Week One in Thailand

During our first week in Thailand, we acted like tourists to get a feel for the country and learn more about the culture. One of my favorite things we did was visit a Buddhist temple on a mountain, where we randomly met a couple of Christians. Talking to them was so encouraging, and it made me feel like, even though there aren't many of us here, the work we’re doing is really honoring God and helping make disciples. Another thing I loved was exploring the outdoor markets in Chang Mai and trying all the different foods from the street vendors. Both experiences were super fun and really helped me connect with the culture and our mission.

Monday morning started early with a wonderful breakfast—shrimp and cabbage, roasted pork with bok choy, and some passion fruit. It was incredible! Afterward, we headed to a beautiful Buddhist temple set on a mountain. The climb up the stairs to reach the temple was long and intense, a much-needed workout since we haven’t exercised in a while. I was wheezing and sweaty within 10 minutes, which made the experience humbling.

We each paid 30 baht (about $1) to enter the temple. Before going in, we opened our Thailand app, which provided a guide for a prayer walk through Buddhist temples. It encouraged us to appreciate the beauty of the artwork but also to recognize that many of these people are worshiping false idols. It was heartbreaking to see how much effort they put into gaining merit and bringing honor to their families.

Seeing people walk around with symbolic flowers and prayer cards, deeply focused on their rituals, made me feel even more thankful for the gift of knowing the one true God. I’m blessed to have a relationship with a God who hears my prayers, who is the King of Kings, and who loves me unconditionally. There's nothing I can do to earn more of His love, nor anything that could make me lose it. Reflecting on this, while witnessing people who don’t know the real God, really emphasized for me the seriousness of our mission and the depth of the spiritual battle here in Thailand.

But no matter how intense the spiritual fight is, I know that God has already won. I trust that He will use me and speak through me to reach these people.

While we were walking around the temple, praying for the people, this young guy from South Korea stopped my leader, Addison, because of her shirt. It said, “I will raise a hallelujah in the presence of my enemies,” and he actually started singing the song as he walked up to her. They ended up having a 10-minute conversation about why they were both in Thailand and at the temple.

We found out he’s a missionary who had just spent time in Laos with students and came to Thailand because he has a big heart for the mountain tribes. He wants to share the Gospel with them. He told Addison that usually when he prays at the temple, he feels a heavy burden, but today he felt lighter and reassured by the Lord. He said he didn’t feel as lonely being the only believer there, and when Addison told him that a bunch of us were also there praying, he was super happy to know he wasn’t alone.

He also shared that he doesn’t have a strong support system back home and really wants to be part of a group of believers who share his passion for missions. Then, he asked us to pray for him, and without hesitating, he just dropped to his knees right there, even with all the Buddhists walking around us. It was such a powerful moment. What really stuck with me was how his first instinct was to kneel when he prayed. I’ve gotten so used to praying while sitting down, that I had forgotten the importance of kneeing.

After we finished talking, my team and I decided we'd pray for him for 30 days, and he said he’d do the same for us. As we were walking to take pictures of the view, we ran into another group and started chatting. Turns out, they were from a church in Jacksonville, Florida, and were visiting a girls' orphanage their church supports. We swapped stories, and then we all stood in a circle, held hands, and prayed for each other. It was such a cool moment—just standing there together, looking over the city in the valley, feeling connected to each other in the presence of the Lord.

On Friday, we went with Gary Wood, our leader, to The School of Promise, where he teaches. It’s a Christian school, but a lot of Buddhist families send their kids there because of the great education. Since it was their last day of the semester before a two-week break, we thought it’d be the perfect time to meet the students and have a fun game day with them. We played games like Ninja and Would You Rather with six different classes, ranging from 7th to 12th grade, and had a blast. What stood out to me was how shy the kids were when they first walked in, all huddled up together, but by the end of class, they were super talkative, and some didn’t even want to leave for their next class. I loved getting to know them, and I’m really excited for when they come back so we can spend more time with them!

Prayer Requests:

• Please pray that we would all continue to have a server's heart even when we get exhausted.

• Pray for continued health of mind and body of the team.

• pray for continued unity of the team

• pray for the people of Thailand who have been affected by the great flood.