Back from Khao Lak

For the last week I have been in the Khao Lak area of southern Thailand. This is the area hardest hit by the Tsunami in Thailand. The locals estimate that 10,000 people were killed there that day. When I visited the area in 2005 it was totally devastated. Rubble was everywhere, the people were living in the hills in refugee housing, and no one knew if the area would ever recover.

Today it looks very different than it did 3.5 years ago. The hotels and restaurants have been rebuilt, and the tourists have returned. Above is a shot of the beach at Khao Lak. Most importantly, however, is the surging growth of the church in this area. Many of the aid workers that came here were Christian groups. Many people responded to the gospel and numerous churches were planted here. We thank God that many came to Christ becuase of the Tsunami.

There are numerous small churches, but the leadership is thin and they need lots of help. For this reason, I travelled there with a group from a Thai church in Bangkok to help the churches there put on Christmas outreach celebrations for the community.Above is a picture of the community outreach party that we held at our host church. There were almost 200 people that came to hear us sing Christmas songs, eat dinner, recieve gifts, and hear us explain the real meaning of Christmas. This was a very big event for a church of only 4 people!

We did a number of these Christmas parties all throughout the area to many different groups. We did one at a government housing project for sea gypsies. They are a nomadic people that live in boats along the Thai/Burmese coast. Pray for these poeple, the Moken. There are no known believers among them.

We also ministered at a pre-school. Here is a shot of our "little" audience there.
We had a lot of fun playing games and singing songs with the children.

A few times we went out to sing Christmas carols for people. When we were done, someone would share for a few minutes about Jesus and the real story of Christmas. I got to share many times on the trip, and I thank God for these opportunities. Here is me sharing with our wait staff before dinner one night.


This trip was a great blessing to me personally. Through the translation of my Thai Christian friends I got to share the story of Jesus birth and mission on earth with many who had never heard before. Most of all, I was blessed to share a week with some incredible brothers and sisters in the Lord that share a burden for reaching the lost. Here is a picture of the team that I served with.


Please join me in praying that the seeds of truth sown in Khao Lak would find fertile ground in the hearts of many and be nurtured to saving faith by God.

-Greg

As Christmas approaches...

Well, I finished my last module of the year at language school last week. They are closed for three weeks over the Christmas and New Years holidays. I just spent this past week entertaining a fellow missionary friend who is visiting from another country. We spent some time at the beach and exploring the city. It was great to catch up with him and have some time to unwind in the islands.

Here's a picture of me devouring the catch of the day.

I have a really cool opportunity the next few days. From the 25th to 30th I will be in the Phang Nga province of Thailand. This is the area of Thailand that was hardest hit by the tsunami. I have been invited to go with a group from Immanuel Baptist (the church that I do slum ministry with on Sunday) to do Christmas ministry in that area.

I will be travelling to the same town that I visted just six months after the Tsunami back in the summer of 2005. At that time, almost everything was destroyed. The people were all living in refugee camps up in the hills and there were piles of debris everywhere. It will be very exciting to see how the town has changed and especially to encourage the growing Christian population there.

Please pray for our safe travels there and back (it is a long drive), and that God will use us to encourage the churches and proclaim the true message of Christmas to the greater community.
I will have some pictures and updates as soon as I get back.

Have a joyous Christmas!

Greg

Update: political situation

Sorry that I was away for few days and did not give you a timely update on the crisis here. The short version is that the Supreme Court of Thailand voted to dissolve the ruling political party on Tuesday. The protesters were satisfied enough with this and they ended their siege of the airports.

Things have been very quiet the last few days. The Thais are observing the King's birthday this weekend. The King is very cherished and dear to the Thai people. It seems that the battling factions in this crisis have put things on pause right now out of respect for the King. But there is every expectation that tensions will resume soon. I will keep you posted on any important developments. Please continue to pray that God would lead this country to a peaceful resolution of this matter.