This post has been a LOOONG time coming, and I apologize for how long it's taken me to update you guys on what exactly I learned while I was in Thailand. I originally wanted to make a video talking about what I learned, but it's much easier for me to find the wording that I'm looking for when I write it rather than speaking it... So here it goes!
I suppose the trip actually began before the trip actually began. I originally had no intention of going on a short-term trip for this year's spring break, but clearly God's intentions trump my own. Last semester, I served as a Spiritual Life Director on my hall and was required to go to the "Light" missions meeting. This meeting basically explains the multiple mission trips that our school would be taking over the year (one of the several reasons why I love Liberty!). With each country that they would be traveling to, a picture of a scene from that country would pop up on the screen. It was a well-done presentation, and the room buzzed with excitement as each country was explained. Then a picture of monks bowing down to a Buddha statue popped up on the screen. As soon as I saw this picture, I knew God was calling me to go. It was one of the few times in my life where I can say God was definitely telling me to go...and it was weird. As Johnny Moore explained that the country was Thailand and we would be working with sex trafficking, it just got weirder. God, I'm not equipped to talk to those women. I don't have any experience with what they're dealing with...I can never relate to them! But it didn't matter. God told me I was going.
For those of you who don't know me very well, I'm the sort of person that counts the cost. I'm a logical thinker. I weigh out everything that needs to happen before I commit to do something. I pray about big decisions and try to get the advice of family and friends...EXCEPT when God called me to go to Thailand. I didn't hesitate. Part of me still thinks it was crazy that I immediately jumped into it...that's so unlike me! But that's just it: it wasn't me. I truly believe it was the Spirit in me that walked directly up to the Thailand booth after the meeting, that filled out the 7-page application that night, and that got up extra early the next day to turn in the application to the missions office. I took all these steps without counsel of my parents or friends, but I was confident that God called me to go.
And then, I found out how much it would cost...$3,500! Are you kidding me? I began to doubt. I never doubted God's capabilities of providing the funds, but I did start questioning God's calling for me to go. Is this really the best way to spend $3,500 of the church's money? We could probably feed 20 Nicaraguan families for a year with that much money! And then I realized...we can keep throwing money at poverty and make peoples' lives better for a little while, or we can actually go to them and share with them the bread of life that will benefit them for eternity as well as provide for their current needs. I decided that even if only one person got one step closer to accepting Christ as a result of this trip, the $3,500 is absolutely worth it. Christ paid the ultimate price to rescue me from darkness, so why should I let any other price hinder His work of saving souls?
This next little bit is for everyone that supported me financially and in prayer: THANK-YOU THANK-YOU THANK-YOU THANK-YOU THANK-YOU THANK-YOU THANK-YOU THANK-YOU!!!! God has worked in incredibly ways in ALL of you and I thank you for being obedient to Him and to the great commission. I honestly never worried that God wouldn't provide the money (which is probably thanks to your prayers!). Through faithful followers of Christ and my family I was able to meet every deadline with ease. The week before the final deadline was due, I was $500 short. In a matter of seriously 10 minutes, I was fully funded! An awesome couple from my church texted me and told me they had a $400 check for me, and my parents offered to pay the last $100 as their contribution (even though they never had to pay it because a check from my brother-in-law's grandparents came in the next day! Thank-you Bobby and Boggie Sena!) All that to say...God is awesome and gave me EXACTLY what I needed. And money is just money.
It's also so incredible to receive so much encouragement and support from my friends and family. I just have to say...I have some of the best friends a person could possibly have. My best friend, Courtney Woolfolk (umm....she's incredible) gave me all of the Christmas money that she received to put towards the trip. During the last few hours before leaving my dorm, Courtney and another close friend, Sheila, stayed up until 3:00 am just to pray with me right before I left. Another friend who spent last summer in Thailand gave me continuous encouragement and tips on how to not seem so "American" in a quiet Asian culture (something I desperately needed to know). Through it all, I felt so blessed and privileged to be going on this trip and to have the awesome friends that I have. I grew a new appreciation for them and for their hearts that are so committed to Christ and His purposes!
These are just a few of the mini-lessons I learned as in preparation for the trip. Be sure to read my next post to find out about what I learned in Thailand!
No comments:
Post a Comment