Okay, so I’ve decided that I won’t be trying to type any specific Thai names in my blog (or at least I’ll try to ask for some spellings), because I just mess them up! J Looks like I gave a good laugh to our Thai team here when they saw that I called Amy’s helper “Pintera” when her name is really P’Noi. Pintera is actually the name of the Guest House where I’m staying. I guess I’m not all that bad, because Alan thought her name was Phuket! I have to say, this Thai language is tough! I’m glad to be able to give some people laughs out of this, though.
Today was another great day! It rained overnight. It’s actually the rainy season here now, but we haven’t seen much rain yet. It’s been very hot, highs in the upper 90’s, almost 100!
This morning, after breakfast at Kris and Silk’s house, Silk shared her testimony with us…and what a testimony she has! She is one young lady who has had quite a journey! I’d like to share some highlights of her testimony with you so you can pray for her and her family. I may “re-cap” her testimony another day…so, stay tuned!
Alan, Emily and I were together this morning with Kris and Silk. Amy and her kids were with the Goshorn’s all day. We were given the “Ubon City Tour” today. We went to the “city pillar” in town. The extravagant golden statue in the photos is in the center of this area. Kris shared with us some of the history and then we spent some time praying for the city.
We stopped for lunch at a small restaurant and had some awesome food again! I’m loving this Thai food! My favorite dishes so far are Pad Thai and Pad Si Eew. After lunch, we went to Lotus, basically the “Walmart” of Thailand. This is within walking distance from our Guest House, which is convenient because there is a Dairy Queen inside the Lotus. I think I’ll be taking advantage of that during my time here, too! Then we stopped at a local fresh fruit market. Emily experienced the delicious fresh pineapple here!
Sometimes, when we are out and about, we stop for coffee. Now, most of you know, I’m not a coffee drinker. Well, I’ve found my drink of choice now. Kris had me pegged right! I can’t remember the name of the drink, but it’s basically a “milkshake” of sorts. It’s milk, crushed ice, condensed milk some milo (cocoa powder), and then you pick some toppings! The milk and the ice are the only things that are mixed. The rest is in layers. It’s sort of hard to describe, but it certainly is very yummy!
After our treat, Alan and Emily went with Jon and Becky to meet with the Ratchaphat University Christian group. I went with Kris and Silk to Sawang Na Fai village house church. This is about an hour away. At one point in our travels, we came upon a bunch of monkeys. Kris slowed down so I could get some pictures. As you can see in the photo, the monkeys came up close! Kris learned a long time ago not to open the windows! J
On the way to the village, Kris gave me some information about some of the new believers and others they are discipling in this village. Two of the people she mentioned to me were “Bop,” a 12 year old girl who really wants to accept Jesus but her parents won’t let her. Her father just became the village leader. (Bop is in the photo with the children, on the far right in a blue shirt, next to Kris.) Please pray for Bop and her family. Just imagine what God could do with this village if the village leader became a believer! Another young woman Kris told me about, Aun, is a very young believer (about 2 months). Kris had asked me to share with this girl when we got to the village. (The picture shows me with Aun and her baby boy.)
So, when we arrived at the village, we went to the house church and prayed with an older woman there. She is a believer, but for physical reasons, is confined to a hospital bed all day. Please pray for her as she often gets lonely and depressed (being at home alone and not being able to get up!) After praying for her, we had a little bit of time before others arrived for this house church, so we went around the corner to visit Aun. Aun is married and has a beautiful 6-month old baby boy. A lot of what our Thai team is trying to do when they share the gospel with the people here is to really encourage and explain to the people that being a Christian is about having a relationship with Jesus. So, when I shared with Aun (while Silk translated), I wanted to encourage her spend time with Jesus. I told her something my mom told me when I was little. I gave her God’s “telephone number” – Jeremiah 33:3 – God wants to talk with us and to hear from us! He is always available for us. I am certainly not a preacher or an evangelist, but I was blessed to be able to share this little tidbit that my Mother had given to me a long time ago. I pray that I was an encouragement to Aun. Please pray for Aun, that she would continue to grow in her faith and that she would find time to read her Bible.
After visiting with Aun, we went back to the house church. Today, there were 6-7 kids. Normally, there are more children and adults. However, it is rice planting season so a lot of the adults are working in the fields. After singing some worship songs, Kris reviewed last week’s lesson and then Silk told the story of David and Goliath. After the Bible story, the children acted out the story, too. The children are always asked what they have learned and who they will tell. So, it is more than just telling the Bible story to the children, Kris and Silk really make an effort to help the children retain what they learn. Then, they worked on some English words and a coloring activity. I was able to help out with this, since I speak English. J
It was getting late, so we left the children to work on their activity for a bit while we visited some others in the village. One of the women we prayed for is not a believer yet. Silk shared the gospel with her tonight. The woman is not ready yet, but seems to be more open to hear about Jesus. We visited a bit with Bop’s parents. We returned to the children to end our session with them by giving them some candy.
I feel like my brain is on overload. I’m learning and hearing so much about the culture here! I don’t want to forget things! Thailand needs prayer! Our Thai team needs your prayers! Please pray for wisdom for our team here so they will know how to disciple these young believers! It is so hard to know how hard to “push” someone to the next level. So many people they have interacted with in the villages have heard about Jesus and even experienced healing and believe Jesus is real. They are just not ready to make a commitment. Some even say “let it be the next generation.” Please pray! NOW is the time, not the next generation! Please pray for breakthrough here in Thailand!
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