Why I'm Still Here...

When I first came to Thailand in 2007, it was only supposed to be for six months. I was invited to help train ZOE’s staff on how to teach the Bible to children in a way that really stuck — fun, creative, and powerful. I packed light. I said my temporary goodbyes. I fully intended to go back to my “real life.”

But that all changed about a month in.

One morning, I was asked to help welcome a new girl who had just been rescued. As I walked down the steps to meet her, I’ll never forget the moment our eyes met. Her body was present, but her spirit felt absent. There was no light in her eyes. No spark. No sense of safety. Just survival.

I was asked to take her photo for intake documentation. When I raised my camera, she flinched — just a slight movement, but one that told me more than words ever could. Her story was heartbreaking. She had been orphaned and taken in by neighbors, only to be trafficked and used to pay off their debts.

And yet, today she’s a completely different person.

She went back to school. She earned her GED. She met the love of her life, got married, and had two beautiful children.

And now? She works at ZOE as a full-time parent to kids who’ve walked similar hard roads. She sings. She laughs. She’s joyful. She’s whole.

It was her transformation that changed mine.

I couldn’t go back to my old life — not after seeing what restoration looks like up close. That day, I knew:

I was never going to be the same.

What started as a short-term trip became a lifelong calling.

Since then, I’ve walked with hundreds of rescued children. I’ve seen the worst kind of trauma and the most breathtaking healing. I’ve cried with them, prayed over them, celebrated their graduations, and watched them share the Gospel for the first time.

This is not just my job. It’s my mission. My joy. My fight.

And it all started with one girl who helped me see that God wasn’t just inviting me to come for a visit…

He was calling me to stay.