2019 Thailand Missions - Sunny Sheepy Sweet Days
Today is Friday but I'm blogging about Monday. 😑 This week literally flew by. Now we're departing to drive 5 hours north to Chiang Rai with our missionary Lillian. If you've been following along with our blog, kup koon kaa - we'll slowly recap the days on the drive and this weekend.
After Sabbath and fellowshipping with Centre staff Sunday night at Walking Street (the weekly night market in the Old City), our Monday started off with a late start (10am). We had our usual chicken skewer-fried chicken-coffee breakfast - delivered by Darren and Jonny - and got picked up by Elisabeth - our trusty Centre teacher-graphic designer extraordinaire. We headed straight to the Centre to paint the California room and work on our stories for July 4th Cooking Night.
Monday was my first time focusing my time more on painting while at the Centre. I got to paint my beloved sun and its three shades: salmon, light salmon yellow, and light flat yellow! Yellow is my favorite color. The sun is also major inspo from the Golden Coast (aka West Coast, Best Coast!), as well as a change in the verse for the room to Revelation 21:23, which is also one of my favorite verses. When Christ returns to reign on a New Heaven and Earth, the darkness and hopelessness of this world will be no more, and we will no longer need the light of the sun because God will be our everlasting light *starry-eyes emoji*
Sweet Monday Moments (Praises):
Matthew 9:35-38
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
- my roommate Whitney waking me up - I felt like I was her jr. high school camper and she was my counselor
- drives with the team and Elisabeth and hearing her gently or not-so-gently ask what the driver in front of us is doing
- proofreading Whitney's testimony on the office sofa with Whitney sitting close on my left and Jonny on my right, watching and helping edit
- looking up "cast down sheep" (Matthew 9:36) during Nikki's devotion time and learning that sheep flipped over and without help are just like people without Christ - helpless and cause for death
- Whitney telling me to watch a Bible Project video with her before we go to sleep every night (starting with Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes)
- art therapy: God meeting me while painting the California room with the team, in silent concentration, but in worship, with worship music playing in the background - for like a solid 20 min. The day before flying to Thailand, which was also Hi Koi's Senior Honor Night + my last night of serving as a counselor for the church year, Denise (one of our Centre team leaders last year) met up with me. She asked what I look forward to on this trip and, reflecting on the past year of ministry and grad school, I said painting. I knew I needed a time of rest and creative outlets have been my best moments of retreat and reflection. Being here in Chiang Mai so far has been a dream of what it's like to focus on one ministry, rather than in the busyness and pull of directions I got myself into back at home
- painting with Centre friends (Elisabeth and Michelle, a friend from Elisabeth and Daniel's Lone Star State) has also been a refreshing blessing while the "kids" (the collegians) went to help out with some English classes, as well as good company hanging out after dinner
- God's renewal and encouragement through teammates and Centre staff despite low energy and introverted-ness
Prayer Requests:
- pray for safe travels as we drive up with Lillian to Chiang Rai
- pray for good adjustment as a team as there will be a change of pace, environment, and open-ended direction for this second phase of our trip
- pray for new students to enroll at the Centre & for good long-term teachers - they are currently in need. Now that the California classroom is painted, it'll need students and teachers to actually fill it!
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”