I feel like I am in a time-worp. It is currently 3:00 am Thursday in Thailand, and we on a charter bus to Pauw, which will be a our new home for six of us for the next two months. We have been traveling since last Saturday with speratic rest spread through out.
Two Tuesdays ago we left Nueva Vida in Jinotepe after 3 days of tearful goodbyes. It was weird to say goodbye, and I am awful at goodbyes. I have had so many different seasons in my life that I have become numb to goodbyes. When I want tears, they don’t come till hours or days later when it all just cracks. I never know the words to say – to tell people how much I learned from them, how much they mean to me, how much I love them. So my natural reaction is a long hug, besos on the cheek, and saying “te quiero much.” Maybe this will be something Jesus helps me get better at.
We spent our last 4 days in Nicaragua in San Juan del Sur for debrief. It started out time of transition from Nica to Thailand. I was enable to enjoy a day of surfing, time at the pool, reading in a hammock, a run all by myself (which has not happened in months), yogurt and granola, skype dates, and announcing our new teams and ministry in Thailand. On Saturday morning at 8 am, we all 21 of us with all our lugged rolled out in a crammed short yellow school bus.
Our travel journeys began there as we made our way to the Managua airport. A popped tire briefly interrupted our travels, and our flight to Miami followed shortly thereafter. From Miami we went to LA for about a 12 hour lay over. While we were there, we were blessed with two things – a hotel and packages. It was like Christmas. One of our squad mates’ friends arranged to bring us packages from family and friends. It was wonderful. I know have a few more things of home to bring comfort. While staying the night in LA, I thought I wisely chose my roommates as I thought they would be the girls to sleep. Oh, how I was mistaken. I did not on moment of shuteye. But I guess that is what all the flights are for. We began our journey again at 7:30 am to catch our 14 hour flight to Beijing. So I can now say that I have been to China…well all of the one hour that we were there. Our last flight brought us to Bangkok some time around midnight on Monday night.
For the past two days, we have been “resting” at the YWAM headquarters in Bangkok. I use the term resting loosely as most of us are suffering from major jetlag. For me personally, this is the worst jetlag I have ever experienced due to the accumulation of multiple days of travel and trying to sleep sitting up. When I have not been trying to attempt to recover from jetlag, I have explored the streets around the hostel when we have not been in orientation or meetings. I must say…I already love it here. It reminds me so much of India. India is the only other place I have been in Asia so that makes sense, but it makes me really excited to be able to live here for three months!
I have lost count of the number of times I have already spoken Spanish here. I completely tired to order a drink in Spanish. Let me just say that didn’t go so well. Now I am getting to experience what a lot of my teammates felt like in Nicaragua. This helps me realize even more how extremely blessed we are to have a translator. The translator that will be with our team for the next 2 months is Oy, and I can’t wait to get to know her.
Like I said earlier our new home is in Pauw as our ministry will be House of Grace. It is a YWAM base that focuses on sex trafficking prevention. This is my understanding of our ministry so far but I guess I will find out more soon as we will arrive there within a few hours. As our squad transitions to Thailand, we are not only transitioning to a new country and ministries but new teams as well. I am going to continue to be a team leader but the team I am leading is different than in Nicaragua. My new team includes Kyle, Ryan, Brittany, Hannah, and Roni. These team transitions have been something we have all had to walk through, but it definitely all hit us about 10 hours ago. Our team, which we named The Current, hopped on a separate bus than the two other teams. We will be about a 9-hour bus ride way from the two other teams who will be in Chiang Mia at two separate ministries.
The feeling I had as the six of us and Oy said bye to the rest of our teammates and Squad leaders is like we are little birds being pushed out a nest. It is time for us to learn how to fly. I have no clue what that looks like; I would like to say that I do so I could comfort my team in that. But I don’t. All I know is that the name for our team, The Current, is quite ironic. Our Father has a current that is strong and mighty that He yearns for us to jump into, and the six of us like to know about the depth, temperature, and swiftness of the water before we jump. But God doesn’t want us to know these things. So my prayer is that we are continued to be pushed out of the nest.
[Written on the bus ride to Pauw]
Wow, Audrey:
So you are county hopping now? I do know what you mean about that particular distance going west. [I flew into Vietnam once but got stuck for a day in Korea and Hong Kong]. But you had an extra day tacked on to it withth earlier flight, setting yourself up for the worst possible jet-lag. Best bet is more exercise and holy sweating and a few good nights sleep. It takes 7 days to cycle it out of your system. Looking forward to hearing what your next world wil be like. One HECK of an education on life, dear girl!
We will miss you at our family Thanksgiving gathering, but will remember you in prayer. Thanks for the use of your bed again this Thanksgiving.
love ya, Uncle Bob
Precious One, Dad and I have anxiously awaited your update. What a delight to wake this morning and find this journaling. All that lack of sleep! One of the many sacrifices you are making to our Heavenly Father.
Yes, you’ve been pushed out of the nest numerous times in your life. Makes me think back to your first extended time away from home – 8 1/2 years old and off to 2 week camp at Baylor . . . . wait a sec, you didn’t get pushed! You pushed me to let you go! One of your many attributes God has given you – a desire to get outside of your comfort zone and explore life! I am sure your departure from the rest of your other teammates did feel more like being urged out of a nest. Wow, what an experience in trust. This is the theme for both your and your parents life journeys – TRUST and OBEY, for there is no other way, than to be happy in Jesus and trust and obey (can you hear the melody? it’s from a song you heard many times, growing up in Dahlonega Methodist Church).
Audrey,
You are in our prayers and I enjoy reading your updates. Continue to be open to what God has for you. In difficult times, we pray he will continually pour out his blessing and strength to you and your team. God WANTS us to seek him because we cannot do it on our own (I’ve learned, do I want to anyway?).
I was telling Nathan and Joshua the other day that we as a family, aren’t called to go and work for him as a missionaries (at least right now). We are blessed that we can support you and other missionaries in prayer and in finances. Obviously, the boys don’t understand why people have chosen to give up everything to be open and used, but they are still young and still learning what it means to give and sacrifice. It’s so hard to daily teach the boys that it doesn’t gain us everything to save our money, buy all sorts of stuff, because we won’t be able to take it with us when we die. It’s hard to teach them that having and wanting all these “things” make us more selfish? Oh the joys of raising Godly kids.
We are proud of you Audrey and your lifestyle truly reflects a heart for serving and sacrifice for him.
Take care, hope you find some time for rest.
Love, Jackie
Audrey, I have a sense that you’re feeling a little disoriented and even maybe a little fearful. It’s probably the jet lag and all the changes. But the Lord wants me to tell you to be still and know that He is God. Like the Foot Prints poem, He is carrying you. There is nothing you do or decide or think that goes unnoticed by the Father. He is there with you every step of the way. He will give you what you need when you need it.
The Lord is going to bring you into an even deeper level of dependency on Him. You, as the leader, are going to be put into positions that, without Him, you will fail… like all the people God has chosen to do His will throughout history. But with Him, you can move mountains. I believe that. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Strain your ears to hear first and foremost the voice of God. You are His chosen instrument for this team at this time. Walk it out! You got this girl. We believe you. We support you. We love you. You got this!
Praying for you, your team, and the people of House of Grace.
Praying for you guys, Audrey! So proud of you. Sounds like your ministry site is awesome and you are doing an incredible job!