My shower in Burma.

I’ve never felt more humbled and honored before in my life.

Oma has become like my Burmese mother. Every time I start to walk down the hill towards her hut some of the children have run ahead of me yelling to the village that their friends have arrived.  Without fail, Oma runs up the hill to me and I run down to her.

The sweat and dirt stains that we have shared making bricks together, the meals that she has made for me and taught me  to eat with my hands, and the Burmese makeup that she so lovingly puts on my face has created an everlasting bond between us.

  

This last trip into Burma though was unlike any other. I still find myself trying to process what happened and put the right words to the emotions that I felt.

A lot of times with Oma, because of the language barrier, I find myself having no idea what is really going on. I tend to just smile, nod, and follow along.

Last Sunday while I was in Oma’s hut, she motioned for me to stand up, and I did.  Then she undid my longyi (a traditional Burmese skirt that she had given to me to wear) and started to pull it up above my chest. Carefully she had me undress, but was covering me completely with the longyi. I started to put the pieces together that I was either about to go for a swim or take a shower.

As she took me by the hand and led me outside, I laughed at the situation that was unfolding. Oma took me to the side of her hut and carefully took my arm and started to pour water on me. As the first wave of water washed over me I exhaled and sighed a sound of refreshment and release. Here was this woman who I have such a deep admiration and respect for giving me a bath.

She carefully took the bar of soap and lathered me up.  She gently washed my face and even lifted up my hand to wash under my arms. As she poured the bucket of water over me, I realized that I have never felt so clean. It’s like I was being baptized again; like there was this new fresh life coming over me. All my impurities, all my shame, and all my past mistakes were being washed away.  During the whole process I felt so cared for. I felt truly cherished. I felt an unconditional love that knew no bounds or barriers. I felt humbled and honored to the core.

It reminded me of the time when Jesus washed the disciples feet and how we are to do that for one another. There I stood having not only my feet, but also my whole body washed. I am the one who was supposed to be serving her. I am the one who is supposed to be washing her feet. I am the one who is supposed to be ministering to her, yet there I was on the receiving end.

Over time Oma and I have developed a beautiful relationship. I think as our relationship with Jesus develops, there are always new things to experience. Sometimes we might not exactly understand what He wants us to do or where He wants us to go. It takes faith to trust Him and to trust that He has our best in mind. It takes faith to take His hand, stand up, and follow Him. I didn’t know exactly what Oma wanted me to do, but because of our relationship I knew I could trust her. I knew that she would take care of me and that she had something she wanted me to experience.

It’s worth taking Jesus’ hand when you don’t completely understand. When we stand up out of the rut we may be in, when we walk out of the darkness and into the light, when we allow Him to wash us clean, we can trust that He has something that He wants us to experience.

It takes faith to move before you truly understand and only when you move into what He has for you can you experience greatness.

“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”

Hebrews 10:22-24

a seed planted.

A lot of times in relational ministry you hear the analogy of planting seeds.  In the Bible it even talks about having faith the size of a mustard seed and how that faith can move mountains. In ministry sometimes you see the seeds grow and sometimes you don’t.

One thing I have loved about coming back to Mae Sot, Thailand throughout this year with new teams is seeing the seeds that have been planted and continuing those relationships.

It’s amazing how much my relationship with Nali has grown. When I first met her teaching at Light School she was so shy and would barely talk to us, but now we call each other sister. It has been an honor and joy to get to know Nali and to be part of her story.  Nali’s joy and sweet servant heart is contagious and has impacted my life in so many ways. The smile on her face is humbling when you hear everything that she has been through.

I arrived in Thailand with a new team that will be here for 4 months September 4^th. When we got to Mae Sot and I first saw Nali she told me with the biggest smile on her face that she has been studying the Bible with Jenny (one of our dear friends who is a missionary in Mae Sot). I couldn’t stop the tears of joy from flowing down my face.

This week it was Nali’s 21^st Birthday and for the first time ever she was going to have a Birthday party. She asked me if I would bring my guitar to her house and play a worship song.

Every person has a story that is unique and powerful. I love the way that God works through our lives to impact and love one another.  I love the seeds He plants in our hearts and that we plant in each other.

Throughout the past couple of years I have realized that I want to live a good story, and I have asked myself the question, “What does it mean to live a good story and to live a life worth living?” I am so thankful for Nali and her story and love seeing the seed that was planted in her about Jesus’ love for her in the Spring now bloom in the Fall.

“What would your life be like if you had no fear? What if you had no fear of man? No fear of what others think about you because you are secure in the love of your heavenly Father and in his kind thoughts toward you? No fear of opening your heart to truly experience the depth of God’s love so that you could live and give away that love to the next person you meet? What would your life be like if you had no fear? What if you were not afraid to trust, to become vulnerable, to reach out and touch others, and to let them touch you?” – Jack Frost

Video: The Journey and Famous Ray’s interview

Please click on the picture to play the video!

I am so thankful for the YWAM media team that was here this last spring.

They did an incredible job putting this video together.

Just click the picture above and it will take you to the video link.

It’s good to be back

It only seemed fitting to have a burger at Famous Ray’s with our new team for our first dinner in Mae Sot. It was pretty surreal sitting there with 7 new Journey participants. Ashley and I could hardly contain our smiles thinking of the memories, the sweat, the hard work, and the countless hours that we put into opening Famous Ray’s. Seeing our sweet employees too was so humbling and encouraging. They are doing so well and are really flourishing in their new jobs.

To be honest with you I was a little nervous to come back to Mae Sot and to be in leadership again. I LOVE home! I love the island, being on the beach and out on the boat fills my soul. I love being with my family and friends. I love my bed and my bathroom. And you know I love the food. I wasn’t ready to come back to Thailand and I was really dreading the forever long travel day.

But, I knew that once I saw Nali’s face and drove around town on the motorbike that I would feel a peace of home again.  And it was true. I do feel peace, but I also feel motivated and empowered more than ever before.

I feel so blessed and truly honored that I get to lead along side Ashley a group of 7 amazing, talented, and passionate people. We’ve started the whole process over again of addressing the needs and unacceptable realities. This new team will be in Mae Sot for 6 weeks focusing on education and health care initiatives. We have been brainstorming and dreaming big on how to improve the education system here. Our main desire is to empower the teachers so they can empower the kids. The possibilities here are endless. This summer team is bridging the gap between our 4-month spring and fall trip and they will pave the way for our fall team.

Once again it felt all too surreal to be sitting in a tile concrete room, with a group of Americans, dreaming of how to bring change in a sustainable way.

Yes, I love the comforts of home, but I also believe that the Burmese people have suffered for far too long and need our help.  I believe in the hope, love, and restoration that Jesus offers and I believe that we can and have made a difference. I believe in the Journey and the change that it brings and I am excited to be a part of it all.

Not only is it good to be back, but I love being back, and I am thankful to be back.

Home sweet home

• 4 Months
• 10 Americans
• 3 countries – Thailand, Burma, Malaysia
• 19 Burmese Students (all who passed their final English exam = one proud teacher!!)
• 7 trips into Burma – hundreds of bricks made
• 40 classes – business class, Bible class, and spiritual formations class
• 3 waterfall, cave, and lake adventures
• 1 Backstreet Boys Concert (yes, I saw all 5 backstreet boys perform live, for free in Malaysia)
• 1 Restaurant
• 6 Employees
• Countless of new friends and relationships
• 2 weeks traveling Thailand with my Momma!!
• 1 life forever changed

In 5 weeks our team opened a self-sustaining, profit making, delicious, burger-making restaurant that now has been open and making profit for 5 weeks! The original 6 employees we have hired have been wonderful! Nali tells the 5 boys what’s what and Daniel owns the grill. It’s humbling to see the joy on their faces knowing that this job is providing them with above minimum wage steady pay, consistency, and a hope for their future.

This is not the end though it’s only the beginning. Through this first Journey team we were able to dream and dream big. Jimmy, the Journey Program Director says, “If this were easy more people would be doing it, but it’s not easy. This is hard really hard.” Yes, it is hard, I have experienced the trials and felt the pains, but I believe it’s worth it. I believe that there are still so many unacceptable realities that need to be addressed in the world and that we have the creativity to do something about it. There’s still so much more work to be done.

The village in Burma I would visit every other weekend has completely stolen my heart! 

Originally we thought this was going to be a 4-month program. That we would go somewhere, create sustainability, and do everything else that we do, then take this model and go to a different place. But there’s still work to be done in Thailand and Burma. We have made incredible relationships and I really think we are on to something.

One of the things I love most about the Journey is how multi faceted it is. When you are on the Journey you work hard, serve hard, study hard, and live hard. I love the way we work hard. In the beginning of the trip we didn’t know what we were going to do, but through research we decided jobs were needed, and we worked hard to create a solution to provide jobs for the Burmese refugees. We served hard by teaching English at a Burmese migrant school, going into Burma every other weekend, going to the refugee camp every Saturday, and dedicated time to be a part of the community. We studied hard and were challenged through different classes and experienced a ton of personal growth. And we lived hard in a community. We embarked on this Journey together as a group of 10 and supported each other through all the ups and downs.

There’s still work to be done, people to help, people to empower, businesses to open and love to share.

We need people to join our program this summer and fall. We need new fresh and creative ideas. That’s right WE… I will be going back to Thailand June 18^th for 6 weeks and then again in the fall for another 4 months. This model is something I really believe in and I believe it’s worth it, so I have partnered with Jimmy McCarty and Ashley Musick and have become the Journey Field Coordinator =).

If this is something you could be interested in or perhaps someone you know,  I would love to talk to you more about it!  Send me an email to cchiles88@gmail.com and check out our website http://simplykingdom.org/about-the-journey/ 

I ended my time in Thailand in such a perfect way! I met my Mom in Bangkok and we explored Thailand for 2 weeks!  My favorite part of the trip was showing her around Mae Sot, watching her eat a Famous Ray’s burger, taking her to Light School where I teach, showing how I cross over into Burma, and having her meet some people that I love! Of course, the beach in Phuket wasn’t all bad either…

Mom with some of our Famous Ray’s employees! They LOVED her and she LOVED our burgers!

It’s great to be home for a little bit before I head back to Thailand June 18^th to lead with Ashley Musick a team of teachers, nurses, and dreamers! I’m excited to fight some tarpon, eat some good ol’ American food, sleep in my oh so wonderful bed, flush toilet paper, shower in an actual shower, and spend time with friends and family!

Unforgettable memories with Momma in Thailand!!!

I must be dreaming…

Life kind of seems like one big dream right now, like I have to pinch myself just to make sure that I’m not sleeping… It’s easy to find yourself getting comfortable in the routine of things, or finding things that once seemed so odd to be so normal… Like driving 4 deep on a motorbike, on the wrong side of the road, on the way to eating fish for breakfast… Or becoming used to your students bringing you candy and writing you sweet little notes in English with all the words spelt wrong. I like to remind myself that I am living the dream.

Sunday I walked over the Friendship Bridge that connects Thailand and Burma. For the past 2 months I have looked across a river into a foreign land. A land of genocide, a land of war, a land of oppression. And now I have walked into that land. I wasn’t nervous. I wasn’t scared. I was anxious, but the good kind of anxious. The kind where your heart is beating at a record pace, butterflies are in your stomach, and adrenaline is pumping through your veins. You know the kind of excitement I’m talking about? I felt like a pioneer exploring a foreign land, like I could relate to how Louis and Clark felt when they discovered the West. There was this excitement of discovery that would lead to lives being forever changed.

walking across the Friendship Bridge

Needless to say I fell in love with this little village. The children absolutely captured my heart and I had so much fun with the women. They brought me food and would just sit and watch me eat it… so awkward! We laughed and laughed as I tried to pronounce words in Burmese.

the village in Burma

Seth, Ashley, and I will be going into Burma every weekend from here on out working on a community development project. The people here don’t want hand outs… They want reliable consistent jobs. They want education. Our hope is to give them something that will last, something sustainable.

This is one of the reasons why I came to Thailand, to create sustainability for the Burmese refugees. 

 Well that mission and dream is becoming a reality!!!

We are opening a RESTAURANT!

By opening a business, we will be able to create steady jobs for both the Thai and Burmese, which research shows is the single greatest need amongst the people of Mae Sot. The restaurant’s profits will be used to support and expand our ministries, as well as help fund our community development program in the Burmese village I visited this past weekend.

Please watch this video to see how you can be a part of this! We need your help. The Burmese and Thai people need your help!

Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be opening up a restaurant in Thailand, teaching English in a Burmese refugee school, and creating a community development project in Burma. Like I said… I’m living the dream…

Click on this page to donate!!

To donate online and find out more information about Burgers for Burma click the picture above which will take you to http://simplykingdom.org/invest

Or you can make a check out to Kingdom Inc. and mail it to :

Kingdom Inc.
P.O. Box 98438
Atlanta GA 30359
Memo – The Journey Project

puzzle pieces

I believe that God is an orchestrator. I get the picture of a puzzle in my head. When you open up a puzzle box and hundreds of little odd shaped pieces fall onto the table, it’s amazing that one by one they somehow fit together to make a beautiful picture.

It’s hard to believe that we have been in Mae Sot, Thailand for over a month. Looking back on our time here, I’ve realized that we have opened and started a major puzzle. Not only have we opened the box, we’ve determined which pieces are which, and we have begun to fit some of those pieces together.

I love the puzzle pieces that I am working on. Believing that God is an orchestrator, He put just the right people in my path for me to stumble upon Light House School. Light House is a school for Burmese Karen refugee children. There are 120 students, from Pre-K through 6^th grades, and 50 of the students are orphans who live at the school.

Through a random connection I was able to meet May Yee at a café. She explained to me the need for English teachers at Light House School. As I watched her talk about the children her eyes lit up, but I could also hear the sound of desperation in her voice. The school had been with out an English teacher for 6 months. In order for the students to advance to the next grade level they have to pass the end of the year exam, which includes English. They only have 2 more months to prepare.

While talking to May Yee I knew that I was about to become an English teacher… As I listened to her talk more and more about the children my heart broke. It doesn’t seem fair that these innocent children do not have the resources they need to learn. All of them had to flee their own country for better opportunities and 50 of them are orphans. This is unacceptable. Something had to be done.

I started teaching 2 weeks ago. I would like you to meet my 1^st and 5^th grade class!

                                                    1st grade

                                                                   5th grade

 

 

 

Meet Kylie. Her village in Burma was attacked and both of her parents passed away. She escaped with her older sister and now lives at Light House School.

 

 

 

Not only are we teaching the students English, but we are also equipping the teachers. We are helping them better their English skills, training them with computers, and teaching them money management.

My other puzzle piece is working on a community development project in Burma.  Seth, Ashley, and I will be visiting a small village, establishing relationships, and setting up the foundation for future ministry projects. Seth has been in twice and see’s a lot of potential. Ashley and I will be joining him February 24^th and we will go into Burma every other weekend. When I think about what God is going to do in and through us I can’t help but smile. I feel like Rocky, going into the ring, pumping my fist in the air, and coming out victorious!

                                  Village in Burma we will be working in

There are so many other projects our team is working on. We are specifically developing a major business project that is currently in the brewing process. I can’t wait to share it with you once it’s ready!!! So get excited! We are making moves here!

You have been such an integral part in helping me get here to Thailand and I want to say thank you. Your prayers, financial donations, and support are making such a difference not only in my life, but also in the lives of so many Burmese refugees. So please here me say THANK YOU!! You are a major piece of this puzzle. Without you the puzzle wouldn’t be complete.

Too close for comfort

Thailand truly is the land of smiles! I’m so thankful to be here, even though the first couple weeks have been quite a whirlwind. I often find myself wondering what day it is and can’t believe that it is January 18^th.  It’s kind of fun being 12 hours ahead of Florida, when I’m getting ready to go to bed, your day is just starting.

In college one of my minors was International Humanitarian Assistance and Development. One of my classes was specifically on genocides. We learned all about different genocides around the world: Rwanda, Cambodia, Uganda, and the Holocaust.  Hearing the stories and learning about genocide was something that I never truly could grasp or fully understand. The idea of wanting to kill an entire people group, to go into peaceful villages and destroy, to use fear tactics to increase your military regime, that is something I don’t think I’ll ever be able to understand.

Learning about genocide in college was definitely eye opening, but now I find myself exposed to a whole other side of it. I find myself too close for comfort.

I look across the border and I can see Burma (now known as Myanmar). I could literally swim there. I stand on peaceful soil while on the other side of the river tribal groups are being attacked, killed, and forced into slave labor. Looking across the river it honestly looks like a scene from a movie. You know the ones where the world ends and only a few survivors are left.  I have never been so close to genocide.

In Mae Sot (where I am living for these 4 months) at the border of Thailand and Burma thousands or Burmese refugees are living on an island called “No Man’s Land.”  It literally is a sandbar in between Thailand and Burma that is not owned or patrolled by any government. Thousands of refugees have made this place home with no hope. All they want is to go home and return to the life that they knew, but now they are stuck. They are stuck because it is nearly impossible to get a passport that would allow them to work and travel freely in Thailand and it is unsafe for them to return home.

This week we have been busy trying to get our feet on the ground. Asking questions like, “What are the issues?  Who are the people that need help?  What are the obstacles and limitations?”

It honestly has all been a little overwhelming. It’s easy to see all this and get overwhelmed and feel like the problem is too big.  Honestly it is, but I can’t let that shut me down. I can’t just turn around and come home. I have to use this feeling of being overwhelmed and turn it into motivation. We have to address these unacceptable realities in the world. I can no longer stand on the sidelines and watch this happen. I have to believe that I have been called and brought here for a specific purpose and that my team will be able to help some of these refugees. That we will give them hope, hear their dreams, and hopefully make those dreams realities!

It has already been quite the Journey and will continue to be!

It was a long drive from Chiang Mai to Mae Sot, so on the way we decided to turn down a dirt road to see where it would take us. We ended up at a beautiful river where we found a bamboo raft just sitting on the shore, so of course we had to take it out!

Paddle boarding Thailand style!

This little boy is a Burmese refugee and was sold by his family to a pimp to be a beggar.

Burmese refugees illegally being taxied between Burma and Thailand. Every day hundreds of people illegally come into Thailand looking for work for the day then have to return to Burma.

No Man’s Land

People in No Man’s Land trying to sell things to people on the Thai border.

Can I actually do this…?

The days are starting to wind down as I find myself preparing to leave in about 2 months for Thailand. I find myself starting to experience a range of emotions about preparing to go back out into the Nations. Some are funny and quite trivial, like what clothes am I going to pack, should I bring an umbrella or is a rain jacket enough, squatty potty for 4 months? But I also wonder am I really going to be able to make a difference in these refugee’s lives…

For the most part I’m a really laid back person, excited for adventure, and down for the ride. I tend not to worry about things… But recently I find myself getting anxious. What do I have to offer these people, I don’t have any major skill sets to teach them to live self sustainably, who am I to be going back out into the nations…

And then it hits me… That really this trip isn’t about “me” at all, it’s not about what I have to offer or if I am enough. Because the reality is I’m not.

But thankfully Jesus is.

Because of Christ-In-Me I have hope to offer people, love, joy, and ultimately salvation. I know I can’t make a difference in these people lives, but I know that Jesus can. So that is the hope and truth that I hold onto. That He is enough, that He has called me to this Journey, and like a good daughter I will obey and follow Him, with faith of greater things.

I can’t do this Journey alone though. I would love for you to please prayerfully consider supporting me financially and joining me again on my next adventure. I need to raise $7,500 by December 31^st in order to continue on this Journey.

One of the biggest blessings I received on the Race was that I had such a strong foundation of community who supported me and believed in me, believed what the Lord had called me to do. Knowing that you are thinking of me, and praying for me, encourages me so much when I am away from home.

Hope that you’ll join me on my next Journey!!

________________________________________________________________________________________

Donations can be made only by clicking the “Support Me” tab below

 Or

Checks can be made payable to Cross Current Ministries with my name in the memo line and mailed to;

 Cross Current Ministries

P.O. Box 2640

Gainesville, GA 30503

The end… well for now…

It’s hard to believe that I have been home… back in the good ol’ United States of America for close to two months now. I find it hard to put it all into words.

Not only did the World Race open my eyes to the reality of the world, but it also changed my eyes in how I see people. Not only did the race grow my heart, but it forever changed my heart with an ache for people to know the Father’s love. Not only did the race blister my hands with countless hours of manual labor, but it softened my hands to truly want to reach out to people and pull them up into higher places. Not only did the race change my feet, but it changed the way that I lead and ultimately it has changed the path I am going to continue to walk down.

                

Coming home I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do with my life. I am so grateful to my parents that I could just rest and chill on the beaches of Anna Maria Island and now in the mountains of Big Sky, Montana. It has been such a sweet time to reflect and process what an incredible adventure I just experienced. I did start to get a little anxious though with what my next step would be… How silly I can be to lose sight of God’s faithfulness…

Well one face book message led to the next phone conversation, which led to the second phone conversation that ended with my ultimate YES!

In January I will be partnering with Jimmy McCarty and his program called “The Journey”.  “The Journey exists to: address unacceptable realities in oppressed international communities by establishing long-term, self-sustaining business and ministry entities, as well as to train, equip, and mobilize a generation of young adults into entrepreneurial and missional placements.”

A group of us will be moving to Mae Sot, Thailand for four months to open a community outreach center to meet the needs of over 100,000 Burmese refugees. Our mission is to create jobs for locals, classrooms for children, a church for the local community, and to provide a venue to experiment on a number of community development endeavors. For more information about The Journey check out the website;  http://www.simplykingdom.org/the-journey/

One of my degrees in college was International Humanitarian Assistance and Development. I couldn’t be more excited to finally work in the international community in the sense of giving people the tools they need to live self sustainably. I am equally as excited to take another leap of faith with the Lord and see where He continues to lead me, to continue to put my faith into action and be His hands and feet.

I am so thankful to my family, friends, and supporters. I am forever grateful for all the love, prayers, support, and encouragement that I had which was such a strong foundation throughout my race last year. It blows my mind to have such a loving and supportive community who truly believes in what the Lord has called me to do.

So once again… here we go… let the journey begin!!!