Sitting in a small circle with others from my DTS team, I was beginning to get a little uncomfortable. We were asked to sit quietly and “hear” from God about something we were to do and somewhere to go for our outreach. I was a little nervous.
Youth with a Mission values hearing from God before they do anything, and our team was no exception.
This wasn’t the first time I’ve heard God speak to me, but the following event became a hallmark in my faith. God does speak. He really cares, and He wanted to show me how much.
After several somewhat uncomfortable minutes sitting on the floor in our group circle, in my mind I heard the name ~ “House of Blessing.” One by one students began to share. When it was my turn to speak up, I asked if anyone knew about a “House of Blessing” somewhere near us. After some quick research, nothing came up. Honestly, I felt a little weird and awkward as others shared things that seemed to make more sense than my random ministry name.
Encouraged by the group to believe God knew why this name was important, I stuck this word on the back burner of my mind and moved forward with getting ready for outreach.
We spent weeks trudging through the northern regions of Thailand working with just about anyone. Finally, in a small region in the province of Chiang Mai, we spent time ministering to a small people group unheard of by most. Our contact had a sincere heart to help this group of people know Jesus and His love.
The orange orchard they planted, which generated income for the community, was in full harvest. We pitched in and helped facilitate some of the harvesting. I’ve never eaten so many green-skinned oranges as delicious and juicy as those. It was truly inspiring helping these beautiful people through work projects and teaching opportunities. Most importantly, we recognized the significance of making these people feel loved and valued. This is why God had brought us to this community.
As our time came to a close and our whole outreach was winding down, our contact invited our team to his house for a final dinner. I stepped out of the van and began walking toward the Thai-style home with a fellow Thai student. Approaching the home, my friend stopped dead in his tracks and grabbed me by the arm. Pointing at the engraved sign above the door, he asked me, “Do you know what that sign says?” I replied, “No. I can’t make out the fancy writing and what it says.” After a deliberate pause, a deep smile crossed his face as he read, ‘House of Blessing.’”
I felt my heartbeat and a big lump in my throat as he told the whole team to look at the sign. We were all elated but none more than me. I knew God had spoken back when the trip was being planned. This final sign confirmed we had been doing exactly what He wanted from the very beginning.