We were all baptized by one Holy Spirit. And so we are formed into one body. It didn’t matter whether we were Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free people. We were all given the same Spirit to drink.
1 Corinthians 12:13

Our time in Thailand was amazing. We were in Pattaya for a week, where we visited a Christian International School and met many children from different nations. There was a Christian family who escaped their country because of their faith in Jesus Christ. Their lives are truly inspiring. At the school, we did a short play, sang and danced, shared Bible stories, and played many games with the kids. I love their humor, energy, and how they were just excited to do anything. Not all of them were Christians, but we had the freedom to share God's love with them. The founder of the school has an amazing testimony about how God called him to open a Christian school after teaching in Thailand for years. The school is called Odyssey International School. It is in Pattaya, Thailand. You can search it on Facebook or on the internet to find out more. We were also able to visit a village that looked like a slum within the city. We were with another American missionary who works with the children and families in these villages to stop human and sexual trafficking. I went to the red light districts and it was sad. I was enraged on how many foreigners were working there trying to get people to go into the clubs and bars. I was thinking, "Does your mother know that you are here trying to sell women to people?" There were women throwing themselves on men and it reminded me a lot of some verses in Proverbs. I just walked and prayed. There are ministries that work with the sex workers. One of these ministries is called Tamar Center. If you are interested in knowing more or supporting this ministry, you can look it up. We rode scooters around the city, because it was cheaper. It was fun riding the scooter again. I had a blast!

After Pattaya, we took a two hour ride back to Bangkok and then took a night bus up to Chiang Rai. After eight hours, we arrived and were picked up by the staff of BIFA Academy. This is a Christian football academy. They minister to children and teenagers using various sports activities. There were boys and girls from the ages of like... 4 to 18. I had the chance to play volleyball with some of the women. I absolutely loved it. It reminded me a lot of the volleyball girls at Hope Mountain. And I was also able to play basketball because one of the college ministries is playing basketball! They have a young adult center where people meet and it's a chance to build relationship with the college students. It is difficult to share about God in Thailand as it's 99% Buddhists. And most young people are told by their family that becoming a Christian is murdering their family. I was able to play football once with the women who rented the BIFA football field weekly. Many of them are Christians and are teachers or missionaries. I had a lot of fun! Honestly, I never had the confidence in playing football because I don't know how to play. But it turned out that I wasn't that bad at all. At BIFA Academy, they would have English Corner with the football students and also Saturday Sunday School and Sunday Service. So I was able to lead the English Corner in which we danced, played games and learned the word "joy." It was super fun because we made it like a competition and gave gifts in the end. I was able to sing and worship a lot during this time. We visited a refugee camp twice and the pastor is amazing. It was eye opening to see the living conditions of these people. Please keep this refugee camp in your prayers! They need to experience God’s joy and peace. We also visited a church belonging to the hill tribes. It was really fun to watch them sing and harmonize because it reminded me of my Samoan realitives.

Overall, I enjoyed Thailand a lot. I wished God would send me to BIFA because sports is and using English to build relationships are two things I love. However, I know deep in my heart that my time in Brazil has not come to an end yet. Thank you for all your prayers and following the updates on Facebook. God bless you all!!!