How did I get Here ?
1 .
My first experience with Thailand was in 2009 . Glenn and I had only been married for a year and we went to Northern Thailand to visit our sponsor child . This was Glenn ’ s second trip to Thailand and he loved it , however , I distinctly remember driving through Chiang Rai , ( the area we now live in ) and thinking , “ I could never live here .”
6 .
After our son was born he had some mild medical issues , but not to the degree we feared . It was a stressful time and we were so grateful for the support we received . Over the next two years Global Interaction and our partnering churches prepared us and sent us off to Thailand as ready as we could possibly be .
5 .
After being accepted to go to Thailand with Global Interaction , I fell pregnant with our third child . We thought everything was typical until at the 12 week scan the doctors told us there was evidence of potential medical issues . During this time , I started to question God and our calling . Did He really want us to go ? If this was true , was that even possible ?
Liz Black maps out six key moments in her journey of following Jesus from Western Australia to Thailand .
2 .
In 2013 , we took a trip to visit my eldest sister Kath and her family in Mozambique . Originally this trip was just to visit family but when we got there and witnessed what they were doing and the work of Global Interaction , we became excited . We loved the relational approach to sharing Jesus . At the end of the trip Glenn and I shared with each other that God was telling us to do this work as well , but not in Mozambique . In Thailand .
3 .
We were hesitant about this ‘ calling ’, we had good jobs and a mortgage . At the start of 2014 we went on a short-term trip to Thailand . Again , Glenn loved it and I was unsure . As a mother I felt like our boys would be in constant danger in Thailand . I was ready to go home and not come back when one evening God spoke to me and gave me the peace that I could handle all things with His help .
4 .
In 2014 I asked God for a sign if we should go or not . I was reading through the story of Gideon and I could relate . Within days I attended a service where the guest speaker encouraged the church to send out more workers to the mission field . That ’ s when he said , “ There may be a couple with young children in this church that will go to Thailand . Send them out .” When I heard this , I knew God was speaking to me .
resonate · issue 34 · page 6