You might wonder how it's possible for 22 young girls to be trained for a summer fighting sex trafficking in Thailand over a mere four days…well it turns out that nothing can really truly prepare us. Which I believe is exactly how God prefers it.
We were in Chattanooga, Tennessee from Friday afternoon until Tuesday morning, enjoying the lush green forestry and sweating A LOT! (which was definitely a preparation for Thailand in and of itself). Although the thought of leaving tomorrow morning to head off scares us all to death, it is solely because the "training" we have yet to receive is the kind that will only come from being thrown into a cultured battle and having to depend and rely upon the Lord as our helper & shield.
Believe me when I say that we have been trained as much as humanly possible without actually walking the streets of Phuket, Thailand. Upon arriving Friday, we had barely set foot on camp when we were told to wisely choose 3 items (and 3 items only) from our luggage to take with us on a team hike, on which we used a map to arrive at a mystery destination and sleep for the night. We wouldn't see our luggage until morning. Nothing bonds a team more than spending 18 hours overnight in the woods with a tarp, some rope, tacos-in-a-frito-bag, and a torch. Oh and it's worth mentioning that some of our chosen 3 items consisted of a camera, a journal, and a Bible…all essential things but not very helpful when it comes to laying on top of a tarp on the ground in 50 degrees all night. Let's just say there was a lot of spooning and cuddling with strangers, using Bibles as pillows, screaming at the sight of bugs crawling on us, and very LITTLE sleep.
Our days were packed full of speakers, team competitions, worship, prayer, and dancing. We have already witnessed God pouring down rain from the sky when we prayed for it, as well as the power of listening prayer and prophesy to secure the truth of God. There are so many ways I have been challenged, so many things I have learned already. It's overwhelming to think of the ways the Lord has awakened my spirit and captivated my heart the past few days….
I can't imagine what's to come.
If I had to sum up our training in 3 words it would be: The Holy Spirit. I have been driven to my knees, stirred to forgiveness, and set free to DANCE with all of my heart by the Spirit. We learned about prisons that so often entangle & enslave us and the Lord has really been ushering me out of these and into His arms. I keep getting an image of laying my head on Jesus' chest. He is teaching me how to find rest in Him even when I'm exhausted and not able to rest physically. His presence and voice are all I need to be restored, but in our culture and society I'm not used to going to the Lord for physical needs and believing that He can fill me. But He can, He has, and He will.
Our team is incredible. It is obvious that the Lord has annointed each of us to be here. We have been receiving visions as to what He has been doing in our hearts as well as the hearts of the Thai women, and we are all SO excited to finally be here!! We are in Bangkok for now and headed to Phuket in the next few days. We are allowing God to tell each of us how beautiful, pure, and worthy we are, and standing firm in our stories & what the Lord has brought each of us through. It is in this confidence of who we are in Christ that we will be able to shine the light of the Lord into the darkness we'll encounter. We see how God will use our brokenness to bring redemption to Thailand, and how He will use their pain to bring healing to all of us.
Let the blossoming begin…..
