I’m sitting in a van coming back from the Cambodian border for yet another border run to renew my Thailand visa. I am still in awe that I am in Asia and have been for the past two months. I can’t believe that I have seen dozens of temples and the largest and most famous one. I can’t believe that I’ve ridden an elephant through the jungle. I have loved both my time in Cambodia and Thailand and expect to enjoy Malaysia and Indonesia this May.
It was really hard to leave Chiang Mai. For the first time on this race I felt completely myself and confident in my gifts and abilities that God has given me. Even more exciting is how I truly got to love the girls in the bars with God’s love. It has been a really long time since I have so freely and openly loved. God truly gave me a gift in the friendship I was able to develop with Mo and Jen the two bar girls that Darci and I got to really know well.
The last in Chiang Mai we got to take our girls out several times due to the wonderful donated money that Darci’s supporters gave us. The first time we took out Mo and Jenn was to the movies. We did it follow blown, reclining seats, popcorn, drinks, and candy for everyone. Jenn kept telling me that she was so excited and enjoyed the night so much because she has not been to the movies in so long due to working all the time. I was so overjoyed to see this young woman truly smile and relax and have fun. She didn’t have to put on an act when she was with us and I could see how freeing that was for her.
Two nights later, Jenn was with a customer and so we couldn’t see her … but Mo was able to go out to eat with us. She wanted to eat at a fancy place. So, we went to Shabu shi which is a sushi place. You get a bowl of soup and they put it on the burner in front of you … and you pick up plates of food that are on a conveyor belt in front of you – and cook them in your boiling soup!!! I don’t really care for sushi but it really was a fun experience. That night Darci had the opportunity to ask Mo about what religion she was. She told us that her family is Buddhist, but that her sister (Mo is the youngest of 3 girls– just like me), is a Christian. She told us that she also believed God in her heart and knows Jesus is real. She told us that she even prays in tongues when she goes to church … she plays the violin for church. Darci asked her if she prayed that God would give her another job, and she said that she knows that her job is bad, but she promised God it would only be for one year… because she desperately needs the money. She has to pay for college and she feels the need to help her mother financially… her mom raised 3 girls on her own when their dad walked out of her life. They were very poor growing up and she wants to help her mom as much as possible – even though she told us that if her mom knew what she was doing, it would break her heart. I truly believe that God has big plans for Mo. People just light up when you are around her. She has such an amazing and loving spirit. I have loved getting to know Mo and hope to see her again in the future.
The last night we took Mo, Jenn and Da (another girl that worked at the same bar as Mo and Jenn) bowling. Also the other racers brought their girls and we all had a big bowling party. Jenn had never been bowling before but she caught on fast and beat us. This was by far the happiest I have ever seen them. There was a freedom in their hearts – they felt free to be themselves, with no pressure to perform. They had such a carefree spirit and bounced around – dancing all night! We were able to use the money donated to buy Thai Bibles and give them to all the girls who came that last night. We even were able to give 2 more Bibles to Jenn and Da for their daughters.
Those girl have left an imprint on my heart and my life. They have helped change me forever. I am thankful for the chance to love them and remind them that they are valuable and children of God. I can’t believe that I will be leaving Thailand on Monday the 4th. Team Bling will be spending the month of May in Indonesia. I am not really sure what our ministry looks like yet but I know God is going to do a lot in and through us. The separation has brought our team even closer with a united desire to go deeper and truly find out what God wants to do in and through us during the rest of the race.
Please pray for safe travels as we fly to Malaysia on May 4th and then take a boat to Indonesia on the 5th. I know have my computer back thanks so much to Kristen, Shorty, my dad, and the Paschalls for making that happen. I will hopefully be post both a Cambodia and Thailand video. Here is a video done by Jen Myers one of the racers who I spent the month with in Chiang Mai.
