1 year and counting

I mentioned in my other post about us being a year here in Thailand in a few days. I just cannot help it… I am so grateful. I am so thankful at how the Lord has changed many things in my heart. Funny I had to come all the way here to completely trust Him.. in everything. My life in the Philippines was not easy. Hubby and I had a business that just went downhill, and we did not know how in the world would we ever be able to fulfill God’s calling in our lives with that unsettled area. But somehow God just worked in ways way beyond our imagination. Although we have made wrong decisions, He knew our hearts and just made us come to this land we have been praying for for many years now.

Everything just happened too fast. We landed on Thai soil September 12 last year. I was teary-eyed during the entire Manila- Bangkok trip. I knew I was going to be a missionary not long after I became a Christian. I was 17 then, and 17 years later, I was on that plane. It was a long time of waiting, preparation and lots of breaking. But even with that ample time, God was not done with me yet. When we got to Thailand we were broken.. all the more– in a very, very, very good way. There were times that we felt forgotten, there were times that we just broke down and cried in the middle of the night. The loneliness, the uncertainty in the future was overwhelming. The fact that we cannot communicate in English was hard enough.

There were days that we had to literally pray for our daily needs. There were days that I just did not know how to pray. But His being a Father has never been this real. One year and counting… there was not a day that we did not have food on our tables. There was not a day that we are not taken cared of. There was not a day that He was not real, that He was not near.

One year later, and we are not afraid to ride on buses, cross the streets, ask anyone around. We don’t find Thai conversations too foreign, either. Our comprehension in Thai is just getting better and better everyday. One year later, we can exchange jokes in Thai– tease friends and even share our testimony.

When God works like that, I cannot help but be greatly encouraged– that He who called us is faithful to complete what He has begun in our lives. One year and counting… we will be here as long as the Lord would want us to.