Click the link below to get all my pictures from Christmas in the south of Thailand.
CLICK HERE Kao Lak Picture Album CLICK HERE
I will have a fuller text posting coming up soon, but a quick thank you to all who were praying for us. It went really well. More to come soon...
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Christmas in the Community pictures
I had the awesome blessing this past weekend of participating in bringing Christmas to two of the slum communities served by our church.
The first set of pictures is from Ja-roo-rat community. This is where Big-C goes every Sunday, and the kids come running when they see him. He is deeply loved by the community here.
Above are the people who collected the 225 meals/presents we handed out. I think we could have given out 100 more.
Below, Son-ti-yaa leads the kids in playing a game. Son is the definition of ask nothing in return servant heartedness.
If there is a mirror, Ting will find it.
After getting his hair in order, Ting shared with the kids about his past involvement in drugs and how knowing Jesus has brought him out of that life and opened up such incredible opportunities to him.
The next set of pictures are from the Christmas program at Wis-sa-wa community. The church has had people serving in this community for nine years.
The calm before the storm
5 legged race
I had the privilege of preaching at this event about the true meaning of Christmas. I used a present as an analogy for Jesus and I had props inside that represented blessings like eternal life, forgiveness, and joy. My point was that all these things and more are available to you if you will just accept the gift...
Ahjan Vee handing out rewards to game winners.
Please pray with me that the seeds of truth sown in the hearts of the men, women and children in these communities will be nurtured by God to produce saving faith. And remember Baring community where we will be doing Christmas this Sunday.
The first set of pictures is from Ja-roo-rat community. This is where Big-C goes every Sunday, and the kids come running when they see him. He is deeply loved by the community here.
Above are the people who collected the 225 meals/presents we handed out. I think we could have given out 100 more.
Below, Son-ti-yaa leads the kids in playing a game. Son is the definition of ask nothing in return servant heartedness.
If there is a mirror, Ting will find it.
After getting his hair in order, Ting shared with the kids about his past involvement in drugs and how knowing Jesus has brought him out of that life and opened up such incredible opportunities to him.
The next set of pictures are from the Christmas program at Wis-sa-wa community. The church has had people serving in this community for nine years.
The calm before the storm
5 legged race
I had the privilege of preaching at this event about the true meaning of Christmas. I used a present as an analogy for Jesus and I had props inside that represented blessings like eternal life, forgiveness, and joy. My point was that all these things and more are available to you if you will just accept the gift...
Ahjan Vee handing out rewards to game winners.
Please pray with me that the seeds of truth sown in the hearts of the men, women and children in these communities will be nurtured by God to produce saving faith. And remember Baring community where we will be doing Christmas this Sunday.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
A New Song
Time is flying over here, and I can't believe I have not posted in so long. The last couple weeks have been a real blessing. Last Sunday I was invited to preach in the big church service. I shared the story of my life and how God has led and guided my way faithfully.
While I was truly honored to have the opportunity to share in church, I was also grieved becuase my friend Terry, Son and Ting were able to travel that morning to go visit Eddy at boot camp. Here is a shot they took of Eddy with his new buds and a whole lot less hair. (thats him in the middle)
The report is that he is doing really well. He has let it be made clear to his fellow soldiers that he is a Christian, and I pray that God has planted him among this group of guys to lead them to Jesus. Keep up your prayers for Eddy.
Another blessing this past week was that I got to meet an American friend of a friend named Jeremy who is in Thailand visiting his girlfriend, Por. He is a strong Christian and she is a Buddhist. So, he contacted me about whether or not I knew any Thai Christians that could speak with her and answer her questions. Well, I hooked them up with Ahjan Vee and his wife Muey. We had lunch together and they gave their testimonies. I think Por was sincerely moved and truly interested.
Here they are at the church on Sunday.
Please pray for Por. She is interested and has been given a Bible and we are hoping she will keep coming to the church even though Jeremy has had to return home for now.
Well, the main event this month is of course Christmas. We spent the last few days decorating the church and it flat puts the Grizwalds to shame.
The centerpiece in the garden this year is an incredible star tree of paper star lanterns.
The genius behind this creation was Boyd. He is praying every day until Christmas that it does not rain.
Before we start our Christmas programs (we have 2 this weekend), there was a big community party at the church for the radio listeners. The radio has been a wild success and we had around 100 people show up for this event.
At 12:30 we ate lunch on the church picnic tables, and three hours later those tables were hacked and sawed to create this great stage.
The radio listeners were really excited to get to meet their favorite dj's. We had music, games, a testimony from Ahjan Winit, and I led the crowd in a game of animal bingo. (pictures of animals instead of numbers)
This picture really symbolizes what the whole evening was about. The woman on the left is named Som. She heard the church radio a few months ago and came to attend church and study English. The gospel was explained to her and she believed and became the first radio listener that was baptized. She is a singer and song composer. In this picture, she is singing a song that she just wrote about the love of God. When she finished she gave a word of testimony about the true joy and peace she has now in knowing Jesus.
Thanks to all who were praying for this event. Please keep praying for the seeds of truth sown into the hearts of those who were there. Also, we will be doing our Christmas outreach programs in the slums on December 12th, 13th and 20th. Please be praying for the hundreds of people over those days who will hear about Jesus for perhaps the first time.
Also, be praying for me and the team from the church going to Khao Lak from the 25th-30th to do Christmas outreach. This is the same place/trip I was on last year, and my friends and I need your prayers for health, safe travel, and strength.
Look for pictures next week from the slum Christmas programs.
God bless!
While I was truly honored to have the opportunity to share in church, I was also grieved becuase my friend Terry, Son and Ting were able to travel that morning to go visit Eddy at boot camp. Here is a shot they took of Eddy with his new buds and a whole lot less hair. (thats him in the middle)
The report is that he is doing really well. He has let it be made clear to his fellow soldiers that he is a Christian, and I pray that God has planted him among this group of guys to lead them to Jesus. Keep up your prayers for Eddy.
Another blessing this past week was that I got to meet an American friend of a friend named Jeremy who is in Thailand visiting his girlfriend, Por. He is a strong Christian and she is a Buddhist. So, he contacted me about whether or not I knew any Thai Christians that could speak with her and answer her questions. Well, I hooked them up with Ahjan Vee and his wife Muey. We had lunch together and they gave their testimonies. I think Por was sincerely moved and truly interested.
Here they are at the church on Sunday.
Please pray for Por. She is interested and has been given a Bible and we are hoping she will keep coming to the church even though Jeremy has had to return home for now.
Well, the main event this month is of course Christmas. We spent the last few days decorating the church and it flat puts the Grizwalds to shame.
The centerpiece in the garden this year is an incredible star tree of paper star lanterns.
The genius behind this creation was Boyd. He is praying every day until Christmas that it does not rain.
Before we start our Christmas programs (we have 2 this weekend), there was a big community party at the church for the radio listeners. The radio has been a wild success and we had around 100 people show up for this event.
At 12:30 we ate lunch on the church picnic tables, and three hours later those tables were hacked and sawed to create this great stage.
The radio listeners were really excited to get to meet their favorite dj's. We had music, games, a testimony from Ahjan Winit, and I led the crowd in a game of animal bingo. (pictures of animals instead of numbers)
This picture really symbolizes what the whole evening was about. The woman on the left is named Som. She heard the church radio a few months ago and came to attend church and study English. The gospel was explained to her and she believed and became the first radio listener that was baptized. She is a singer and song composer. In this picture, she is singing a song that she just wrote about the love of God. When she finished she gave a word of testimony about the true joy and peace she has now in knowing Jesus.
Thanks to all who were praying for this event. Please keep praying for the seeds of truth sown into the hearts of those who were there. Also, we will be doing our Christmas outreach programs in the slums on December 12th, 13th and 20th. Please be praying for the hundreds of people over those days who will hear about Jesus for perhaps the first time.
Also, be praying for me and the team from the church going to Khao Lak from the 25th-30th to do Christmas outreach. This is the same place/trip I was on last year, and my friends and I need your prayers for health, safe travel, and strength.
Look for pictures next week from the slum Christmas programs.
God bless!
Monday, November 16, 2009
God is at work
Some really exciting and encouraging stuff has been going on the last few weeks, and I want to provide a summary survey of all that our God is doing over here.
The young leaders group that was initially created for preparing Eddy to go into the military said goodbye to our friend earlier this month. We had a powerful and emotional time of worship, and each person encouraged Eddy with a piece of Scripture. I previously mentioned his brother Note (pictured to the right of Eddy). Note has not shown up to church or the group since Eddy left. Please keep praying for him.
One of the goals we have for the young leaders group going forward is to make it intentionally evangelistic. We have asked the guys to be praying for a lost friend and consider bringing them along. One young Christian named Pai (pictured below) has been doing just that since our first meeting.
Pai is a university student and he brought a classmate friend of his named Jeng (pictured below at the first meeting with me) Jeng was not there every week, but he did show up again for our goodbye to Eddy. It apparently impacted him very deeply because he told Pai he wants to be with us every time we meet from now on!
To Pai's amazement, Jeng agreed to come to church with him this past Sunday. We were all very excited to see him there. And he did not just come to the service. He did the full rounds going with us to the slums in the afternoon also. He had a great time helping out with the children.
Jeng had such a good time he wants to come again next week, and he said he is going to invite other non-believing friends! I ask your prayers for him. At the young mens group this week (Thursday), I am going to teach on the core elements of the gospel. Please pray that Jeng and Note will both be there, and that God will open their hearts to understand and believe.
Pictured below is an Indian man named Bobbie. He showed up at our church about 3 weeks ago becuase he was told there was someone there who could help him find work. Bobbie has been in Thailand five years, and he came here from Punjab, India. He grew up as a Sikh, but he decided to change to Christianity in Thailand.
I had the opportunity to meet with Bobbie several times over the last couple weeks and teach him the fundamentals of Christianity. After I explained the gospel, he said he had never heard it before. I explained grace, and that salvation is a gift we receive and that cannot be earned. He was so excited and relieved to hear that, and he stated firmly that he believed and would follow Jesus. Yesterday he started his new job. Please pray that he would continue faithful to his confession and growing in the knowledge of God.
God is also at work at the church right now among the radio listeners and English students. The church's community radio is having a major impact. This Sunday they baptized the second person who came to the church becuase of the radio. The first person was one of my English students. Also this Sunday, three of my English students came to the worship service before class! very cool!
Next month, December 6th, the church is hosting a big outreach event for the radio listener community. A number of church members will share their testimony, and there will be lots of yummy food. Pray for a big turnout of people, and that God continue drawing people to Himself through this event and all the various ministries of the church.
The young leaders group that was initially created for preparing Eddy to go into the military said goodbye to our friend earlier this month. We had a powerful and emotional time of worship, and each person encouraged Eddy with a piece of Scripture. I previously mentioned his brother Note (pictured to the right of Eddy). Note has not shown up to church or the group since Eddy left. Please keep praying for him.
One of the goals we have for the young leaders group going forward is to make it intentionally evangelistic. We have asked the guys to be praying for a lost friend and consider bringing them along. One young Christian named Pai (pictured below) has been doing just that since our first meeting.
Pai is a university student and he brought a classmate friend of his named Jeng (pictured below at the first meeting with me) Jeng was not there every week, but he did show up again for our goodbye to Eddy. It apparently impacted him very deeply because he told Pai he wants to be with us every time we meet from now on!
To Pai's amazement, Jeng agreed to come to church with him this past Sunday. We were all very excited to see him there. And he did not just come to the service. He did the full rounds going with us to the slums in the afternoon also. He had a great time helping out with the children.
Jeng had such a good time he wants to come again next week, and he said he is going to invite other non-believing friends! I ask your prayers for him. At the young mens group this week (Thursday), I am going to teach on the core elements of the gospel. Please pray that Jeng and Note will both be there, and that God will open their hearts to understand and believe.
Pictured below is an Indian man named Bobbie. He showed up at our church about 3 weeks ago becuase he was told there was someone there who could help him find work. Bobbie has been in Thailand five years, and he came here from Punjab, India. He grew up as a Sikh, but he decided to change to Christianity in Thailand.
I had the opportunity to meet with Bobbie several times over the last couple weeks and teach him the fundamentals of Christianity. After I explained the gospel, he said he had never heard it before. I explained grace, and that salvation is a gift we receive and that cannot be earned. He was so excited and relieved to hear that, and he stated firmly that he believed and would follow Jesus. Yesterday he started his new job. Please pray that he would continue faithful to his confession and growing in the knowledge of God.
God is also at work at the church right now among the radio listeners and English students. The church's community radio is having a major impact. This Sunday they baptized the second person who came to the church becuase of the radio. The first person was one of my English students. Also this Sunday, three of my English students came to the worship service before class! very cool!
Next month, December 6th, the church is hosting a big outreach event for the radio listener community. A number of church members will share their testimony, and there will be lots of yummy food. Pray for a big turnout of people, and that God continue drawing people to Himself through this event and all the various ministries of the church.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Back from the Jungle
This last week I went out to Ganchanaburi province for a church retreat for 3 days. This was a retreat for the group that works in the slums and a few others to get out of the city, fellowship, study God's word, and plan for the future.
We stayed in cabins in a national park. The setting was a gorgeous rainforest up in the hills of western Thailand. There was a stream that flowed through the middle of our camp and served as a very soothing background track to our time together.
Of course, the young'ens were more interested in getting wet than enjoying the aesthetic value of the stream. I think they were soaking wet the whole time.
There were all kinds of strange flowers, bugs, animals around our campsite. This flower had what looked like pieces of corn in it.
Here's a picture that you can't take in Bangkok...
The stream flows out of a cave that is just a few yards from our camp site. And the cave is full of bats. This might unnerve some people, but bats eat mosquitoes and mosquitoes eat me so therefore bats are my natural allies.
The cave is hard to picture, but it had a huge main cavern with some gigantic formations.
Here I was lucky to catch a photo of two wild monkeys. Ting and soon to be soldier Eddie goofing around.
A group shot of all those in attendance. Last year we had about 15 people and this year it was more like 30. There are some amazing servants of Christ in this group, and there are some young people that I know God is going to do incredible things through.
Ting and Sanit's parents joined us for the retreat. They live in Isaan (Northeast Thailand), but they are in the city for 2 weeks and therefore joined us. Sanit, was the first Christian in her family and becuase of her witness her whole family is now trusting in Jesus. Praise the Lord!
The province that we went to is the location of the famous Bridge on the River Kwai and the war museum that commemorates the servicemen who died there. Here is Tangk, Ikey, Boy, and John on the bridge.
This was a really cool stop for me becuase I had been here before. 15 years ago! when I participated in an international summer camp called CISV. Here is present day Greg at the bridge...
And here is me at the same spot 15 years ago....
I NEVER imagined at that time I would ever have any reason to come back to Thailand. But God's hand was all over my being there then and being back here now.
This is a shot of the cemetery for the thousands of servicemen that died as POW's under the Japanese army while building the Thailand-Burma railway. The vast majority are Australians, followed by New Zealanders, Dutch, French and British.
For the US servicemen that perished there is only a commemorative plaque.
And after experiencing all the wonder and beauty of God's creation out in the country we got back to Bangkok.
We stayed in cabins in a national park. The setting was a gorgeous rainforest up in the hills of western Thailand. There was a stream that flowed through the middle of our camp and served as a very soothing background track to our time together.
Of course, the young'ens were more interested in getting wet than enjoying the aesthetic value of the stream. I think they were soaking wet the whole time.
There were all kinds of strange flowers, bugs, animals around our campsite. This flower had what looked like pieces of corn in it.
Here's a picture that you can't take in Bangkok...
The stream flows out of a cave that is just a few yards from our camp site. And the cave is full of bats. This might unnerve some people, but bats eat mosquitoes and mosquitoes eat me so therefore bats are my natural allies.
The cave is hard to picture, but it had a huge main cavern with some gigantic formations.
Here I was lucky to catch a photo of two wild monkeys. Ting and soon to be soldier Eddie goofing around.
A group shot of all those in attendance. Last year we had about 15 people and this year it was more like 30. There are some amazing servants of Christ in this group, and there are some young people that I know God is going to do incredible things through.
Ting and Sanit's parents joined us for the retreat. They live in Isaan (Northeast Thailand), but they are in the city for 2 weeks and therefore joined us. Sanit, was the first Christian in her family and becuase of her witness her whole family is now trusting in Jesus. Praise the Lord!
The province that we went to is the location of the famous Bridge on the River Kwai and the war museum that commemorates the servicemen who died there. Here is Tangk, Ikey, Boy, and John on the bridge.
This was a really cool stop for me becuase I had been here before. 15 years ago! when I participated in an international summer camp called CISV. Here is present day Greg at the bridge...
And here is me at the same spot 15 years ago....
I NEVER imagined at that time I would ever have any reason to come back to Thailand. But God's hand was all over my being there then and being back here now.
This is a shot of the cemetery for the thousands of servicemen that died as POW's under the Japanese army while building the Thailand-Burma railway. The vast majority are Australians, followed by New Zealanders, Dutch, French and British.
For the US servicemen that perished there is only a commemorative plaque.
And after experiencing all the wonder and beauty of God's creation out in the country we got back to Bangkok.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Eddie & Note
One of the highlights for me the last few weeks has been the young mens Bible study group that we have been doing at Terry's condo. The guys have really responded positively and we have heard a lot of encouraging things from them.
The group was started to encourage and prepare Eddie as he is about to enter the military for two years.
That is Eddie on the far left in the above picture. The guy sitting to his right is his brother Note. Note is not a Christian and has actually been pressuring Eddie to come back to Buddhism. Note has come to the study twice, and he seems to really enjoy the fellowship there. Amazingly, Note came to church with Eddie yesterday and spent the whole day with us. He helped us out with the kids at the slum, and then he went with us to sing and preach at a local fair.
Pictured above are Note and Eddie playing a game with the kids where they try to identify a mystery substance in the box.
I ask your prayers for both of these guys. Pray that God would be preparing Eddie to stand strong as a witness for Christ in the military, and pray that God would open Note's heart to faith in Christ.
The group was started to encourage and prepare Eddie as he is about to enter the military for two years.
That is Eddie on the far left in the above picture. The guy sitting to his right is his brother Note. Note is not a Christian and has actually been pressuring Eddie to come back to Buddhism. Note has come to the study twice, and he seems to really enjoy the fellowship there. Amazingly, Note came to church with Eddie yesterday and spent the whole day with us. He helped us out with the kids at the slum, and then he went with us to sing and preach at a local fair.
Pictured above are Note and Eddie playing a game with the kids where they try to identify a mystery substance in the box.
I ask your prayers for both of these guys. Pray that God would be preparing Eddie to stand strong as a witness for Christ in the military, and pray that God would open Note's heart to faith in Christ.
Monday, September 14, 2009
the week in review
Well this was a truly an exceptional week. It was just about as busy as it could be. On Tuesday, I taught a Bible lesson for the church's school staff. Imagine my shock and surprise when I was told by Ahjan Vee that I would do the whole thing in Thai. He helped me when I got stuck on a few words but for the most part I was able to get through it. I taught about Ephesians 6 and putting on the armor of God each day and compared that to fighting against the H1N1 flu and the precautions we all take for that. They were all very nice and said they understood me just fine, but I was terrified.
After that, Ahjan Vee and I went out into 2 of the slums near the church where they have ministry currently underway. Next week, he and I are going to start canvassing new slum areas that they have never been into before. We are really praying right now about ways to reach out to young men and adults. Please keep that in your prayers!
On Wednesday night I had the great joy of having dinner with Terry (Big-C), Son, Ting, and Eddie at Terry's condo. This was a warmup gathering for a new Bible study we are starting this week at Terry's place. Eddie (who is pictured in the middle between Son on the left and Ting on the right) was drafted into the military a few months ago.
He reports in November, and will have to serve for the next 2 years. So Terry had the idea to get some of the young men together to encourage Eddie and study about the Bible's definition of being a man of integrity. Pray for this gathering over the next 7 weeks and pray for Eddie to stand steadfast in Christ as he serves out his time in what will be a very difficult environment for a Christian.
On Friday, I had another banner day. I told you about the radio station the church had started. Well, I was interviewed (in Thai) on the radio for almost 30 minutes by DJ Tony. We were inviting more people in the community to come study English. The highlight was when a caller called into the show and asked me "Do you like Thai ladies?" I said something about them being very nice and that both women and men were welcome to come study English. whew
On Friday night, there are two worship/Bible study sessions. This Friday it just so happened I ended up teaching both of them becuase Ahjan Winit was not well. I taught on church planting and people groups in the first session and Matthew 2 in the second.
And then of course there is Sunday. This Sunday I taught Sunday school and covered 1 Samuel 4-6 about the incredible journey of the Ark in Philistine hands. And then the usual Sunday schedule of teaching English at church and at the slum. Also, I got another dramatic role in the childrens Bible story. I played the part of the fish in the Jonah story. To my great relief, the fish never talks : )
After that, Ahjan Vee and I went out into 2 of the slums near the church where they have ministry currently underway. Next week, he and I are going to start canvassing new slum areas that they have never been into before. We are really praying right now about ways to reach out to young men and adults. Please keep that in your prayers!
On Wednesday night I had the great joy of having dinner with Terry (Big-C), Son, Ting, and Eddie at Terry's condo. This was a warmup gathering for a new Bible study we are starting this week at Terry's place. Eddie (who is pictured in the middle between Son on the left and Ting on the right) was drafted into the military a few months ago.
He reports in November, and will have to serve for the next 2 years. So Terry had the idea to get some of the young men together to encourage Eddie and study about the Bible's definition of being a man of integrity. Pray for this gathering over the next 7 weeks and pray for Eddie to stand steadfast in Christ as he serves out his time in what will be a very difficult environment for a Christian.
On Friday, I had another banner day. I told you about the radio station the church had started. Well, I was interviewed (in Thai) on the radio for almost 30 minutes by DJ Tony. We were inviting more people in the community to come study English. The highlight was when a caller called into the show and asked me "Do you like Thai ladies?" I said something about them being very nice and that both women and men were welcome to come study English. whew
On Friday night, there are two worship/Bible study sessions. This Friday it just so happened I ended up teaching both of them becuase Ahjan Winit was not well. I taught on church planting and people groups in the first session and Matthew 2 in the second.
And then of course there is Sunday. This Sunday I taught Sunday school and covered 1 Samuel 4-6 about the incredible journey of the Ark in Philistine hands. And then the usual Sunday schedule of teaching English at church and at the slum. Also, I got another dramatic role in the childrens Bible story. I played the part of the fish in the Jonah story. To my great relief, the fish never talks : )
Monday, August 31, 2009
Another great Sunday
Sunday was another busy and blessed day. I had the wonderful opportunity again to share at Immanuel Baptist in the early morning service. I preached on Psalm 22 and the parallels with the crucifixion. I talked about how Jesus had to be separated at that moment from the Father in order to receive the punishment for our sins. (that is Pastor Winit translating)
I found out last week that the church has a new outreach going. A few weeks ago they started a Christian community radio station. Recently, they began to advertise free English classes at the church. The response has been huge. So, after the main service I teach English for one hour at the church. Yesterday we had around 20 people come. We will be inviting the students to come earlier and check out the church service and have lunch with us.
After that, I travel with the group down to the Baring community. I was informed on the way down that I would play the role of King Solomon in a drama for the kids. I am not sure that I got my lines quite right, but I think they got the point.
The team then played games with the kids while I taught an English lesson for the adults. One of the games they do involves the kids eating a bunch of foods and then blowing into a plate full of flour. It makes for good fun and good pics.
Son and Ting did a magic show for the kids. Their big finale was Ting said he would pull a rabbit out of his hat. What he pulled out was a notecard with the word "rabbit" written on it.
Finally, here is shot of all the kids from yesterday.
I found out last week that the church has a new outreach going. A few weeks ago they started a Christian community radio station. Recently, they began to advertise free English classes at the church. The response has been huge. So, after the main service I teach English for one hour at the church. Yesterday we had around 20 people come. We will be inviting the students to come earlier and check out the church service and have lunch with us.
After that, I travel with the group down to the Baring community. I was informed on the way down that I would play the role of King Solomon in a drama for the kids. I am not sure that I got my lines quite right, but I think they got the point.
The team then played games with the kids while I taught an English lesson for the adults. One of the games they do involves the kids eating a bunch of foods and then blowing into a plate full of flour. It makes for good fun and good pics.
Son and Ting did a magic show for the kids. Their big finale was Ting said he would pull a rabbit out of his hat. What he pulled out was a notecard with the word "rabbit" written on it.
Finally, here is shot of all the kids from yesterday.
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