The sound of rain.

He is good! He is good, and his mercy endures forever!! Let it rain.

Finally!! This is the first time. today it rained for the first time since we have been here (about 10 weeks). Wow! It has been really dusty and dry, the air polluted from all the burning that the farmers do to their fields, but today, a fresh new smell in the air. Although the first rain is dirty and acidic, the cleansing process begins.  Praise God for rain!

Today was a processing day. When it was our turn to share, we had homework questions of which we reviewed and summarized for the rest of the team. It was amazing to hear the things that God is doing and the ways we are learning about His character.

He is good! He is really, really, good, and his mercy endures forever!! Let it rain.

James 3:13-16 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 

Proses of letting the pollution go and grace raining over it. Starts from the inside out. Capturing thoughts. Love truth. Love mercy. Love and obey. He came to Serve, how much more should  his followers?

More pics on Instagram to come. Nicamamii13

~rachel

Road trip- Saturday

Wow! Today has been a pretty amazing day.
Got to wake up early, and go on a road trip with the girls.
One of my friends, E rented a car previously for a friend that was coming, but when plans changed she suggested we visit the highest mountain in Thailand :). It was so beautiful, two of us continued to fall asleep in the back, as E drove and A helped keep her company. There was a temple near the top of the mountain that we went to. We took many pictures of flowers and of the place, it was very beautiful and extravagant.
We were about to leave to find a place to eat our lunches that we packed :)-nutella sandwiches inside-- and it hit me; how often do we hear about God meeting people at the top of the mountain. So why is there a temple here? But even more, despite there being a temple to a God other than the creator, all the flowers that the temple is surrounded by, and decorated with... all of them are praising the Living God. They were created to, and continue to from when they bloom, to when they die.

Wow! What an idea. That no matter how many things we as people try and turn something apart from the Living God Almighty, we can not escape it. This idea connected me back with what we learned this past week about the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of the World. Humans are the only creatures given the options to choose or reject relationship with our Creator. I can easily forget and make idols, but it never satisfies. Living water comes out of me! That means, it is what is inside my heart; if it remains empty or dead, how can life come out. But by dying, a seed of His kingdom can be  planted, rooted, and spring fourth fruit!

God is so good.
Found Him on the Mountain top of Thailand. There is only one God that truly REIGNS! And His son that came to redeem that relationship-the man named Jesus.

He is alive!

Blessings and can't wait to share more about what we are learning here, and what is happening in Thailand. Grace and Peace through Jesus Christ. Thank you guys for reading these :). More to come.

~Rachel

A week about relationships

The help to see something deeply, can impact in trickles and waves that you would never plan.
This is what last week was for me. Wakes and quakes of my emotional foundations. The dissecting of emotions and revealing he under deriving forces behind them. Rebellion and pride... Both very familiar topics. Just the emotions themselves tell the deeper volcano inside.

Praise Dad for his tender mercy.

When I can not understand or relate directly because of my self protecting defense walls, it takes a story, a testimony of another for you to pick what pieces describe yourself. Quickly seeing the flaws, I was left speechless and ashamed, things become more and more clear. More and more making me aware of how restoration begins at the core. How can we witness and not expect these things to be planted too. Seek God first, his kingdom, love, and all the rest will be added. When sew try to teach or make people like us... It replicated the bad parts too.

I am messed up, mutated from Gods desired plan, therefore why would I want to make more mutants? It is only be Gods grace that some may see the good and seek God to find it, but it does not take me. He can use me to shine, but I have no power to change; no power, especially since my heart is not pure first. I think this is also why we are warned not to judge. But each is accountable. Rest assured that love covers a multitude of sins. Begin with love.

Still learning what that means...
I'll keep you posted.

John 14:27New International Version (NIV)27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

My God gives me hope and comfort in his grace. he is not a God of manipulation or intimidation, he is so much bigger, he gives us freedom; freedom to create, breath, love. How amazing right!?! :)
Miss you friends and dear family!
Many blessings.
~Rachel

Late night posting again

This week is going to be intense. We are getting into the topic of relationships. This means, we begin to dissect our feelings and behaviors that sway away from God's truth. This effects our thinking and our reactions. Core of swinging to the right toward rebellion is pride; core of the left rejection is unbelief. It is honestly one of the most uncomfortable topics that we have had so far. I do not like it, but I know that it is going to be good. Keep you posted. Praise God for his perfect timing, the past weeks keep building and this week, woah, the water is gonna get deep.

Please let me know how i can be praying for you guys. Praise God for his love and time to listen and challenge us, no matter what step of life, we are drawn to come back to the original design of life.

Sweet day, and wonderful night.
1 Peter 3:5
Matthew 6
Matthew 10

~ Rachel

About beauty

Right now the seasons are changing here from cool to warm. And son warm to hot. It is a time where plants are dying and new ones are growing, you can tell by the number of seeds you will find in you. One seed in particular that looks similar to a dandilion loves,to atachnitself to you clothes and flies everywhere. Thailand is beautiful, but is it more than the U.S.? Maybe not...But then is the US more beautiful than Thailand? No. Neither. Each different each beautiful each messy and clean in their own way. It is truely amazing to see the different forms of beauty. Each in the eye of the observer right?

This past week one of my dear friends showed up here! It was so cool. We spent the weekend catching up and hanging out with friends here as well! Praise God for this joy to see him. Things have been up and down hills but just like exercising, some times it feels amazing and gives you so much energy, but there are times where you might be tired or even sore. But the process cleanses and strengthens you body. As such has been these last few weeks, both physically and mentally. So much junk coming to the fore front. Just like boiling meat, as it continues to boil the fat comes to the surface to be skimmed off. That kind of junk. The kind that is more attached. Praise God for his mercy and compassion. Amazing graceful reality.

How much I would love to spew out. But don't we all? Life is one step of a learning book at a time, each page is only a tiny piece of the grand story. You just have to read to find out!

Many blessings. We continue to pray here for the Kingdom of Thailand. For the team here, and the direction to which we are headed next. Our prayer is for unity in the church here and a rise of thai leaders like Joshua and Rahab.

Thanks for reading :) food for thought check out 1 Corinthians 4

8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you!


For pics check out my Instagram. nicamamii13.
Keep up the hard work. Treasure each day, each opportunity to dive out of your comfort into an adventure of life by faith in the master creator. Makes all things new!

~Rachel

Watch 2 Time

Hi! Back again!
This past week was the last week of the IBAM course. It was amazing to see all the wisdom that has been given to the speakers that we had. Business men, scholars, book authors, and inspirational leaders, all of whom took the time to pour out and into our lives. When we get to the basics, behind the stories, growth begins with dieing to the self BUT before that, learning about what God's character is about.
These things take time to unravel then the brokenness begins. Not a bad broken, but like an Oreo cookie, you need to crumble and mash it to make it, then mix it with butter before you can make it into a crust. If that one cookie stays how it was packaged, it only will have one form, and only for one person. But if it is crumbled and mixed with butter, you can form a crust for other things like ice cream cake--which can be shared and enjoyed with many people.

Yesterday, a friend came up to me during intersession time and spoke into my life about this very concept. It was short and simple and was signified by a watch. See, I had broken my watch that I had gotten just before coming here; it broke because I neglected to take it off during work duties, of which my job is cleaning crew.

Because I did not take it off the water resistance must have hit its limit, and just froze the time. I have been with out a watch for about two weeks and have been trying to function with out one-but to my avail have been late. I have been avoiding buying one because of pricing and quality; it struck hard when she did that. This theme, dying to ________. What is the strong hold? The idea that begins as a good thing/principle but becomes an idol. Even sometimes we can worship the Bible, and be attached to it, but if we quote it and use for vain purposes without remembering it is about a living God, we profane his name. Secondly we have now made the bible an idol of which we read "you shall have no other gods before me"--in the Exodus chapter 20 in the Ten Commandments God gave to Moses.


Keeps digging.
Time. But things will be a process, the Lord knows the time, but now just one step. One step at a time.
Thank you guys for reading these blogs. It is precious to me to share and hear feedback as well as to what our Creative Creator is doing! Many blessings and grace through out this new month of March.

P.s Keep checking Instagram :) I post randomly.

~Rachel