If you have visited me in Thailand, one of the questions you have probably asked me is, “How long will you be here?” And you probably have gotten an answer similar to, “I am here today.” Now this has caused a lot of confusion for a lot of people, but in essence this basically means that I don’t know how long I will be here, but God has allowed me to wake up, to be mobile and to be healthy, so I am here today.
For most of my life I have been pretty easy going. When I was younger, I was often a worrier, but through some wise advice from one of my best friends and through a life of unconventionality, I have learned to live by the motto of “Lilies and Sparrows.” Most days I don’t know what I am going to do that day, let alone tomorrow, or next week, or even next month. To me, it is a fun lifestyle. I get the adventure of not knowing what will happen, and I let God worry about what I will eat or where I will live, just like those lilies and sparrows (Matthew 6:25-28).
For a long time, I didn’t know when I would leave Thailand or what my next steps would be, and while those things are still a bit uncertain, some of it is beginning to clear up.
A year and a half ago, when God gave me a vision of working in Thailand’s Red light District, it was a vision of working with a ministry that had a presence in the Red Light District, a hostel/hotel where teams could stay and girls coming out of prostitution could be employed, and a safe house for girls to heal and start life anew. Since coming to Thailand a little less than a year ago, I have seen all of these things happen but the last one.
Around the time I got this vision for the ministry, God gave me another vision. In it, I was driving down a very long road with thick trees on both sides. I could not see anything but what was in front of me. I kept thinking the road was going to end, but it never did. Through this vision, God revealed that I would be in Thailand when many of His plans for my life came to pass, but that I would not be living there permanently when those plans came to completion.
I arrived in Thailand with my own ideas of when and how these dreams would come to pass, but God quickly brought me to an existing organization here in Thailand where I have been able to work with a wonderful woman who received the same vision for Thailand from the Lord. We have seen so much happen in the last year and God has been good to both her and myself, as well as the ministry.
It was about two months ago, as I spent some time in prayer, that I began feeling like my time in this country was coming to a close and that God was writing a new adventure for me to pursue. After speaking with the leadership here, praying, and receiving confirmation from God, I have decided to leave in early October, just after my first anniversary of serving here.
Now, this does not mean that I will be severing all “ties” to Thailand (pun intended). In fact, it is my hope that we at CODE Ministries will continue to support the ministry through prayer and financial support to help fund this ministry’s first Safe House.
While I know this will be a difficult transition, I have full confidence that this is the next step the Lord is asking me to take. As I continue to seek His will for the next chapter in my life, I will be spending some time in Europe in October before coming home to New York for December. Please be in prayer for the ministry here in Thailand as I transition out and for wisdom and strength as I pursue God’s plan for my future. Thank you for sharing in this adventure with me. I look forward to sharing new info in the coming months with you as well!