We arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand in one hot, sweaty mess after traveling 36+ hours to get here. The culture here is vibrant and very much alive, we see monks in their orange robes walking the streets, temples strung with gold embellishments and the smell of pad thai in the air. It is amazing, and truly beautiful. It's also super HUMID!
The past few days we have had orientation from our squad leaders and our host, Emmi. We are staying above her cafe, Zion cafe, which she uses with YWAM to minister to the people of Thailand, especially women in the red light district. Emmi is amazing, and has an incredible story to share of how God has truly used forgiveness in her life to redeem her relationships with loved ones and with Him. She's such an inspiration, and has a great sense of humor.
A few days after arriving we were sent out on a scavenger hunt as teams to explore the city. While out exploring the city, it was miraculous to see how friendly Thai people and even visitors are. They were willing to take the crazy pictures we needed for the scavenger hunt and still talk to us afterwards. We met a group of Thai girls who attend the university and after having a conversation that mostly consisted of typing it on someone's phone and having it translated, we exchanged information with them to possibly hang out later! I could not believe that these girls would want to hang out with our strange group of sweaty and confused women who randomly approached them. It was such a testament of God's promise to be there and work for those who love him and put their faith in him. I'm not sure how God will use us in these girls' lives, but I hope to be able to update you about them in the future.
My prayer for Thailand is that God would show me one person who I can show God's love for them the rest of the month.
There will be a blog soon about how I will get to serve this month in a ministry position!!
