A Quick Catch-up

Greetings from the beach at Khao Lak, Thailand... it's a balmy 94 degrees and I'm finally settled in to my new home for the next six-eight weeks. I'll be working at a preschool for Sea Gypsy children here in Khao Lak in the mornings and teaching English classes with adults in the evenings with a Thai ministry called Step Ahead. I came here to catch up on rest and find peace and direction from God during a less busy time... This morning I visited the preschool where I will be teaching and was informed the only way to travel the 10+ kilometers is on the little motorcycle! YIKES!!! I'm doing my best to learn as much Thai as I can while I'm here, but I'd really appreciate your prayers that I could have a miraculous break- through with Thai like I did with Chinese... who knows, maybe I could be fluent in a month?? Wishful thinking, I know, but with prayer anything is possible!

How did I end up in Thailand? A quick review… God has blessed me more than I could possibly put into words. He's used a thousand awesome opportunities to bring me exactly to where I am right now. When I was somewhat less than satisfied with my life at a conservative Christian college in Spokane, he put me on a collision course with China, where I was able to spend a year at Beijing University becoming functionally fluent in the language (and at the same time falling completely head over heals for the nation). When I returned to finish college in Spokane He provided me with new friends and I had an awesome senior year. When I wasn't sure what my next step would be, He planted the seeds for a 1965 Ford Mustang and used that possibility to draw me back to Montana where I spent the summer working to pay for it and rebuilding it. While I was in Montana I met a girl named Jess who badgered me all summer about doing a Discipleship Training School. Since then I have thanked God every day she was so persistent, because when I finally decided to do DTS, my life was forever changed. I figured out first hand that- despite the many reservations I'd been holding since I was a young teen- God is real, alive, and loving. Those three things being fact, I spent the first three months of DTS learning about what that meant for me, Anne Briggs, a 21 year old, somewhat mischievous, college graduate in the year 2009, and how I would go forward from here. The last two months I spent with a team of 12 on outreach in Taiwan and China- living it out. I had many victories and struggles, but came out more sure than ever: God is REAL He is ALIVE and HE IS LOVE.

Outreach was full of many hilarious stories –to tell them with any fairness would take way too long for today. The most ground shaking revelation during outreach is how prone we are (I am) to making excuses. I found myself making the excuses about the dumbest things like "well, I can't do devotions because the website I like to read the bible on is blocked," when I had a perfectly fine bible sitting right next to me. Or I might say "I just can't get close to God because I keep getting interrupted" when if life is anything, it is one big interruption. There will always be things "in the way" and circumstances are never going to be perfect. True intimacy with God comes from taking ownership of your (my) life and living it for him. No. Matter. What. So that's what I'm trying to do.

Which leads me to what's next… and this step has been very clearly laid out for me: I am to go back to Taiwan and do a School of Biblical Studies, a course charting the entire Bible, (a course equivalent to four years of Seminary). It's extremely intense, but I cannot think of a better way to get "grounded." (Not to mention that I cannot wait to spend more time in a place I love, learning the language I love from people I love). One of the greatest hindrances I've seen in young Christians' walk with God is the tendency to get swayed or distracted from the truth due to a lack of grounding in the word of God. Never being much of a reader prior to DTS ,in the last six months I've been reading anything and everything I can get my hands on in an insatiable desire for more knowledge. The school starts March 23^rd, so instead of returning to the USA and incurring yet another international airfare, I decided to invest this time doing a season of volunteer service. I’ve wanted to visit Thailand for a long time, this opportunity presented itself and I went for it!

Because God has always provided for me, though my bank account is currently empty, I'm going ahead and doing the school completely believing He is somehow going to provide the way. I need $3,000 tuition for the school and approximately $1000/month for the next nine months – this will cover the costs of visas, travel, books, supplies, room and board. I don't know how he's going to do it, maybe you or someone you know would like to buy my canary yellow refurbished 1965 Mustang (I put it up for sale to pay for my DTS and God provided a scholarship and several donors which allowed me to keep it). Maybe as my mom was joking "I'll find a rare ruby on the beach this month," or just maybe He'll provide through people, as he has so often in the past. It is never easy to ask people for money. Yet money is only a part of the partnership equation – If I am to succeed with the School of Biblical Studies, I will also need people who will commit to pray for me. I know it is way beyond my scope of focus to study for 40-60 hours per week, so I’m trusting God WILL bring partners for this life chapter. Please let me know if you would be willing to partner with me.... as a financial investor in ME and the continuation of my Biblical education, and/or as a prayer partner. If you want to buy the Mustang or know someone who would, let me know soon – my request will be that whoever purchases it will pray for me every time the car is started this year!!!

I would be nowhere without the people God has put in my life! Thank you all so much for supporting me with prayer, finances and friendship. I’ll keep you posted as the great adventure continues.