A New Thing!

Behold I am doing a new thing

Isaiah 43:19

He is doing a new thing, and we are learning to see it!

Time flies. Time has flown! These days feel long, but somehow the weeks seem to just disappear!

We’re already through our second week in Malaysia, and how wild is that? But before I jump into what life looks like here, let’s rewind and close out Thailand.

In my last blog, we were settling into a rhythm on the farm, prepping cassava fields, teaching English, and loving on the twelve sweet kids we lived with. The last few weeks were more of the same, and I loved it. We finished two and a half cassava fields, taught in two more schools, and helped teach an overnight English camp on our final weekend. Ministry at home shifted toward manual labor prepping for a new retaining wall, clearing space for that new construction, and hauling materials across the property. Tiring, but awesome!

We left Chiang Dao on Sunday, March 16, and headed into two weeks of debrief! The first week was focused on teaching and equipping, and the second was intentional reflection and rest. My sweet friend Areonah and I serve as logistics coordinators for our squad, which meant a lot of behind-the-scenes prep to help everyone rest well. Organizing housing, food, supplies, outings, and a chaotic visa renewal that turned into two very long days in the immigration office. 

But even on the busiest days, we saw God show up in the sweetest, most unexpected ways. One of our favorite stories is in the grocery store.

Areonah and I were there nearly every day. Shopping for food, water, or house supplies, and those trips always seemed to be when the exhaustion would hit. Maybe it was the quiet after a long day, or the overwhelming rows of products all labeled in Thai, but we would find ourselves standing zombie-like in front of aisles full of laundry soap, unable to tell what was detergent, dish soap, fabric softener, or floor cleaner.

We’d stop and pray “Okay Lord, we just need trash bags, or laundry soap, or water jugs.” And without fail, we’d turn the corner, and there it was. Over and over again, the things we needed appeared at just the right time, in just the right place. It was like He had stocked the grocery store just for us. 

I know the story sounds silly, but it matters! Every time, Areonah would say “If He’s this faithful in the small things, how much more faithful is He in the big ones?”

And He is.

Sneak Peak at Malaysia

Now here in Malaysia, all three teams are together again! Living in the same church building and doing ministry side by side. And it could not have come at a better time.

If you’ve seen the news lately, you may have heard about the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit Burma. We were in Chiang Mai on our last day of debrief when the tremors reached us. Our whole squad was safe, we quickly got outside, prayed, and waited through the aftershocks. It was surreal, unsettling, and one of those moments you don’t forget.

Later that night, we learned two of our squadmates would be going home. Though unrelated, the timing of it all felt like the ground was shifting beneath us in more ways than one.

 It was sudden and heartbreaking, and we didn’t have much space to process before the rest of us loaded into buses and began our 57-hour journey to Malaysia.

One of the sweetest gifts of this new season is that our whole squad is together. All three teams live in the same church and do ministry side by side. After so much transition, simply being in the same place has brought so much comfort, laughter, and renewed strength.

When we arrived, our leadership team debriefed while the rest of us rested and began settling in. Those early days in Malaysia were sacred. Lots of slow mornings, town walks, nights of worship, testimony sharing, and deep prayer. We didn’t need to rush, we just needed each other. In the aftermath of a literal and metaphorical earthquake, our squad chose to worship through the aftershocks.

And how beautiful is that?

Here are some ways you can be praying for us!

• Always For our Team
  • That our hunger for intimacy with the Lord would increase.
  • That our relationships with each other would deepen, and sharpen us in our journey together
• For our Squad
  • For unity, strength, and continued growth as we transition into this new season
• For our Host
  • Pray for the sustaining hand of Jesus as our entire squad and a gap squad are being hosted together, that’s a lot of young adults!
  • For wisdom and guidance as they navigate all the decisions that come with hosting, leading, and caring for so many people
• For Relationships with the Locals
  • Sharing the gospel with the Muslim community is illegal in Malaysia, pray over relationships to be built, and for curiosity to lead to meaningful gospel conversations!