Malaysia. Thailand. Myanmar.
Three countries with shared borders that are vastly different in their own ways. Each country has yielded different fruit in my life and taught me different things in my faith. There has been one common denominator each time: the church is alive and thriving. Not just a chapel where people gather to worship and learn about God, but Christians living in true community and radically living out their faith by following Jesus and trying to live life like He would.
Malaysia: a hot and humid lakeside cabin on a lime farm with a special needs home with a small town over 20 minutes away. We were one beach short of my personal paradise on earth. Every day was like waking up in a dream, it was so unbelievably amazing. Wake up, cultivate limes, eat lunch, kayak in the jungle, work out, spend time with special needs residents all night, repeat. God made all of that possible through our host who we just called Auntie. She had been faithfully running this ministry for decades, and running it so well. It was amazing to see her sacrifice so much while the Lord provided her with so much more.
In a conversation one day, she told us why she hosts World Race teams. Admittedly, the subject came up because she could recognize our fatigue. She told us she does it so that we can see what it really looks like to live a life of ministry in the mission field. She lived every moment of her life running Siloam House. It was a full time job in the literal sense. There was no hour of the day where she wasn’t helping the residents, cooking for them, cleaning with them, or running errands to serve them. Day in, day out.
That conversation has changed me. I sat there amazed, and it gave me so much to consider. I began to think of the way she was doing the same ministry totally different than we were. We had plenty of free time to rest, work out, explore, and play, yet she noticed our fatigue. Auntie on the other hand, had no time for any of these things because she was always serving. She is older than my parents, yet she ran circles around a group of young men in the prime of our lives. The difference was this: she lived her ministry, and drew her strength straight from the Lord.
It really gave me a wake up call. I was all worried about me, me, me. My time, my growth, my experiences. It made me realize I had been on this trip for myself. I was looking for cool experiences, amazing stories, and great growth and memories. I wanted to see the world more than I wanted to change it. I said I came to serve others and serve the world, but up to that point I had been faking it. I’m so thankful the Lord called Auntie to a life on mission, and I’m so thankful He brought us to her.
Thailand: down the street from a main highway, all the noise and light of a major city with little opportunity to find some peace in nature. It was the polar opposite from where I had spent my previous month, yet it became such a home for me. I took what I had learned in Malaysia and tried to apply it to each day. Everything was ministry all the time. We evangelized, preformed skits, did dances, preached, and shared our stories. Every. Day. We gave it our all and our best, and God took that and multiplied it.
What a month of Christian community. Our hosts were a couple and their son. They made us feel like family, served us and loved us well, and lived their lives right along side us. Again, they were totally dedicated to their ministry. They spent each day leading others and empowering them to spread the kingdom of God in Kohn Kaen. And then they introduced us to the rest of our host team, which was about 15-20 equally dedicated Christ followers. It’s hard to explain just how intensely spectacular this sense of community was. I felt like I had 20 new family members who would drop everything to help me, constantly seek ways to help me grow as a Christian, and push me to see every person I pass as an opportunity to share the love of Jesus.
This community was so contagious and spread to our teams. We were more loving, more honest, and more joyful. We worked together in new ways and served each other before ourselves. It inspired me so much about how I want to live my life and how I can inspire the American church to live because there was just something different about our friends in Kohn Kaen.
Myanmar: a football field, chin lo and volleyball courts, a pig farm, an orphanage, a bible college, a chapel, and all of this in a village of about 70 people. It was exactly like the Christian hippy commune I’ve dreamed of my whole life, only it wasn’t some abnormal dream, it is just the way of life here. I thought I was even more remote than I was in Malaysia, until I walked 15 minutes up the dirt road to a high way with loud, vibrant life. It was like two different worlds.
God placed this country on my heart in a special way 8 months ago when it was added to our route. It’s been easy to see why. We have been teaching English to the Bible college students every day. We have church twice every day. We play sports every day. Once again, the community and devotion to serving the lord was inspiring. I watched kids of all ages spend every moment of every day together in community and never get tired of it. I watched them play games and sports every day and never stop having fun. I watched them live life without any of the “comforts” we have in America and they had a joy and fulfillment that puts our country to shame. I spent most of my life seeking out what things and experiences would make me happy and fulfilled, and theses kids never stop smiling and rejoicing. It has been so inspirational.
This month I have dealt with intense spiritual warfare, doubt in my faith, doubt that I’m making any difference with my life. I’ve struggled with selfishness, prayer, fatigue, and homesickness. I’ve been afraid, pessimistic, and thinking about anything other than my relationship with God.
BUT GOD IS SO FAITHFUL! He has taken all of that and delivered truth. He has used these kids to inspire me in my joy and positivity. He has shown me their love for Him and how they pray with such passion and intensity as if their life depends on it. He has asked me to shed light on my struggles by sharing them with others. He has helped me use the gifts I don’t always like to use. I have taught, preached, acted, and written to glorify God. He has given me so much good news, proven His faithfulness, showed me the reasons behind happenings, and He has made me feel so ridiculously and incredibly loved by Him.
My final night was spent sitting around a fire with the kids after chapel. They told me that they hope whenever I have a fire I will think of them. They don’t know how crazy often I have bonfires, and the tears I will shed missing them so much.
Asia has changed me, and God is definitely changing Asia. His kingdom is here, and it is alive.
