Community is a Blessing
This is my first Thailand blog post!
I leave in less than 20 days, 18 days to be exact yall! I have been counting down the days now for like 8 months and now its finally almost here....oh wow!
To be honest I have learned that moving is hard. I have been through a series of emotions as the whole moving/preparation process has drawn on. Its like a roller coaster for my mind. I have had days where I am completely excited and ready for the Lord to send me, and then there were days where I questioned if I could really do this. I had days where I was excited about the adventure followed by days where I was fearful of the unknown. I have thoughts of the impossible fact of leaving my people and how much I don't think I'll be able to hold it together at the airports as I navigate by myself. I well up with tears when I think about the goodbyes from all the people I love and a piece of me just wants to sneak away and never have to actually say the dreaded "see ya later"!
Now as I have been praying for this adventure one of my biggest prayers was for community, because I know I need community, I need people who are "my people"! I am so thankful to have been to Thailand before and to already have friends there who have been so great and are excited for me to get there and some who have already invited me into their homes. But leaving this bubble of christian community that I have been living in for a couple of years now is not going to be an easy feat. I also know that the purpose of this season was to prepare me for the next to create community wherever I go...I know it's going to be hard so I have been praying and asking the lord to go before me and I have been asking for friends and community. I have not been afraid to voice my opinions to the lord and to tell him with true honesty how afraid I am or how much I sometimes wish he would make it easier, or how sometimes I wish I could have a companion.
One of the constant struggles that I have had to talk about with the lord was the fact that he was sending me alone. I mean I know he is with me, but why was he calling me to go and he was not giving me a partner to go with. I mean he sent the disciples out 2 by 2 but me...he was sending alone. I told the lord it wasn't fair! The more we talked about it the more He grew contentment in my heart and I became ok knowing that the Lord would be my companion and I had to let go and truly trust that he is faithful.
Moving is hard. Moving to another country is harder...and having 8 months to think about moving can consume your life and now in a little over 2 weeks I am leaving. But I have some good news friends...my dear friends Josh and Megan are coming with me!
The Lord is so good! He seriously blows my mind sometimes!
When Megan told me she applied for a job that I sent her I got excited but tried not to get too excited. When she called me to talk about her interviews I just had a feeling that this was going to be the coolest thing and I told her to please let me know good news via phone call and bad news via text. The very next morning she called me first thing and my heart leaped! She got a job as a preschool teacher at the school and her and her husband will be arriving the same day as me!
The lord is so good! Not just did he answer my prayer of having a companion...he is sending us in a cord of 3 strands...which is not easily broken. He is sending me with a small taste of community! Josh and Meagan are married so they definitely have the whole two by two thing down but Megan is one of my closest friends and we interned and lived together through CDH! Now I know that I was willing to do it alone and I was about to, but how good is our God that he knows exactly what I need and he gives beyond, he gives us what we want!
I am beyond words as I think about how the Lords faithfulness goes beyond what I can even dream up! I never dreamed that he would send others with me! I never thought that I would go with already having a couple of "my people"! It's so much easier to create community and experience community when you have people around who know you, the real you!
So as I near closer to the day I leave I find peace knowing that the Lord really is going to take care of me. He really is a good, good father!
-E
Also, people have been asking about sending me things...if you can get it to my house before July 29th you can send any mail to 223 Wills Run Drive, Senoia, GA 30276. If you are interested in my Thailand mailing address I will let you know after I get there via direct message!