took this picture last week behind the chiang rai, thailand airport. read a psalm this morning. added some text that stuck out. boom. God is good.
it’s saturday night and i am at one of my favorite ‘spots’. wawee coffee shop in chiang rai. i really love it here. its comfortable, the coffee is great, the atmosphere is inviting, the price is decent i guess (expensive for thailand) but whenever im here i feel good. i throw on my headphones and get lost in the music. it is awesome. when im here i like to sit, listen to music and watch the people around me. (is it eves dropping if you can’t 100% follow the language — debatable!! hahaa)… but anyway. its great. next to me ive got a group of young 20somethings just talking and laughing the minutes away. it fills up my heart to see the thai smile. its something else, i will tell you what. praise God for smiles. praise God for friends and relationships that we can have with one another.
something i have been working on for the better part of this year is relationships. my relationship with God. my relationship with my family. my relationship with my friends in america. my relationship with the people ‘around my table’ here in thailand. i have had some conversations that i would of rather not of had (those are the ones that we avoid but know that everything will be 10x better after), ive written some emails i never thought i would write. ive prayed things i never wanted to admit but God knew about it anyway, He just wanted to hear it from my lips because He is jealous for me (i love that song). ive learned that a relationship is infact a two-way thing. you and the others, and not ‘the others’ from lost even though that show rules. it is communication and so much of it. communication is a two-way thing. it is us talking and then listening to what the others have to say or feel. not just hear what they have to say, but listen to what they have to say. to let it absorb not only in our heads but in our hearts more importantly. man, im going to be honest here, it is hard. it is hard to pursue relationships. but God wants us to have them. God wants us to live in community with others and share life together. He created US. He didnt create ONE. wow, i just thought about that as a wrote it. gnarly.
God brought me to thailand to have relationships with the thai people. to share life with the thai people. and through that i have gained more of a heart for ‘hill-tribe’ people of northern thailand where i live in chiang rai, the akha people, in particular and it is AWESOME. everyday, literally everyday, i am walking around or riding my motorbike or eating lunch or whatever im doing the same thing comes to my mind… I LIVE IN THAILAND – HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!. its a bit rediculous. but holy holy i am thankful for it. i am so grateful for the day on myspace where someone told me about jesus christ (yea, i got introduced to the love of Christ on myspace… its a great story really) i am so thankful that the first day i walked into willow creek community church in the suburbs of chicago, i met this awesome guy, jon, who just genuinely cared that i was there and actually followed up and committed himself to seeing me grow. if i owe all this to man, its him and his wife kelly and the community of believers known as Axis out of that church. but all glory goes to God. it all comes back to Him. it all comes back to the one who loves, who lights the way, who leads us home as we offer all to the one who saves us. (hillsong live – the one who saves)
praise God for life. praise God for all things given. i dont deserve any of it but man, i am so thankful for it. i pray to never take advantage of this beautiful life that has been put before me. that i never forget or stop praying for the beautiful smiling faces that are around my table to share life with.
live love.
I have been back in Chiang Rai now for almost 4 weeks now and it has been so great!
upon leaving the last ywam team that i was apart of i was certain that God was calling me back to chaing rai long term. i knew that i wanted to be in thailand but i wasn’t sure where at the moment, maybe go and try some other things out for a little bit and then seek the lord. but upon prayer all i kept hearing was chaing rai, so i went! and here i am
since being back God has opened up some great doors and provided in some amazing ways. and the peace and joy that i have being back here is overflowing out of my heart. i have started teaching again at chiang rai vocational college (CVC), a school where i taught english last year as well. and being back there has been such a blessing from God. students were pretty shy to talk to me and try their english and i tried my best and trying to make them feel as comfortable as possible talking to me and being around me… and this year that is exactly how it is. i am teaching 9 classes throughout the week with the rest of the time i have a desk in the english learning center room and people/ classes come to me and talk, play games, ask for help with homework and it has been such a great opportunity to start opening up more about my faith and relationship with God. it is being received so well. god is so good!
on top of teaching english this year, me alongside some friends rose, branee and maleek, we are heading up 2 separate christian clubs at schools around chiang rai as well. for 2 hours a week we meet, worship, pray, have bible teaching and discussion and last week alone we had 4 lost souls come home to the lord. it was a beautiful, beautiful thing my friend.
and even in the littlest ways God has been opening up new relationships with me here, workers at 7/11’s or coffee shops are putting themselves out there and talking to me now (in thai) and i am feeling so much apart of this community more than ever. building new and working on top of past relationships in chiang rai. yes lord!
and i am seeking prayers for finances here. i am currently at 40% of where i need to be with monthly support and am seeking God and asking for 20 people to give $20 per month or 10 people to support $40 per month, however you want to look at it, to support me while i am in thailand (indefinitely). God has graciously provided with one time gifts and that is really how i have been getting by. if you could please pray for me for support, pray about supporting me or even pass the word along, that would be such a blessing. if you are interested please write me back and i will get you all of the necessary information. online or mail-in checks are available… all are tax-deductible as well!
xbobbybo@gmail.com
live love, bobby bo!
