Hey all,
So, I can hardly believe that our first month of the 11 is already coming to a close! It has been jam packed and a month of intense learning! I’m still processing it all!
I was asked to be the leader of my team for the first stretch of the race. It is already proving to be a growing experience. Please pray that I will act with courage and confidence. Already I’m learning how to bite my tongue and be quick to listen, rather than quick to justify myself! I hope I can grow even more in this!
Our ministry for the last week has included taking time to chat with the monks at the temple. There are many temples in Chiang Mai and it is common for young kids to become monks to be able to get an education. Some might only do it for a few years, or some might go all the way through the monkhood.
We have come across many different people. This week we made a connection with a small group of young men who are studying English at the university on the temple grounds. We have been able to ask some questions about Buddhism. We learned that, similar to Hinduism, they believe both in Buddha and that there are gods of the trees, rivers, lakes, plants, etc. They believe that if they do not bring a gift or pray a standard prayer to the gods, then harm would come to their families. We asked what they would do if they were in real trouble needing immediate help, whether Buddha would come quickly to their aid. They didn’t really have an answer. We shared with them that in the Christian belief, if we are ever in trouble and we call out to Jesus, He comes immediately to our aid (I have experienced this first hand). We hope that in our last couple days we can continue to share truth with these boys so that they would come to know the True God – Jesus.
Here are a few pictures of things we’ve done during our time off: we got our feet “cleansed” by the feeder fish (such a creepy feeling!); we found the French Bakery; walking past a Chinese hotel; Team Leader dinner drinking coconut water straight from the coconut; on the way to ride the elephants; and standing next to an elephant.
Thank you again for your support and encouragement! We are still at the beginning of our marathon; please be praying for perseverance, team unity, and joy as we see God’s handiwork! Praise God with me that I’m only $200 away from reaching my goal to be fully funded! THANK YOU to those who have supported this work and journey!
Love and miss you all!
Sarah
