One Half Done.....One Half To Go

We have come to the half way point and are quickly passing it....so crazy to think! Only about 7 months left in this country I have begun to call home, kinda sad. But I am very excited for all the Lord has in store for me in this next season here in Thailand! Life is busy but I am loving every minute of it 8)

We just got back from a week retreat down south in Hua Hin with our leaders, for a bit of processing the first half and gearing up for the second half. Here are a few pictures to check out. 

View from our resort

 Boat ride to Monkey Island

 Scary but cute monkeys

 Kayla, Chelsey, Jenny, Myself, & Julie chillin on a rock on monkey island

Out to lunch, hanging out with the Indonesia Team

Exploring Bangkok, ChinaTown

Now life goes back to normal, no more big breaks in our future, just living life here in Chiang Mai. Excited to get back to some normalcy with the boys I am helping with, with my students, and with our friends in the bars. Thank you all for your prayers and support! 

God's Love....Amazing

I have now been working with these 3 boys for 2 weeks, and man am I ever learning a lot!

There are days where I think I can't do this......then I go and spend time with them and see how happy they are. And then I know they are seeing a love they have never experienced before, they are being allowed to be kids again. My heart then breaks and I keep pushing forward doing the best I can to care for them and love them! 

I have also been spending a lot of time hanging out with our friends that we have developed on the red light district. Man the Lord continues to give me a heart for them in a way I never expected! He is longing to bring freedom to each and every one of these girls hearts, He is fighting of them! But sadly so is the enemy and man is it hard to see some days, but I trust Him and know He is going to do what He needs to do. I just pray for light to come to the darkest places on that street, that the enemy would not have a place there anymore! 

I love what I do even if it brings oh so many challenges every day and the lies that I hear that I am not equipped to do this. I am trusting the Lord knowing He gives me all I need every day, as long as I keep leaning on Him! His will is going to be done here and light will shatter the darkness! 

Just my random ramblings of the day....enjoy 8)

Half Way Through...Can It Be?!

Well it is true I have come to the half way point, I have been in Thailand for a little over 8 months now! This still feels very unreal to me, this life I am now leading is normal. So many things that are now normal to me, were never something that was normal while I was living in America. I love that my main mode of transportation is a motorbike, I love that I can almost speak another language (and that I revert to it more often as my first response), I am aware of everything that goes on around me in an effort to respect the people I am around, I spend a lot of my time in the red light district showing love to the broken. This is normal.....this is life!

But man do I feel oh so un-equipped to be doing what I am doing! I can't believe the Lord has entrusted all this to me, but this must mean I am equipped? Crazy to think! 8) I have just began working with 3 boys, who's mom was my student at one point. These boy's mom decided she does not want them, so the natural response of my ministry leaders was to start a boys home. So these 3 boys (4, 8, & 12 years old) are now under our care. They speak very little english, so each day I am challenged to communicate with these boys in their language and to show them a love they have never experienced before. During the rest of my time I am teaching english to the girls on the red light and going to hang out with them at night, again showing them a love they have never experienced before. A love that I have been shown time and time again!

But man these days I feel so unworthy to be able to do this, but then the Lord reminds me He has called me to this! So who am I to not walk out every day loving as He has loved me! This plays out not only in my ministry but amongst my team as well, I love them as the Lord loves me! 

My life in Thailand is now normal, change is becoming normal to me, I have now officially fallen in love with my life and would not change it for a minute. Half way and a half more to go, I can do this! But of course only by the strength of the Lord. He has so much more to teach me and so many more ways to use me in these next 7 months! The journey ahead may not be easy but it is a journey I will keep walking! 

The boys I am helping out with! My heart grows for them more and more everyday! 

Excitement is building up in me!

Excitement is the one word I can think to describe how I feel right now! The anticipation of what is to come is making me so excited! I can not wait to get to Thailand and to begin that season there, although I am still excited to see what the Lord has in store for me these last 3 weeks here America!

My plane ticket has been purchased and I will be flying out September 10th at 7:20am for Thailand! My funds right now are at 65%, it still blows me away with how far I have come and how little I have left to raise! Only $500 in monthly supporters and $1,000 of my set-up, I am oh so close to calling Thailand my home!

The process of fundraising thus far has been a journey I will never forget, I have learned to trust the Lord in a way that I never have before. I daily had to wake up and say ok I trust you Lord to provide for me because I have nothing. To see the Lord continually provide for me throughout this journey has been a huge blessing. I admit it has been a struggle, a struggle I never expected. But man I would not change a minute of it, to be in a position to not be able to do anything but trust the Lord! To see the funds come in has proven to me time and time again that I am in the will of the Lord, He has called me to Thailand and I will go! 

I still have about 3 weeks left of this fundraising process and I am excited to see the Lord bring in the funds! Please continue to join with me in prayer! That those the Lord are calling to give would do so! Here is the link once again Donate Now. 

Please share my story with others and share with them my desire to go to Thailand! And feel free to give them my email andria.jasper@bcom.org if they have any questions!

Thank you all so much! 

One Step at a Time

Well August has begun, meaning in a very short time I should be on a plane heading to Thailand! Now I am going to admit I know the Lord has called me to Thailand and I know He is going to provide, but I have those moments every day where I look at my finances and wonder where in the world it is all going to come from! But then I hear Jesus say "Its ok just trust me." If nothing else that is the biggest lesson I have learned this summer, to trust Jesus in a way I have never trusted Him before. Oh how I have always hated not seeing the big picture not seeing the outcome, I always want to figure it all out step for step. But following Jesus does not guarantee we will be able to see the big picture, He sees the big picture and is guiding me! All I need to see is that next step that He asking me to take and to step out in faith. 

That step is to go to Thailand.........and I have no clue what He is going to do in that season of my life. He has done so much in this season I have had here at Grandview, that I am excited for what He will do in me in Thailand! 

Will you help me get there?! I need at least 6 people to be willing to support me monthly at $100 so that I can purchase a plane ticket! And I need to do that next week, crazy I know but the Lord will provide! Will you be the one who helps? Donate Now

Thank you all for prayers and support thus far! I am excited to continue this blog while in Thailand and keep you all updated! 

Seasons come and go.....

This season is quickly coming to an end and it feels as though it has just started, although this has been right up there with one of the most challenging seasons. I have been stretched in ways I never imagined as I lived and worked at Grandview. I have had to learn how to love in situations when all I want to do is get angry and yell, and through it all I have learned on a whole new level the love the Lord has for me and others! Man I love how the Lord works! 

It seems as though I am just settling in to this season, learning how to rely on the Lord in an environment where I do not have much community. I have never been this confident in who I am, and able to step out in faith every day as I can now! This time of being cut off in a sense is exactly what I have needed, although it has been so hard I would not change it for anything! 

And now as I begin to process the fact that I will soon be living in Thailand, a new and exciting season that will bring many challenges of its own of course. But man I am so excited to be able to live there for 16 months and learn how to live cross culturally! To bring light into the darkness, to set the captives free! I still need a bit of help though to get to Thailand, if you would like to help me get there follow this link...secure.bethanyinternational.or​g....

I am getting closer every day I jumped 12% in less than a week! So it is very possible to reach 100% very soon! Looking for a few more supporters to join me monthly at $100 as well as needing around $9,000 for my set up so that I can purchase my plane ticket! If you would like more information send me an email at andria.jasper@bcom.org! Thank you all for prayerfully considering supporting me in this journey to bring light to Thailand! 

The Lord's Faithfulness!

These last few months have been what seems like a whirlwind! And now I am facing the reality that in less than 2 months I will be calling Thailand my home!

The Lord has been bringing people along side me to support me in this Journey! To have my full monthly support I only need 12 more people to join with me in this journey! As well as $9,000ish for my set-up fund! Getting there! If you would like to help me or know someone who would please let me know! Thank you so much for prayerfully considering! 

2 People - $100 a month 

5 People – $75 a month 

4 People - $50 a month 

1 Person - $25 a month

Thank you for prayerfully considering supporting me in this journey! If you would like more information  shoot me an email at andria.jasper@bcom.org!

This past weekend Abbie and I took a trip to South Dakota to go to our friends wedding. Man was it a journey! We met up with some of our friends from school and just got to hang out and have a blast. We explored a cave, went tubing down a river, climbed a cliff to watch the sunset, and saw Mount Rushmore! It was a weekend filled so many things and just getting to spend time with friends encouraging each other! We then headed home but the drive took us much longer than expected. We got a flat tire in South Dakota, but praise the Lord we were right next to Wal-mart so we took it over there and had it taken care of. About 3 hours later we off again but found ourselves driving into a storm and we saw that it was getting pretty bad. So we asked the Lord what we should do and he made it very clear that we needed to stop for the night. But we knew stopping for the night meant we would be missing our ride from the cities home. Well long story short we made it to the BCOM in the afternoon and started to figure out how to get home. As it turned out one of the perspective students visiting BCOM that day was from Brainerd and was heading back that night, so they offered us a ride. Jesus came through on that one for sure! He never leaves us hanging! 

I love seeing the Lord's faithfulness time and time again! He always comes through even in the small things, and it is moments like this where all my doubts about money coming in for Thailand goes away. I know He has called me and I know He is going to provide! So excited to be able to use the story about how all my money comes in as a testimony about Jesus!