“It is tough but not impossible”
Sitting at a coffee place preparing to do some work I am watching the streets and people walking by, it was one of the hottest days. I can see how the heat seems to make the air ripple just a bit. Bangkok has three seasons, which some Thai’s jokingly refer to as ‘a little hot’, ‘hot’, and ‘super hot’. We are currently in ‘super hot season’. Watching the streets venders and people walking by with umbrella to block the suns rays, sipping an iced coffee I thought “its hot but not as bad as I thought”.
This seems to be a recurring theme in my thoughts here, Thai language is so difficult but not impossible, raising two young babies overseas is challenging but not impossible, starting a new field on our own is a huge task but not impossible.
We definitely prepared for the expectation of difficulty, and really we have felt an amazing grace to see what felt like such a challenge ahead of us seeming to step by step unveil the direction to go, even now there are many unknowns but I am confident in they too will work out. As you read this we are celebrating one year of living in Bangkok, and it has been a year filled with starting at the most basic point. In language we began 8 months ago sitting in class saying “ee uu aa ii” as we learned the basic vowel sounds of Thai, now we are speaking and learning to read and write. Starting a site we just got on the plane. Raising kids, we wake up every morning and start by changing diapers and the day progresses from there.
“Through Christ I can do all things” takes on a daily reality here. I remember this was printed on the practice jerseys of my college soccer team, not to trivialize their use of it, but I think the depth of that statement comes to life when what we hope for, is literally impossible for me. But in Bangkok Jesus shows up in dreams, as angels talking to a bar girl before she goes to work, an angel holding a bar girl as she mourns her mother, a friends broken arm being healed in his sleep by Jesus coming to him and touching his arm. This is the way in which the impossible is accomplished.
So where is our basic starting point? It is prayer. Pray that God will go before us, pray for the miraculous, pray that we will see Gods power, pray for the children on the street, pray for protection, pray that our path will be guided our feet literally led.
We are at a cross road in our time here. We will spend one more month in our intense language focus and then transition to doing ministry and outreach full time. We will receive a team in August and be settling into a home that can serve our ministry. As we transition this month we ask for your prayers more than usual, posted on our blog and on the word made flesh website you will find a list of updated prayer requests, as well as what is listed in this letter. There are many doors that need to open for us to proceed so pray with us, as we trust God to open them.
Thank you so much for your Faithfulness in walking this road with us!