Hi-lites from Thailand

Hi-lites from Thailand
~ the view from the hotel…amazing
~ the friendly smiles on the faces of every Thai person I met
~ the ladies made sure I had coffee ready to drink at 5:30 every morning
~ some of the most incredible quiet times in my life
~ Sarah threw up 22 times
~ Sabrina passed out twice….or was that 3 times?….not far behind Sarah on the throwing up
~ the Thai woman who was saved!
~ Isaiah 55:10-11…came up again and again
~ smiles, smiles, smiles from the Thais
~ passing out tracts in the village shops/restaurants
~ walking through the jungle
~ out of my comfort zone more times than I can count
~ God held my hand along the way
~ facing my deepest fears
~ Master of the Squatty Potties!
~ Dylan’s knee…Yikes!  Watch out for those mud puddles!
~ watching the youth step up, be flexible, perform, interact with folks with whom they did not share a language
~ trying new foods
~ grilled corn on the cob, grilled sticky rice, and grilled pineapple on the beach
~ jet lag
~LOOONG van rides!
~ winding roads
~ Khao Lak Beach where the Tsunami killed 2,000 people…the village rebuilt…the people were incredible
~ God at work in Khao Lak…5 church groups meet in homes since the Tsunami
~ my Thai Sister-In-Christ…Nong…friendship even through a language barrier!
~ singing the same song in English that our Thai team sang in Thai
~ finding a McDonalds in every country
~ everyone dropping like flies on Wed night
~ God’s provision…Sandy’s dad a missionary Dr in Bangkok
~ spreading the gospel with potentially 10,000 people in one day!
~ filled with pride for ” my kids” as they grew spiritually
~ rambutan, mangosteen, papaya, baby bananas, pineapple
~ listening to the youth’s testimonies
~ feeding the monkeys… what do you do for monkey bites?
~ the children’s smiles…loved being photographed!
~ the Thais immediately reading the tracts handed to them
~ passing out flyers for the revival in the villages…Thais inviting us into their homes
~ the amazing blue and green water
~ the beach
~ the boat that survived the Tsunami….God kept us safe on it!
~ eating breakfast (fried rice) with chopsticks the first morning!
~ the monkey who stole Stu’s bananas
~ living with 29 other people for 11 days! And not one argument!
~ prayers answered after 7 months of continued prayers!  We felt the prayers of our prayer warriors EVERY DAY!
~ lost a day going there…gained a day coming back…very strange!
~ sitting beside or near Stu on the plane for 40 hours of flight…intimidating? Yeah!
~ Chaang…seeing a baby elephant the last day!
~ boba tea in Thailand! Thanks, Libby!
~ flying through 4 countries in 1 day
~ meeting the Thai team and the MK’s! Outstanding!
~30 hour day on the way back…the longest day of my life…literally!
~ home sweet home….I love that American flag!
~ reverse culture shock…the squatty potties were cleaner than Walmart’s bathroom!  Americans pushing their way past us in LAX airport. Stomach’s re-adjusting to the American greasiness.  Living without the other 29 once again. Taking in all that happened in Thailand, processing it, and trying to figure out what to do with it all. New sleep schedules. Does life really go on as usual? More spiritual warfare!

my Thailand experience

Wow!  I know some of you have been patiently waiting to hear all about Thailand, so thank you.  It has taken me a while to process everything.  Let me first say, it was amazing!  Those of you who have been praying, THANK YOU!  I felt your prayers every minute of every day.  There were some moments where, when being forced to step out of my comfort zone, the pressure was nearly crushing.  Then, within moments, my entire outlook would change and I would be able to stay calm, flexible, and was given reserves I never knew I had.  Those are the moments when there was absolutely no doubt that you were praying and God was answering!  You prayed us through some hard moments.  Let’s just say, I am master of the squatty potty!  Boys, you can imagine all you want, but let me assure you that you have NO IDEA what we girls went through in learning the art of squatty pottying!  And, because we are in mixed company….I’ll leave it at that!

I’ve not been on a mission trip of this type before.  One of my roles was to be a prayer warrior and to guide the students to remember to be in constant prayer.  It was incredible to watch them the first day when I suggested they have a constant prayer chain going throughout our program and they took turns tagging in and out.  After that, they took it and ran with it.  Never did we have a revival or school program going without someone in the group praying being prompted only by the Holy Spirit.  Oh, and incidentally, that first meeting, a Thai woman gave her life to Christ!

I watched my students grow spiritually right before my eyes. They were an entirely different group of students by the time we returned home.  Even parents have commented on this.  It was incredible to see how the first day they needed a little guidance (another role I had as an adult leader in a student mission trip) in things like finding games to play with kids who speak a different language, smiling even when they were tired, politely trying new foods and keeping smiles on their faces while doing it (even when they didn’t like the flavors).  Then, they took ownership of their skits, their ministry, and ran with it.  They have amazed me! God has amazed me!  There were some students who were incredibly sick throughout the trip and they never one time had a bad attitude or refused to sit out.  They stepped up and did their parts in the programs and sat down to recoup until the next turn to perform or interact with people.  They were troupers!  There was not one ugly thing said about another person, not one disagreement or argument…in 11 days of living with 29 other people!  If that isn’t God…

I’ll give you some hi-lites in the next blog, but wanted you to hear my voice first.  This trip has been a life changing experience…thanks, Caryann for that prayer!  Stu has said this from the very beginning, but I’m not sure I completely understood what to expect.  I’ll never be the same after experiencing God so fully.  I won’t settle for less than an awesome friendship with Him and that incredible relationship I’ve developed with Him throughout the preparation of and the carrying out of this mission.
Thank you for your financial support and for your prayer support! Thank you, Lord for sending me!

~Kimmie~
Isaiah 55:9-11