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God has brought together a team that is large in number and very diverse. Many of us are veterans when it comes to missions trips. Some have experienced this trek to Thailand multiple times, while for others this will be their first time on an Exposure Trip. Our team is diverse in our ages and stages in life as well as how we all came to faith in Jesus Christ. We all have different personalities matched with different gifts and talents.
Personally, I have been on many missions trips, both on small and large teams. Being on a large team can be challenging. I have found it is easy for communication to get lost in translation, especially when traveling. It is easy to get lost in the shuffle, and it can be hard to find your place. Toward the beginning of our semi-weekly team meetings I found myself caught in the lie that I didn’t have a place on this team and that I didn’t belong. It is hard for me to connect in larger groups. I found myself falling into a trap that I am alone.
This issue of feeling alone is something I have struggled with, and thanks be to God, He has exposed that lie. God used our Baked Potato Fundraiser to help me get to know my teammates better and give me a greater sense of belonging through washing potatoes! God showed me He has great things in store as we go to Thailand.
As diverse as our team is, we all have a common goal, and that is to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ. Every single person on our team is so important and vital to God’s plan. God has stirred each and every one of our hearts to choose to follow Jesus to Thailand. As our team prepares to head overseas, we have been enjoying stories from our team veterans who have seen and been a part of what God is doing in Thailand through the Integrated Tribal Development Program (ITDP).
We have been hearing stories about the different people groups and cultures within the hill tribes of Thailand. My dad, who has been to Thailand two times before, has been preparing me for all of the challenges we'll face. Our team is preparing a Vacation Bible School for the kids, and we are also going to be digging trenches to feed more water to an ever-growing village.
Even with all these preparations, my prayer for our team is that we would all work together in unity as the Body of Christ. As we step out of our comfort zones we can take courage and rely on Him, for "He who has prepared us for this very thing is God who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee,” and we can “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:5,7). My hope for our team is that we would show the people of Thailand God’s love through the love we share for one another, which transcends through any culture and language barrier.