Hello from Bangkok! It’s day 6 of our deputation trip and our spirits are high as we settle into our ministry. Some adventures of our trip so far include walking home in a monsoon, shopping at two open air markets in one day, dancing the macarena while being filmed by Thai people (we are the crazy tourists!!), ordering food by taking pictures of the menu (lol), figuring out how to use Thai toilets (BYOTP) and laughing through every day as our relationships with each other and our new friends grow stronger. It is so exciting to see God working through the faithfulness of the women at Samaritan Creations and we can’t wait to see what he teaches us through our experience.
Natalie: Something that God has been teaching me is how to be observant and let him work instead of being set in my expectations. Our team expected our ministry to be more task-oriented, but often when we ask to do things to help, our ministry host Thom tells us that we can help best by simply hanging out and making friends with the women at SC. For example, today we wanted to clean the kitchen, but instead she asked us to spend time with Joy. We found her upstairs and chatted for two hours. She is pretty good at English and likes teaching us Thai! Joy jokes that we’ll forget it in five minutes, but we’ve been taking notes. She taught me how to order Thai tea bubble tea 😊. We have also been teaching calligraphy, baking, and making watercolor paintings. There has been so much laughter in our mishaps learning Thai and English. The word for beautiful is similar to the word for unlucky (it just depends on your inflection), so Makenna accidentally called all the women unlucky! They thought that was super funny. We thank God for the joy of each day and are so grateful for your prayers from back home.
Emily: Despite having only been in Thailand for under a week, I feel like we’ve already learned and experienced a lot. From figuring out new forms of transportation to walking home in a monsoon, we’ve found a lot of joy in the small challenges we’ve faced. We’ve learned not to overthink everything so much and to go with the flow and trust the direction God is taking us. One of the most memorable moments so far for me has been sharing moments of creativity with the women at Samaritan Creations. Things like sharing artwork and learning calligraphy together and singing worship songs. It’s been really wonderful to see how God is working in their lives and experiencing joy together.
Audrey: Hi friends! Something we have been learning is to just go with the flow. Thai culture is so beautiful yet so different and honestly, we have no idea what we are doing most of the time (not an understatement). We are in an area of Bangkok that is not touristy at all, and we are really getting the local experience and at the same time, lots of stares. God is really showing me how despite language and cultural barriers, he is still a good God and he is still the same God. Hearing parts of the stories of the women we are working with is both heart wrenching and warming at the same time. It breaks our hearts that so many bad things could happen to such sweet women, but amazing how redemptive and transformative God is.
Makenna: A definite highlight for me is making relationships with the women at Samaritan Creations. Specifically, Natalie and I were able to bake in the kitchen with two of the women – this is good for me as I am an awful baker/cook and they are teaching me new skills! The women have also been teaching us Thai words as well even though I have butchered most of them! We have been going in every day and have gotten the opportunity to sit and chat with the women as well as do art and sing with them. One thing I have loved is seeing Yule, Nat, Em, and Aud shine with their gifts and passion for others. We are all growing and stretching out of our comfort zone and it is so encouraging to see our team dive in and build relationships with these amazing women. The women that have been rescued and spend time at the SC house are beautiful examples of the hope that can be found in Jesus.
Yuliya: Despite only hanging out with the women at Samaritan Creations for two days, I feel like I have been friends with them for ages. I have developed a friendship with a 21 year old woman named Yam. It is amazing that despite a big language barrier, there are so many ways that Yam expresses friendship. My highlight was when she came to me and took my hand and lead me outside to her moped. After weaving in and out of Thai traffic with four six-foot PVC pipes (I was gripping the moped so hard that I broke 3 nails), I realized that acts of friendship can surpass any language barrier. Love, grace, and friendship do not have a language. I am so excited to see what Thailand holds for us and how my friendship with Yam grows!
Some pictures from our adventures:
Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Love, Team Thailand