Sawatdeekah! Hey Friends and Family! I am in Thailand and doing very well! I really do love it here! The country is SO beautiful and I feel like I’ve seen SO much already in this short time. I’ve been in the middle of the city, out traveling on a bus in the mountains, and now at a small children’s home in the middle of no where. The culture here is so unique and beautiful! The different things they do to show respect and the things they don’t do are things that in America are natural and not a big deal. For example, the head is the most precious part of the body. You do not touch someone’s head nor reach over it. When playing with kids, it feels so natural to touch their head for any reason…. that’s a no-no. I’m learning. Feet are the dirtiest part of the body, so sitting properly on the floor for a long period of time tends to not be easy as I just want to stretch my legs, but can’t because I will show the bottom of my feet.
Thai people are SO incredibly nice and have wonderful hospitality! They want to make sure all your needs are met. Their smiles are unforgettable!! Oh and the food!!! God has truly been by my side and blessing me through this. So y’all know I can’t have gluten (wheat)…. here, NO GLUTEN! I mean you eat rice, rice, and more rice. Maybe add some rice NOODLES in the mix. I LOVE IT! I mean maybe after 3 meals a day for two months, I will get tired of it but hey, if I don’t get sick from food for the next two months, I’m down!
So I love navigating directions and paying attention to the roads and where we are at. First off, to get from place to place, we call these guys that drive little red pickup trucks with benches and a hood in the bed. One day the driver dropped us off in an area that we hadn’t been to yet but we were close to our location. The team had absolutely no idea where we were but I did even though we had never been there before. So we got out of the truck and I led them to where we needed to be. They were so amazed and wouldn’t stop talking about how I possibly did that. God truly blessed me with the skills to navigate. I just trust in God to guide my paths.
The traffic here is pretty put together but crazy at the same time. The driver seat is on the right side of the car so they drive on the left side of the road. So that is new! When crossing traffic by food, you just run in between the cars. I was totally okay with it, but everyone else was freaking out when a few of us just started running through traffic. There are lots of people riding motorcycles here too. The city truly is beautiful with big buildings. Oh, and their temples. So if you are Thai, you are Buddhist. That’s what they all say. So they have temples that they worship at that are so beautiful! They really are. They are huge and made of gold! They have big temples and even real small gold structures at random places. I haven’t been to one but we drive by them. Some men are what they call monks who dedicate their life to the temples. They wear orangish brown cloths. You respect and wai (bow) to the monks! Now, the squatty potty. It’s initially a hole in the ground that you do your business in. It’s so interesting to use. One tip… don’t sit on it!! Just squat.
Some songs that have been speaking to me while here are “Take Courage & Isaiah 6, here am I, send me” by Lindy Conant. Lindy is a former YWAMer and she truly speaks the heart of a missionary in these songs! It’s like she could read my thoughts and put them into a song!
We are currently at a children home called “The Limitless Love Home.” This Family is so incredible!!! It’s a couple that have three kids of their own and felt they were to do more for the kids in the tribes on the mountains. So they took in 28 kids with the mission of education and knowing God! These kids and couple were thrilled when they found out we were coming!!! We do lots of worship with them… they love my ukulele! It is so fun to play it for them and sing! We have been teaching them stories from the Bible everyday. We play football (soccer), volleyball, and so many more fun games. They also LOVE uno. I’ve been learning the kids names and I think I got them down. Some are more difficult to pronounce but I’m working on it.
So here’s an incredible moment that I had with God and this woman: I was sitting in church when I turned around and saw an old women being carried in on this man’s back. The Thai lady behind me that spoke some English told me, “She can not walk.” I nodded and turned forward. The Holy Spirit hit me and said “It’s time. You are to lay hands and pray for that women!” The thought never left my mind the entire church service. I continued to look back at this beautiful lady. Her face will never leave my mind. Church finally ended. I asked my team if they would lay hands with me. I then went to the pastor and asked if he would ask this women if we could pray for her. As I walked over to the lady, the pastor asked, and the women’s response was unforgettable. She began to hit her right arm and leg showing me she can not move it. She began crying out to me. I knelt down and layed my hands on her. As soon as my hand touched her, tears fell from my eyes. Emotions rushed out of me and I felt so filled with the Holy Spirit. I prayed and declared healing for this woman. We both were crying out together. As soon as I said amen, she began speaking Thai to me and crying… but the thing is, I understood her! Let me be real, I do NOT speak Thai but I understood what she was saying to me. I felt her pain and her sorrow!! I cried even more! She said her husband died a year ago. She has been lame for a while but I will never forget her emotions and what God did for both of us in that moment. I did just what Jesus would do. I layed hands on the lame. I asked God for healing in that woman. Only God can heal her! I thank God every day for bringing that woman into my life and giving me the opportunity to lay hands on the lame.
At the children’s home, we painted their buildings. The kids LOVE it! Their reactions were precious!!
A few thoughts have been going through my head as being here… well many thoughts, but I’m gonna share one. “What does God have for my future? Am I going to live in a stable place for a long time? Will I move from place to place? Where is God going to place me?” I trust God with all of my heart in all my ways that He will do what is best for my and that He truly does have a plan!
I hope everyone is doing well back home!! I am doing great here! I really love being a missionary and having the opportunity to be Jesus’s hands and feet! Thank you for reading and praying for me! Continued prayers will be a blessing! Thank you!! Love you all!
By His Grace,
Kendra Michael ❤️
By His Grace 