On a normal day on July fourth back in the states, people celebrate with BBQ and fireworks with family and/or friends. We were expected to continue teaching today, however it was the school's volunteer project day; therefore we didn't teach and instead was able to spend the day winding down, prepping for the upcoming weekend, and celebrating the American holiday!
We went to Bethel Bible Institute (BBI), home of our Thailand mother and father (Lillian and Peter), for lunch and met some of the students/residents. Most of the students studying at BBI graduate in hopes of becoming missionaries, ministers, or pastors. A good portion of them are Chinese students who come from surrounding borders, and the rest of them consist of Thais, Burmese, and other minorities. Some of our teammates met Elaine, a graduate from Canada visiting her parents who are teaching at BBI, and shared many wonderful conversations about one another's stories and faith.
After the stop at BBI, our team made Tesco and Makro runs (equivalent to our Costco and Smart and Final) to stock up on team necessities as well as buy more materials (candy and such) to prep for the weekend (elephant-atas)! We came back to our resorts and immediately started on our projects for the villages. Every weekend, the Canan Gospel Center students travel up to the mountain villages in hopes of sharing Christ's love by serving and loving the residents. Through hosting evening services and acupuncture treatments, the Canan students continue to faithfully love on the villages' elders and children. This weekend, we have the honor of partnering alongside them to serve and love on the kids. We built 2 piñatas out of cardboard boxes and construction paper, and filled them each with candy and prizes.
After much team bonding and silliness, we headed off to BBQ in celebration of America's Independence Day! (Yay!) but before we did, we picked up Elaine on the way and invited her to celebrate with us. The location we decided on wasn't too far from where we were staying, so it was a nice night to just enjoy and embrace community with one another.
After dinner, we headed back to the resort, and then to end the day...we celebrated with lanterns! (YAY!) Caleb was kind and generous enough to surprise us with some floating, wicked lanterns he bought for the team. We spent the rest of the night lighting and watching them float through the clear sky! It was beautiful. Many smiles. Many laughs.
Coming off of a packed week, it was nice to have a day to wind down and celebrate. We praise God for being with us in our time of restfulness and joy.
But on top of the many adventures we've been having in Thailand, I want to share a blessing I've encountered with a former Thai kid I met last year by the name of Somrak. Elliott and I met him last year playing frisbee in the fields, and luckily this year, he remembered who I was! Yesterday (Thursday) for lunch, I sat by him and for the first time, got the chance to hear his testimony. He lost both his parents at a very young age, his mom due to a car accident and his dad to a gunshot fired by a friend who thought he was a cop. Thankfully, his parents were Christians, and in turn, raised them through the Christian faith. He has two older brothers and one younger sister who live in Chiang Rai (about 3-4 hours away), so he doesn't get to see them often. At one point during the conversation, I got sad because he began asking about my year in school, found out I was a fourth year, and then realized it was my last year coming back. I told him that it's true that our team won't be coming back, but not because of our age, but because of certain circumstances. (I didn't get a chance to, but my hope before I leave is to share with him why we're here in Thailand and how he can share and empower others through his faith, especially since we won't be coming back!) And then I was saddened again when I found out he didn't have a computer, cellphone, or Facebook not because he lacked the funds or resources, but because he intentionally chooses not to. Such a sweet and kind kid with a gentle soul. I was touched. Humbled. I'm so encouraged by him and amazed at how God uses him and will continue to use him here at Jiang Hua. There was a mix of emotions and thoughts going through my head until God gently reminded me that...it's not through me, or through our team, or even through missionaries that people come to have a relationship with God. Yes, we get the opportunity to share about the life of Jesus and people come to know about him, but only God breathes in life into each person and only in his timing will they come to know him! (Not that that stops us from coming and witnessing, continually sharing the gospel!) And even when our team is gone, God's still working. He's been working and will continue to do big things here in Thailand. Us coming is only a glimpse of his magnificence, and so as we have one more week left, pray that our eyes and ears would be open and sensitive to the opportunities God is giving us.
And to end this post, some prayer requests!
- We're heading to the mountain villages this weekend so pray for safety in health and travels going up, down, and transporting from location to location. Though the Thais are used to it, riding in pick up trucks aren't quite the norm for us. In addition, some of us have motion sickness and aren't used to the weather and conditions traveling.
- We're finishing our first week here and jumping into our second week, so pray for sensitivity to the Spirit working. Pray that we'd continue to deepen the friendships we've built here with the Thais, and that we'd be bold in our sharing. In addition to our sharing, pray that we'd be people who are listening as well.
- Lastly, because we've been here for a week, pray for our team to grow stronger and deeper in unity and relationship. Jesus is the backbone to our trip, but as a team, pray that we continue to be one another's support and encouragement. Pray that we'd lift one another up in words of joy and love, that we continue to learn how to serve one another with a humbling and sacrifice heart.
"...only God breathes in life into each person and only in his timing will they come to know him!"
ReplyDeleteLove this!