Have you ever taken a drink from a hot mug in cold weather? My first word to describe that is perfect, followed by calming, peaceful, and relaxing. I have come to realize that living overseas is uncomfortable. I do not mean that as a complaint, really, because I love it here and I feel alive here, but honestly, it is different; hot, humid, spicy and buggy. It’s something that takes some getting used to, and when you get sick of getting used to it, you dream about the comforting things in life.
I have recalled the scenario of a h
ot beverage on a cold day about 15 times in the last 2 weeks. Thailand has some fabulous coffee, but it is a different feel than, well, you know, the usual. Usually at this time of the year I am studying my rear off, outside of a starbucks or local coffee joint, bundled up and chugging down knowledge with a mocha. I have one coffee date set up upon arrival, and just that gets my heart pumpin'. What God has been doing lately is really sweet. If we were dating I would call Him the best boyfriend ever. I giggle at the discomforts in Thailand because I think it is an appropriate response; being angry will not change the situation and letting it stress me out or miss home doesn’t do anything positive for my psyche, so I giggle, and it makes it feel more adventurous. Back to my Boyfriend. He has been throwing these hot beverages in cold weather at me, not literally, but the equivalent of what that does to my heart, He has been delivering.
The first care package went a little like this: About two weeks ago my team and I went on a activity packed day with a touring company, you may have read a little bit about it in my last post. Part of the day consisted of an hour-long trek up to this waterfall. It was fun to be outside and hiking, and besides learning the difference between a jungle and a forest, we felt right at home. We hiked and wiped our damp foreheads and every once and a while, we would have to cross over the creek. There were adorable little bridges, made from bamboo and different wood, and our tour guide would offer his hand like a true lad to assist us across the creek. As sweet as that
was, I was boiling, so I just walked across the creek. It was flowing just fast enough that I needed to watch it, “it” being me not falling over, and the temperature difference between the air and the water was the perfect equivalent of a hot mocha on a Colorado fall day.
The second little gift was just as refreshing. When we were in Chiang Mai, the same week as the trek day, we decided to stay back at the hostel and hang out with just our team for a night. Now feel free to laugh at this. If the question, “Don’t they hang out as a team everyday and night” popped into your head, you are correct. BUT, we felt like we needed to avoid the world and be buddies. So we did. That’s the fun thing about being a big kid, living on your own, living in a community: you can make those decisions. At about midnight I remembered that the day before, a close friend of mine had been on my mind a lot. Those days of “having someone on my mind” freak me out. I always think something bad happened or they are lonely or I should be there with them. That’s the anxiety in me speaking, and I recognize that, so I prayed for her and talked about her a lot and smiled at the thoughts of her. I know that doesn’t really seem like a “gift” but it’s coming. So the day that I was thinking about her a bunch I wanted to call her, but I couldn’t because a lot of the day was planned out and it didn’t work out. However as we were hanging out as a family at the hostel, I remembered that I saw an overseas calling shop just down the street. Courtney (a fellow intern and great friend) and I walked down and chatted with the man that worked the overseas calling joint, and after a pleasant, semi-confusing conversation, I got in a little phone booth, on the inside of the store, and called that girl up. Hearing her voice was like stepping in the creek on our trek. It was needed, refreshing, and the catalyst for a deep breath and a few happy tears.
There are two more of these little, “love notes on the car” scenarios. They speak of the concern that Jesus has for me. That even though discomfort can “grow and stretch” a believer, and it has been, my Boyfriend knows the small comforts that I need, and I appreciate Him for that.
The girls at the orphanage are beautiful. That is something that will never change. They have long healthy black hair and dark skin to boot. I’m thankful for their ever-present beauty, because it is easy to see God’s fingerprints on such pieces of art. The hard thing about my darling sisters is that they speak Thai. The language barrier has taken a hold of our relationships and offered us something of a wall in the last week. Like we’re talking Great Wall of China status. We say “hello” and “how are you” and smile and hug, but we are desperate to go deeper. Speaking for myself, I thrive off of deep relationships. I love talking about things that matter, talking about what brings joy and what we hate and how we can solve “the problems of the world.” Those are fulfilling conversations for me, and I want them with my girls here. These girls have suffered a lot. They don’t have Mommas. Just that right there would be enough to break me, but it goes on. They live with 42 other girls. They deal with the regular school issues, bullying, not feeling pretty enough, trying to find their voice in the world. Girls juggling these things, not just here but in the states as well, they need some lovin’. They need conversations, in my opinion. Need to feel important and special and pursued. They need some large doses of Jesus.
My team, as a whole, has been struggling with this language barrier junk. We want in. I have found that throughout my walk with the Lord, it is in the times that I find myself walking in desperation that He moves just slow enough that I can see the tip of His robe as He rounds the corner. I see Him move. I get a glimpse of a realm that is above me, and it is cool. We welcomed a team from Texas on Sunday, and they are sweet as pie. If you don’t know this about me, I love southern people, so having Texans here is a blessing. But, STAYING on TOPIC, they are here, and the timing is impeccable. We are pooped, frustrated, and trying to push through the Thai language. They are fresh from the states, pumped, motivated, and ready to go. They bring a whole new and exciting element to the orphanage, mother and fatherly love, as they are adults, and gol, I so want that for the girls. All in all, it’s perfect. They couldn’t have come at a better time, and God could not have planned it better. Once again, mocha in the snow. My Boyfriend is the best.
I feel like I am bragging to go on much further, but this is the last one, promise. J My parents are two of my best friends. They are supportive, open-minded, and wise. I didn’t talk to them for about three weeks because they took a trip to Italy and surrounding areas. (Such romantics, I know J). On Sunday night, I realized how much I was missing them, I think I said a quick, “God I miss my parents” prayer and kept on. After dinner with the girls, I decided talking with them was a necessity, so I got online. It was about seven at night my time, so 6am their time. I thought, “Oh my Dad will be up in a half hour, I’ll just facebook until then.” False. At 10:00pm my time and after recruiting two of my facebook friends to call my parents we got to talk for a good hour and a half. It was like, ah, it was a mocha on a winter day. It was perfect. It was needed. I love my Boyfriend.
I’m off to dinner now with the BHJ girls, the Texas team, and my team of interns. Thank you for reading and thank you for your continued prayers. Feel free to put away a few bucks to take me out for a mocha in December, and I will tell you more J Love Kelli.
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