My Month in Thailand

Well, today my month in Thailand came to a close. Let me tell you just how I spent it.

As I mentioned in my last blog, the bulk of our ministry of work would consist in painting, and that is exactly what happened. I painted the hostel on every work day except for two, which were spent in prayer and some worship.

The reason for painting was to attract more visitors to the hostel, so that the staff would then be able to love them through service and have opportunities for conversations about Jesus or life with them.

We ended up finishing all of the rooms in the hostel except for the ceiling in one room! We didn’t think that we would get quite that far, but under the painting leadership of an Aussie named Phil, we did! Phil was a professional painter, so taught us exactly how things should be done in the most efficient way. It was great to spend time painting with him and encouraging him, and we learned some new Australian words, our favorite being “dodgy” (which means “sketchy”).

“That definitely looks a little dodgy.” – Phil from Australia

I’ve really enjoyed spending time with my new team so far. Although we were with two other teams this month, which made spending time with them a little more difficult, we bonded and got to know each other pretty well.

I have to say, though, Thailand was the month that I was most excited about before the Race started, but it having been here, it isn’t my favorite month so far.

I was most looking forward to the food, but it was just different than I expected. Probably in part because all the Thai food I’ve eaten in the US was from actual restaurants, and was really well-seasoned and full of cilantro and peanuts. But here in Thailand, I’ve been eating mostly street food, which isn’t seasoned that much (except for sometimes being outrageously spicy). That is, except for Pad Thai, which was usually pretty yummy!

I definitely loved all the Thai tea I drank also– that was basically what I expected, and was delicious and something I will miss for sure. But I will not miss the heat, pollution, and humidity.

And… side note… I went to a super cute cafe where I got to hold a hedgehog!

To be honest though, overall, I struggled a little bit with our ministry for the month. I don’t mind painting or some manual labor in general, but it was difficult to do that every single day in the same building. It became very monotonous, and it was easy for me to forget that what we were doing was important because it just wasn’t really what I expected to spend an entire month doing on the World Race. But that was good for me all, because the World Race has been an opportunity for me to learn to manage my expectations, and look for ways to minister to people outside of work (and during the work) like I may have to do when I return to the US. This month has also taught me about endurance, and pushing through my feelings about not liking what we’re doing, and put my faith in what I know God can do with every little thing I do for Him.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and for following this journey!

I still need to raise $3,000 to stay on the World Race, as soon as possible!! If you would consider donating $100, or any other amount, that would be a HUGE blessing! And don’t forget, all donations are tax-deductible!