Thai National Games

Our 10-day adventure at the Thai National Games started super early—like 6 a.m. early! The drive from Chiang Mai to Chanthaburi was about 15 hours long, so we hit the road as soon as we could. We all met at our leader Sao’s house, packed up all 15 of us into a van, and set off. Even though the drive was ridiculously long, we found ways to make it fun. Along with our AIA family, two university students joined us for the trip, and we got to know them during the ride. Before coming to Thailand, I barely used Google Translate, but now it’s like a lifeline. Our van ride was filled with translated conversations and a lot of screaming along to Thai songs.

When we finally got to our hotel after the 12-hour drive, we barely had time to breathe before heading to the Thai National Games opening ceremony. We didn’t really know what was happening, but honestly, that didn’t matter—we had so much fun being in the crowd, soaking up the energy. We even met athletes from all over Thailand! As foreigners in such a local setting, we definitely stood out. People kept staring at us and asking to take pictures, which was kind of funny. We wrapped up our first night with some amazing Thai noodles.

The next day, we started off by watching Lawn Bowl (basically a mix of bowling and bocce ball). Little did we know that Lawn Bowl would become a big part of our mornings for the rest of the trip! Since the game was super quiet, we had to find creative ways to entertain ourselves, like teaching the university students card games and starting massage trains. Phi Sao, our leader, had us help pack gift bags with a water bottle, a booklet about the true meaning of Christmas, and bracelets AIA uses to share the Gospel.

Between games, we handed out these bags and used the bracelets to share the Gospel with athletes. It was amazing to see how curious they were about what we had to say. Of course, the language barrier made things tricky, but Sao was incredible at translating for us. On days without Lawn Bowl, we’d visit other sports, cheer for the Chiang Mai team, and share gift bags with even more athletes. By the end of the games, we had shared the Gospel with over 100 athletes!

One thing we learned fast is that Thai people are super chill and spontaneous—they don’t stick to strict schedules. For us gappers, that meant learning to go with the flow. On our first night, Sao casually mentioned, about 30 minutes before it happened, that a guy named Zack would be joining our group for the rest of the trip. At first, we weren’t sure what to expect, but Zack turned out to be one of the best parts of the trip. He was so laid-back, kind, and always looking out for us. Zack was also learning English and had been taking an online course for three months. We made a deal: he’d teach us Thai, and we’d teach him English. By the end of the week, we’d learned so much Thai that people started thinking Megan (who’s amazing with languages) was fluent!

The two university students, Min and Thap, also became like family. Thap drove us everywhere in the van, blasting music and always happy to help. We stayed up late almost every night, playing card games like Dutch Blitz (our favorite) and chatting with Google Translate.

One of the highlights was our beach day. After days of games, we finally had a chance to rest, and we weren’t going to miss out on the beach! While walking along the shore, we met some people who were also participating in the games. They had gone fishing earlier and were cooking fish soup right there on the beach. They insisted we try it, and it was amazing. They even gave us spices and ingredients so we could make it ourselves later. Their generosity and hospitality blew us away—they were so happy that we loved their local dish.

This trip was unforgettable. From sharing the Gospel to forming new friendships to eating incredible food, I’ve learned so much about Thai culture and the beauty of being flexible. I can’t wait to see how these experiences shape what’s next for us.

On the day we left the games to head back home, our leaders told us we were stopping at a family friend’s house to pray with them. I didn’t really know what to expect, but when we got there, we met this super sweet family of four. Right away they were so welcoming.

The dad started off by introducing himself. He told us he was a pastor and had started a home church. Even though his English wasn’t perfect, he shared his testimony with us, and it was amazing. He told us about these crazy life-threatening accidents that had happened to people around him and his church—like people falling and almost dying. But every single time, they survived because of prayer. He made it so clear that without God, those people wouldn’t be here today.

Then he explained why he invited us over. He said he’d had a dream about one of our leaders, Sam. In the dream, Sam was riding a bike and pulling a bunch of other bikers behind him. Sam looked exhausted, and there were people taunting him, trying to get him to give up. But then, out of nowhere, a train with tons of seats showed up. The bikers got on the train, and Sam didn’t have to struggle anymore.

Here’s the wild part—before the pastor could finish the dream, Sam actually called him in real life and woke him up! As the pastor was sharing this with us, Sam was sitting right next to him and started crying because the dream described exactly what he was going through.

Sam then shared his story with us. He explained how his business had been struggling and losing money, and he had been really stressed. Around the same time, his old boss kept calling him, offering him jobs—even his old position as Chief Officer of a province's police department. Sam said no every time, even though the offers were super tempting, because he realized taking one of those jobs would mean he couldn’t serve God the way he wanted to with his wife and kids. He said it was a tough choice, but he knew it was the right one.

By the time both stories were done, pretty much everyone in the room was emotional. The pastor then went around and prayed for each of us while his wife and two sons led worship. It was honestly such a powerful moment—like you could just feel God moving.

Afterward, as we were driving home, Min (one of the university students who’s still Buddhist) told us through Google Translate that he didn’t know why he started crying when the pastor prayed for him. He said he just suddenly realized he was crying and couldn’t explain it. That hit all of us hard.

I think I can speak for everyone when I say that stopping at this family’s house was the perfect way to end the week. It was such a powerful reminder of how real and personal God is, and how He works in ways we don’t always understand.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. -John 14:27

Prayer Requests:

-Please pray for the health of our team. We have been getting sick on and off recently.

-Please pray for our team as we begin to pack our bags and leave Thailand and head to Croatia.

-Please pray for me as I take on the new year as a recent high school graduate.

-pray for All the students who have heard the Gospel.