To get to Chiang Mai we took a 12 hour sleeper train. My whole life people have talked about all the things you need to do to be successful and get places in life. But I found myself sitting in an open air train car in the middle of Thailand realizing it was the coolest thing I had ever done and the only thing that got me there was faith. Nothing I did on my own, no thing I accomplished, just faith. Me and Jon found this bracelet on the floor of the Atlanta airport week one that says “Everything is possible for one who believes” – Mark 9:23 and the truth of that started to hit me in a new way. The Lord has been making the impossible possible for generations but for me too.
That being said, He’s working just as much in the small details as He is the impossible.
I’ve been praying for small reminders of the goodness of God and they’ve been everywhere. When I started praying for abundance, I was finding abundance in everything. It wasn’t that my circumstances changed but my perspective shifted to see abundance and the goodness of God in the little things in life. There’s abundance all around us just waiting to be found!!
Part of that abundance has been Thai ministry! My ministry this month is at a place called Mosaic. It’s a bunch of different business that come together to serve survivors of exploitation and human trafficking. What’s been so cool is the ways we have gotten to serve. They’re using all of our gifts in super unique ways I never would’ve imagined. We’re teaching guitar, English, leading worship, creating new smoothie bowl and coffee recipes, hosting identity workshops, sewing notebooks, analyzing data and lots of other small projects. Coming together as image bearers to create a beautiful mosaic of the Lord is an image that has been on my mind a lot recently and what better way to see that in action than all of our gifts and talents being used to serve the kingdom?! (Also so cool that it’s even called Mosaic)
On Fridays, we get to help out in their church. There’s so much I could say about this little Thai church in the heart of the red light district. For now, the message we heard on Friday is something I think we all could learn from. A lady was giving her testimony and talked all about being His daughter. Some of her main points were:
- God loves you so much and is taking care of you everyday
- Reminders from God give us strength
- Trust him for what you can’t control
- God never abandoned you
- He sees you as his favored child
- God is love
Not much more to say! God loves you lots! Added bonus for me at this little Thai church is leading worship which has been a huge step of faith but also so fruitful. Goodness of God is my forever favorite song and hearing it sung in English and Thai at the same time by different people who love the Lord so well just melted my heart in so many new ways. I’ve never played in front of a crowd before and seeing a gift I wasn’t confident in be used to glorify the Lord has been so growing. We grow the most when we step out of what’s comfortable.
What’s so weird about that is sometimes we find our comfort in the chaos. I know I can have a tendency to do this. And so did the Israelites. After escaping from slavery, there were times they just wanted to go back to Egypt even thought it had been so horrible. It’s just what they were used to. It takes faith to step into the unknown even if what we know is hard. Lord, give me the boldness to step out of Egypt even if it’s what’s comfortable!!
The Lord is chasing after each of us so so so hard. He has an endless pursuit for you because you are His beloved child. Don’t let the doubts and lies be speaking the loudest and give yourself grace (might have stole this line from Caleigh). Jesus loves you, come as you are, see His abundance in everything and use your gifts for His kingdom!!!
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