I am a White Truck.

My friend in Asheville spots all the hilariously wierd bumperstickers found in our beloved city. I felt it only fair to write about one I saw in Bangkok.

Riding down the road, I spotted a black SUV with a bumper sticker stuck on the back saying "I am a white truck." "What?" I said out loud and pointed out the truck to my English students sitting with me in the car. Instead of the apparent contradiction or lack of English skills I presume that truck driver had, my friends told me a much stranger but appropriate story to Thai culture...

The driver of the truck might have gotten into an accident one day. He felt that the spirits were not happy with him causing his accident, so he went to see a Buddhist monk. The monk told him that in order to change his "luck", he'd need to buy a white truck. So, instead of buying a white truck, the guy decided he'd just buy a sticker that says "I am a white truck." to put on his black truck. So interesting, huh?

But do you know the female heavyweight Olympic gold medalist from Thailand had her name completely changed out of supposedly "bad luck." The monk she went to see gave her a new name to give her "good luck" and then she won this past year. Doesn't this story give you new light into the religious views here?

Pray for Maisie

The lovely family you see is the Tanchanapongs. They are Thai and have recently added another member to their family...Meno. Natee is a huge encouragement and support to the church plant the MTW Thailand team has begun here in Ram 2 and it was actually thru his friendship with Natee at Covenant Seminary that our team leader, Dave, came to Thailand as a missionary. A couple weeks ago Maisie (shown in picture at her first birthday last year, April 4) was diagnosed with a form of leukemia. Please keep this precious family in your prayers as they see their baby girl go through chemo and as they trust in God to do His work in them and through them. Meno, Maisie's baby brother is just six weeks old. Pray for us as a team to know how to encourage them during this time. We know we can trust God and we know He is good. May He prove Himself faithful, once again. Thank you for praying.

The Karen HillTribe Trip

Boonchu is a Karen pastor that travels around churches all over the North of Thailand and border with Burma to encourage and support the pastors of small village churches. At one time, many missionaries shared the Gospel with this Karen Hilltribe group, yet since then, these churches have been left to learn on their own with a Bible in their own language. With Boonchu's partnering with Mission to the World, we can go up often and provide training for the pastors, teachers, and families in this mountainous area.

With a different dress, a different language, and a different culture, this people group still lives in the North of Thailand. I helped teach children, share my testimony, and encourage the people. More than that, I felt how they encouraged me. Whole villages have come to know Christ in our lifetimes! And they are evangelizing their own people in other villages now. What encouragement to see God working so quickly there. He works much slower in Bangkok, yet I was encouraged to continue sharing his good news to see complete communities here one day come to know Christ here too!

A Mission Trip within a Mission Trip

Thanks so much for your prayers for our trip North. No sickness, except a little car sickness from all the twisty, dusty, steep roads going up and down. I even learned some words in the Karen language. I am "keechee queenie" which means I am 29 years old! They couldn't believe it. Only injury was a good scrape up from falling down a small hill in the dark. I would have kept rolling if Dave's leg didn't stop me. This morning I woke up feeling like I was home from a mission trip, but I'm still here in Thailand. I'm just in a hotel in Chiang Mai for the night before heading on to Bangkok. A warm shower, a soft bed, and 3 English TV channels makes me feel like I'm in luxury. I hope to share pictures in just a bit.

God has so many believers in the North of Thailand. I haven't been to churches that size since leaving America. So many fellow believers to meet and encourage. At least 70 kids to teach, with a hilarious skit of David and Goliath told by myself. Praise God for how he brings full villages to Christ here in our lifetime!

Finally, I get to see the North!!

Tomorrow, I'm headed up the mountains, by plane to Chiang Mai and then by pickup trip to the area where the Karen Hilltribe people live. My team leader, two Thai staff women, and myself are going to teach at a Women's Conference. Our church supports a Thai pastor (Karen actually) who pastors to about a dozen churches on the border up there. We're going where there is little electricity, a lot of pigs and roosters, as well as lots of people who don't receive Bible training often.

Ying, Tang, and I will be teaching 50-100 Karen kids while Dave teaches the women. Though the kids are small, we hope to encourage them about how God uses them by talking about David, Daniel, and Zaccheus. We will also get to visit some of the villages and the people to encourage them and spend time together. Please pray for our travel protection, health, and ministry. I'll be back Thursday.

To see pictures of my destination--click on the "Henrys" link on the right.

His Ear?

In the Thai language, there's a whole 'nother set of words to use for royalty. So when I'm talking about the King of Thailand I need to use different words than when I'm talking about Joe Schmo.

In Thai tutoring this week, I learned that there is even a special word to use when speaking of the King of Thailand's ear!! Yep, and successfully, I read that crazy long word though I had no clue what it was...since I often neglect to talk about his ear. Only one more tutoring session before I've graduated my studies for this two year term.

How Can I Pray for You?

On Wednesdays, before prayer group, I walk around Mahathai visiting and inviting people to our prayer group that evening. Yesterday I spent some time with the family of a girl who attends our Joy Kids club on Saturdays. Thankfully, God gave me good questions that led to learning more about her family.

Gam lives with her parents, grandmother, and possibly more people in their one-room house. Her grandmother has a small laundry service. She, along with many women in Mahathai, do this job. They pick up clothes from people in nearby neighborhoods, wash the clothes, iron them, and deliver them back. As I see in Mahathai, they drive by on their motorcycle holding high a set of hangers with newly-ironed clothes to be delivered. Gam's mother doesn't have a job right now. Though I mentioned our handicrafts ministry as a possible source of income, Soam didn't sound interested in being crafty with her hands. We invite women and teens to make cards and bags at our office, sell them, and provide income for many in this community.

Nearing the end of my visit, I asked them how I could pray for them. Through her smiling face, I saw Gam's grandmother's eyes well up with tears. "Could you pray for my family's happiness?", she asked. Please do pray for Gam's family's happiness, that it made me found in Jesus Christ the true source of joy. Pray for us as we desire to give words of hope to many in this community. I'm thankful she was willing to open her heart to me for a moment.