Sometimes life on the World Race is messy (for more on this see my previous blog). Sometimes things don't make sense, we can't see how the work that we're doing is helping anyone, and we just have to believe that we are planting seeds that someone else will water and see the fruit of. We often get frustrated that we can't see the bigger purpose behind the ministry we're doing. We fail to see the big chain that we're only a small link in. But sometimes all the links fall into place. Occasionally all the loose threads get tied up into a nice bow, and we get to see how God's will was at work all along. Whenever God lets us be part of these moments of clarity, and we get to see into his mind for a second, we call it a "God wink." One of my teammates told us about a book she read that described a crowded holiday dinner table. The narrator felt alone in the crowd until her mother looked down the table, past all the talking people, and winked at her. She felt loved and valued, and likened this to the way that God sometimes winks at us to remind us that He loves us, that he remembers that we're here, and that he has a plan for our lives. This month was one giant God wink, so I want to tell you about all the "coincidences" that led to the final result of our team getting to be on the front lines of helping two girls find freedom.
- Over the past few months I have come to love Isaiah 61. It is a chapter about being called and anointed to help people heal, to release them from darkness, and to set them free. I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do with my life, but I know that no matter where I go I want to help people feel loved and find freedom. Our Real Life participant, Kayla, who joined our team for this month, also loves this chapter. Her blog is even titled "Beauty for ashes," which is taken from Isaiah 61. We found out that Isaiah 61:1 is also the theme verse for Lighthouse in Action. This month we literally got to live out this verse, and it was incredible.
- When Mae was lost and could not find WonGen Cafe, she asked people on the street where it was. No one knew, and she was about to give up. Finally, she asked one more person and they pulled a small flyer for WonGen out of their bag. It was a flyer that my other teammates had given that person because while I was sitting at the cafe praying that Mae would find it, they were across the street at the university handing out advertisement flyers for WonGen. Out of the 35,000 students at Chiang Mai University, Mae asked one of the couple hundred who my teammates had talked to, and she was directed to the place where she could find freedom.
- Originally, Kayla was upset because she could not communicate with Ning because Ning only spoke Burmese and our translator spoke English and Thai. Kayla was unable to use words to help Ning, but had to rely instead on showing her love through her actions. In the end, Burmese is what allowed Mae and Ning to plan their exit from the bar in the bar, only a few feet away from the madam who only spoke English and Thai. Because Kayla was faithful to keep loving Ning in spite of a seemingly impossible language barrier, she was able to see that it was all part of God's plan for Ning.
- Once we realized that the girls were going to need to acquire legal papers to live and work in Thailand, Emmi asked us to pray that she could learn how that process worked quickly. She had never legalized a girl before, and did not know what steps to take. As a team we prayed that literally out of nowhere someone would show up to help her. The next morning she was sitting in WonGen and a man she did not know walked in. He was new to Chiang Mai, and was looking for a place to stay. Someone had told him that Emmi might be able to help him, so he came to WonGen. As they talked she learned that he was a Shan man from the ethnic group in Burma, and he had become legal in Thailand recently. She got excited and asked him if he could explain the process to her. He literally wrote her out a step-by-step guide to legalizing Burmese immigrants. Exactly what we prayed for.
- We had also been praying that someone would show up to help Emmi find a place to put Ning's ten year old brother. Emmi realized that she already had a meeting scheduled last weekend with a woman who runs a children's home outside of Chiang Mai. They met, and because he isn't legal yet, they can't take him, but the woman will be a great resource to help Emmi find a place for him to live once he is legal.
- Emmi grew up in a Christian orphanage in northern Thailand after her father murdered her mother. She was raised by a missionary couple, and they were like her parents. Growing up, she would hear about their friend named Eric. Last week Eric showed back up in Emmi's life. It turns out that he runs a home for people with HIV outside of Chiang Mai, and he is going to be helping advise Emmi on how to best care for Mae. Mae might also eventually be able to help out at the home.
- When Emmi went to the immigration office the other day to register the cafe as a place where illegal people can work, she was informed that this year in Thailand the government has decided that the only time that illegal people can apply for legal status is between June 15-July 13. This entire process is happening for Mae and Ning right in the middle of that time. God's timing is perfect.
- Kayla, our Real Lifer, who is only with us for one month and could have been assigned to any World Race team anywhere, is passionate about ending human trafficking. She knows she is called to help buy girls out of sex slavery and establish safe houses where they can live. To accomplish this, she and a friend recently are starting their own non-profit organization, and will be raising money. They were looking for a reputable organization or ministry to support where they know that the money will be used to do the work they believe in. One of Emmi's greatest desires is to open a safe house in Chiang Mai, but she does not have the money for it yet. She mentioned this to us in the course of our conversations about the funding needed to free Mae and Ning. Kayla got excited and explained to her that she will meet with her co-founder when she gets back to the States, and they will try to start funding Lighthouse in Action so that there will be money waiting in a fund to buy girls out, pay their initial expenses and legal fees, and put them in a safe house. Kayla could have been sent anywhere in the world with her passions and resources, but she was sent with us to Emmi who needed her.
These were just some of the cool things that happened this month to orchestrate all that God has done. We are so excited to have been blessed to be part of this story, and we ask for continued prayer and support for Emmi, Lighthouse in Action, and Mae and Ning and their families. Mae emailed me last night, and she is happily settled at Lighthouse beginning her Bible study. Ning still needs a lot of prayer, as her husband showing up on the scene is complicating things for her. They also both still need financial support. If you would like to partner with us to change their lives, please see my previous blog. Thank you SO MUCH for being part of this amazing story with your prayers and support! God uses all things to work together to accomplish his will, as we have learned this month.
"The Spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners."
Isaiah 61:1
