Hometown Faithfulness

From left to right, a neighbor, Ellen, K, and Mom

Ever since she became a believer in college, K has been praying for her family.  Sharing the gospel with her parents and siblings has been difficult.  But over 10 years later, she is starting to see the fruit of her prayers and boldness. 

At the beginning of our trip to her hometown last week K shared her heart, "I want to ask my mom to pray to receive Christ.  I've been talking to God about it, and I think this time is right." 

From that moment on, I knew my job was to be interceding for that time.  In the past, this conversation has come up between K and her mom, but Mom just dismisses the idea saying "not right now," "maybe later" or "our family is Buddhist."

On our first night in her parents' home, K found mom sitting on the patio upstairs.  She asked me to join them and asked her mom if she was ready to pray.  This time, mom said yes! 

As K led her in prayer, I prayed that she would truly understand the words she was saying and Christ's sacrifice for her.

We were overjoyed.  As we sat chatting, Dad came upstairs.  K had mentioned before that Dad is more of the skeptic in the family. 

Mom and Dad holding a picture of great grandma

The following night, in our small talk on the porch before going to bed, K suggested that Dad ask God for help.  Dad had reoccurring nightmares that he was fighting in his sleep to the point that he  would sometimes fall out of bed.  

Dad prayed on his own, and we prayed for him too. 

In the morning, Dad said he had no nightmares!  He couldn't deny that God had something to do with that.

K and I continue to pray for her family, for Mom to grow as a new believer (in a town that has no other Christians) and for Dad's heart to be softened and seek Jesus.  Will you pray with us?

K and I in front of a rice field near her house.

Lunch!  Sticky rice, grilled pork, fish, and vegetables.

Cutting fresh bananas off the stem.

K resting in the great weather and quiet town atmosphere.

Hanging out with neighbors.

Meeting new friends.

Watching the rice being separated from the stalk. (Stalk goes flying, rice gets poured into the white bags to be sold.)

Thankful Thanksgiving

LifePoint Team Thanksgiving 2013

"Today we are going to celebrate Thank God Day." We told our taxi driver as we piled into his car with yummy smelling, freshly baked pans of deliciousness.

"Have you ever heard of Thanksgiving?"  We asked him.  When he responded "no," we explained about the holiday.

"There's no holiday like that in Thailand."  He told us.

- - - - - -

Wouldn't it be awesome if "Thank God Day" became a Thai holiday too?

Wouldn't it be great for the holiday to be remembered and celebrated as it began?

I am encouraged and challenged by this reminder about Thanksgiving's beginning,

"The mission trip started with great hope. Their pastor wished the families well and prayed for them as they set out on this adventure.  But now their food supplies were critically low, there was no way to return home, no hotels for shelter and bitter cold would soon begin claiming victims.

"The Thanksgiving holiday did not start as a result of great abundance but in the midst of pain, loss, grief and sorrow. Though surrounded by the enemy on all sides these believers chose to look heavenward and express gratitude.

"They did not thank God because there were no challenges or because life was easy. They recognized He owed them nothing but they owed Him everything."
(www.rickmalm.com/thanksgiving)

I have so much to be thankful for.  Among many other things, I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve overseas, to see God's kingdom expanded and share of his great mercy.

What makes the top of your "Thank God" list? 

Ministry Glimpse: Timothy House

Welcome to Timothy House, a children's home in Thailand.  "Most of the children we have come from an abusive background.  Their stories are as varied as their personalities. We show them the love of Christ. They slowly heal and return to a child like nature. Only love can heal the broken heart."

Currently 17 kids between the age of 4 and 17 call Timothy House home.  Located on the edge of a national park, Timothy House has plenty of space for these kids to play and grow.

Rodney and Phimpha love the kids as their own.  Acting as dad and mom to 17 children is a big job though.  Volunteers, donations, love, and a lot of hard work keep Timothy House running. 

Playtime after school!

Catching dinner in the fish pond out front.

Making dinner in the kitchen.

The dish washing crew!

There's always work to be done, but doing it together makes it more fun!

Every night after dinner everyone comes together for worship (led by some of the kids) and a Bible study (led by Mom).  Every Sunday church is held at the home and members of the community join for worship. 

Praise God for the heart he has given this family, for the love that overflows to these children, and for the example they set for the community!

For more information or to make a donation, please visit:

www.lovecareproject.org/wp

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Vegetables, but Something More Important

It was a special day.  

The yellow banners in the market reminded our eyes.  And our noses quickly led us to the delicious aromas coming from stall after stall.  The annual Vegetarian Festival is primarily celebrated by Thai-Chinese who are wanting to cleanse their bodies from all meat and dairy to please their god.  However, everyone seems to enjoy the delicious dishes. 

This opened another conversation with one of my Thai friends with Chinese heritage...

"Why didn't your sisters come to church today?" I asked Lin.
"They had to go with my mom to the Chinese temple." She responded.
"Do they go every Sunday?"
"No, today is the first day of Tesagan Jae."
"The Vegetarian Festival, right?" 

"And what do they do at the temple?" 

"Pray to our god.  Today we celebrate because he comes to earth for the festival time." 

"What does he do on earth?" 

"Ummm...I don't know.  I guess to spend time among the people."

I asked if I could ask more, and with permission, our conversation continued on to her family's beliefs about sin, getting rid of it; heaven, getting there; god, and the unreachable standard of good he demands.  

After listening attentively, I was still confused.  And the more Lin tried to explain, the fewer answers she seemed to have. 

Lin has heard the gospel before (and again today as we talked), but still stands unsure, somewhere caught in between the pulls of family, a religion she doesn't really understand but grew up with, and the offer of a relationship with the world's Creator. 

Yummy vegetarian food!

A visit to Nisa's home

Nisa is a great cook and we enjoyed delicious meals with her family. 

 This is the home she grew up in, although she said they added the second story a while back.  

The view around  her home is beautiful, mostly rice fields and MOUNTAINS!  (Something I really do miss in Bangkok.)  It felt so refreshing to get out of the city. 

 The rice was just sprouting in some fields and about knee-high in other fields. Corn was also grown in one section of the field.

Nisa's sister explained to me that here, where the farmers rely on the rain to water the fields, rice is grown once per year.  However, in fields along major rivers and water ways, rice can be planted and harvested twice a year because they have an alternative water source.

This is another home along the walk from the main road to Nisa's house.  The bottom of the house is left open and used kind of like a garage, to store things and hang clothes to dry during rainy season.

The white building in the distance is the school Nisa went to as a kid.  Now her niece, who lives with Grandma and Grandpa, studies there.

On our walk we found an ox.  His owner said he was friendly, so we could pet him and take a picture.  

On our walk back home Mr. Ox was getting a bath.  It kind of reminded me of washing a car, but he seemed to be enjoying it. 

Thank you, beautiful Nisa, for taking me to visit your home!

A field truck.  Most of the people in this area work in the fields.  

Nisa, her mom, her older sister, and her niece. 

 The family and their adopted foreign daughter.

A lovely weekend with lovely friends.

Mango and Sticky Rice

Looking for a cool, summer dessert that uses delicious summer fruit?

Try Mango and Sticky Rice!

My Thai friends were the first to teach me how to make this easy and delicious sweet treat.  At the market we picked up (aka, your shopping list should include)...

 Ingredients:
-1 cup sticky rice (glutinous rice)
-1 cup coconut milk
-1/2 cup water
-pinch of salt
-1/4-1/2 cup sugar (more or less sweet according to your preference)
-1-2 mangoes (or other fresh fruit)

Directions:

Soak the sticky rice for 6-8 hours in a bowl with a lot water (the rice will expand, so make sure your bowl is big enough.)  After soaking, pour out the extra water and rinse off the rice.   While water is boiling in your steamer, place a cheese cloth or muslin cloth on the top part and pour the rice into the cloth.  Cook the rice for about 20 minutes, or until it is translucent and not crunchy.  (If you would rather microwave the rice, see the Microwave Method below.)

Next, heat the coconut milk and water in a sauce pan.  Stir constantly and add the salt and sugar when simmering.  Mix until sugar is dissolved. 

Pour about half the coconut milk mixture into a smaller bowl.  When the rice is cooked, mix the rice into the remaining, hot coconut milk. 

Lastly, peel the mango (or other fruit) and cut it in long, thin slices. 

To assemble, place a scoop of rice on the plate, top with a few slices of fruit and then spoon some of the remaining coconut milk sauce on the top. 







The Microwave Method: Soak the sticky rice for 10 minutes in warm water in a bowl. Soaking the rice is very important. I have tried this method without soaking the rice first and it was disastrous. The rice was undercooked and inedible. The water level should be just above the rice, which comes out to be 1 cup of rice and a little over 1 cup of water (about 10% more). I recommend using a non-plastic container because you may melt the plastic in the microwave. Cover the bowl with a dish and cook in microwave for at full power 3 minutes. Stir the rice around to move the rice from the top to the bottom. You will notice that some of the rice is translucent or cooked and some still has white center or the uncooked portion.

Heat it up again for another 3 minutes. Check and see if it is done. When cooked, all the rice should be translucent. If it needs more cooking, I recommend heating up and checking every 3 minutes or so. How long it takes to cook really depends on your microwave. (Microwave Method from www.thaitable.com)

Enjoy!  (We all sure did!)

Karen Celebration

 Naam, right, invited me to her home town for a celebration of the opening of a new church.  It was the biggest gathering of Karen people in their village in 10 years.  

 

We ate a lot of pork, as it is the food for special occasions.  Pigs were killed the day before we arrived.  One dish was raw pork in pig's blood, of which I wasn't very excited about.  However, I gave it a try, a little bit, and I'm alive.  Then I asked Naam, "Aren't you going to eat it too?"  "No, I'm scared."  She responded.

 

Meet Lek's dad.  Lek is another girl from the dorm where I live.  Her dad has worked at this elephant ride company for over 20 years.  He gave us a ride on his elephant, 24 year old, Jackfruit.

 Lek's mom (left), Michelle, Me, and Naam.

 Every house we visited had food to share with us.  (Even when we had just eaten.)  It is their way of being hospitable and sharing life with us.

We always ate on the floor or on a raised floor table.  Life is simple and relaxed, but all the essentials were met. 

Look past the row of heads to see the writing on the wall.  That is the church's key verse written in Karen.  I could not read a single word, but according to my book, it says "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1)

 

Here we have three single ladies.  How do you know?  From their shirts, married women wear black shirts with red horizontal stripes around the middle.  Married men wear a red shirt with vertical stripes.  Single girls wear a long white dress or colorful shirt, and single guys wear a shirt any color other than red.  The clothes are handmade by by the older women in the village.

 Everyone was buy going here and there, taking care of guests who came from 4 other provinces, and getting everything ready for the celebration.

 Paintings decorated all walls of the church.  My favorite was Adam and Eve, wearing traditional Karen dress, in a beautiful garden, with a beautiful view of the hills and valleys surrounding them.

 The married men and women from this church singing.  Almost every church had a song to share in the Karen language. 

 While this looks too western for my idea of a Karen church, the amazing thing is that it was completely funded and built by the Karen congregation, an amazing picture of how a village can come work together.

The pages of this Karen hymn book were brown and falling out but it was still being used.  Naam, having grown up going to Thia school, can speak and understand Karen easily, but we had to ask for help to find the right page because she hasn't studied reading or writing Karen language.

 

My favorite part was meeting grandmas, aunts, uncles, and cousins and beginning to see what life was like for the students I live with while they were growing up.  7 students I know come from this village of about 200 homes.  Life is simple there, but God is working, growing the church, and changing people's lives.