In 1979, horrified by the genocide Pol Pot was visiting upon his country, I knew I had to do something. I was a senior at Wheaton College, but before long, I was traveling to Thailand and a
Cambodian refugee camp.

For three
months, I wrestled to show love in a tangible way to the survivors of that
horror through pig and chicken projects.

Along the way I saw the sex trade becoming a full-blown multi-billion dollar industry. Although I felt no particular call to Thailand, the experience marked me for life. Before long I was returning to another part of Asia as a full-time missionary.

Little did I guess how Thailand would circle back in my life to once again take a prominent place. Adventures sends hundreds of missionaries there (most of them short-term). And now we're trying to send a team of long-termers to the northern part of the country.

Tomorrow Karen and I are making the 22 hour flight to meet our team there. The whole thing is a little overwhelming.

Have you ever had a part of your life that you thought was in your rear view mirror suddenly show up ahead of you, looming in your future? Relationships can be that way. Places can be that way. Our personal ministries can be that way. An addiction that you beat enables you to minister to others struggling to fight their way to sobriety. A tragedy can bond you with others who have gone through a similar experience.

God is a master recycler. He doesn't waste anything. All the ingredients work in his recipes. He's forever finding stuff in your past that fits somewhere in his dream for your future.

When he's done that with me, I've been so encouraged. I may have forgotten about some past experience, but he finds a way to extract some use for it.

What is he in the process of redeeming in your life? Where might it fit in your future?