"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." - E.M. Forester
I have come to greatly appreciate the above quote. In
general, I tend to be open to adventures in life and find unknowns intriguing;
however, there have been a few items for which I have never had any desire and
have said I would never do. For example, study at Acadia University, teach
kindergarten, live in Ontario, date a guy I met at university, return to my old
summer job, or go to Asia.
Now, there are good reasons behind my “not to do list,” but
that being said, how many of these have I done? All except one… which I will do
in just over a week. Yes indeed, as they say, if you want to make God laugh, make a
plan. Or perhaps more accurately in my case, say something you don’t want to do
and watch God change your heart.
At the end of the month I will be travelling to Asia with my
friend Connor (whom I met while studying at Acadia University and started
dating while living in Ontario) to begin our teaching jobs in northern
Thailand. We will both be teaching English
and French. The recruiting agency is providing each of us with an apartment,
which we are hoping will not be too far apart, in the town of Tak, located in
Tak province near Chiang Mai. Although we are going as
teachers, our hearts are focused on going to serve the community around us and
share Jesus’ love with them.
I am so thankful that God has equipped me with a teaching
license and am excited for how He will use this in Thailand. Teaching will allow us to be “tentmakers”,
providing financially for us and opening many doors for connecting and being
involved with the community. The word
“tentmaking” comes from the experience of the apostle Paul who was a great
missionary and evangelist. He used his trade of making tents to support himself
while he was in Corinth to share the good news of Jesus’ love with those around
him.
For those who followed my journey in Namibia, thank you
again for all your encouragement. I hope that you will join me yet again in
this mission by praying for God to be powerfully at work in Thailand. For those
who are following my journey for the first time, thank you for reading! I do
not know what this experience will entail, but I know the One who holds all
things in His hands, and trust that it will be a meaningful adventure. I look
forward to sharing it with you!
With the best of wishes,
~Heather
“The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.” -1
Thessalonians 5:24
Cultural Tidbits:
Thailand Population: 69,518,555(according to the World Bank)
Official Language: Thai (other regional dialects are also
spoken along with Chinese, Lao, Malay, Mon-Khmer, and now English too)
Capital City: Bangkok
Religious beliefs:
95% Buddhist, 3.8% Muslim, 0.5% Christian, 0.1% Hindu, 0.6% other.
Ethnic make-up: 75% Thai, 14% Chinese, 11% other
Currency: Baht ($1CAD = 31.42 THB)
