours outside the city, and was in the city for a few days vacationing. Megan asked what he did in the states and he shared he was a chef and food service director. I asked what company he had worked for and he said Morrison. Which is a branch under Compass Group, which is the very company I was working for at home for the last 3.5 years. Such a small world and we were able to share with him that we are sharing the love of Jesus this next year. I even had the opportunity to give him a prayer card, so he can follow our journey.
Don and his Thai wife
Finally arriving back to Zion, I began to process this day and truly feel that this has been the best day of the race so far for me. It was incredible how the Lord showed up and put each person perfectly into each of our paths this day. I am beginning to learn to be guided by the Holy Spirit and how to discern His voice. Through prayer, scripture, my team leader Zac, love and gentleness of the Holy Spirit I am learning to walk in freedom of His guidance. Thanks for your continual prayers and support. They have been felt but please be praying for Q Squad. I believe we are under spiritual attack right now in month #1. If you are interested in more details contact me and I can share more of my heart.
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” Ephesians 6:11-13
