We arrived in Mae Sot, Thailand after 2.5ish days of travel. 16 hours from Atlanta, Georgia to Seoul, Korea. 5.5 hours from Seoul to Bangkok, Thailand. Overnight at a hostel in the city. Then a 10 hour bus ride to Mae Sot. Let's just say we were all relieved to finally get here.
We arrived in Mae Sot in the afternoon last Wednesday, and our team coordinator picked us all us from the bus station. We packed 11 huge packs and daypacks and all of us into one truck. It took us all a couple days to fully recover from the jet-lag and adjust to the time difference, and we then settled into what will be our living quarters for the next couple weeks. Our first week was somewhat challenging, but very rewarding. Our team has been serving with Outpour Movement. Outpour consists of an incredible staff with big hearts for this community and a vision to see the people know & love Jesus. Outpour operates & serves the community in many different ways, and we have had just a small part in coming along side of them for a short time and helping how we can. Our first couple days of ministry helped on the grounds of Outpour’s property. They have a restaurant called Famous Ray’s, that many locals go to & that we have been frequenting during meal times, which faces the main road, and, behind the restaurant, Outpour is in the process of building a youth/community center, bike shop, recording studio, & women’s center. So we have been leveling ground, sanding walls, building bunk beds, weeding, breaking a part pieces of bike chains that will eventually be used for jewelry to be sold, & painting. Since biking is a primary means of transportation here, part of what Outpour does as well is providing and repairing bikes for the community. We have also been conforming to that trend by using some of the bikes that Outpour already has and that has been our means of getting just about everywhere. Let me just say, that if I wasn’t in shape before coming here, I will (hopefully) be by the time I get home… All joking aside, biking around has been a really fun way to get to know Mae Sot, rather than being driven places. On Saturday, we rode our bikes to soccer fields that children from a Children’s Home that Outpour is connected to, play at on Saturday mornings. That was definitely a fun time to not be “working”, and have some fun. Our first Sunday in Thailand was really great. We went to two places for church. The first was the Children’s Home of the children we had played with the day before. We had lunch with them afterwards, and all sat on the floor eating curry together. The second place was a refuge home in which some refugees from Myanmar (Burma) come after arriving in Thailand. From my experience in Haiti & now in Thailand, being in a church in a third-world country is a very special experience. Seeing people have less material things and live seemingly very different lives, but still be rejoicing for what they do have, and the lives they do live, is a powerful thing. On top of just being there, I had the opportunity to share a short testimony, along with a few of my teammates, at both services we went to. As a team, we have gotten to know the culture a bit by exploring during our free time. We went to Thai and Burmese markets, (tried) to converse with locals, & rode our bikes through the streets in pouring rain. On a side note, the food has been pretty amazing. I have thoroughly been enjoying my time here so far, and can’t wait to continue seeing what our team will experience & how God will be moving in and through us during our time here!
1 Comment
Cliff Murray
9/14/2016 07:37:35 am
Great report Kelsey.....so thrilled for you....so reminds me of my days as a 19 year old single missionary arriving in Singapore...in 1963
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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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