I had been meditating on this Word before I came to Thailand and training camp. I am also continuing to dwell in it now as I am in this new place with new family and new circumstances.
“Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”
Proverbs 31:25&26
What a wild past 4 days! I do not believe I have ever felt so tired, uncomfortable, or gone so long without a shower or brushing my teeth (too much information? At least you can’t smell me, count your blessings). I have doubted God’s judgment in calling me to this trip many times while sleeping on airport floors, riding in sketchy buses, and then finally hitting a huge, solid wall of culture shock. Four days of travel has humbled me in more ways than I can count. I have realized that while I walk through the bus station complaining about how heavy my bags are, that the people around me probably own less than this small portion of my things that I have brought with me. I have realized that a shower is not something I should expect to be given to me. I have realized a word of encouragement is so much more powerful than a word of complaint.
Today when we arrived at SHE, we got to eat our first breakfast in three days… cornflakes, sugar, and milk. It was glorious. This is not a joke. I am already excited to eat it again tomorrow. And then, there was the ever-anticipated cold shower, which, of course, was also glorious. Exploring Phuket a little bit was so amazing. This place is INSANELY BEAUTIFUL.
We walked down the street to the 7-11 and then this little smoothie hut outside of this wonderful Thai woman’s home. She has taken in a couple of orphans and they are so joyful. When we came up to the hut, she started making little cups of teas and smoothies for us to try. They were SO GOOD. Oh my goodness, a nectar of heaven. Then, today, we got iced coffee from her and after tasting it I confidently declared it was the greatest coffee I had ever had. Come to find out, it is instant coffee and sweetened condensed milk. I can no longer consider myself a coffee snob since I still stand by my first declaration. There is this little boy that lives there that runs up to us and smiles when we come. He just stands at our feet and jumps for us to lift him up so her can be hugged and played with. We start night ministry in the bars on Monday night, please BE PRAYING!
I have only been here 2 days and I am already IN LOVE.
