Hi family!! Merry Christmas from Thailand!! Gosh, I miss all of you so much! The holidays really do make you realize how much you miss those back at home! But, how lucky am I to have people in my life that I love so much that my heart feels their absence! Aside from Christmas coming up, life in Thailand over the past few weeks has truly been so sweet! Today, my team is leaving Bangkok and is headed to another city in Thailand, Chiang Mai, to spend Christmas together with the entire squad and have a debrief week! Leaving Bangkok, I am so sad to say goodbye, but my heart also feels so full! The past few weeks have been chock-full of so many smiles, so much laughter, and lots of sweet connections!
Mornings at the Park! A couple weeks into our time here, Sophia and I discovered a walking and running park/track near our hotel! The first morning that we went running at the park, a Thai woman, Lily, approached us, hoping to practice her English with us. We walked a couple of laps and chatted with her! Lily goes to the park every single morning from about 5 am to 8 am, and she told us to come back and see her anytime! The next time we went to the park, we saw Lily again, and she took us on a longer walk through a new part of the park! We got to know her and her life a bit. We learned that she was Buddhist, but she would ask us about Jesus and was pretty curious! It was so amazing to be able to share a bit of the gospel with her! Every time we went to the park, we talked to Lily!
Another day at the park, a Thai woman who had lived in Texas for 5 years approached us! We walked a lap with her, and then she asked us if we wanted to get coffee with her at the coffee shop inside the park! Of course we said yes, and we got to spend an hour with her, talking about her job and family. It was so cool to build a connection and hopefully plant a seed of Christ.
On another day, we met some of Lily’s friends that we’d see at the park almost every morning! They invited us to their breakfast group at the park the next day! So, the next day, Sophia and I showed up to the breakfast group! We got to try lots of new Thai foods and hang out with Lily and all of her friends! Over time, Sophia and I started going to the park more and more frequently, starting with just a couple times a week to going every day by the last week because we loved to see all our friends!
Just hanging out with God! Since our scheduled teaching ministry for most days didn’t start until the afternoons, we’d go to a coffee shop or just sit outside at the hotel to spend time with the Lord after the park! For most of our time in Thailand, I wasn’t sleeping great. I’d wake up multiple times throughout the night, and always wake up pretty early, even if I went to bed super late. So, since we’d start our mornings quite early at the park, I’d often have 3-4 hours after we’d get back from the park before lunch and leaving for ministry. At first, I hated how much free time I had because I felt I was wasting my time not accomplishing anything. But then, as I learned to slow down and to sit and rest in God’s presence, I began to love my slow mornings with the Lord. I’d do my typical devotional, and then would just hang out with God, spending time reading through new parts of the bible, journaling, praying, and just sitting with God. It was so beautiful to spend time with God with nothing to rush off to, just enjoying his presence! Between going to the park and hanging out with God, the mornings quickly became my favorite part of the day! And even though I was getting so much less sleep than is normal for me, I never felt super exhausted! I truly do think that God was filling me with all the energy I needed so that I could spend my mornings meeting people at the park and growing so much in my intimacy with the Lord!
Posture of Gratitude! Throughout my time in Thailand, I learned so much about how much joy it brings to live out of a posture of gratitude! As I mentioned in my last blog, our physical living conditions here in Thailand have been much more comfortable than in Malaysia, and we have been blessed with so much here! During our time here, God has been showing me that he is the Giver of all of these blessings! When I focus on how extremely blessed I am, it makes life so much more joyful! Here are a few verses that stood out to me!
Every good and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17
Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! 1 Chronicles 16: 8-10
Planting Seeds! Throughout our time in Thailand, we had the opportunity to plant many seeds of the gospel in the hearts of those we encountered! One day during ATL (Ask the Lord), Gabi and I decided to buy candy canes and hand them out, explaining how the candy cane can represent the gospel. If you turn the candy cane upside down, it makes a “J” for Jesus! The red on the candy cane represents our sin and the brokenness in the world, but the white represents how Jesus makes us clean through his death and resurrection! Gabi and I handed out candy canes to a woman at the laundromat, a family sitting outside their home, some street vendors, and the owner of our favorite coffee shop! Although we didn’t have any crazy, “come to Jesus” moments, we still got to share the gospel with multiple people! As I continue praying for these people, I trust that the Lord will continue to work in their hearts and draw them to Himself!
Before we left Bangkok, we gave a few people that we had built relationships with Christmas gifts and a note wishing them a Merry Christmas, telling them why we celebrate Christmas (Jesus’ birth is the best news ever!!), and letting them know that we would be praying for them! I am praying that they’ll continue to have encounters with other Christians and that God will continue to chase after them!
Praises/Lots of Smiles! My time in Thailand was filled with so many smiles and small moments of joy! Here are some pictures of our time here!
Christmas caroling and a Christmas party at the school!
The students! We taught first aid, so the kids wrapped us in gauze to make us into mummies!
Avery and I eating a late night charcuterie snack!
A fun team Christmas celebration at CentralWorld, a huge mall in Bangkok!
Adventure days riding bikes and going to the floating market!
Our host and her family! And Noinah and Nadia (last photo), who help to run the school! Saying goodbye to them was so hard!
Prayers! Here are some ways you can pray with me over the next couple of weeks!
- A restful week of debrief, leaving me and my entire squad feeling so refreshed and ready to take on Albania!
- A fun squad Christmas despite missing our families and homes!
- Safe travels to Albania!
- The English Learning School my team was helping out at here in Bangkok!
- Be praying for my host, Benz, and her family to have continued strength and passion for the students!
- Be praying that the students would have a curiosity about Jesus and an openness to receiving the gospel!
- Be praying that God will bring more students and teachers to the school!
- Our new ministry in Albania, which will be announced to us on December 26th!
Thank you for your prayers and for supporting me on this crazy journey! Merry Christmas and I hope you all have a great time celebrating! Love and miss you all!!
Much love,
Alia
