It’s still strange to me that I have to be careful about what I type right now. It’s the sad truth – I am in a closed country, a place where it’s just not possible to mention some things. We’re working on code words – about all we’ve come up with so far is the “Big Guy” or the “Big Chief”. The good news is that it’s under these kinds of circumstances that the Word really flourishes.
The month of May is an ATL month, which is a month of Asking The “Big Chief”. As we asked Him where to go, He revealed that he wanted us to travel to La//os. We got this revelation with a little over a week before our Thai visas would expire, meaning we had no choice but to leave.
As always, the “Big Chief” is faithful and we’re here in the capital city. We aren’t working with anyone at this time, and as we settled in, we weren’t even really sure where to begin. Coming into the month, we knew we wanted to work on our team dynamic and become a strong, unified body that He could use for whatever His purpose may be. Other things may come up, but we’ve dedicated this month to each other.
Our first full day in the city took us on a hunt for a place to stay. Our criteria were minimal, but important – we wanted to find a place near the heart of the city that would cost us less than $3 per person per day and give us the ability to spend a lot of time together as a team. The only direction we had was an address for a place that Hanna had discovered while doing some internet research. Along the way, we had failed to find any guest houses that met our needs, but we eventually made it to the address Hanna had found – would it prove to be a winner?
With some excitement, we inquired inside. To our dismay, we discovered that even their prices for a room with a fan were a ways out of our price range. What would we do now? With our only lead a bust, we continued slowly down the street. Giving a passing glance at another guest house on the same street, my mind came to the conclusion that the prices would be about the same. Before my glance returned to the road ahead, however, something caught my eye. Stuck to the double doors were the words “IN” and “OUT”, but the T in out turned out to be a cross. I still believe the owners used it only because they did not have a letter T, but it was enough to draw me inside.
A quick look at their prices though returned me to a state of disappointment – even the standard rooms were way out of our price range. Before we had a chance to walk away, the receptionist mentioned in broken English that she had larger rooms that could accommodate more of us. We asked to see the largest room, one with three beds. As the door opened, I think we were all taken back by what we saw – some couldn’t believe we had found a room that size in Asia, and others were shocked by the multiple clashing paint colors along the top of the wall. Good thing that wasn’t one of our criteria.
Further investigation of the room revealed that each of the three beds could sleep two people, and the bathroom had a flushing toilet and a shower with hot water. These were both luxuries! Best of all, the price was right…with seven people in this room, we’d actually be under our budget. The trick would be convincing the receptionist to let all of us stay there. After a few phone calls and me chatting with the guest house manager, we had ourselves a room.
We’ve now had a few days in the room, and I think it is meeting our expectations quite well. It is forcing us to talk as a family, worship as a family, pray as a family…function as a family. It’s just what we needed. We’ve spent some time walking the streets and searching for His purpose for us here, and I really feel this is it. Even in these few days we’ve been able to share a lot together. We are currently doing “birthdays” or “life days” right now, where each person has a day to share all about who they are and what they have been through…what makes them who they are today.
We’re not sure how long the “Big Guy” will keep us here or what is to come. We’re just taking things one day at a time and making the most of every step of the way. Fruit smoothes and fried rice are abundant, and it’s still really hot here. We’re starting to enter the rainy season, but there’s no sign of that yet.
Please pray for our team as we share with each other, and as we grow together. Like any family, there will be good times and bad, times of joy and sadness. There will be fights and days where the smiles never seem to end. At least right now, this is my family, and I love these guys with all my heart. It makes me miss my family back home, but at the same time it’s reassuring that I have people here that I can depend on for anything. As the “Big Guy” continues to work in us, it’s exactly what I need.
