Back from Thailand

I have bad jet lag

Up since 3 in the morning

Instead I write here

My Thailand medical mission trip was a step of faith that I know God had to force me to go. He closed all my job leads, changed my family and Kevin's hearts to let me go, and even provided supporters to get me to Thailand. What more can I say, God really wanted me to go out of my comfort zone. I'm glad I did.

Being in Thailand, I thought that I would adjust well since Indonesia is very similar to Thailand. Both countries have spicy cuisine, both have very humid weather, both countries aren't the cleanest places, and both have similar cultures. I thought I would feel like home in Thailand, but God proved me wrong the first night when I mistakenly ate a green chili pepper, thinking it was a green bean. God forced me to be out of my comfort zone again. He did so so I can give everything to Him, even my body, when I thought I had control over it. Luckily, I recovered by the time our team traveled to the island and started our clinic week.

To say our trip focused solely on clinicals is a lie because God had other plans. He showed us the relationships that have been fostered since Newsong came to the island 5 years ago. Coming to a 100% Muslim island was hard 5 years ago, but God has changed their hearts because many came to seek blessings from the American doctors, some gave us sweet gifts, and some invited us over to their humbled homes. We came to show God's love through our actions medically, but the people of Koh Yao showed their love back to us by cooking for us during Ramadan. For those of you who don't know what Ramadan is, it's a period of time when the Muslim people don't eat or drink during daylight hours. It's amazing how these people were willing to cook for us, knowing that they couldn't eat for themselves.

Through these people, God showed us what he has been doing on the island. For example, the imam, a religious leader on the island, came to the clinic and our hotel a few times to visit us. He even invited us to his house so he can show off his monkeys he trained. Knowing that the imam was so eager to see us is a sign that God is definitely working in him. Another occasion, the driver who drove us around the island, invited us to his house where he cooked a seafood feast for us. Another woman came to drop off coconut snacks called baubin, literally translated as, " damn crazy," because they are so good. Instances such as these showed that God uses these people to show us his love too.

Though I learned how to prescribe in Thai and give medical advice to the patients in Thai, I mostly learned to live faithfully for God. The funny thing is, a lot of people thought I was Thai and spoke to me with all kinds of Thai. One phrase I learned to say often was, " phoot Thai Mai dai, ka." It means " I can't speak Thai."

I can go on and on and on about my experience in Thailand, but so few words can fully express the life there. Though Thai food will never be the same, Thailand and the people of Koh Yao will always be in my heart.