So how do you manage Working & Volunteering?

always can be found at my laptop working - in cool locations

My blog is about missionary designing and being location independent. But I really haven't talked much about that side of my year. And as I am 2 days from finishing my time here in Thailand I've been reflecting about what I've 'done' while here work-wise.

Background

Before I came to Thailand, while working for myself back home, I had the intention in the back of my mind of heading overseas in 'mission' service. I'd had the travel bug for a number of years and the idea appealed to me. I processed and prepared for this for a long time, about 8 years. I started to down-size my 'stuff' and learned to live frugally etc.

I knew some other things about me. I love variety. I love a good mission story as much as the next person but the thought of spending years in one spot didn't appeal to me. I began to see how God made me. I was just wired with a need to have a bag of mixture-lollies rather than a gobstopper - if you know what I mean. My ideal was perfectly OK also.

So when circumstances began and doors started to open towards 'perhaps it was time to actually go on a mission trip' God stepped in to actually talk with me. You see I didn't want to teach English, I wasn't qualified to doctor anyone, let along nurse them. If anyone ever needs me to deliver a baby - I'll ask God for instructions when the time arises - that'll be fun.

What I really wanted (talking to the Lord here) was to use the gifts He'd already given me - and for me it was in being creative. I was still limited with what that could be. I hadn't come across any calls for anyone in my line of work. So I pondered on this and had little chats with God through the process.

Then one day in Sept 2011 this idea struck me, and I mean STRUCK me - totally out of the blue. I knew it was God, as it became 3 dimensional, and He spoke, telling me what He wanted me to do.

I want you to work for yourself and offer your services to ministries around the world in your field of talents I've given you. You are to support yourself half the time while serving the ministry half the time.

That was the 2nd most direct amount of words I've ever heard from Him! Then, like a Si fi movie with the latest FX, He took every little idea I've ever had from my mind and before my minds eye - as if it was a real tangible thing - put them all together and formed a hovering ball of blue light, buzzing with the ideas, and then other little ideas I once had as a 6yr child came flying out from my head to join it. It was sureal and was over before I could really grasp it, yet so real I can still see it now.

The Lord then impressed me that He'd given me all these ideas and now it was time to put them all together as they formed a jigsaw of the big picture. I was to go. With that, I came back to my senses and was speechless and alone, so couldn't share it anyone, not that I could of at that moment, kind of sat there with my mouth gaping. 

Over the next while the picture formed more solidly about the 'what and how's' of what I was to do, which I wrote down. I'd made enough contacts around the world that I network with, I had the necessary qualification to easily obtain visas and be 'officially' welcomed into a ministry overseas, and I was about to become childless, my one and old daughter was leaving home, the timing was perfect. 

So the business of being in business while being location independent was the next tackle. I was pleasantly surprised that there are others that have gone before me and I zealously read everything I could, to saturate my head space that I could do this in a practical everyday manner (or should I say manna?). Well I believed I could do it, and .... long story short - my first call was to Thailand.

Tania as a volunteer

I think I started all wonky, but the Lord knew what I needed to learn and what I needed to accomplish while in my first year as a location dependent creative. So here I am in Thailand thinking I'm the bees knees for actually achieving this goal in selling everything and getting this far.

The practical side 

So this year I have been working for AVS - Adventist Volunteer Services  - in Bangkok. Assisting as their graphic designer and illustrator in their media department. I've been working alongside a small team of my American boss, a Thai co-worker in video and a young American student, also in video and photography. Both the boss and his fellow American student have long since departed (from Thailand, not from this mortal coil). 

There was a lot of work to do - and in short, I hardly touched them, in fact I'd be lucky to have got more than a look at them. The nature of what I had in front of me more than took my time. And I had the variety I wanted also, with being in and out of the office, tripping here, going there etc.

Basically I designed two full projects over this time - a van wrap for a ministry and my favourite, an illustrated colouring booklet for kids. If you'd like to the full designs pop across to my web page

Section of the van wrap / colouring book for Thai kids / Poster design for AVS volunteers

On top to ministry in my field, I was also apart of a film crew and assisted them as we captured stories of peoples lives on how'd they'd changed after meeting God - amazing stories - only wish I could speak Thai to understand them.

filming her story. Married at 13 divorced at 18, only to marry and divorce again. Single Mum, actor in 10 major Thai movies and then found God, turned her life round, educated herself and now at 28 owns a hair salon - lovely woman!

filming tigers - amazing!

Along with helping out in this ministry I also helped in another in the lines of more video production. This crew was half fergan and half Thai and it was a blast working with them in ministry and business. I was brought on in project management, and really found a liking of it. Got to go and do some pretty cool stuff which I'll talk about in another post.

Both of these positions saw me travel a fair bit of the country - a dream come true :)

self employment

So with the volunteer work aside - I also had my own business to conduct. As I am a self supporting volunteer, I need to earn money to live and breath in Thailand.

I still have so much to learn, but Thailand has been a time of learning to balance and achieve goals that've taken a while to work through. For example - I have to be flexible to the job before me, whether it is either a paying or volunteer client. I need to put time aside for the background things, like a regular business just in half the time. But at least it's just me, and not running a company. I've learned a lot this year in business.

Some of the things I've achieved are: Logo redevelopment for DFoG ... I was pretty pleased with this transistion and it came to be when I was in the far north, at the tippy-top, of Thailand in Chang Klong.

From this - to This

I also spent many hours figuring out and creating my own website - my first - and I need to learn more, I look forward to a week locked up in a beautiful place to do just that. In the mean time I'm very happy of these goals which tick along in the back ground. I go at my own pace and I enjoy the process.

I also network with people, I live in my social media hotspots, I study and have learned a lot about a new venture I'm very interested in and believe to be a good fit for my business - art licensing. And most important I plan, write lists, talk things over with God and am inspired. One more thing I've done a lot of is write - I've enjoyed documenting my experiences into story's, and I'm about to have one more printed - this time I'm being paid for it - very exciting.

As I am now heading home, I've got the next few months planned out more. I like the idea of the next adventure and I'm learning about marketing and this is wonderfully exciting.

My ideas for 2013 are kept behind God's leading as He's been pretty good in showing me the direction so far.

Things I've learned:

working on my greeting card series along the River Kwai

Back up - ALWAYS - I had a computer melt-down and lost everything I'd done, my back up was a little old.
DO NOT send your computer to be fixed overseas - it not only costs you an arm and leg but Thai customs charge you to get it back on top of courier costs - could of brought a new laptop!
Think carefully about bonding yourself to a ministry for a long time - this can be great and not so great.
Be flexible in everything you do
Stop to enjoy your surroundings. I don't have to work in the office all the time, I am just as able to sit outside and enjoy the view and feel as if I have achieved both my intended goals - to work and play.

The BEST thing I have taken away with me in business is this - I don't need to worry. As each time I've needed a paying client the Lord has provided one. I recall His promise that He is my provider. And so my worry has lessened, as I know there is always enough. He has blessed me throughout the year also with a couple of financial gains to help me when I needed it most. and true to His word - there is enough to return home on.

YAY. Now I focus on whats head towards the next adventure.

Sometimes it's not about others but about yourself

God is so gracious with me, as I spend time in a 4 star hotel in the famous River Kwai in Kanchanaburi

I want to praise God! He is so good to me (to us!)

I should of known He'd cap nicely my time here in Thailand with some insights, wisdom and understanding, as He explains the reasons I went though a couple of the not-so-nice-internal-issues over the past 9 months. Firstly He encouraged and reminded me with this -

I should not present my petitions to God to prove whether He will fulfill His word, but because He will fulfill it; not to prove that He loves me, but because He loves me. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for when I come to God, I must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of my diligently seeking Him" Hebrews 11:6 (I like adding me, I, etc so I feel it for me personally)

What an interesting, hard, delightful, exciting, and life changing 9 months it's been! What is life, if it's not intertwined with exciting, once-in-a-life-time experiences, eh? Even the icky stuff.

My expectations on being a 'missionary' have certainly been altered, or should I say refined. I've internally 'down graded' myself to volunteer, lol. Maybe I got it all wrong - I was all gun-ho on being the catalyst for positive change in the people I was to meet. But it seemed to backfire - or rather, in hindsight, my pride took a little tumble :)  I don't recall in the years I've been a Christian to date, of a more harder personal inward experience. Trying to put my finger on the 'why' was a little elusive, so I had a little talk with Jesus...

"Just what have I been going through?
I mean, what have I been internally dealing (or not dealing) with?" 

OK, breathing deeply - these are the questions He seems to LOVE answering quickly. If I'm to learn from this, then I best know what's really going on so I don't sweep it under the carpet, so-to-speak. I noticed I've been tempted to wonder if I'm even suited for mission service. Once I heard that in my head I knew it was the whispering ways Satan has been niggling at me, trying to fill my mind with comments that have made me miss trust God.

So realising at least this much, we begin a little convo and He draws my attention to these issues: 

"Self-reliance / lack of trust / misappropriation of my faith"

Shivers! - Didn't have to wait very long on hearing that! He must of prepped me and was eager to let me know! OK, I guess I was ready to hear this - "like or not, here I come!" rings playfully in my ears from childhood hide and go seek games. :D

Life never seems to be cut and dry, or what you think it's all about - And as I try to nut out with God whats really going on at the core issue, it seems that the happenings in my daily life are all reflecting the 3 areas above, so I'm learning. When I pondered each one, the Lord brought to mind each instance and yes He was correct - as usual :)

However the Lord then reminds me that there was a reason He's allowed the year to happen as it has - for my own personal growth. Finally after that being all said and done He encourages me with the following comments though our time together:

"Don't fret about the less than glorious times you've had here, I knew you'd react like that because I know you, and I am leading you even when you think I'm not. 

Don't fret also that you've not 'done' what you thought you were coming here for, as I have a perfect plan and part of it was allowing you to grow more by squeezing you a little - remember I'll not put you through something harder than you can bear

I've guided you here to Thailand because, 1) You said you were willing to come and I like that willingness in my children, 2) I knew you desire to travel, I enjoy giving you your hearts desire

It's ok to leave, as I've got Thailand, I know what I'm doing and I know how my plan proceeds. Not everything rests on your shoulders and remember I know the end from the very beginning - so don't 'take on' that it's your job. Remember that you are an instrument in my hands and I have worked though you and in ways you don't know. Trust this.

Know that you've grown since being here and this will be made evident in time.

Remember that I have promised you that I will finish the work I started in you."

He is a good God to talk with and encourage me as He does. And He's guiding me into my next adventure.