Jesus said, "This is the commandment that I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for a friend." These were some of the last few words Jesus told his disciple before he went to the cross. I have often thought, "What would it have been like being with Christ in that very moment?" "Would I have realized the weight of these words? That is pretty heavy stuff... Laying down your life! At the same time these words are so beautiful. "Love, as I have loved you!" Behold our God! He has loved us so deeply that He laid down His life for us and then he calls us to do the same!
One of the prayers that Josh and I have been praying as we prepare to leave is that we will lay down our desires, embrace loosing ourselves, and let go of our comforts. We truly desire to lay down our agenda, expectations, and allow God to guide us during these next four months in Thailand.
We want to ask you to begin praying this prayer of 'laying down' with us. We need and want your prayers as we go! We also want to paint a picture of what our first 3 weeks in Thailand will look like. We recently found out that we will be doing an 'Immersion Experience'. We will get to taste what it's like being a refugee in Thailand- with no connections and very little money. We will be living on our own in the outskirts of Bangkok, without our Word Made Flesh community, and we will be living in a area that we are not familar with. We will have 50 baht ($1.50) a day for food and we will most likely be living in a 10x10 room with a mat and a fan to keep the mosquitos away. Obviously, we don't really know what to expect but we are certain that God will be striping us of things and rebuilding something new in us during these 3 weeks! We know this experience will open our eyes on how to better minister to the poorest of the poor, not only with sympathy but also in empathy. When the 3 weeks are over we will move into the heart of Bangkok and begin doing life with our WMF community. Christmas will also be right around the corner and we will do an outreach with the children and women.
Here are somethings to be praying for:
1) Intimacy with Christ during these crucial first 3 weeks.
2) Pray that we posture ourselves as learners in a new place and culture.
3) For strength and unity in our marriage.
4) For obedience as we seek to lay down ourselves and our desires.
5) For the people to be open to the hope of Christ.
6) Safety and health.
(Lastly, we most likely will not have access to the internet for the first 3 weeks...soooo know that we LOVE you all and appreciate your support and prayers! Thanks again for lovin' us! Talk to y'all soon!)
Love,
The Hilts
