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