Hello everyone!  I am finally in Thailand!!  Yay!!  It has been a long time coming, and I am happy to say that I am safe and in the midst of the transition into a new life here.  To keep you all updated on this adventure, I am posting my journal entries from the past few days.  I will post as often as I can, if you would like formal updates just email me and I will put you on my email update list.

As always, thanks for reading my blog, and let me know what’s going on in YOUR life!

Heather

 

18 Oct 2009

I am IN Thailand!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone!  Sawasdee ka from Bangkok, Thailand; a place I have dreamed of and worked towards for 2 years now.  It is a great, fulfilling, reassuring, and amazing feeling to know that I am where I should be, and that the possibilities for these 7 months are endless…

THANK YOU to everyone that has worked hard to make this trip happen!  Thank you to my family, friends, and supporters for getting me here through your love and selflessness, and thank you to all the administrative people responsible for getting me here safely.  I appreciate each one of you more than I can articulate here. 

I will be staying with the Harris family, my great hosts, until we find an apartment for me close to Ramkhamhaeng University, where I’ll be invovled in reaching out to students.  So far the heat and humidity aren’t killing me, but please continue to pray that my body adjusts well and quickly to a drastically different climate.

Look forward to receiving more updates (especially as I get settled and un-jetlagged), and don’t forget to check here for more frequent thoughts and pictures.

Thank you again for everything that you are to me, and know that I am thinking of you and missing you!

Love,

Heather

 

19 Oct 2009

Do not be afraid, Heather.

Do you ever see patterns in your faith life?  Places where conversations, interactions, and idiosyncracies all converge to make you wake up and pay better attention to what is being said to you?  Yeah, I totally had one of those moments today.

I am emptying out a few emails that have clogged-up my inbox, and I read a daily encouragement email that I received from Sojourners.  The scripture for Thursday, Oct 15^th (my original departute date, sans 24-hour layover in Atlanta, but we’ll discuss that later) was this passage from Joshua:

I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

- Joshua 1:9

Upon reading this scripture, I paused and allowed many different conversations to come back to me, forming a pattern much like a quilt in my mind:  The sermon at Bangkok Liberty Church Sunday morning was about Overcoming and Conquering Fear…I was seated next to a fellow missionary to Thailand on the L-O-N-G flight from Atlanta to Tokyo, and he kept assuring me that there was nothing to fear on my journey…this scripture being sent on the day I left (a day where I kept all my fear hidden away from my loved ones as I walked with my head held high to the security gate)…

There were other small moments that add to this patchwork, but you can already see that God has been sending me a message; a message filled with reassurance, encouragement, patience, and a never-tiring desire to see me whole and healthy.  He is so good like that.  He has called me, He has provided for me through His people, and now He is making sure that I do not get overwhelmed with the enormity of moving to the other side of the world for 7 months.

No matter what you might be facing today, please let this small blog entry encourage you to choose faith and peace over fear.  Courage is not the absence of fear–it is the diligence and the decision to act in spite of the fear.  Our fears won’t always go away, even after time and prayer; but we can decide to act despite the presence of what makes us afraid.  Sometimes it’s the only way to move forward.

And as you move forward, know that God’s perfect Love will be driving out that fear for you.

In Him,

Heather

Aka “Heather The Brave!!!”  :)

 

20 Oct 2009

God’s got my back.

Doesn’t He always? 

I titled today’s entry thus because God has placed an answer to prayer right here in Bangkok: her name is Kara Chase.  I don’t think she realizes how much of an answer to prayer she is to all of the people in her life, but maybe I can give her a little taste of the amazing influence that she has right here.

When I signed up to come to Thailand, I was told that other young people would be making the decision with me, and I would not be alone.  What I wasn’t prepared for was the amazing fact that one of those people would be my good friend Kara Chase!  To make a short story long (shout out to Dr. M), I ran into Kara on the sidewalk at Evangel University within moments of deciding in my heart to go to Thailand, and she had seen me turning in some paperwork another day outside of the A/G building downtown.  Finally our paths crossed in that moment, and we relished in the fact that we were both going to Thailand!!  Not only would it be a blessing to have someone familiar there (a little piece of home), but Kara and I had experienced Morocco together a few years back, and had built special love and respect for one another in the context of missions.  So not only am I glad that I have a friend in Bangkok already, but it is the one and only Kara Chase, whom I love, respect, admire, and just plain LIKE.  She’s awesome to be around, and a formidable woman to know.

As this first week in Thailand has progressed, I find myself more and more thankful for Kara’s presence; and therefore more and more aware of how God truly lined out this experience for me.  He could have placed anyone in Bangkok with me, but He chose Kara.  Likewise, I pray I can be a blessing and encouragement in her life as we work and play together.

God often works and orchestrates moments and motions in our lives…we may not always see it or recognize His fingerprints.  But I truly believe that He has our best intentions in mind, and am apt to believe that He has our backs.  I hope you can see that in your life today, or even stretch yourself to believe it…

In Him,

Heather

 

21 Oct 2009

Like-minded people.

Today was a good day.

I woke up at 4am (an unfortunate habit I’ve picked up since crossing the International Date Line), took an ice cold shower (another habit I’ve adopted since I don’t sleep with the air-conditioning on), and worked on email and Facebook communications for awhile.  Then I took a nap.  Then I spent some time talking to family and my boyfriend back home, allowing myself to cry for the first time since leaving home a week ago.  It was good, healthy, and needed.

I’m realizing that you have to really be in-tune with your body and mind while living overseas, especially when the culture you are trying to adapt to is so vastly different from your own.  Lucky for me, my mentor missionaries are incredibly wise and practical in their approach to living here, and are ready to help me get through any obstacles I encounter.

Another thing I learned is that in order to survive, you need to incorporate some quality time with some like-minded people.  I’m more fortunate than a lot of people overseas because I have a large base of fellow workers close by.  Today Kris and I met with Rosemund, another short-term worker, and ran some errands.  It was a pretty routine kind of day (well, routine for the field, right ladies?  Haha), but just the time spent in fellowship, the topics that we discussed, and the camaraderie we shared blessed me and let me know that I am with my people.  I fit in here.  That means the world to me.

Wherever you find yourself, try to surround yourself with like-minded people.  At least once in awhile.  It can build you up more than you realize, and brighten any day.

Today I find myself sitting in a hotel room on the outskirts of Seattle, WA, reflecting upon one of the most awe-inspiring weeks I have experienced in quite some time.

This past week I have walked, hiked, and explored some of the most beautiful landscapes I have seen in my life.  I have had the opportunity to visit the rainiest city on the continental United States (without more than a few sprinkles falling on me, ironically); explored the periphery of one our of great National Parks; perused through one of the very few temperate rainforests in the world, gazing at mosses hanging from trees that reach hundreds of feet into the air; hiked down to a gorgeous beach full of stacks of driftwood that made my head spin; and today, walked out to the most northwesterly point of the continental United States (while waving to Canada just across the way).

What is this magical, mystifying, magnificent place that I find myself in?  The Olympic Peninsula.

All of these experiences have been had in the Pacific Northwest, my new favorite vacation spot.  Some friends and I have had a great time here, and I join them in already planning our next excursion out here!

The scenery, people, and extravagant beauty I have encountered this week have all worked together to redefine my idea of worship.  As my good friend (that term just doesn’t do her justice; let’s use, “great, encouraging, challenging, beautiful, and FUN friend”) Jessica and I stood dumbfounded and in awe at an overlook on Cape Flattery, I was struck by how narrow my concept of worship has been.  Gazing into the turquoise waters off an island by the Cape, I simply could not believe that I once thought the “best” or “most practical” way to worship God was to hide myself away in a quiet place and pray fervently.  While that is a good discipline and there is a time and place for it, I now know deep down that stopping at the overlook to praise God for His creation, as waves of adoration and awe rolled off of me as swift as those waves below my feet, is also a form of worship.  It was an appropriate form of worship for where I found myself and for the thoughts and feelings swimming around inside of me.  And I think God was honored. 

As I continue traveling (Las Vegas to see my lovely Charisse and share with a youth group about Thailand, then back to Oklahoma City to see friends before I get back home to AR), I am eager to experience more moments of what I will call “unconventional worship” until these moments are so ingrained within me that it’s no longer unconventional.  I want this attitude of worship to be a second nature; a reaction to beauty, to people, to all things good and right that have been placed in my path by a good God.

Let me know what has stirred within you “unconventional worship” today, and let’s all live with eyes slightly more open, and hearts and minds fully open to God and how He speaks to us in the slightly unconventional ways.

Worshiping Him anew,
Heather

So…I’m trying to be a person who takes more time to sit back and reflect upon the happenings of life. Our lives are meant to be lived; and, I believe, to be reflected upon, learned from, and shared with others.

Today I found myself, in the midst of the kajillion things I told myself I needed to get done, reflecting upon the Palm Sunday service I attended with my family this morning. My first revelation, dear reader, was that I don’t spend near enough time and energy observing the weeks leading up to Easter as much as I would like to. I want to be more intentional about recognizing and reflecting upon Ash Wednesday, Lent, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and then Easter Sunday. Hopefully I will expend more energy next year (and the years following) to find ways to honor these observances and really take all of it to heart. Join me, if you’d like.

My second thought on this reflective day went something like this (try to follow my stream-of-consciousness thoughts): I wonder what Palm Sunday will be like next year in Bangkok? More abstractly…what if Jesus were to enter Bangkok as He did Jerusalem…? Would He be met with Palm fronds and shouts of ‘Hosanna!’ as He was way back then? What if He rode in on an elephant, instead of a donkey? And what if He wore a simple button-up, lightweight cotton shirt with a flower print instead of his robe? What if Jesus came into Bangkok, spoke peace and exhibited utter humility and love…would He be accepted? Or would our good-intentioned but sometimes erring human nature eventually tire of the excitement and instead join the other crowds crying, “Crucify him!!” just as they eventually did in Jerusalem?

What if Jesus had walked the paths that now constitute the bustling city of Bangkok, Thailand all those years ago…would the people back then have accepted Him and His message any better than the people of Israel did? Can I be so bold as to ask if the hearts of the Thai people would have been ready to really hear Him out, to embrace the mindset and heart-set He spoke of? And what about when His Name is proclaimed and His gospel shared today and tomorrow? Are hearts ready? I have a feeling deep down inside of me that there are many ready hearts, but simply not enough mouthpieces. If there were enough of us to share the message of hope this Easter Sunday with all of those willing to listen, what would the response be? What would the response be in Thailand? In Sudan? In Ireland? In Mongolia? In northeastern Oklahoma?

We cannot know until we move our feet to the rhythm of His heartbeat. We won’t know until we go into all the world preaching what He has taught us, making disciples of all nations, and blessing this world with our message of the hope, redemption, and reconciliation found in Jesus Christ. Only when we do that will we know what the response to Jesus will be.

I pray it will be more joyous and exuberant shouts of “Hosanna!” and the sound of many new souls worshipping a good, loving, and merciful God for the first time.

Waiting for that day,

Heather

I attended a small-town Baptist church this morning with some friends, and had a really good time.  There’s something about small churches that will always put a smile on my face; whether it’s how laid-back they are, how warm and welcoming the people are, or just the fact that I have been a part of many small congregations throughout my life.  This church held much of the same charm, and the message moved my heart in a way that it hasn’t been moved in a while.
 
The preacher, a friend of my uncle’s, preached on the Cross and what Jesus endured on our behalf.  It might sound like it was a simple message, and one that you hear often in churches as we draw near to Easter.  But friends, it is a message we can’t hear enough!  And one that we can’t share enough!  It is so easy to go through the motions of our everyday lives and forget the meaning held behind the phrase, “Jesus died for you, and He died for me.”  Within that simple truth is a wealth of divine love, forgiveness, hope, redemption, and salvation.  Within that truth is a glimpse of a God that created everything around us, created all of us in our complexity and beauty, and then chose to forgive us and draw us back to Himself when we chose to go astray.  Within that truth is a doorway into the heart and mind of a God that models the highest example of Love we can witness: to give and sacrifice oneself for those you love.
 
No matter what each day brings, we can remember the truth and hope of salvation.  We can remember all that Jesus endured on the cross for us, and the fact that we have the hope of heaven and eternity before us–rather than punishment for the sins we have committed and that Jesus’ blood covers. This freedom, forgiveness, and redemption is open to everyone, for “All who call upon the Name of the Lord will be saved.”  (Romans 10:13)
 
And, as we awaken to each new day, we can share this hope with everyone we come into contact with.  It is a privilege to share this hope and confidence that we have in the Lord!  We can bear witness to the changes in our lives, and share those truths with anyone we meet who wants a change in their life, too.
 
How God can love each and every one of us so much that He was willing to give the life of His Son Jesus on our behalf, I will never quite comprehend.  But it is a truth that I want to remember every day, and share with those who need to hear it.  Let us not let it slip away from our hearts, but let us remember our Lord and give thanks for all He has done, and is going to do!
 
Praising and Thanking Him with you,
Heather

Hi guys!

Just wanted to share a prayer request really quick: please pray for my health.  I’ve been sick on and off for the last month, fighting an upper-respiratory infection then 2 allergic reactions to the antibiotics.  Just as I was feeling better (praise God for steroid shots), I woke up this morning with a spider bite.  Prognosis: brown recluse bite.  Ugh.  I got more antibiotics from the doctor and he thinks I’ll be just fine, with hopefully no rotting of my leg flesh (but rest assured I will upload photos if there’s any rotting action, haha).

I truly appreciate your prayers right now!  I don’t like being sick, and having one thing after another is wearing on me.  Through it all, though, the Lord really is helping me to stay relatively positive and remember that life could be so much more difficult.  Health problems are hard trials, but life is still good and God is still good.  Amen?  Amen.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, they mean the world to me. 

Heather

I have been so blessed here lately in the friend department.

I’ve always been surrounded by wonderful, encouraging, godly people–and I am thankful for that.  But lately I think I am starting to appreciate everyone more than I have before.  Perhaps I’m growing and maturing…perhaps I’m nostalgic as I face moving to the other side of the world and leaving everyone here…or perhaps God is helping me to open my heart to these friends more than I have in the past.  Whatever the reason, I am deeply grateful for those people who have made an impact on my life, and hope they realize what they mean to me.

As I’ve been spending time with old friends, improving my keeping-in-touch skills by constantly having my cell phone attached to my ear and fingers perched over my email box, and planning fun and refreshing trips to visit friends who have moved far away, I’m beginning to better understand God’s knowledge of our need for fellowship.  I have a tendency to be very introverted at random times (does that surprise some of you?), and can forget the blessing that comes with opening up our hearts and souls to someone whom we can trust with that access.  But it is in those moments of sharing of myself, unashamedly transparent and vulnerable to someone, that I better comprehend the fellowship God offers to all of us.  As I allow myself to be close to others, it is easier to be close to God.  He understands and even created our need for fellowship–both with others, and with Himself.  It’s amazing, isn’t it?

And it’s not all touchy-feely, let’s talk about our emotions…shoot, no!  I’ve been having a blast with friends hiking, shopping, EATING, and playing Wii (let’s hear it for Wii baseball!)!  So that’s another facet of relationship that I am thankful for.  I’m excited to have fun friends–and I am crazy excited about the new friends I will meet in Thailand. 

I hope this thoughtful post has made sense as I take these thoughts from my mind and attempt to articulate them on a blog.  And, I hope it helps you to stop and appreciate the special people in your life.  I pray you are as rich as I am in the friend department!  I bet you are.

I started out the new year making a list of all the things I want to do in my life–I think I mentioned that in my last post.  Well, I just bought the plane tickets that will help me cross one more off of my list: I am going with some friends to Seattle, WA and the surrounding area for a little vacation in April!  Woot!  Hiking, whale watching, catching up with old friends, and some sightseeing.  Who could ask for anything more?

So, why the adventure list?  Why the introspection and sudden need to experience life to its fullest?  As I’m growing and maturing more and more, I’m realizing that life needs BALANCE.  To a life that is full and busy and constantly on hyperdrive, balance means finding ways to step away from the cares of this world, and reminding oneself that Life truly is a gift from God–and it is worth LIVING.  As I spend each day in His Word, spreading His love and truth to all that I meet and love, I need to set aside that time to spend with Him, experiencing Life as a gift.  I don’t think I’ve had the proper perspective on this balance until now, and I fully intend to embrace it and LIVE.

Do you have that balance?  I pray right now that the Lord shows it to you in a mighty and gracious way.  We have been redeemed and blessed, and we don’t have to be afraid to enjoy this life that has been given to us.  Life needs to be balanced with working hard for the Kingdom, but also taking that time to refresh, renew, and relate to Him again.

So I will be doing just that from April 20-25, in some of God’s most beautiful (and rainy) landscapes in the U.S.  Oh yeah, it’s going to be amazing!

“Hallelujah, hallelujah, You make all things new, all things new…”  -Misty Edwards

Hello, hello, hello!

Do you remember me?  Seems I took too long of an absence from the blogging world!  Seems I have been M.I.A. for a little too long, haha.  Many apologies for that, I’m still an imperfect work of grace. 

The title of this entry says it all: it’s a new year, you’re reading this entry on a new website (which I’ve literally been working on since the last post.  Darn my HTML illiterate mind!), and I have a whole slew of new goals ahead of me.  First on my agenda is break my bad habits of not being a good and consistent communicator.  I apologize from the bottom of my heart that I have not been effective in communicating my ministry and life to you all.  I have been notorious for not keeping in touch well over the years, and I’m done with that label.  Please bear with me as I continue growing, forgetting what is behind and striving toward that goal in Christ Jesus!

I have many other goals in mind for this year (some big, some small), and I plan on sharing them with you along the way.  For now, please check out my new website, all the info, and all the photos I put on Picasa just for YOU!

And, as always, please continue to remember Thailand and me in your prayers.  Your prayers are heard by a good, mighty, and caring God who moves on our behalf and genuinely cares about the things that concern us.  Please pray as I continue raising funds for my new departure date: September 2009.  And please continue to remember the political situation in Thailand; things have settled down, and I want them to stay that way!

Let me know how YOU are doing, and what goals you have set for the new year.

I love this kid. Sigh.

That’s my little Missionette Sierra, one of a family of 4 kids that has stolen my heart in my time at Forest Avenue church. To be fair, there are a LOT of children that I’ve had the privilege of teaching about the Lord and spending time with in the past 6 years at Forest Avenue; but these kids have a special place in my heart reserved just for them. Now a Sunday or Wednesday doesn’t go by where I don’t hear, “Miss Heather, you can’t leave!” come from at least one of them. And any time I’m gone for a week or more, I am welcomed back by enthusiastic little ones running up to me for a hug, stealing another piece of my heart as the embrace ends.

Sigh, again.

When I first started attending Forest Avenue, I didn’t have a clue about children’s ministry. But over time I’ve learned that whether you’re teaching them a Bible story, helping them memorize an important scripture verse that will stick with them, or just turning cartwheels in the fellowship hall while Pastor Jim isn’t looking (haha), being influential in a child’s life is one of the most beneficial things you can do with your life. And even though your heart will feel like it’s ripping out of your chest when it’s time to say goodbye, if you get the privilege of leading a little one to the Lord, you know that you will get to see them again. And there is no way to measure what a difference faith will make in a child’s life as they grow up. I know it made a difference in my life, even though I didn’t turn back to the Lord until I was 16. But the Bible stories stayed in my heart, and the knowledge of a loving God was with me all along. I pray these same promises and this steady faith remains with my “kiddos” from Forest Avenue for the rest of their lives.

And, I pray the memory of their “Miss Heather” sticks with them, too. Because I know for sure that they will stay with me.

So much to update you on!

Let’s begin with the title, haha. I’m currently in the stage of preparation for Thailand where I have continuously tortured my body with immunization shots. Granted, I am incredibly thankful that these shots are protecting me against gross diseases and brain-swelling viruses; but darn, these puppies HURT! I have a pretty high threshold for pain, but I find that after every prick (sometimes multiple ones in a single visit), even though I am now 24 years old and consider myself an adult, part of me wants to go home, go to sleep, and let my Mom or Grandpa serve me warm soup and lollipops every few hours. Sounds slightly pathetic, doesn’t it? It’s okay, you can let me know, I’m strong enough to handle your sarcasm.

In other news…it’s been great catching up on a bajillion things I’ve put off until I “had more time” (note to self: there will never be enough time, so embrace the time you have and make it work!). I have only been doing odd jobs here and there since August, and this break has been a blessing on many, many levels. One of which is the extra time I have to develop a healthier lifestyle. It dawned on me a few months ago that I have got to get my body in better shape before I leave for Thailand. I’m not overweight, but I’m not in the place where I could survive living in the tropics without serious issues, either. So I became a member of a local gym in April, but only recently have I been completely faithful to keeping in shape. And you know what? I can’t believe I’ve waited so long to take such good care of my body! I mean, if we read Romans 12:1 we see that we are to offer our bodies up as a living sacrifice–and that means we need to also keep our bodies healthy and working well, not just unpolluted from the worldly things around us. Our bodies (along with our salvation) were bought at a price, and we need to honor God by taking care of His creation. So all month I have eaten healthy carbs, high-calcium yogurt and cottage cheese, fruits, and veggies, and worked out almost every day. The result: a healthier, happier, Heather! I actually did 21 miles on the stationary bike today, and it felt wonderful. I’m praying I can keep up a healthy regiment in the months to come, and that my body will better withstand the heat, humidity, and air pollution of Bangkok.

Two paragraphs on the body…time for an update on the soul…

Another bonus of being temporarily unemployed is that I’ve had more time to read (and I highly recommend taking a book with you to the gym–totally makes the time fly by on the bike or elliptical). I recently read a daily devotional by Alicia Britt Chole entitled Pure Joy! Words of Encouragement and Hope, and the entire book was just that: pure joy, encouragement, and hope. If you are reading this blog entry and know a woman who has a birthday coming up, you should buy this for her! Each day has an entry with a scripture, a prayer, and a short devotional. Chole is completely biblical in all of her stories and illustrations, and writes like no other female author I know. She’s also great in person, if you have the chance to see her preach. One of the devotions touched on many of the emotions I have been experiencing lately, here is an excerpt:

“During transitions we uproot and replant our sense of purpose, value, and self. Between what was and what will be, we often feel vulnerable, uncertain, and exposed…If embraced, transitions will refine our character and grow dependence upon God in our souls.”

I mentioned in a blog entry from this summer that I was learning how to be more dependent upon the Lord in all areas of my life, and this excerpt touches on that point. I am recognizing more and more the transition that I find myself in, and all of the emotions that go with this time in my life. I feel incredibly vulnerable. I feel more exposed that I have ever been, especially when I’m on stage in front of a church, sharing with them my deep burden for the lost. But I am also recognizing God’s hand in the midst of the transition.

I don’t often “feel” His tangible presence surrounding me like I have felt so many times before; but I feel the weight of His promise to never leave me or forsake me (Joshua 1:9, Hebrews 13:5) more deeply and more clearly than I think I have ever felt before. And it is comforting. And it is reassuring.

And it is real.