Where in the world am I? Chiang Mai, Thailand

Greetings all,

When I got home at the beginning of December last year, the last thing I wanted to do was come back out on the field immediately. I felt weary and exhausted. I ended my race as a team leader which was sweet, but felt heavy in the last couple months. Familiarity was a strong desire and expectation heading off the field. My time home was marked with reuniting with family and friends, resting, recounting what the Lord did over the past year, but also boredom and an odd feeling of a lack of purpose. Through all of this, I wasn’t sure what was next. I had desired to move to North Carolina and reunite with the community I had come to know and love at Excel College. However, as I got back into the swing of life in the states (however you really begin to do that well is the question. I am not sure there is an easy way to go about it after living abroad for a year), I began to feel uncertain about this plan. The time frame was short (moving to NC early January), and I felt an overall lack of peace in it. There were a lot of factors that changed my decision, but ultimately God gave me a completely new direction to head (in the short term).

I was visiting my sister and her family in Indiana when my former squad mentor, Brandon, told me that we should catch a call. He asked me to lead for an upcoming all male World Race Semesters Squad. Leader training started in a week and the squad launched in about a month. Long story short, after a few days in prayer and seeking advice from people I respect and trust, I decided to go for it.

Now, you might think to yourself, this seems irresponsible. I certainly did. Was it wise? Was it stewarding my resources well? Did it make sense? It would have been easier to say no. Leaving for another three months meant that I had to yield my desires and plans for my life to the Lord again. Would I have agreed to something like this before the race? Absolutely not. But deciding to go carried a feeling of peace that staying and pursuing what I desired simply didn’t. Am I basing life decisions on feelings? Potentially, but what I really believe it to be is the Holy Spirit leading and directing my path. In the past year I have grown more and more accustomed to experiencing God intimately: convicting and empowering me to follow where He leads. Proverbs 16:9 comes to mind. I had my plan in place, but the Lord directed me elsewhere.

Jump to now, my squad of eight dudes including myself is in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We are partnering with an established NGO, Bella Goose that works to provide people with a sense of belonging and to improve the lives of everyone they touch. They employ people in their cafe/coffee shop in which they make incredible drinks and serve delicious food. We are doing manual labor for them, renovating some rooms that have been out of use since COVID times. We also get to work with some of their partners, one of which is a foster home for young children about to be adopted. Half the team goes there three days a week and spends time with the kids along with working on improving the property that the owners simply have not had time to tend to. It’s a blessing to be able to really step in and help people that are already established doing Kingdom work and aid them in their visions. Manual labor is something I had hoped for more of last year so it is sweet to be able to practically help in this way. That is a brief overview of our ministry.

The squad I am leading is all guys as I mentioned and they are all younger than 20 except for myself and one other guy. Leading such a young group has been a big learning experience for me. Last year, I was always younger than those I led and typically by a good bit. The guys on this squad are anything but shy, which truly I am thankful for. I’ll take assertive and outlandish over passive and standoffish any day. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak into their lives and share some of what I received from last year specifically and what the Lord has so graciously imparted to me. The alumni leaders for O Squad played a huge role for me modeling what it means to pursue God’s kingdom unabashedly. If I can simply point these guys to God and be an example of a good leader in some capacity, I want to do that and do it well.

Given how late this decision was made, I still have the majority of the total I need left to fundraise. I need just over $2000 before I am fully funded. I ask that you pray about what/how the Lord will have you give if He does and do that! Thank you for all your prayer and financial support from last year and heading into this year.

In Christ,

Nathan Schubert

P.S. enjoy these photos from our time here so far