God brings us far to draw us near..

The Lord has been doing a lot this last month. It has been a trying time to be away from family because my Granny Ladd passed away in January. I’ve been praying that the Lord would continue to use me here in midst of longing to be at home with family. Missing her funeral was extremely difficult but the Lord continues to draw me near and give me opportunities to share his love among the Thai people. I have to rest in the fact that He knows what He is doing and He has me here for a reason.

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8

The last few weeks I have been helping with a team that is here to teach at The Centre. I coordinated their agenda for their time here. We got to visit an orphanage on their sports field day! It was fun to play games with them and see so many of the children filled with joy and laughter. Some of their stories broke my heart. One story was of a boy who's mother abandoned him so his grandmother took him and kept him in a box until he was three. She would take him to work with her and keep him in a box. This orphanage is not centered on christian principles but they are wanting Christians to come monthly to teach the children about the Bible.

In a couple of weeks The Centre where we taught English will be shutting down for renovations and some restructuring. We have been helping with some of the reorganization that will take place but currently I am looking at other ministries I can volunteer with in Chiang Mai. The last week I've been helping out in the SIM office with communications and volunteering at the Garden of Hope, a prostitution ministry. GardenofHope

One of the women we are friends with that we visit with at the bar finally decided to leave the bars/prostitution after three years of working there. She is 20 years old and looking for an opportunity to find work with the help of the Garden. Amen! The amount of women who prostitute themselves here is so overwhelming. It almost seems hopeless to try and reach them all but I know the Lord desires for these women to know their worth in Him.

I'm excited how the Lord is going to use us in the last months we are here. Its hard to believe that we are more than halfway done with our time here. I'm praying that I will continue to press into His presence and fully be here. I want to surrender my plans to Him and fulfill what He wants me to do, whatever that may look like. Thank you for your prayers and support!