This Valentine’s Day, God has given me a remarkable gift and opportunity… I will be heading to Thailand! (and that could put my standards for Valentine’s gifts pretty high from now on... but unfortunately that could also make my singleness constant, so I might not want to go that route...)
As many of you know, I will be going with Thrive Ministry, which is set on “providing (missionary women) spiritual resources, transformative experiences, and authentic one-on-one relationships to replenish them as they invest in Kingdom work.”
Three times each year, this organization has retreats in various places all over the world in which all those assets are sought after through rest, renewal, refreshment, and fellowship. And this spring, I have the opportunity/blessing to be a volunteer at one in Thailand!
So, before I go, I am asking for prayer in the following ways (although any prayer you can think of is welcome as well):
Pray for safety and health: please pray that everyone—volunteers and attendees—may get there safely, remain healthy (which could be difficult during cold and flu season) and enjoy our time together in Phuket!
Pray the missionary women will receive the replenishment they need. Each woman is going through different lifestyles, relationships, and surroundings. Please pray they may realize any difficulties in their life and place them at God’s feet—for He is the only one who will give them the renewal they need. Pray they will be restored by God to go back to the world they left once the retreat is over.
Please pray that God will give us volunteers the knowledge and skill of how to reach these women in any way they need. There will be a speaker, counselors, prayer partners, spiritual directors, life coaching, manicures, pedicures, massages, facials, and many other jobs. We all need the capability to do our jobs well, as well as God’s wisdom as of how to help others and follow God’s calling in any way needed.
Please pray as God is letting me use my seminary degree: spiritual direction! I have not had many opportunities since graduating to undergo this exercise. I pray that God will give me the thoughts, prayers, actions, words, or silence to bring women closer to Him. As I have desperately needed spiritual direction for much of my life, and God has blessed me with other people to help me carry my loads, I long to do the same for others—especially for missionary women, as that is something I have experienced in the past or have longed to be one for longer periods of time.
That is all I can think of right now, but don’t worry—I’ll make sure to tell you if anything else comes to mind/placed on my heart. When I come back on the 26th, I’ll make sure to tell you all that went on and God’s work during that time (but give me some grace as I’ll have to get used to Mountain Time again). I’ll also try to follow the “commands”/requests to post/share my pictures from over there (I’ve even been asked to give a slide show, but I’m not sure about that… :o) ).
I pray you all are doing well, and I thank you already so much for your prayers.
-----------------------
Lastly, these verses (which have been highly “color penciled” in the Bible I’ve had since 1999) I believe and pray is the mindset for this trip:
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”
- 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, NIV
-----------------------