Better late than never am I right? Some of you know that my team was sent to Thailand after leaving Guatemala instead of being sent to Malaysia right away. The rest of you probably had absolutely no clue that I was there, and you wonder all the time where the heck I am because I never update my blog.
Team HITS was sent to Thailand for our first two months in Asia because there was no contact or ministry opportunities at the time for us in Malaysia. Team HITS lived in a house in Pang Nga. There was never a dull moment in that house. Ever. Team Hits is made up of 6 extroverts and 1 introvert(sorry for being so loud all the time Kourtney) so things are always pretty exciting. The first week in Thailand my stomach hurt so bad from laughing so hard with my team.
Team HITS mostly taught english at a school for ministry. We were the first Christians that the school allowed to come in and teach. We weren’t allowed to shout Jesus’ name but I think we taught those kids and teachers more about Jesus through our actions and the way we loved them than we ever could have verbally. A seed was definitely planted at that school and I am so happy the the Lord chose Team HITS to be a vessel there.
I spent Christmas in Thailand. It was weird. It was my first Christmas away from home, and I never imagined it would happen at 19 years old. I missed my family so much, but I also felt incredibly loved and right at home with my team.
I am not good at pin-pointing my own growth, but I know that I grew tremendously in Thailand. I became more disciplined in reading my bible, and I spent more time in prayer and worship. I know that those things are key for spiritual growth, but I think I had been cruising along this trip expecting growth without working for it. When I was at debrief with my entire squad I talked to my leaders(shout out to Darla you rock) and they were able to pin-point my growth. Darla told me I walk with so much more peace than I did when I was in Guat. She began to call out several fruits of the spirit that I bear now. As she was saying them I kept saying “oh yep. yes. oh yeah that is true” In Thailand I prayed a lot for wisdom. God definitely gave me some. I have learned that the wisdom is not my own. Whenever God gives me something wise to say, it is me allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through me. Super cool stuff, you should try it sometime.
I struggled in Thailand with comparison. I knew I would. I loved Guatemala so much and I loved my ministry so much more. I knew that at some point I was going to feel like God was not using as much as He did in Guatemala. Weeeelll, when that time rolled around, I spent a lot of time in prayer. God spoke to me(imagine that). He opened my eyes to what He was doing at home. God used me in Thailand SO much more to minister at home than he actually did in Thailand.. So many people are doing the world race next year. So many people have reached out for prayer and advice from me and God is using me to minister to them. It has been legit. Even though I didn’t feel like I was being used, I was, and God was growing me tremendously.
I was sad to leave Thailand. I had so much fun there with my team. Even though I was sad, I was excited to see what God had in store for HITS our last three weeks in Asia in Malaysia before we head to Africa…tune in around 7:15 for that blog..
