God continues to amaze me in that His ways are always good, and I can’t help but see His goodness in everything I do & see and everyone I encounter with. As I eluded to in my last post, since coming back, I want to be intentional with my time & the relationships I have with the people. Regardless that I am here a short amount of time, I can still make a change and they can impact my life greatly. About a week & a half ago, on October 6, I had a very memorable day. I remember thinking to myself that morning, “today is a good day to have a good day.” A simple statement changed the trajectory of that day.. Almost on a daily basis, there are two Thai women who work in the new women’s center Outpour will be launching soon, and they make some of the products they will be selling (laptop bags, pencil bags, duffel bags). As I was working on projects at Outpour, and found myself in between something to do, I asked Paw Wah, one of the two women I mentioned, what she was working on, and she invited me over to her sewing machine where we then worked together for a couple hours and she showed me how to make a laptop bag. We talked about little things & laughed together. Later on I joined her and a couple others of the Outpour staff for lunch. That was such a special time for me. That day was a reminder of what God can do with a simple “yes” in my spirit. I made a conscious and intentional effort to try to connect with people here, and I already started to see the fruit of that. That’s just one short story of my experiences here. Beyond that, we have continued making trips to the Thai/Burmese border. One of our visits, on October 8, consisted of coloring & playing frisbee with kids in the same village we had previously went to, and visiting & speaking with a monks in their home. Ministry always looks different, but it’s often times so simple and that’s what I appreciate about it. The next time we went to the border, on October 10, part of our team made the bike ride to the border and rather than venturing off to the village, we stayed along the path that spans No Man’s Land, and had a time of prayer. We prayed over No Man’s Land, Burma, Thailand, its government, and the hearts of its people. We know that our words have the power of life & death in them and we wanted to take an opportunity together to declare God’s promises over these nations and their people. On Sunday, October 9, after attending church at the Refuge Home, we made a stop at a Buddhist Temple on the way back to the team house. Our intention was to walk around & pray for the temple and the people who visit it, while also observing the temple itself. With the information that we were told on what it means to be Buddhist, the religion itself essentially operates with no sense of eternal hope. They worship idols that eventually crumble. Nevertheless, it gave me appreciation, perspective, and understanding of my faith. A couple times a week, a couple of my teammates and I ride out to the Refuge Home to teach English for a couple hours. This has been a huge highlight for me during our time here, so i’ll be writing all about it in its own post. With Outpour specifically, it has been incredible for our team to have a part in their new project launching soon. Unfortunately, I can’t say much information about it because it hasn’t officially launched yet. But just know, starting next month, something special is starting here with the potential and likelihood to change the atmosphere of this community. These are just a few highlights and short stories of my time here. Some moments, like teaching at the Refuge Home, going all the way into Myanmar (Burma) just yesterday, and witnessing one of my teammates get baptized today, i’ll be sharing all about soon. We’ll be in Mae Sot for another ten or so days. I know I say it somewhat often, but I can’t wait to see and be a part of what the Lord will do here!
1 Comment
Helene Belden
10/19/2016 06:01:17 am
Oh my goodness Kelsey I'm so glad you gave me your blog address :)
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This is a blog about the ups & downs of early
adulthood, God's goodness & faithfulness, & life in other countries. “Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told."
Habakkuk 1:5 NIV Archives
June 2017
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