Living in Community in Chiang Mai

Kristi has just sent a newsletter to all her friends, family and supporters. We all contributed our thoughts about living in community. I thought you might be interested to read what we had to say.

Kristi shared: "There is nothing like living in community. We have all lived in families with people who were called to love us and sometimes did it well. However, living in community is volunteering to enter a family you did not choose. In community, I walk between being known and unknown, being seen and unseen. I waver between rebellion and surrender every day. It is like living with a mirror in front of my face. I see the best and the worst of myself when I see myself reflected in the eyes of those with whom I am living. I asked each of the women I am living with right now to talk about community and what they are learning."

Lana confessed, “I am going to be honest, I was as apprehensive as excited about the idea of living in a houseful of women. I have been brought up in North America where 'making it on my own' has been placed as a much higher achievement than living in community. Six weeks in, I can see that something beautiful and unique has been set into motion here and I am thankful for the growth, sharpening and refining that has happened before my eyes and in the mirror. I look forward to walking with years of EMBARK students because I know it will leave them (and me) changed for good.”

Jane wrote, “We are all different. We didn’t choose to live together. God chose it for us. But He knew what He was doing and as we learn to live together, He is growing and shaping us to be more useful to Him. Living, studying and working together 7 days a week, we are continually confronted with each other’s strengths and weaknesses. It’s in our strengths that we help to carry each other’s load. It’s in our weakness that we are forced to rely on each other. We are all pretty independent, competent and determined women, but as the weeks go by we are learning to let down our defenses, to be open and honest, as we are listened to and loved without judgment, and as we grow in love for and trust in Jesus and each other. I have a new appreciation for the way living in community can shape us to be more like Jesus and more useful to Him.”

For Alicia, “Living in community is a good challenge. I was ready to let God stretch me when I left for EMBARK and there’s nothing better for me than living with four other people, who I hardly knew six weeks ago, to grow me. Although stretching, it has also been so rewarding. There’s nothing I can compare to our times of giggling with each other, playing games, having meaningful conversation, prepping for ministry and TESOL, learning together, and experiencing God together. We were created for community and it is so good to learn to live that out in a context that is so welcoming to community.”

Olivia said, “Living in the EMBARK community has been beneficial for me because not only am I having to deal with challenges that come with living in any community, such as working around everyone’s schedules and making compromises, but also because in this particular community I am constantly surrounded by women who love God and want the best for me. Constantly having people to hold me accountable when I need accountability and encourage me when I need encouragement has been such a blessing and I have been
growing more than I ever have before in my relationship with the Lord during my time here. The advantages far outweigh any discomforts or inconveniences that come along with living in community.”

In his book 'Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places', Eugene Peterson wrote, “I often found myself preferring the company of people outside my congregation, men and women who did not follow Jesus. Or worse, preferring the company of my sovereign self. But soon I found that my preferences were honored by neither Scripture nor Jesus. I didn't come to the conviction easily, but finally there was no getting around it: there can be no maturity in the spiritual life, no obedience in following Jesus, no wholeness in the Christian life apart from immersion and embrace of community. I am not myself by myself. Community, not the highly vaunted individualism of our culture, is the setting in which Christ is at play.” 

The EMBARK curriculum is awesome. The things we are learning about evangelism, culture, and teaching English are invaluable skills. The ministry we are having with our neighbors, our English students, our regulars at the shops and markets in the Doi Saket community is exciting. However, nothing is changing us the way living in community is changing us. Life together is where maturity is being tested, obedience in following Jesus is required, and wholeness is being found. It is in the immersion into this community where Jesus meets us and transforms us.

Thanks Kristi for allowing me to put your newsletter onto my blog.