For most of August, I will again have limited internet. I apologize for the lateness in my emails, but thank you for your patience, and continued support :)
Please be praying for the student ministry that I'll be involved in this month. And please be praying for the other short termers I'll be serving alongside, as well as our team leader, "P." Please pray strength and stamina for all of us, as well as open hearts and doors in building relationships with the university students in Lopburi. Please also pray for a good team dynamic, and that we would keep our hearts focused on God, as well as edify and encourage one another. Please also pray for two amazing Thai ladies that work at the university student/youth house in Lopburi. Their names are "N" and "I." Please pray for open doors for them, as well as perseverance and new friendships.
I pray God's surpassing peace for you all during August and look forward to connecting with you through blogs again in September. Thank you all again for your prayers, support, and encouragement during my time here. I couldn't do any of this without all of you.
Blessings and love, Faith
Monday, August 12, 2013
Loving Those in Front of You
A peek into what I've been thinking about lately:
When you serve people in another country, such as Thailand, it's often easy to love the people here because they not only look different than you, but there's also this expectation that because they live in a different culture, they will also act different. Expectations coming in to work with them are usually pretty gracious...usually.
But let me ask you this, what about loving the people in front of you? I mean people like your co-workers, your boss, the man/woman who just swerved in front of your lane as you were driving, or that "annoying" family member that always seems to grate on your nerves. Oh yes, those people :)
I'm going to be honest with all of you. Before I left for Thailand, I had a job where I struggled to love several of my female co-workers. Women who should know better than to act the way they do, who pick out people and treat them cruelly because it makes themselves feel better. The kind of women that are bitter and vengeful.
And do you want to know the most terrible thing about this situation: I worked this job for 3 years, and realized last Fall that I had never learned to love them. Ever. And I knew then, that I had been sinning against God for secretly hating them, He who created them.
And as I was applying to go on this short term trip, I realized that this needed to change. How was I ever going to love the Thai people who I had never even met, if I hadn't learned to love the people I worked with every day. I would just be exchanging one set of personalities and problems for another. And so I asked God to change my heart, and for help in treating them with love. They became my "unreached people group" that needed to be reached.
And I'll admit, it was hard. Because most times I wanted to tell them off and put them in their place. But a verse I learned in my first year at university always came to mind, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Proverbs 15:1)."
These women that I tried to love for the 5 months before I left for Thailand never did accept the love I kept offering. In fact for one woman, it made her more angry, and for another she made fun of the way I was treating her. It was like a kick to the gut and very degrading. But also humbling. And I'm still learning to love them- even while I'm over here. I know I don't pray enough for them, and so I need God to remind me each day and to supply me with a love for them. Even when I'm miles away from them.
I think it's the same way in missions. Part of being a missionary is getting use to the idea of being rejected. Because not all people are going to accept Christ. But loving people despite this rejection is so important. Without realizing it, I think God has been blessing me with a taste of this "rejection" back home in this job, readying me for missions. It doesn't mean being "rejected" will get easier, but it does mean that loving people should begin meaning more to me.
I was reading in 1 Corinthians 13 and stopped at the beginning of verse 4, "Love is patient." Patience is a willingness to bear despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity. You can't be patient, unless it's a difficult situation that requires a willingness to bear (no matter the length of time). I want to love the people God puts in front of me, even the "not-so-loveable ones," but that means I need to learn patience as well. I want to willingly bear, even if it's hard, because I know love is the goal. And God is love, and I want more of God. He's worth it all.
So, my challenge to all of us, that we would all learn together to love the people in front of us- the creepy, the grumpy, the annoying, the smelly, the crazy, the scary, the overwhelming, the bitter, the hard-hearted- because our God, who is Love, calls us to something greater in this world...to love.
"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." - 1 John 4:8
So come on...be a little crazy and love people with me :)
When you serve people in another country, such as Thailand, it's often easy to love the people here because they not only look different than you, but there's also this expectation that because they live in a different culture, they will also act different. Expectations coming in to work with them are usually pretty gracious...usually.
But let me ask you this, what about loving the people in front of you? I mean people like your co-workers, your boss, the man/woman who just swerved in front of your lane as you were driving, or that "annoying" family member that always seems to grate on your nerves. Oh yes, those people :)
I'm going to be honest with all of you. Before I left for Thailand, I had a job where I struggled to love several of my female co-workers. Women who should know better than to act the way they do, who pick out people and treat them cruelly because it makes themselves feel better. The kind of women that are bitter and vengeful.
And do you want to know the most terrible thing about this situation: I worked this job for 3 years, and realized last Fall that I had never learned to love them. Ever. And I knew then, that I had been sinning against God for secretly hating them, He who created them.
And as I was applying to go on this short term trip, I realized that this needed to change. How was I ever going to love the Thai people who I had never even met, if I hadn't learned to love the people I worked with every day. I would just be exchanging one set of personalities and problems for another. And so I asked God to change my heart, and for help in treating them with love. They became my "unreached people group" that needed to be reached.
And I'll admit, it was hard. Because most times I wanted to tell them off and put them in their place. But a verse I learned in my first year at university always came to mind, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Proverbs 15:1)."
These women that I tried to love for the 5 months before I left for Thailand never did accept the love I kept offering. In fact for one woman, it made her more angry, and for another she made fun of the way I was treating her. It was like a kick to the gut and very degrading. But also humbling. And I'm still learning to love them- even while I'm over here. I know I don't pray enough for them, and so I need God to remind me each day and to supply me with a love for them. Even when I'm miles away from them.
I think it's the same way in missions. Part of being a missionary is getting use to the idea of being rejected. Because not all people are going to accept Christ. But loving people despite this rejection is so important. Without realizing it, I think God has been blessing me with a taste of this "rejection" back home in this job, readying me for missions. It doesn't mean being "rejected" will get easier, but it does mean that loving people should begin meaning more to me.
I was reading in 1 Corinthians 13 and stopped at the beginning of verse 4, "Love is patient." Patience is a willingness to bear despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity. You can't be patient, unless it's a difficult situation that requires a willingness to bear (no matter the length of time). I want to love the people God puts in front of me, even the "not-so-loveable ones," but that means I need to learn patience as well. I want to willingly bear, even if it's hard, because I know love is the goal. And God is love, and I want more of God. He's worth it all.
So, my challenge to all of us, that we would all learn together to love the people in front of us- the creepy, the grumpy, the annoying, the smelly, the crazy, the scary, the overwhelming, the bitter, the hard-hearted- because our God, who is Love, calls us to something greater in this world...to love.
"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." - 1 John 4:8
So come on...be a little crazy and love people with me :)
A Recap of July: Life in Isaan
Most of the time in July was spent in Isaan, the northeast part of Thailand. It's more rural and definitely poorer than some of the other parts of Thailand. And I think it has more mosquitoes too :)
During my time in Isaan, my ministry partner, Laila, and I shadowed the missionaries as they went around. We were also joined by two Australians, who added the right amount of fun and enthusiasm to keep us going when we were busy and tired. It was a blessing to have such a compatible group. We were able to encourage and edify each other in the Lord without reservation. A beautiful picture of the body of Christ working together with various talents and abilities.
We were able to get involved in Bible teaching at an elementary school on Fridays, where we went into 3 different classrooms to sing Christian songs, act out a Bible story, play a few games, and then start a craft. Working with Thai children was such a joy! And the twinkle in their eyes when things are "sah-nook maak," or "a lot of fun" was a blessing to see.
We were also able to get involved with an English club on Thursdays as we taught middle and high school students about the human body, directions and locations, as well as food. Then on Friday evenings we had youth club which gave us time to interact more personally with the youth in Isaan, as well as to start building relationships with them. I have never had my photo taken so much in my life and with so many poses! I don't think I will ever take pictures the same way again :)
The rest of the week we had opportunities to go with one of the missionaries, "S," into villages around the area where we lived, where S did open evangelism. He would start off by taking out his guitar and just sitting down and singing (which Thai's love!! And they have such beautiful voices). Then S would share a story from the Gospel, and ask questions to the people who had come to listen. He would then pose the people with a question at the end that might challenge them to think further about Jesus and His love for them. This was a very cool thing to see, but I have to admit, as we were sitting there, I was amazed at S's ability to share so openly and willingly. After asking him about his boldness in sharing Christ, he said it's something that comes with practice, time, and a whole lot of prayer. Coming and sharing with love and gentleness is so key and leaving it open to them as to whether they have more questions is important.
My overall time in Isaan was growing for me. I had never seen so much "front-line" type mission work, but it was exciting to see new and creative ways of loving and serving people in Thailand.Very thankful for the time that I was there.
Prayer Requests
1. For missionaries in Isaan- there are very few people coming to know Jesus in Isaan- it's been a slow process; this can be tough anywhere someone is serving in missions; pray for encouragement, strength, and patience as the missionaries try new and creative ways of serving the people
2. For the people in Isaan- that God would soften the hearts of the people to be open to hearing His Word
3. For more missionaries out in Isaan- because Isaan is so far from Bangkok, it can seem a lonely place to be; pray for more missionaries who have a heart for the people of Isaan and willingness to go and live "harder"
4. For S and his wife and family- protection and overall health as they serve God in Isaan; also that God would encourage and show them signs of people accepting His Word
An Everyday Faith
During my first night in Isaan, I was greeted by ants in my bed. Yes, and in my humanness, I grumbled, and wanted to cry. I was exhausted from the 6 hour drive there, and was just ready to crash...but without the company of ants. By God's grace alone, He pulled me up by my boot straps. so I swept the ants off my bed, put a rather toxic layer of ant spray around my sheets, and prayed that this wouldn't affect me years later. So far, so good :)
And then, there were the mosquitoes. It started feeling a bit like the plagues in Egypt. But where were the frogs to eat the mosquitoes? I remember one of the first days there, I had 10 mosquito bites on my left leg and 9 on my right. My relief: a little something called Tiger Balm. God's gift to Thailand. It's a menthol salve that makes your skin tingle, and provides an AMAZING relief.
I feel like I could go on: worms in the bathroom, cockroaches in the entry way, getting poop flung on you while riding in the back of a truck. Everyday felt like one big challenge. Isaan: the living is just a harder way of life. And my faith was challenged to become an everyday thing.
I have never grown so much as I did when I was in Isaan. I liked the person God was molding in me, even if it felt painful at times. I began to see more of Jesus. He began to increase in my heart and I saw that people were seeing more of Jesus in me and less of myself. And that is always a good thing.
The distractions that I had for the first couple of months were no longer a distraction. My "survival" was my new challenge. God became my only necessary need.
In reality, Isaan was really not that hard. I still had food, and clean water, and running water to go to the bathroom and brush my teeth and take a shower. I think the struggle was the different setting and a different way of living. It was more rural, definitely hotter, lots of dirt roads, more likely to get dirty, wifi was not as readily available, I saw no big grocery/superstores. But as the month went on, I realized, I didn't need wifi, and superstores and cleanliness at all times in order to survive. So I got more dirty, and had to deal with feeling sweaty more often, and the mosquitoes ate me alive while I was there, BUT God sustained me each and every day. It reminds me that God is not just enough, but He is more than enough of what we need. And He was, especially in Isaan.
I was no longer dependent on the comforts I had known, but became dependent on God for all things.The new prayer in my heart that sprouted up was, "Jesus, show me my need for you every day. Don't let me go a moment without forgetting that you are all I need." I would like to say that I am totally dependent on God for everything now, but it isn't true. It's still a lesson I'm learning. But my time there served as a good reminder that God wants to change us, to be closer to us, and He is faithful to refocus our hearts on Himself to glorify Himself and to overflow in us so that we can be the hands and feet of Jesus.
The Christian walk is an everyday challenge, and it requires an everyday faith.Whether you're in America or Thailand, it's hard, but our God is bigger than any challenge we could ever face. So let us take up the challenging of living with everyday faith.
I feel like I could go on: worms in the bathroom, cockroaches in the entry way, getting poop flung on you while riding in the back of a truck. Everyday felt like one big challenge. Isaan: the living is just a harder way of life. And my faith was challenged to become an everyday thing.
I have never grown so much as I did when I was in Isaan. I liked the person God was molding in me, even if it felt painful at times. I began to see more of Jesus. He began to increase in my heart and I saw that people were seeing more of Jesus in me and less of myself. And that is always a good thing.
The distractions that I had for the first couple of months were no longer a distraction. My "survival" was my new challenge. God became my only necessary need.
In reality, Isaan was really not that hard. I still had food, and clean water, and running water to go to the bathroom and brush my teeth and take a shower. I think the struggle was the different setting and a different way of living. It was more rural, definitely hotter, lots of dirt roads, more likely to get dirty, wifi was not as readily available, I saw no big grocery/superstores. But as the month went on, I realized, I didn't need wifi, and superstores and cleanliness at all times in order to survive. So I got more dirty, and had to deal with feeling sweaty more often, and the mosquitoes ate me alive while I was there, BUT God sustained me each and every day. It reminds me that God is not just enough, but He is more than enough of what we need. And He was, especially in Isaan.
I was no longer dependent on the comforts I had known, but became dependent on God for all things.The new prayer in my heart that sprouted up was, "Jesus, show me my need for you every day. Don't let me go a moment without forgetting that you are all I need." I would like to say that I am totally dependent on God for everything now, but it isn't true. It's still a lesson I'm learning. But my time there served as a good reminder that God wants to change us, to be closer to us, and He is faithful to refocus our hearts on Himself to glorify Himself and to overflow in us so that we can be the hands and feet of Jesus.
The Christian walk is an everyday challenge, and it requires an everyday faith.Whether you're in America or Thailand, it's hard, but our God is bigger than any challenge we could ever face. So let us take up the challenging of living with everyday faith.
The Homesick Missionary
Yes, it happens. To me as well. And it happened to me right after my 3rd month in Thailand. When June came, I found myself missing all the people God had placed in my life back in America.
But I've learned that it's okay to ache for the people you love the most. There's a reason God gives us family and friends- our support system, and to keep us growing. So I've missed my family and desired to see them. And I've learned that you can be both homesick and content where God has placed you. It's true that as Christ-followers, we'll always ache and long for our future home with the Lord, our true place of belonging. So feeling homesick or misplaced isn't such a bad thing. It's natural.
But being homesick has taught me so much about myself. Coming here, I thought as a person who is more of an introvert (who recharges more easily when I can rest alone) that I would need more time by myself. But I've discovered that when I'm by myself too much, I get lonely, and depressed. No man really is an island. We need community. Sure, I do still need some time by myself to recharge each day, but it's not as much time as I thought, and I find I'm most edified when I'm with others, in community.
So for the future, one of my prayer requests is that God would provide a ministry partner- another gal around my age that I can work alongside in ministry. And one that I would work well with- that we would build each other up in the Lord and challenge each other in our walks with God and ministry, and in our love to the people we serve. And for someone who has a similar sense of humor- because laughter is such good medicine, especially when you live in a different culture where it's easy to get confused, and to feel depressed at times.
While it may be a while until I return to the mission field, I still ask for prayer for the future, and for the team and people I will join and work with. And I can say this...I am excited to see how God provides, and the different personalities He puts together. Because God has a great sense of humor as well :)
But I've learned that it's okay to ache for the people you love the most. There's a reason God gives us family and friends- our support system, and to keep us growing. So I've missed my family and desired to see them. And I've learned that you can be both homesick and content where God has placed you. It's true that as Christ-followers, we'll always ache and long for our future home with the Lord, our true place of belonging. So feeling homesick or misplaced isn't such a bad thing. It's natural.
But being homesick has taught me so much about myself. Coming here, I thought as a person who is more of an introvert (who recharges more easily when I can rest alone) that I would need more time by myself. But I've discovered that when I'm by myself too much, I get lonely, and depressed. No man really is an island. We need community. Sure, I do still need some time by myself to recharge each day, but it's not as much time as I thought, and I find I'm most edified when I'm with others, in community.
So for the future, one of my prayer requests is that God would provide a ministry partner- another gal around my age that I can work alongside in ministry. And one that I would work well with- that we would build each other up in the Lord and challenge each other in our walks with God and ministry, and in our love to the people we serve. And for someone who has a similar sense of humor- because laughter is such good medicine, especially when you live in a different culture where it's easy to get confused, and to feel depressed at times.
While it may be a while until I return to the mission field, I still ask for prayer for the future, and for the team and people I will join and work with. And I can say this...I am excited to see how God provides, and the different personalities He puts together. Because God has a great sense of humor as well :)
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