Thailand Globalscope Days 8, 9 & 10

Day 8
Just another manic Monday... actually, we had a great day! The team and Grapevine staff started the day off with a debrief about the previous week. We took turns sharing victories and struggles we had experienced. It was encouraging to hear the victories: new students, students who are bringing their friends to ministry events, deepened relationships, expanded world views, less worry and anxiety, and God 'connecting the dots' - to name a few. From a team leader perspective, I couldn't be more proud of our team. Kelsey and Ryan are all in - engaging the culture, eating the local cuisine, and rocking their interactions with Thai students. Zero complaining and tons of laughter. Way to go you two! Thankful to be on this adventure with you both.

Speaking of local cuisine: today we had the opportunity to play a game I call Pig Anatomy! What's that you ask? That's when you have lunch and are served various pork 'delicacies' such as tendons, neck, and tongue. I personally passed on the connective tissue, but did take a bite of the pig tongue- never say never. Oink!

We played some card games on campus after lunch, went back to Grapevine to rest a bit and then went back to campus to meet some students for sports. The guys played basketball and met several new students. One of the students they played with to a Christian high school (in Thailand) and said she really missed having a Christian community (What are the chances that this girl ended up playing b-ball at the exact time our crew...?!). Total 'God moment'.

We ended our night at the Night Market on campus. So fun to walk through the hustle -bustle of an outdoor food court of sorts. Crowded and busy with students eating dinner. Lots of delicious food options. We took a song tao back to our place - Ryan thoroughly enjoyed hanging off the back end of the truck - and also almost got his head ripped off by a branch. Watch out Tarzan!

Day 9
SOUPer Tuesday: the real 'meat and potatoes' of Grapevine. Every week, Grapevine hosts a meal, has students join in prayer and worship, then someone shares a testimony, and another person gives a talk. The team was in charge of dinner so we put together a spread of pizzas - pizza party!! We mingled with students for a while then P'Mark, Pond, and Wit led worship. Ryan shared his testimony and I (Stef) was the designated 'preacher'. It was a huge honor to be asked to teach. Also a big responsibility to reflect Jesus well to a group of Buddhist students....This month the theme of SOUPer Tuesday is: "Finding God in the Midst of Troubles," so I spoke about how we can get stuck in fear in the midst of those troubles. I shared parts of my current wrestling match with God and tried to highlight the fact that we have a choice: we can choose fear, or we can choose faith. I shared the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo in the fiery furnace. My favorite part of that story is that they chose faith even though they had a right to be afraid- the king was threatening to kill them. They believed God had the power to save, and EVEN IF he didn't rescue them, they would worship God alone. They were in trouble and they chose faith, not fear. We have the same choice in the midst of our troubles too. EVEN IF our troubles don't go way, EVEN IF they get worse... we can choose faith. And in return God gives us peace, joy, and freedom.

Such a privilege to speak to the students. Also a growing experience for me since it was my first time teaching (outside of kids min). Definitely a whole different ball game teaching to young adults and speaking with an interpreter. I'm thankful for the opportunity and hope God will use something I said to draw the Thai students to Himself.

Day 10
Splish-splash, I was taking a bath [with elephants]...
Today was our Day Trip to the Taweechai Elephant Camp. After our 2+ hour road trip, we got to ride elephants and give them baths in the river. Nothing like getting a trunk full of water straight to the face! Wet and wild ride, but so much fun! After our ride we had a chance to feed the elephants and watch them do a few tricks. Pretty awesome to be that close to the animals (sorry animal rights peeps).

Later we drove to a museum type place that was set up like an ancient Thai city and ate lunch. Good food, excellent views. It was nice to get out of the city and be able to see more of the Thai countryside. We especially loved seeing their version of mountains! Reminds us of home - which is crazy to think we are heading into our last day tomorrow. We will spend our last day on campus and host Cafe Qui Gaan (English conversation night) again and then head to the airport at 3AM for our long journey home. We are excited to share more about our trip when we get back!!! Thanks for reading the updates and for praying for our team!

I probably won't have time to write a final day update so we will see y'all back in the States!

-Stef
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