Hey family!
I just wanted to update you all on our travel days to Thailand and how the first week has gone here in Chiang Mai. It’s been quite an adventure!
As you know, I’m on the Logistics team, so I was one of the people responsible for making sure everything went smoothly for our travel out of Malaysia. Well, right about the time we should have started planning, we were told that our host, PT, would be helping us and most-likely knew people that would make it really easy for us. But… it didn’t go exactly as planned. Things got a little stressful, especially since we were waiting on final details and working with a pretty small budget. In fact, we didn’t have a clear plan until just a couple of days before we left. During that time, I found myself struggling to fully trust God with everything. But I kept praying and reminding myself that we’re here to serve the Lord, and He will lead us. And you know what? He totally came through! Despite all the uncertainty, the squad made it to Thailand safe and sound, and I could 100% see God’s hand in every step of the journey.
Our travel day started bright and early at 4 A.M. in Sungai Petani. We cleaned, packed, and were ready by 6 A.M. before the bus showed up to take us to Hat Yai, Thailand. Some of the squad had stayed up all night since it was our last night together in Malaysia, but I decided to catch a few hours of sleep since I knew I’d need energy for the next few days.
Before we left, sweet Jessica brought us curry puffs for breakfast (so good!), then we loaded up the bus, said our “see you laters,” and prayed a blessing over each other one last time with our hosts. The bus ride was smooth, and before long, we were crossing the Malaysian border into Thailand. It took about three and a half hours to reach Hat Yai, and honestly, I was just thanking God for how easy it was.
After crossing into Thailand, we arrived at a somewhat run-down train station where we had to wait for quite a while. I joined my Logistics team to find an ATM so everyone could get money for lunch, and then we spent several hours just hanging out at the station. My team had to take a separate train from the rest of the squad for our 16-hour journey to Bangkok. The ride wasn’t the most comfortable, but we were blessed by the kindness of a monk who shared his space with us, allowing most of us to get some much-needed sleep. Despite the long ride, it ended up being a surprisingly good first train experience!
We finally arrived in Bangkok the next day at 10 A.M. where we met up with the rest of the squad before hopping on another train to Chiang Mai for another 15-hour ride. This train was even more cramped than the last, and I ended up sleeping on the floor for a bit—definitely not the most glamorous, but we made it work! (Lol!). By 4 A.M., we finally arrived in Chiang Mai, and our driver was there waiting to take us to our new home. It was such a relief to be here, and I couldn’t help but feel God’s peace surrounding us after such a long journey.
Once we arrived, we settled into our new home, and it’s honestly perfect!! Team Summit is staying in a cozy hostel above a café called Bella Goose. The café is right downstairs, which is a huge bonus, and there are so many little shops nearby – there’s even a mall just across the street! I love that I can simply walk downstairs for coffee or step out and find a ton of food options within walking distance. It’s such a great place to call home while we’re here in Chiang Mai!
We had our first day of ministry on Friday at Connie’s Home, an adoption home here in Chiang Mai, and it was incredible. The kids are amazing! Although we don’t yet know all the details of our roles, we’ve been told that half of us will be there in the mornings for 4 hours, and the other half will serve in the afternoons. You can choose to work with either the older children or the babies, and I’m on the morning crew, where I’ve decided to work with the older kids this week. They’re between the ages of 3 and 7, and most of them speak English really well, which makes things a lot easier.
The team at Connie’s Home is led by Connie and her husband, who have been dedicated to this work for around 27 years. Alongside them are a group of Thai girls who don’t speak much English. There are also two amazing German girls who are also on a gap year! They, much like us when we were in Malaysia, were unexpectedly tasked with lesson planning and teaching the kids each day. I’m not sure yet whether the Thai girls or the German girls are Christian, and that could be one of the reasons we’re here — to be a light! Our role so far seems to be focused on helping with teaching and spending time playing with the children. I’m excited to see how things continue to unfold!
So far, it’s been a busy but blessed week. I’m thankful for God’s faithfulness through all the ups and downs of travel, and I’m excited to see how He’ll continue to work through us while we’re here. I’m learning so much already and can’t wait to share more with you soon!
Thank you for the prayers!! Love you all!
~Jaylynn K
