GUYS, I MADE IT TO ALBANIA! Wow, praise the lord for that. Our travel day was the longest yet, with a grand total of 63 hours, 5 minutes, and 46 seconds haha. So with that, let’s recap Thailand. In my last blog, I talked about our ministry a little, which was some garden work and teaching kids of all ages English at different schools. Our hosts were truly the best. Their ministry was called Fountain of Hope. Thailand really felt like a home and they were our parents haha.
One of the things we did was go to this remote village 7 hours away to do a Christmas program! We drove up a mountain that had 1864 curves! It was a beautiful drive.
The people in the village were unreached by the Gospel so it was so cool that we could bring the story of Jesus being born to them. The Christmas program was huge! Multiple churches from all over Thailand came and did dances, skits, and songs. There was food, gifts, games, and laughter. The people in the village were so hospitable and caring. One of Wanidas friends let us stay in their house which was such a blessing. We walked down to get breakfast and there was a fireplace and some of them invited us to sit with them. They made us coffee and we just talked around the fire and it was so amazing.
One of the struggles that we had as a team was being a team. Ava our leader was not there because she was sick. There were constant comments and arguments being said that didn’t have to be. It just kind of tore the team spirit down a little bit. It was very difficult for me personally. When we got back we just talked out how we were all feeling and how we felt hurt. This cleared the air so much and it felt like a team again.
One of the biggest things I struggled with was insecurity. When you eat rice with every meal every day it can catch up to you haha. Yes, it came with gaining a little weight but that’s not what I was worried about the most. I can no longer do things like I used to. All my strength feels like it’s gone and I can’t do ordinary everyday things with as much ease as I used to. Like why am I tired and winded walking up 3 flights of stairs haha. There was nowhere to work out besides running and walking in Thailand so that was also frustrating. Here in Albania, there are so many gyms so I’m excited to get back into it and move some more. I also got to see my friend Ada! She was a foreign exchange student I became really close with and it was so fun to see her.
Another super fun thing I got to do was ride elephants!! It was truly a dream come true. It was one of our adventure days and by far my favorite one. The elephants were so beautiful. It is hard to describe just how beautiful and graceful they really were. It was amazing seeing God’s beautiful creation like that, it felt so surreal. GOD IS SO GOOD!
So I did have some amazing adventures but, I also really missed my people back home in Thailand, a lot. Maybe because not everything was smooth sailing with the team but that was also a big struggle, especially during the holidays. Speaking of Holidays, Christmas and Thanksgiving was very hard. Every year my family and I do our fun traditions like my dad and I making cannolis, decorating Christmas cookies as a family, and having our family brunch. I missed it a lot. Thanksgiving was because that’s when the whole family gets together and it’s just such a fun time with great food haha. I Facetimed in and loved seeing everyone but it made me sad I couldn’t be with them in person. Christmas was even harder. We spent Christmas with the squad during debrief (the last week of Thailand was our time with the squad to just rest and have fun together before going to new countries). We did a white elephant and had a Christmas dinner which was so fun, but definitely wasn’t like home. I also called my family and Facetimed into the whole family dinner and it made me cry. I really do miss each one of them so much. I mean I’m used to seeing snow on Christmas, not palm trees! Anyway, next year will be so much more special. Plus the holidays aren’t just all about seeing family and friends. It truly is about the Lord and his birth.
Anyway, Thailand grew my relationship with the Lord, in ways that I didn’t know could happen. I’ll share a little testimony or example if you will. It was our last day in Thailand, me and some of the girls went to get coffee. Noi, the older dog, usually follows us there and then goes back home. This time Noi and the little puppy Milo decided to come. Milo would not go back home no matter how much we tried. We were like its okay Noi will take him back home. So, we have our coffee and then go back home. We see Noi but, we do not see little Milo anywhere. We got worried and we were like we have to go out and look for him. So we went down the path we walked and several other paths. We look for around 15-20 minutes and can’t find him anywhere. We are walking down the last road and I am praying and asking God to reveal the little puppy wherever he might be. Immediately after, out of the corner of my eye, I see a little tail wagging. IT WAS MILO. I run into the trees and scoop him up and bring him home.
Then, later that night we are all scrapbooking with the kids and the sun is setting and the sky is so beautiful. A flock of white birds flew across the sky and it was so beautiful and I was like wow, I wish I could get a video of that. So I walk over to the window and on the way I just pray a little prayer and ask “Hey Lord I was just wondering if you could send a flock of white birds across the sky?” And immediately when I started recording I looked to my left and out of nowhere a flock of gorgeous white birds flew across the pink sky. I almost start to cry because this has never happened to me before, immediate answers to prayer like that. It just revealed to me that the Lord does listen to me and is with me even when I don’t feel like he is all the time.
I have also learned that the Lord really does fill your cup when you pour into him. When you pour into him he pours into you. He gives you peace in times of frustration, Joy in times of chaos, and comfort in times when you feel alone. I will miss you Thailand!
