You are about to read a broad snippet of what made Thailand the most beautiful and full filling experience on the race so far. I left many pieces of my heart there along the way and will cherish what I found there for the rest of my life. I hope what I learned may inspire and even encourage. This is just a small snippet into a much larger picture of growth in what Holy Spirit has for me. Thank you in advance for reading.
We can get caught up in how beautiful the landscape is around us when we go to a new place. We want to take pictures, selfies and try to capture something so we can share it with the world. Sometimes our way of living can be diminished to a check mark or a ‘task completed’ This is not to say seeing and doing great things are not worth it. What I’m seeing is beyond comprehension. However, I do not want what I’ve done or will do be just a checkmark to be put in a bucket. Experience without intimacy is just something seen, like your life is just a movie being played and the main characters present dialogue just to fill the silence in your life. There has to engagement from a state of intimacy. I do not want silence and hallow sounds to be in my heart. I want to be saturated with the presence and understanding of God and to see from His perspective. Perhaps, to see things unseen by many.
If I learned anything from the experience in Thailand is the beauty of relationships. It’s not seen as much as experienced. With the pictures we take, we can be marveled by the beauty of a place but the focus of the entire Outpour ministry was not just to take pictures. The focus is building and continuing relationships with the communities in Mae Sot and Burma. There are Muslim, Buddhist, Burmese, Thai, and so many others. It was a colorful mix of culture, people and adventure.
It was really awe inspiring because we had the honor of seeing the beauty of these people around us. We had the great opportunity to see them every day and get to know their story. Whether they lived in the villages where the houses were made of plywood or one’s associated with the ministry itself. We met friends that our hosts have known for years and because of the association, there was a mutual and already understood trust. What I really wanted from this month was not only to see God move but to really see what relationships Papa had in store. Like going on an adventure into the wilderness, you really get to go to depths of what inspires people.
As part of the ministry, there is a restaurant called “Famous Rays” that takes in young adults from the street, gives them a job and a skill set to contribute back to their community. Since I lived above the restaurant, I had the honor of getting to know these people and their stories. Of course some are heartbreaking but I think that’s why Jesus is so important. He unites us to search the depths of Him and each other as a family. There is so much to be had from everyone.
For the first time on the race, I feel like I got to live life with the people that poured into the community. We got to go to Burma for a day where we visited local villages, including a leper colony. Adventures took us to the Burma, Thailand border where we met and talked with people from there too. It’s an area of high trafficking of all kinds. In this month we got live life on the streets with vendors, pray with lepers, and build something beyond description. We even put together an even called ‘BeUtify’, It was a day of carnivals, music and fun. What was amazing were the people that showed up. Thai, Burmese, Buddhist, Chinese, rich and poor. Didn’t matter. We were together and it was fun.
In this month there was an invitation to a life that is full of wonder and adventure into things unseen. We didn’t even have to leave Mae Sot. So, I would challenge you dear reader, to dive into something unseen. Take a leap of faith to invest in a relationship. Go deep and ask questions. We’re more than pictures on a screen, a status update, and picture. We are beloved sons and daughters in a community to go to new depths, be adventurous and explore the wonders of God together.
