Greater is the One.

We sat and watched the sun set over Bangkok, straining to catch a glimpse of Bang Na or Old Bangkok in the distance. For what seemed like miles, towering apartment and business buildings stretched into the haze of the horizon.

            Coming here Bangkok, with its shopping malls and smiling faces, seemed grand and picture perfect. Then I began to notice the spirit houses and idols everywhere. And I realized that the smiles were just hiding what was really going on. The vast land of Bangkok, our mission field, soon became a giant with grander proportions than Goliath after we walked in the Red Light District.

            Yet, as we sat at the table with the ministry leader preparing for outreach in the bars I began to realize what I, myself, had tried to explain to a volunteer earlier that day: in these dark areas we have to hold on to hope for those caught in the darkness. Our God is hurting and fighting for them and He chose us to be His very examples of love. The leader prayed that I would, in my discernment and growing spiritual awareness, not forget God’s greatness and the victory He has.

            After we prayed and she blessed us, we were off. We were on a mission to reach out to an individual who had relapsed and gone back into the bars. I was overjoyed to be able to show one person just how much he meant to God and that he was not forgotten, but what happened next was unexpected. We ended up getting the wrong person. He did not speak much English. Though communication was strained, I know one thing: we showed one person just how much he meant to God and that he was not forgotten.

            When we left the bar, we began to pray for the people entering the bars and watched God’s hand sweep down and win battles in front of our eyes. It was the war of temptation over man’s heart. Men began to peek in bars then walk away, out of the plaza. Some didn’t even get as far as the bar door. I smiled and jumped for joy as I saw victories in the battle over lives. Though there were many people there that night, the ones who did leave and the potential people who could’ve been affected by the men who left, I began to see a ray of hope peek through the clouds over Bangkok.

The overflow of a brokenheart... a heart broken for Thailand.

Ever since the Lord ignited a spark in my heart for justice, when He gave me an immense love for Africa, I longed to go there and help create change. And when I arrived in Sierra Leone, it took everything within me to stay calm as we passed by orphanages and amputees, knowing that I was just there to visit family and didn't have any time or means to serve. After I left I dreamed of going to the orange dust streets of Uganda. Every shirt I saw with Africa, every espresso-colored face that passed by, and every movie or time Africa was mentioned, my heart skipped and I imagined myself there again. There I would sit on the porch of my grandpa's house watching the people pass by as I looked up from my sketchpad, where an outline of a lizard sat smudged with charcoal.

Now, I sit and watch as motorcycles drive through the streets of Bangkok. I remember joking with my friends about where my outreach might be when I first found out that I was going to discipleship training school and I never thought I would be going to Asia. Yet, as I stepped out into the airport there was such a joy and sense of peace that filled my heart. I don't think it is as much the land I am stepping on or the bit of air surrounding me that had an effect, but it was the people... the people and their sweet and gentle spirits... their kind hearts.
I don't know why, even at "home" (Sierra Leone), I didn't feel the way I do now. I do know one thing, it is the feeling of living in God's will... living out what He has called me to. It is the comfortability of fitting into that place that had been waiting for me; like a puzzle waiting for its last piece. Nothing could be more perfect than this. Already, fear has been washed away as I went to help teach English to over 200 Thai people. I had the joy of knowing that God was with me through it all and the love that overflowed from my heart that God had poured into me. This was months of prayer answered and played out in front of me. There was no feeling of trying in my own strength, it came simple and easy with the love that God gave me.

If this is only the beginning here in Thailand... I can't wait to see what God wants to do next here. He has soo much in store for the people here and I know that His light is going to flood through and pour into this place of spiritual darkness. His love and heart are so grand for these people. They have so much to contribute to the kingdom and I am praying for his children to be reconciled to Him.