Welcome to Chiang Mai!!

Hello all my awesome friends!!!

Welcome back to another big life update, I am so excited to fill you all in on what my first week and a half have looked like here in Thailand. My team gets to have the privilege of planning a business administration program that we will be teaching to a few students in the coming weeks. This program is called SOAR, and it is aimed to equip people who have been exposed to sexual exploitation to get jobs in business administration. My team arrived in Chiang Mai last Monday, and got to spend the rest of the week getting our bearings in the city, exploring, and we got started on our ministry which consisted of planning curriculum for the SOAR program.

My team also got to go and visit the Huai Kaeo waterfall over the weekend which was really cool. It was great to hike and swim and spend time with our team!

This week we are getting to work on a project that I am LOVING. One of the organizations in connection with our ministry has 2 safe houses in the Chiang Mai area, these houses serve as safe havens for women and children who have been rescued from sexual exploitation or who are at risk of being exposed to it. My team has had the honor and privilege of getting to provide some TLC to one of these homes. We started out the week repainting some bedrooms and the main areas in the house. Today was really cool because we could kind of start to see things coming together. The rooms are looking a lot brighter, and it is just such a blessing to think about the restoration that will happen in that house. We have been very intentional as a team to be praying over each room. I think it is such an amazing way to serve God, and to care for His children in this way, even though we don’t get to see the fruit of it right away. It has been so life giving to fill the house with prayer and worship, I am so excited for the women and kids that will get to make that house a home 🙂

Thank you all so much for the continued prayers, they are felt and I appreciate them so much ❤️

I would love continued prayers in the following areas:

• Join me in praying over the women and children who will move into this safe house. That they would find freedom, redemption, and come to fully know the healing power of Jesus.
• That my team would honor God as we prepare the SOAR curriculum and prepare to teach.
• That the Lord would continue to highlight ways that we can grow His kingdom here in Thailand, in and out of our ministry assignment.
• Continued love and grace and freedom in Christ on my team (team members are Sarah, Tucker, Aaron, Coby and John).

Prayers and Blessings,

Amanda

Bonus content!!

Me and my teammate Sarah getting coffee at a cute shop near the safe house!

Sarah and I, and a couple friends from Bella Goose Lexi (left) and Hope (right)

Me enjoying my favorite coffee from Bella Goose, its a salted caramel iced latte (the caramel here is SO good)!

My team and one other team enjoying a 10 hour bus ride from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.