WOWOW so it’s officially December, which means I’ve been on my race for three months now! It’s honestly so weird to think about. Everyone talks about how training camp doesn’t feel like it happened because of everything we’ve done so far haha. Here’s what the past week looked like!
Monday-Friday, we had our normal few hours of kids ministry in the mornings. This week I was with the babies, which was much different than the older kids. Obviously they’re not able to talk very much yet, so for them it’s mainly just being there while they role on top of you, you’re pushing them around in a plastic car, or you’re sitting there as they watch Cocomelon. I missed the big kids this week, but the younger kids were really awesome.
Tuesday night, we were able to do a prayer walk for our team time. Basically we split up into groups of three and tackled different streets/areas to cover them in prayer. Chiang Mai is a beautiful city, but there is a deep underlying darkness with prostitution and trafficking almost at every corner.
Thursday I listened to my uncle Jonah’s new album that came out on the 2nd and UGH it was so good. He hasn’t come out with a new album in almost 10 years, so for “Home” to come out right when I’m halfway across the world was crazy timing. Also that night I went to a gym with a few girls! It felt awesomeeeeee. Being active here is hard but I’m thankful we have the resources.
WE HAD OUR FIRST REAL ADVENTURE DAY! Saturday we took a trip to the Buatong Waterfall, aka the “Sticky Waterfall,” which is about an hour away from us. When you arrive, there are a few shops, a hiking trail, a pretty lookout, and the waterfall is right there. You walk down a bunch of stairs, following alongside the waterfall, and when you get to the bottom, you just climb right up it. The limestone has so much grip from the minerals of the water that you don’t slip while going up. It was such a beautiful experience being in the forest and the water. I’m so thankful we were able to actually do it because it’s been on the Chiang Mai bucket list! That night, a couple girls and I set up our tents and slept on the roof. Definitely a throwback to Georgia lol.
Last weekend I was talking about how I wanted to utilize our ATL (ask the Lord) time this week more, which unfortunately didn’t happen. The main reason was just laziness in not wanting to do anything after returning from ministry, which I don’t want anymore. To start off this week, I’m going to do a two day fast from food. During that time where I have meals provided, I’m going to use the opportunity to give my meals away to people around the town who need it. Then Wednesday to Friday I will do a phone fast so I can be even more disciplined in reading my Bible and being more intentional with my team.
My fast in Malaysia taught me a lot in showing me how God can sustain my body when it’s feeling extremely weak, and just gave me a realization of how much comfort I put in eating. To be honest, that has become a pretty big struggle here. My team bonds so much over food which I love and it’s so cute, but I definitely need self control at times where I’m not even hungry and just eat for fun. I’m hoping that even though it’s two days in comparison to three, that my body will have a reset as well as my spirit.
Time is just flying here. In a little over two weeks, I’ll be back with my squad for debrief, then we head to Greece. I’m trying to enjoy every moment because I know it’ll be gone so quickly.
