Stationary. Large. Darkened with mud. A woman rounds the corner, placing a dirt-covered computer keyboard on top of the ever-growing pile of trash. She walks away. It again becomes stationary, large, and darkened with mud.
This pile is one of many that litter this narrow Thai street. This pile is one of many that didn’t exist 2 short weeks ago. This pile is like all the others in Chiang Mai in places where the flooding reached over a meter high. This pile will soon be moved to a field along with all the others in the nearby area.
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As we were in the air on our way to Thailand, our plans changed. We were originally scheduled to attend Cru’s Thailand national conference during our first week here. However, massive amounts of flooding reached the city a few days before we arrived, making it impossible for the conference center to receive the supplies they needed. The owner of a Thai cooking class we took this week spoke of how quickly the floods came. He said they received updates from the government every hour with predictions of how high the water would get. Shop owners, homeowners, and businesses barely had 2 days notice to prepare.
One of the high school seniors at one of the schools we’ll be working at invited us to help in the flood relief. Exactly a week after we touched down here, we were sliding in mud, cleaning out debris, and aiding a Christian media ministry in cleaning up from the floods. We spent an additional two days working with other local ministries- cleaning rooms, redoing work that was destroyed, and I’ve been extremely thankful for my Chaco sandals.
It’s impossible to drive through certain areas of the city- especially parts closer to the river that overflowed from mountain runoff- and not see the devastation and ruin that these people are facing. However, even in the midst of an event so tragic, there’s such a strong sense of community amongst the people. I saw the men, who have been working for days to restore their property to a sense of order, joking with each other. Kids helped as best they could, or at least were present and playing with tools. The family of the girl who originally invited us were all involved in relief efforts (even giving up many days of their 2 week school break to work). And when we couldn’t communicate with the locals helping, we laughed and smiled together when silly mistakes happened.
None of us could’ve planned or expected for the flooding to occur right before our arrival, or to have so many opportunities to help, but I think I speak for the team in saying we’ve been blessed by it. I realized that I have no excuse for not prioritizing service in my life. Too often I consider ‘helping’ as formal volunteer work and wait for a convenient opportunity to lend my time and energy. With the conference being canceled, our abundant free time provided the blessing and opportunity to simply say ‘Yes!’ to serving. And what’s so cool is that I’ve never felt such peace in diving into projects and working with people I’ve never met before.
As I reflect on my first two weeks in Chiang Mai, I’m grateful our view of Thailand didn’t start in a conference venue. While meeting the Thai staff and hearing how Cru is growing and operating here would’ve been so valuable, it’s clear God had other plans. We’ve gotten to meet people, pray with people, use lots of google translate, muddy our shoes, walk past hundreds of street vendors, and work alongside our Thai brothers and sisters.
I’m grateful. There have been a lot of hard moments, growing pains, and changed expectations. I hope to share about those moments in the future. But in the here and now, I can confidently say that God has sustained my energy and provided peace through it all. The next few months will not be easy or comfortable, and yet, God is good. He’s already making ways for us.
“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” -Nehemiah 8:10
Prayer Requests: (for myself and the team!)
Daily dependence on the Lord and his strength
Contentment admits change and discomfort
Protection against spiritual warfare and believing lies
Bodily health and strength
Wisdom in deciding which mission and service opportunities we want to commit to
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