It’s hard to believe that two weeks have already passed since we returned home from our Outreach to Thailand. We asked the students to share some of their reflections on their time.
I had a thought during my solitude time, and I wanted to share it. John 17 talks about how we are not to be of this world any more than Jesus was. We are to live as foreigners here. And that made me think about being foreigners in Thailand and how often I felt out of place, awkward, and had a lack of understanding of how to act. We should, in a way, have that same sense of feeling out of place living on earth. Feeling awkward and not understanding (or maybe not approving) of the ways of the world (the culture of the world). AND we stood out so much in Thailand. People KNEW we didn’t belong, just by looking at us. And it should be the same way here in Earth, we should stand out so much in how we look and act that people can’t help but know we just don’t belong here.
Anyway, these were things I’d heard, but comparing it to Thailand gave a new perspective on living as foreigners.
-Taryn
Last month, I spent three weeks learning what survival looks like outside of America. Alongside my missionary team, I went to Thailand and was able to catch a glimpse of God’s incredibly intricate plan that far exceeds the boundary of my life at home. Before the trip, I struggled to assess how deep my faith truly was because I couldn’t seem to ‘feel’ God during my bible reading and prayer times. While in a foreign country, with a foreign language, landmarks, food, and people I learned to focus my thoughts on what I know to be true about God. He promised in the Bible that He is always there (Psalm 139:7-10) and He is working (Romans 8:28). I know He is working everything together for good even when I can’t feel Him. As I traveled into the jungle, I was blessed to meet many godly people who carried out His good work every morning, and I was often on the receiving end of their hospitality. They had little but they gave all they had to us, a true representation of Jesus’s love poured out to me. As a child of the living God, walking with Him is no longer about feeling, but truth. What is true is He’s miraculously working whether or not we feel, smell, taste, or see it. Praise the Lord His finished work isn’t dependent on our feelings.
-Ashlynn
Our Thailand Outreach definitely made a big impact on me. It was really helpful in broadening my perspective on different cultures and lifestyles. You can’t really understand how different and similar it is at the same time until you’re there. I was super humbled by our hosts through their service and hospitality. Thanks to them we had places to stay and amazing food to eat halfway around the world! I loved doing kids’ ministry there and was surprised at how little the language barrier hindered us. This trip was overflowing with joy and fellowship the whole time and I’m so blessed I got to be a part of it!
-David
Spending three weeks in Thailand was such an amazing, life-changing experience. By far the most powerful journey I’ve been on in my life. I’ve been really learning what it means to let the joy of the Lord be my strength. I think it is so easy to dwell on our problems and our inconveniences and our anxieties in life. We let hard things hinder us from being bold, and we let hard things hinder us from continuing to trudge through life. In Thailand, so many people served us with the biggest smiles on their faces. Specifically in the Mae La refugee camp. Several young people told me their stories. Stories of how they had left their families in Burma and didn’t know when they would see them again. Stories of hurt and loss and great hardship. But their joyfulness and their love for Jesus was bigger than the things that brought them down, and that was so radiant in their faces and smiles. They weren’t dwelling on their pasts, they were living in the moment, and they were glorifying the Lord in that. They loved Jesus and were chasing after Him. They were so eager to serve us, and in turn, eager to serve Him. That was such a beautiful encouragement to me!
I have been reflecting a lot on it since. I am so quick to feel low and dwell on those irritations in my life, when instead I should be turning my face to the Lord and seeking to radiate His joy, and finding my greatest hope and comfort in the love that He so richly bestows on His children.
-Tex
Hello, everyone!
Some things that God taught me on our trip to Thailand were the importance of loving in deed and truth, and appreciating the little things. When on a missions trip in a country where they don’t speak your language, you realize you can’t love or share the Gospel in word anymore. (Unless you have a translator.) So, I had to learn to show the love of Christ through my actions, which takes a lot more intentionality… but the Lord knew I needed to learn it!Also, while we were in Thailand I noticed things were missing that in America you don’t even think twice about… like soap and toilet paper in the bathrooms. Also, having automatic flush in a bathroom. Yes, lots about the bathrooms. So now that I’m back in America, I’m trying to keep my appreciation for those little things. But please pray for me in both these areas, it’s so easy to forget.
Thanks for reading, God bless!
-Micah
