I was recently asked, “What is something you’ve been thinking about recently?” My response was the goodness of God, so it only felt fitting for that to be the name of this blog. I am going to summarize the last four weeks. By reading the summaries of each week and looking at photos, my prayer is you would be able to get a glimpse of the goodness of God and what He’s been doing through me and my team.
February 19th-23rd:
We are still going strong! On the 19th we were back at A-Mane, and Alex taught again. The following two days we went to Bangkok University, where we shared the gospel and helped with a frisbee clinic. Then on Saturday we went to Rangsit University and helped with their frisbee clinic. They ended up having student volunteers, so we didn’t do a lot, but it was good to spend time with each other, and it was fun to watch them play. Sunday was our ATL day. We spent the morning relaxing and then went to Chinatown in the evening.
I’ll give a quick briefing on what sharing the gospel is like with the university students. We are split into groups, either by ourselves or with someone else from the team, along with a staff member/members from the church that walk around with us to help with translation barriers. The staff will initiate the conversation, tell them we are with a Christian club, and ask if we can sit down to have a conversation with them. Next, either the church staff or we (it depended on how fluent they were at English) would begin asking get-to-know-you questions such as, What is your major? “What is your favorite thing to do in Thailand?” What is your favorite Thai meal? After that, we would share the gospel. Most of the time we would share the gospel in English, and then the church staff would share it again in Thai. Then, the church staff would ask more questions. At the end, students got the opportunity to accept Jesus into their hearts. Lastly, we would pray for the students. A lot of the students we encountered were receptive to hearing the gospel and being prayed for. We continued to share the gospel with university students for the next three weeks.
February 24th-March 2nd:
We started the week off with our sabbath. It was a very relaxing and chill day. On the 25th of February, we spent most of the morning at a coffee shop as a team. We painted on small pieces of paper, wrote notes/bible verses of encouragement, and tied them to a flower with ribbon. In the evening we did a prayer walk, and as the Lord prompted, we would give the flowers to people. It was really sweet seeing their faces light up with excitement! Jessie came back in the early morning on the 26th. In the afternoon we went to A-Mane and taught a lesson about Noah’s Ark. We left our hotel in Bangkok on the 27th of February and moved into a church (Mahaphon Rangsit Church—MRC) in a city about 20 minutes away called Rangsit. The church staff I’ve previously mentioned call MRC home. Our sleeping arrangement consists of us sleeping on the floor in one room (we have mattresses and our sleeping pads, which is nice). We share one bathroom and one shower. We definitely made the room feel like a home by putting up string lights, making a prayer wall, and making an art wall. We’ve (not me) done a lot of watercolor painting recently, which prompted the creation of the art wall. Alex brought string lights, so of course those had to go up. The prayer wall was a suggestion by Alex, and the rest of us were all in to help make it happen. On the 28th we went to Thamasat University, shared the gospel, and played ultimate frisbee. The following day we went to A-Mane, and Alex taught about social norms again. Then on Sunday we went to church and had a relaxing afternoon. The days felt really long, but the week went by fast.
March 3rd-March 9th:
We started off the week with our ATL day and spent the day worshipping, eating, playing games, and painting. The following day was our sabbath. We went to a mall close by because the electricity was going to be out at the church from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Next, it’s March 5th, which was a special day… Ava’s birthday!!!! We went to Thamasat, shared the gospel, and played frisbee. A quick little story. One of the girls and I got paired up together. I was excited because I enjoy walking around with someone from the team so I have backup in case I get stuck/need help with questions or sharing the gospel. It was our first group of students and our turn to share the gospel. I gave her a head nod like go for it, and she did an incredible job. After we were done, she said, “I just shared the gospel for the first time!” It was a sweet moment to witness and be part of. I was so proud! On the 6th we spent the afternoon at Bangkok University, spending time in the word and intentional time with each other. Then, in the evening, we played frisbee. The following day we went to Rangsit University and shared the gospel with students. On Saturday we went to two students houses from A-Mane and had authentic Thai meals. We went to one house for lunch and had Massaman curry with chicken. Then we went to a different house for dinner and ate rice noodles with crab curry. This day quickly turned into one of our favorite days we’ve had in Thailand so far. It was special to experience a traditional Thai meal! It was also Mandy’s birthday!!
March 9th-March 16th:
We started the week off by going to church at MRC and then chilling the rest of the afternoon. In the evening we all went to play badminton with one of the Thai families we had met the day before. It was lots of fun! Monday was our ATL day. We started the morning by going to a coffee shop as a team. Then, Ava, Alex, and I went to go get new piercings. I got my thirds done and a forward helix. Jessie tagged along as a support system. After the piercing, Jessie and I had a one-on-one and got our nails painted. The rest of the evening we all chilled at the church. Tuesday was our sabbath; it was restful and relaxing as always. On Wednesday, we had most of the morning off and then went to Rangsit in the late afternoon to share the gospel. On Thursday, we went to Bangkok University in the afternoon to share the gospel, and in the evening we played frisbee. The church staff that was with me spoke little English, and we came across a student that only spoke English, so I had to do the majority of the talking. It was a good moment because after I shared the gospel, she accepted Jesus into her heart. On Friday, we went to Rangsit to share the gospel. This was also our last day of ministry in Thailand. As I reflected on sharing the gospel with Thai students, I was once again reminded of the goodness of God. During the three weeks, over 100 students heard the gospel. That’s incredible! The following day we went to a coffee shop and made cards for all the church staff. We spent the afternoon packing. In the evening we said goodbye to the church staff and to Benz. Next, we began our 10-hour bus ride to Chiang Mai. Fortunately, our bus left at 10:30 p.m., so we slept most of the drive. We headed to Chiang Mai to meet up with our other two teams for a week of training and a week of debriefing our time in Thailand before we head off to Malaysia.
I love hearing from you all so feel free to leave a comment or message me about what you are doing also!
With love,
Lillie McQueen
This sounds like an experience of a lifetime. You are such a blessing. Loved hearing about all you do. Prayers your travels and adventure continue to bring glory to God! Love you Lill!