Thailand Missions (2016) "Humbled Hearts"
As we had been preparing the few weeks leading up to departure, it seems as if nothing was solid. Details about what we were going to do were not confirmed, lessons were planned but needed change, and a day before departure, we found out that our flights were delayed due to the typhoon in Taiwan (our first transfer flight). This meant that the delayed flights would cause us to miss our flight to Bangkok and Chiangrai. Needless to say, there are many things that are unknown. I am not a very structured person, but with so many changes and not much solidified, I felt unprepared, fearful, and lost.
As fear started to stir within me, I started to recognize that this was not from the Lord and I turned to prayer. As I started to pray, it became mainly prayers of adoration, praising Him for who He is and His goodness. As I finished, a peace of God, beyond understanding, came upon me. I was reminded that our team is under the authority of God and that we should have nothing to fear, because He is in control. He is the Father who even feeds the birds, so why should we worry?
At the airport, we were given meal vouchers ($26) each, as a compensation for the delayed flight. Basically, the team was fed (for free!) before our longest flight to Taiwan. The Lord provides.
We arrived in Taiwan at around 2:30 AM. As we headed to transfer, we were informed that we were allowed to go to the VIP lounge as we wait for our next flight at 7:20 AM. We had our own couches and access to many different drinks and snacks. As it got to around 5 AM, we started to get hungry for actual hot food. At around 5:30 AM, they started to serve shao long baos, dumplings, rice, and dimsum. At 6, the noodle bar opened, with noodles made to order! The Lord is so good.
As I am currently on the flight to Bangkok reflecting on what has happened in the past hours, I am incredibly humbled. Because this is the second time I am going to Thailand, I easily got comfortable and prideful with my last experience and I banked on "knowing" how things will play out. However, I have realized that God is trying to show me that my heart wasn't in the right place. I am reminded that I need to trust and have faith in the all knowing and all powerful God because I can't do this on my own. Discipline is not easy, but the Lord has humbled my heart so that I maybe ready to be used by Him.
Now we have just boarded the plane and are heading to Chiangrai. And again to God be all the glory. After arriving to Bangkok at around 10:30 AM,we stood around for a while. We went from counter to counter, but we still could not get tickets to Chiangrai. Finally, they gave us meal vouchers and told us to come back at 1:15. However, it still wasn't clear whether we would have seats or not. Worst case scenario, we would have to purchase new tickets and even pay for each luggage. Thankfully when we got back, the lady said she successfully got us onto the 3:00 pm flight!
There was a slight delay, but we arrived in Chiangrai around 5 pm. We met up with Lillian and ate dinner. Now, we have finally settled in into the dormitory and went through the lessons for tomorrow.
Continue to keep the team in your prayers as we are adapting to the time and the rainy humid environment here. Pray for the Lord to continue to sustain us with energy and good health. Pray for the team to have humbled hearts and to have eyes set on the Lord as we start to teach. Thank you (krup koon ka) for your continued support, we really appreciate it! La gon(goodbye)!
-Kristy
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