TO OURSELVES AND OUR POSTERITY.

We made it to Thailand! Wow, y’all. I cannot believe how the time has flown. We are in our last country of the World Race! And it is truly incredible. What a joy it is to end the Race in Thailand. My entire squad is living in Chiang Mai, Thailand until July 12th! Thailand is the hottest place I think I have ever been. I thought I’d be good and conditioned for the humidity, considering where I was raised, and while I am handling it better than others on my squad, I am no match for the Thai heat. Speaking of heat, I have also eaten some of the spiciest food since I’ve been here! Yum! Thailand is bright, loud, inviting, and full of really humble people.

My current team is called C3! Our ministry here in Thailand is unlike any World Race ministry we’ve had so far.

Here’s some context: right now, our squad is broken into four teams. Three of the four teams (including mine) are living in a coffee shop. A few years ago, the coffee shop bought out the hostel it was attached to and now they own the whole building. I am living with three of my teammates on the 6th floor (no elevator) of this coffee shop/hostel. We have the blessing of being able to run the air conditioning from 7am to 7pm! Praise God.

The ministry my team was assigned to is working with the coffee shop itself. Bella Goose Coffee was started in small-town Wisconsin. When the owners of BG saw the red light districts in Thailand, they opened two locations of BG here in Chiang Mai. The goal is to pull people out of bad situations (mostly within the sex industry) and allow them to be employed, equipped, empowered. The Gateway program is the coffee shop’s non-profit organization. Gateway currently owns three houses that provide transitional living for vulnerable women and children. For employees of the coffee shop, classes are available in English, baking, budgeting and finance, coffee roasting, computer skills, and individual counseling sessions with staff. For those living in Gateway housing; community, life-skills training, and Christian teachings are just a few of the things that are provided. The desire for both the coffee shop and Gateway is to give people the confidence and skills to be self-sufficient.

My ministry while I am here is creating a pitch deck presentation for potential investors. This is a short presentation that tells the story of BG, their  heart, their goals, their needs, and testimonies of Thai people who have been impacted by BG and Gateway. It has combined my love of coffee, writing, and serving others. It may sound like I am thrilled and that this ministry is kinda perfect for me. And I would agree! But I did not feel this way at first. The other teams are serving children, youth, and families. They are teaching and preaching. At first, working for the coffee shop, did not feel like ministry to me. It felt menial, it felt like busy-work, or like free labor.  BUT COMPARISON IS THE THIEF OF JOY. So, I stopped comparing my ministry to the other teams and leaned hard into why I’m here working for this coffee shop.

And here’s what I’ve settled on:

• I believe in the ministry of this coffee shop.
• The Lord has given me specific gifts and passions that I am using here.
• This presentation will be used to tell the stories of BG, and hopefully, Christians will want to invest in it.
• This ministry is preparing my heart for reentry to the States.
• I am getting exposed to the nitty gritty of what it looks like to run a business.
• Whatever you do, if you work with a Kingdom mindset, it’s Kingdom work.

In my last blog, I talked about Moses and how God didn’t allow him to see the fruit of his labor. This feeling is one that is also all too real here in Thailand but in different ways. In Jordan, I wasn’t able to see this fruit because we were only allowed to plant tiny seeds in faith. Here, I am not able to see the fruit because I am creating something and I’ll never get to know how it turns out. Who knows who will see this presentation? Will anyone invest in BG? Will more Gateway houses be built to house more people? Will another location of BG pop up near the red-light district? Honestly, I don’t know. And that’s okay! But I will work diligently as to the Lord and not to men.

Teachers, does it make a difference if your students see you praying before you eat lunch? Moms, does it make a difference if your children see you opening your Bible in the morning? Dads, does it make a difference if your children notice that you don’t get road rage when someone pulls out in front of you? Does it make a difference if we treat our coworkers with kindness when they don’t work as hard as we do? It does make a difference. And it all matters, even if we never see the impact it will have. He has called us to run the race marked out for us with endurance. He encourages us that our labor is not in vain because He is our inheritance and our reward!

People will come along behind me and pick up where I left off. My posterity in this ministry are those who will show this presentation to those with willing hearts and open hands. My posterity are those who will open new homes to welcome in single moms and prostitutes. My posterity are those who will pour cups of coffee for years to come in Jesus’ name. So I will labor with Christ in whatever He has assigned to me for this season. I will secure the blessings, to myself and my posterity.

Who is coming along behind you? Your actual children, your grandchildren, employees, students, those you are discipling and mentoring, unbelieving friends and family members? To whom are you passing your ministry? And what is it? Will you secure the blessings, for yourself and your posterity?

More coming soon,

Caroline