I feel like there is this preconceived notion that a blog post has to have meaning. Like, if I’m going to post this for the “world” to see I want to make sure that I’m writing something that is thought provoking, challenging, humorous, and most importantly something that I feel will be worth your time. You may disagree with me, but I personally feel this way. I want my words to matter. And yes, that is an important thing to care about. But as I sit here and contemplate on what I could possibly say in this blog post, all I can come up with is…nothing. Yet in my blank mind, I am reminded that there is beauty in simplicity. So today, that simplicity is coming in the form of “Thank You”. Yes this blog is intended to let you into my life here in Bangkok, but today I thought that I could let you into my heart. So as follows are somethings that I am truly thankful for: Technology that allows me to communicate with those I love that are 9,000+ miles away, my loving and caring parents who are daily surrendering their son to the Lord as I am striving to be obedient to His calling, the motivation that the Lord has instilled in me to go running five times a week, the Word of God, the progress of my language acquisition, iced coffee, the Awana kids at Kingwood First Baptist Church who have adopted me as their missionary and are praying for me daily (so so thankful for this), along with that support is the love and support I receive daily through text messages, emails, and FB messages/wall posts that are pouring love and prayer over me, good music, my teammates here in Thailand, my recent reconnection with an old friend, the opportunity to serve our God in a new culture, the simplicity found living in a slum, public transportation, fruit smoothies, His new mercies every day, the fact that most Thai food is fantastic, laughter, movies, time with friends, life stories, trials, challenging views and thoughts, the fact that God takes time to know me, my neighbors in my community, the rain, printed pictures, that God sent his son and that God has been and will continue to work in Thailand and I’m thankful that I get to be a part of that.
It’s in moments of silence where I feel challenged most to just sit, listen, and wait on the Lord. In this moment I felt led to express my thankfulness. There are so many other things that I could say, but mostly I’m thankful that God is so faithful to his people. That is one thing that has become increasingly clear here in Thailand, and not just in my life but also to the Thai people. God is everywhere and his spirit is moving among his people. That, along with everything else I listed, I am truly thankful for.