We as a team have had quite the journey this last month in Thailand! Starting with learning all the cultural differences and getting adjusted, then having to change leaders only a week and a half in to the trip (Hi! I’m Allison!), ministry not being quite what we expected, and then having to change ministries very last minute… Let me tell you, it has been quite the ride so far for these guys. But we are seeing God move in a ton of ways now that we are back in Mae Sot and helping out with Outpour ministries again.
The great thing about everything being so sudden and unforeseen is that it opens the door for God to move outside of the box we so often put Him in. This trip was nowhere on my radar. I was living in Bangkok, Thailand learning to speak, read and write Thai, all the while preparing to eventually move to Phuket to start a ministry there. I had a plan. I knew where I was going, and how I was going to get there. I had direction, and I was okay with it. But when AIM asked me to pray into leading this trip, something in my spirit leapt. I had previously led a passport trip to Kenya in 2012, just after I finished the World Race, and I loved it, but it was challenging. So when this opportunity came, I really had to stop and think about what the Lord was asking me to do. 4 days later I was on my way to Mae Sot to meet the team.
They welcomed me with open arms, and from there we started to figure out what this new family looks like. A few days after I arrived, we packed up everything and headed 6 hours north to Mae La Noi where we were supposed to spend the next 5 weeks. Mae La Noi is much more rural, and is surrounded by stunning mountains. We had the opportunity to go into schools and put on skits, play games, sing songs, and tell the children in this village about Jesus.
We spent our days living with the sweetest thai family and building relationships with those in the community. We did prayer walking, we played a lot of games, and had a lot of adventures learning how to use a squatty potty.
We were loving being in a village setting and seeing God work with less distractions than city living has. However, due to some unexpected circumstances, we had to return to Mae Sot much sooner than originally planned.
Amidst all of the change, all of the transition, all of the unexpected circumstances, we are learning that God really is our only constant. He is our only sure thing. So we are learning how to hold our plans and our expectations with open hands, and to put our trust and our hope in Him alone.
Here are some pictures from our time in Mae La Noi. Enjoy!
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