Friends and family (and strangers who read my blog),
This month my team is participating in what is called Unsung Heroes. This means we don’t have a pre-arranged ministry like we typically do. Instead, we are researching ministries in Southern Thailand to visit and ascertain whether or not they will be fitting hosts for future world race teams. We have been researching potential contacts since our last week in Costa Rica. We spent our last morning in Heredia praying for a spirit of unity for our team, and asking God to direct and guide our month. It was supposed to be a 30 minute prayer session, but somehow it turned into 3 hours of prayer, sharing, and feedback. God blessed each of us with a passage of scripture and a vision for the upcoming month. It was an incredible morning full of tears, laughter, hard words, and reconciliation. Somewhere during all of the madness, God gave me Psalm 16:7&8 for the team:
I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
We were confident that God had gone before us in Thailand. He is here with us now. He will continue to go before us.
Today we met with our first contact. It truly was an unforgettable experience, and I think we will continue to be thankful for it throughout our time in Thailand. We met with an American couple, Iven and Kashmira, who have been in Bangkok for 7 years. We had lunch with them in the restaurant below their apartment and then were invited into their home, where they spoke with us about their heart and God’s heart for their neighborhood. As a traveling missionary, I always have this irrational fear that when we meet missionaries who are stationary, whom God has called to a specific region for an extended period of time (quite possibly for the entirety of their lives), we will be treated as inferior. I’ll admit, sometimes due to the brevity of our stay in each place, we lack the ability to reach the depth of relationship that can only be built with time and continual “neighboring,” as our new friends call it. Iven and Kashmira set my mind at ease; they were the epitome of gracious hosts. They let us hold and play with their three hilarious children as we asked questions about the government riots, Thai culture, their past, etc. They both manage this fascinating combination of parent, intellectual, and evangelical, and they transition seamlessly between the three “roles.”
As this was our first experience meeting with a contact ever, I was uncertain what questions would be asked of us, and which questions would be most appropriate to ask. I’m the “Unsung Heroes Coordinator” for our team, so before meeting the Hauptman family, I felt a certain sense of obligation to perpetuate the conversation, have all of the right answers, and ask all of the right questions. A few minutes into our time, Iven asked us a pertinent, if unanticipated, question. He said, “What do you feel that God is speaking to you/leading you toward for this time in Thailand?” I probably should have expected a question of that variety, if not with that exact wording, and yet it left me stunned. My entire team sat in silence for a small eternity, when Vivian spoke up and said, “Sorry about the silence, we try to be very thoughtful with our words, so we’d like to ponder on your question for a little while.” He assured us that he was accustomed to awkward silences, and we continued to think. I prayed silently, “God, what are you teaching us? What do you want to reveal about yourself during this month?” I was greeted with nothingness. I think the hope when you pray prayers like that, or pray for a prophetic word for someone, is that God will speak immediately. It would be ridiculously convenient if God communicated audibly and said, “Sarah, this is exactly how I want to reveal myself to you during your stay in Thailand. Go to (insert city), minister to (insert specific people group), speak with (insert ministry contact), and have a great month!” When I hear stories of God communicating that way to other people, I tend to get pretty envious. Seriously, God? You’ve made her life a spiritual picnic. I’ll bet he never feels distant from you. Yes, I’m aware, not exactly the most “Christian” of thoughts, but I’m a sinner, too.
How often is our spiritual experience this game of comparison? As a woman, comparison is an issue that confronts me daily. I have to actively choose to celebrate the beauty and personalities of my teammates, rather than feel threatened or insecure about my own shortcomings. Recently it was brought to my attention that every person on the earth is a different reflection of God’s character. Today that theory became a reality for me as I was begging God for an answer to Iven’s question. I listened to my team leader, Sha’terika, eloquently explain how God had communicated with her about our time in Thailand (she spoke for the whole team, thankfully) and instead of feeling envy or bitterness, I felt as though God had answered my prayer, he had just given the words to Sha’terika instead. She was a reflection of God’s character that I was not, and vice versa. What we had prayed so diligently for in Costa Rica, God had answered. He has given us a spirit of unity. If I had chosen a spirit of comparison in that moment, it would have left room for dissension and division within our team dynamic.
During our 3 hour, cry-about-how-awesome-is prayer fest in Heredia, God gave me a vision of our team. In the vision, we appeared to be wind-up dolls, and God was winding us up to prepare us for ministry. Each time we were wound, he breathed into us. Thinking back on our refreshing and wonderful day with Iven and Kashmira, I feel like it was just another example of how God is breathing into our team. We now know more about Thai culture, worldview, politics, and daily life. We are continually being steered in directions that give us a greater understanding of how much God loves his people all over the world. It is so apparent that God loves the people in the Hauptmans’ neighborhood, because he sent them to BE his love in their neighborhood. In that same way, for the next three weeks, he has sent us to be love to as many people as we can in Thailand. Pray with us for hearts and minds to be open to the gospel. Pray that we would not give priority to our own plans rather than to how God desires to move. Pray that the desire for a perfect, benevolent political figure (who doesn’t exist) would ultimately point the people of Thailand to Jesus.
Grace and peace,
Sarah
p.s. Iven and Kashmira’s blog: http://ivenandkashmira.com/
