Beautiful People

Two years ago I had the opportunity to go to Thailand for a couple of weeks. This was my first trip out of the country and I was terrified. I had no idea what to expect, but I knew it would be an experience I would never forget. I remember preparing for the trip and praying that the people we met would see something different in us. I went expecting to make a difference, even if it was just for one person, but what I hadn’t expected was the difference it would make in me. I left feeling like I had not given nearly as much as I had received.

The people were beautiful. And not in a super model way, but in an every wrinkle tells a story kind of way. They were beautiful and they were desperate. Their desperation was something I hadn’t had in a long time. Watching them kneel down before a pile of plaster was both heart breaking and eye opening. These people knew there had to be something more and they pursued it with no hesitation.

I came back with a few souvenirs, some email addresses, and promises to keep in touch. And we did keep in touch for a while...a very short while. But to this day I am often reminded to pray for the girls I met when I see the now tattered bracelet that is almost always on my wrist. And when I pray for these girls, I am reminded of their desperation; reminded that I need to be desperate in my pursuit of the Lord.

On a slightly more "Crazy...or Jesus" note...I got a new student five weeks into school. He's the cutest little reminded that God has a sense of humor. He's from Thailand and had only been in the U.S. for two weeks when he joined our class. He's constantly cracking me up with the things he says or does, but more than that, he's a reminder, like my fraying bracelet, that I need to pursue the One who continually pursues me.