Promises and Homework

"When is God coming?" Asked my new friend as we waited for our weekly worship time to begin.


I gave her a puzzled look, wondering if I had heard her right.


"When is God coming?"  She repeated herself, looking around and seeming to expect someone with the name tag "God" to be showing up soon. 

She knew we were here to worship God, but she obviously wasn't sure what that would look like.  Most Buddhists worship things they can see or at least use shrines or statues as reminders.  There was a stark lack of golden images in the room. 

Simple worship at BJD

"He's already here." I responded.

Now it was her turn to give me the puzzled look.

"God is already with us.  He can hear our worship now."  I reiterated.  From there I was able to explain more.

This reminded me of my Thai homework.  In Thai class this week, I will have to share about God's promises. 

The one that comes to mind first is God's promise to be with us always, in Thailand,  America, the air between the two countries, or anywhere else. 

"I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Heb. 13:5) 
"I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Mat. 28:20)

In an effort to be a good student, learn some new words, and see where God would lead conversations, I decided to ask some of my Thai friends what promises come to mind first.  (Homework is as good as any reason to talk about God, right?) 

One friend said knowing he will go to heaven when he dies.  Without a moments thought, another guy said salvation.  One girl in my small group thought about God's promise through the beauty of a rainbow.  God's unconditional love also came to mind. 

As we reminded each other of these promises, a smile formed on each face.  What an amazing God we have!  The only God who can promise these things and carry them out faithfully, whether he's wearing a name tag or not. 

United at the Beach

Thai & international YWAM family

 

"For the body does not consist of one member but of many..." 

This passage from 1 Corinthians 12:14 and the following verses are quite familiar, but as we spent time together at the beach last week, they became real again.

It seemed someone from every part of the "body" was represented.  From the voices who answer the phones and the hands that clean the offices to the fingers that type information for the website and the eyes that spot the ministry opportunities.  From the minds who keep the accountants straight to the tongues that translate for teams.  From the  elbows that work on the cars to the body that sits in YWAM Thailand's National Director seat.

Our body is diverse.  And that's a good thing.  Just as Paul reminds us in Corinthians, we wouldn't be a useful body, actually we wouldn't be a body at all, if we were all an eye or everyone was an ear.  Praise God for diversity!

Before returning to Bangkok, we had some time to share how God had been speaking to us:

"When we say yes to God, we must say yes 100%."

"Thank God that I can serve in a family like this!"

"As I looked out at the ocean and prayed, God reminded me, he loves us that much!"

Proverbs 31: 8-9 "Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.  Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy."

"I feel like God has guided me here (to serve at YWAM) through every step."

"Relaxing like a family here is really important.  Every minute we serve together is important.  There is no job too small for God to notice or so big he is overwhelmed."

"God pressed on my heart this year that I need to be more committed to my church family, learning and seeking the Lord with them."

"I like to see the younger girls and remember when I was a young student like that.  It's good to encourage each other."

"God reminded me with Ephesians 6:5-8.  We are to serve with all our heart."

Praise God for uniting us together to serve him as one body and pour out his love on others in Thailand!  We couldn't do it without each other, and we definitely couldn't do it without him!

A's Story

When I went to my hometown, I brought a couple of my American friends.  My father asked, "Are they Christians coming to serve Father?"  "What?"  I asked, confused.  (My dad is Buddhist.) 

"You know, the Father of the world." Dad has worked outside of Thailand, in Singapore and places like that, so he is familiar with a lot of religions.

(Could he really be referring to God?  I wondered to myself?) 

"Yes they are." I responded hesitantly.  Still unsure I was understanding correctly.

"Do you believe in the Christian God?"  Dad asked.

I stood silent.  I hadn't told them yet.  Then my mother shouted from the other side of the room, "Don't you go changing religions on me." 

My dad nodded at my silence.  He understood.  Mom, on the other hand, is very concerned about which of her children are going to make merit for her after my sister became Muslim.

My whole province is full of very strict Buddhists.  It's not like most of Thailand where people are cultural Buddhists.  My neighbors are serious about what they believe.  All over the province are many important temples, honored monks, and sacred bones of past monks.  There's not a single church near my parent's house. 

I wasn't surprised when my parents wanted me to go to the temple to make merit.  They actually wrote my name down on the paper to make a new giant bell for merit ringing.  I was really uncomfortable, but I didn't feel like I had a lot of options.  I didn't participate, but everyone asked me why.

That's one reason I was hesitant to go home since I became a Christian.  

***
6 days later...

"Julia!  I told my mom I am a Christian and she was okay!"  Were the first words out of A's mouth when I saw her.  "She said I can do whatever is good for me." 

A was glowing.  Freedom, relief, and joy, filled her face.


***Praise God that as students have gotten up the courage to tell their parents they have decided to follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior, God has prepared their parents to hear it and love them anyway!***

From Sister to Sister

BJD students enjoying dinner together.

7 Months Ago...

"A new girl is joining us at BJD."  One staff member told me.

"Have you met our new BJD sister?"  A student asked.

"She came last night."  Another student added.

"She's kinda quiet."  A third pitched in.

After two days of hearing about our new mystery student, I finally met P. 

As warned, I only got a few words out of her.  And I felt like I was pushing just to get that many.  I took the hint, tried to give her a warm welcome and then gave her some space.  Understandably, a dorm of 15 girls who know each other well and like to laugh loud, could be a bit overwhelming.

As time went on all the girls and I invited P to lunch, invited her to dinner, invited her to the market, invited her to watch TV, invited her to sit and chat, but P declined each invitation.  She preferred to spend time alone or sleeping.  "She's a tough one." An outside friend warned. 

We weren't daunted.

By month two, we knew the answer would be "no" before an invitation was extended, but we kept inviting.  I don't know if it was more of a cultural thing, or if it was our only way to try to make P feel included, but we did.  Maybe what gave us hope was that every once in a while, in a long long while, she would agree to join.  Probably because she had run out of food in her room, but the reason didn't matter to us. 

On arrival at BJD, P wore a Buddhist bracelet around her thin wrist.  The bracelets are  given for long life and good luck.  I'm not really sure when, but it eventually disappeared.

And she, like all students at the dorm, attended Bible class twice a week.  While she showed up grudgingly at first, God, like he so often does, was at work. 

This past week he did something really special.

"It's hard to explain, but there were many things.  The main thing is that I know is that God loves me a lot, more than anyone else in the world."  P shared.

P has gone from dorm sister to eternal sister.  We are all praising God and celebrating with her!

This morning while eating breakfast together, our younger sister joked along with all the other girls.  Smiles extended around the table.  Christ's freedom and joy was abounding. 

The Time Has Come

"Do you know that this week I decided to become a Christian?"
"Yes, I heard that, praise God!  Welcome to the family!"
'A' smiled and laughed hesitantly. 

"Do you have peace in your heart about your decision?"  I asked her.
"Yes, but sometimes I still don't understand."
"There are things I don't understand too," I admitted. "But when the time is right, God will help us understand."

For over a year, 'A' had been attending Bible studies and learning about Christ.  Her first exposure to the gospel came through an English class.  At first, attending Bible study was more for English practice than Bible learning.  But as the months went on, God slowly, gently, transformed her heart.  'A' became hungry to know more about Jesus.  Then it didn't matter what language the Bible study was in, 'A' was ready to learn. 

"I know God is real, but I'm just not ready."  She told me a couple months ago.  Her main hesitation has been disappointing her family.   It's a scary prospect, espeically in a culture where everyone is taught to do everything possible to 'safe face' and not disrespect family.  Now, God has given her peace even in that area.

Marveling at the journey Jesus had taken her on, I asked, "Why did you decide to believe now?"
"The time had finally come."

New Life Celebration

 Sunday afternoon, we gathered at the condo pool of one of our teammates. 

"There's nothing special about this water." Brandon clarified, as he gestured to the swimming pool while explaining the command and symbol of baptism.

Time was taken for prayer, committing this new life to God's work, glory, and Kingdom.

Kyle shared how great it has been to see God grow understanding, love, and passion for Christ in this new brother. 

Funny Story: A foreigner learning Thai used the wrong word once and said, "No we will drown..." instead of "baptize."

 

 No one was drowned here!

About half of the Thais who joined us aren't believers.  What an opportunity for them to see and be a part of the celebration with us.  :)

The last baptism was Bakery (right).  How cool must it have been to watch another Thai brother (left) get baptized too. 

We went to eat Swensen's Ice Cream afterward.   (We didn't make it all the way to the original shop in San Francisco, but luckily there's a Swensen's shop in almost every mall here.)

Over ice cream, we were able to explain the reason for baptism again to this friend.  Understandably, it's a strange idea, especially for people who grow up with a background of doing things to make merit.

Thanks to an awesome team and all the Thais who came to celebrate with us!

A Daughter's Faith

The prognosis was grim. The cancer was no longer shrinking, but instead, it had spread to the brain.  Many treatments had been tried, many doctors consulted.  The morphine dip was steady and consciousness was the opposite.

"Pray first and foremost for salvation," was the daughter's request, as she booked tickets to go to Northern Thailand the following day.  All the while, she kept hoping this wouldn't end up being the last visit.

The sun rose Easter morning, but it seemed clouded by a heavy reality.  The reality that the person who brought this brave daughter into this world, was struggling to stay here herself.   The morning was filled with making new visitors feel welcome, translating the Easter message, and fellowshipping over lunch.  A day of celebration, and yet of sorrow.  It was easier to just not think about it, but that wasn't really an option.

As the daughter and her husband prepared to leave, everyone in the small ground-floor shop space, aka church, gathered around them.  While visitors looked on, the Body of Christ stood together in faith, praying for the mother in the hospital, for healing, strength, understanding, openness, safety and most of all, salvation.  Tears were shed, hugs exchanged, words of encouragement spoken.  Then the couple headed out the door to the airport.

A lot of unknowns surfaced on the couple hour flight between Bangkok and the hospital in Northern Thailand.  Was her mother still conscious?  Would she be able to to hear and understand the message of Easter as it was shared once more?  Would sharing this time be any different?  What about relations with other family members?  What about the family business? Pulling up to the hospital, all those worries were momentarily set aside.  The most important part was to see Mom.

Being a surprise, their arrival brought tears of joy to Mom's eyes.  Daughter's eyes teared up just seeing her mother, though weak, alert and happy to see them.  There wasn't time for small talk.  Some important things needed to be shared.  But who was going to talk first? 

As beginning words bumped into each other, Mom finally shared how a Christian friend had come over earlier that day.  She shared the full story of Easter.  This time the message of the hope we have in Christ penetrated the depths of  Mom's heart.  It was no longer just words, it was a relationship she wanted too.  Easter morning, she decided to throw out her idols and become a Christ follower.  This was an answer to years and years of prayer.

The journey of praying for the earthly ones we love the most, to love the heavenly One we love the most is no easy task.  It gets discouraging; it gets frustrating; it can even seem useless.  But God is bigger than the biggest hurdles, stronger than the strongest chains, more persistent than the most stubborn hearts, and more loving than we can ever imagine.  


I share this daughter's story of faith in hopes that you will not loose faith in praying for your loved ones.  While Mom is still in the hospital, still has cancer, still struggling on this earth, she now has the most important thing.  She has hope and confidence that her eternal home is secure.  No one in the family could see this Easter's gift coming, and yet God had the timing planned out all along. 

A Year of Learning

A main goal for my team and me this first year was to be learners.  Here are a few of the most important things we have learned (or been reminded of) this year. 

Abiding in God finding strength in Him.  "'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Prayer and seeking God first, in all seasons, for all decisions.  While this is not a new idea, it was reinforced over the past year time and time again.  Anytime we started making decisions too quickly or getting our priorities mixed up, God would bring us back with a gentle reminder.

Relationships before task, even if that means the project takes longer.  Whether it is cleaning the house or going to the market.  Relationships are built by time together and strengthened by working things out together.

Idea ownership.  If I want an idea to succeed, Thais need to be on board and have ownership.  If it's their idea to begin with, even better.  Learning this has taught us to be creative with making suggestions and how important it is to have Thai partners with the same heart for the ministry God has called us to.

The benefit of language learning.  All the time put into learning language has been well worth it.  Being able to speak Thai is rewarding and opens up the possibility to communicate with so many more people.  Words mean more to people in their mother tongue than in a Western language, even if they can understand English.  I look forward to continuing to improve my language in the coming year.

The value of being on a team.   To begin with, it's biblical.  On top of that, it's encouraging, helps us stay focused on why God has us here, and gives us an opportunity to model a loving community and healthy church body.

The impact and influence living a Christ-centered life.  In the first year, everyone on my team has had days where they have wondered what good we are doing here.  However, one Thai believer shared, "Just you being here is encouraging and reminds us of the importance of the task God has given us."  Another new believer shared in her testimony, "I believed in Jesus because I saw the life of the Christians at BJD."

Praise God for a great first year!

BJD Outreach

 

                                                                      Excitement flowed through the air as we loaded up the truck and gathered to pray for the students and staff before they left for outreach.  The 10 BJD (the dorm where I live) students and staff went to serve in Northern Thailand.  Some students have been on outreach before, others put their faith in Jesus in the past few months, so this is their first experience of living-out loving others outside of Bangkok (aka "mission trip").

They had a busy two weeks full of blessing some of the students' home communities.  In some hometowns they did kids' programs with skits, games, and stories about Jesus.  In some hometowns they spent long days helping harvest rice and other veggies alongside the locals and praying for those in need.  

It's not a simple task for students to return to their hometowns to speak of Christ.  For some, the evidence of Jesus changing their lives speaks for itself,  others face ridicule from family and neighbors for "being swept away with this Western religion." 

When everyone returned this past week, I asked one of the student leaders what his favorite part was.  He had a lot of good stories but the best part was "Seeing BJD students grow closer to God and grow in leadership."                                        Praise God for working in the lives of the students at BJD !

Girl's Night

"I thank God for healing my relationship with my mom.  We used to fight all the time, but now we are getting along."

"Praise God for teaching me more about him this past year, causing me to love him and know his love for me more."

"I am grateful for God showing his love for my family and me when my cousins died in the car accident this past year.  I wanted to be angry at God, but he kept reminding me how gracious he is." 

"Thank you God for providing in ways far beyond my imagination, beyond anyone could have provided or even imagined providing."

"I am thankful for God giving me strength in my studies and work and being patient with me as he teaches me over and over to trust and rely on him."

As each girl took a turn sharing what she was grateful for in this past year, my thankfulness to the Lord welled inside me even more.  What an amazing God we have! 

After a time of praise and thanksgiving, we moved on to the part of girl's night that is meant to build community and remind the girls of how beautiful they are...facials and nails!

When I told N she could pick any color she wanted for my nails, I had to agree when she pulled out the hot pink.  They came out better than I expected, but my nails probably won't be seeing this color again for a while. 

The Circle of Reaching Out

 "About 9 months ago, I was sitting where you were, in the grass, studying my books.  These people came up to me, just wanting to be my friend, like I'm doing to you now.  Can I tell you what has happened in my life since then?"

On the day I met them, they invited me to English class, their nights of worship, to eat dinner together and just hang out.  They said they were Christians, but I didn't really know what that meant.  I agreed to check out an English class, I needed to improve my English anyway.  

At first I was skeptical, but it didn't take long to realize that these people were genuine, different.  They actually cared about me, and they also cared about their God, Jesus Christ.  They talked about him regularly, spending whole evenings worshiping, praying, and studying the Bible.  I was curious...Who was this god that was so important to them?  I respected them because they respected my Buddhist views.  They didn't pressure me to believe in their God, but allowed me to come alongside them and observe. 

I moved into the dorm last May because I needed to live closer to the university.  To be honest, everything was a little overwhelming at first, but I soon began to enjoy the community I had become a part of.  It was unlike anything I have ever experienced before.

A few months ago, I noticed I was singing worship songs along my friends.  I began appreciating it when they would pray for me and wanting to know more and more about the God they had dedicated their lives to.

A couple weeks ago, their God became my God.  I am filled with more peace and joy than I have ever known.  I know he is the one and only true God.  I am freed from my futile efforts to gain enough merit and please the spirits.  

I now enjoy sitting up on the fifth floor, reading my Bible each morning and going to campus to meet other students like you and like me 9 months ago, when I didn't know Jesus.  I still have so much to learn, but I look forward to it.  And I look forward to seeing more people come to know God for themselves.

"So, would you be interested in joining us for English class or just come play some games in the coffee shop for a while?"

J is a student at the dorm where I live, House of One Heart (BJD).  He told his story to a few students at the university while we were walking around for outreach there. The students he was talking with came back to the dorm coffee shop and hangout for a few hours.  They joined us for dinner and stayed a little while into our night of worship.  The next day they joined us for English class. 

Thank you for praying for these and the other students here in Thailand.

Baptisms

Pattaya Beach

This past week we celebrated with 7 students from the dorm as they were baptized as an outward sign of their commitment to follow Jesus with their whole life. 

Here's a picture summary:

The bus ride was crowded, but we had fun eating snacks (wrapping a seaweed snack around your front teeth makes everyone laugh) and singing songs.

Our first stop was Pattaya City Hall where we filled about 2,500 bags with a Bible (in Thai), a note, and a cookie.  The bags were for an event, Pattaya Praise.  We stayed for a time of worship then headed to the beach.

  

 We enjoyed a lunch of chicken and sticky rice on the beach then played games in the water for a while. 

When it was time for the baptisms, we read a few passages from the Bible before praying and heading to the water.

Praise God for changed lives, faithful followers, and a loving community!