Within OMEGA there are different teams. Team A, Team B, Team C and Team D. We are all in the same classes but within each team we go to different ministries and serve for the whole year. I was on Team D and it was an amazing time to get together and an amazing year to get to know one another quite well.
Now that you have a little insight of what I went through for the year, on to my experience in Thailand!
It was an experience that I will never forget and was a most definite experience of growth and different culture experience. I was stretched and moved by our incredible God!
After our arrival in Bangkok, we spent the night and the next next night we took a 12 hour bus to go into the deep south of Thailand. Our first stop was Hat Yai, where we did an English camp at Full Blessings Church and were able to teach English to the Thai youth in a very fun way. It was great to see that they were having fun and learning at the same time. We brought a different way of teaching English which was enjoyed by all.
Being at that church, I saw an amazing community among one another. It was so amazing to see and it was something that I would love to work on in my life. People encouraging one another and people being supportive of one another. It was something that I have never seen before and the servant hood of the youth was incredible. WE were treated like royalty and it was a bit difficult for me to see it after a while because I wanted to serve them!
God also moved in that place and He showed me some incredible things. I was in such awe and amazement of what God did to me and what He showed me that it just wanted me to go deeper in a relationship with Him. God is soo good!
We left and then went on our way to Na Maung. It was about 1 hour from Hat Yai and we did another English Camp at a church. We had to switch things up a little bit because there were younger kids and older kids so thinking on our toes, we had to split them up. It was lots of fun. I, along with 4 others were working with the little ones. It was great to see them have fun and learn some English words because they knew very little. Praise God for TRANSLATORS!!! haha
Youth Camp was done and we then went to a Muslim school to teach the children English. It was such a culture shock to me to see the girls wearing headscarves. I just wanted to go to each girl and take it off and tell them that they were free but I just couldn't do that. I found it to be amazing that we were able to just step into the school to teach the children English. It was great because we brought fun to learning and I feel as though the kids learned some English words. We also taught them some Christian songs, without Jesus being mentioned in it. I felt as though we were just breaking ground and planting some seeds in the school and can only hope that other Christian people can enter Muslim schools to teach English and eventually be able to tell them about our God and how he loves us. Just showing them that we love them was a break through and showing the children that there is someone who cares and even showing them that this is what love is.
We then went on a bus, after our time in Pattani, and we headed down to Bangkok where we were reunited with all of our other team mates! One team went to Burma, another to Takua Pa, while one team stayed in Bangkok. Everyone had such great experiences and hearing stories from others, God was really moving. It was great to be reunited with my other team mates and great to be together again.
I would definitely go back to the country and serve to where I would be needed. It was a great experience culturally and spiritually. I would highly recommend that if you are interested in missions and want team preparation, definitely try the OMEGA program at Summit Pacific College. It is definitely a strong missions program and you learn so much about missions, ministry and yourself and your relationship with God. It is a great growing experience and it has definitely changed my life! And HEY! its only a year!!
MY OMEGA FAMILY :) <3
