It’s been a minute since I’ve said anything here. This week marks 5 months since I arrived in Thailand. I’d like to take a moment to share just a few things from my experience thus far.

When I arrived, I was sure that I wouldn’t be as useful as some of the other teachers who were seasoned musicians and teachers. I hadn’t done much music teaching, and the only instrument I had ever taken lessons for was the flute. Yet here I was, assigned to teach violin.

As the weeks went by, I began to get a few piano students and a couple flute students. The saxophone teacher was leaving, and he asked me to take over. The school asked me to start teaching voice and start a youth choir. A new missionary family arrived and asked me to babysit their two little girls. The new church choir director asked me to help him by playing piano for the choir and teaching parts to the ladies.

I began to feel more and more that God had sent me here for a purpose, and I had a work to do here. But there was one Sabbath that really made an impact.

It was district Sabbath, where 3 or 4 churches from the area, and other provinces, came together to have church together. I expected to see 300-400 people, so I was shocked to see only around 100 people. For the first time, it really struck me how few Adventists there are in Thailand, or even in Southeast Asia. I realized more than ever before just how great the work is here.

This was reinforced for me when I traveled with our Pathfinder group to the division Pathfinder Camporee in Johor, Malaysia. I don’t remember exactly how many people attended the camporee, but I do remember that again I wasn’t prepared for how few people were there. I had expected this camporee to be so much larger than it actually was.

From the beginning of my time here, I had the thought in the back of my mind that I may want to stay a second year, so as I saw the extent of the work needed in Southeast Asia, my decision was made. My call had never felt so real. I had only recently graduated from college, so I had no school, job, or anything of the sort to pull me back to America. I knew more than ever that the Lord had brought me here in His perfect timing, and He wanted me to stay longer than the one year I had originally committed to.

So that December, I officially committed to stay here in Khon Kaen, Thailand, until the summer of 2021. There’s just one small problem. To stay a second year, I need to raise about $3,500 more.

If the Lord impresses you to help me reach this goal, you may donate at the link on my profile at afmonline.org. Any amount you can give will help.

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