Jesus and American History

Looked at as an "expert" on both of these things tonight, I had some good conversations while hanging out with two college guys and my teammate, NaamFon. First, they seriously asked me to name all 50 states, so they could repeat each after me using an American accent. (I'm sure I missed a few.) Then they wanted a brief history of the U.S. starting with the first exploration of the continent (and of course I had to include the Native Americans). You may know I have a history degree, so I love this kind of thing, but no one ever asks. These guys asked and listened! No yawns at all!

After that, we finished a conversation we started during the opening night for student outreach--about Christianity. It was really good to hear their views about Jesus and Christianity. More than anything, neither of them know much at all about Jesus. They grew up studying Buddhism at school from the age of eight. I'm always so amazed at the basic starting point yet so honored to share! We discussed the Bible, who wrote it, how, evidence, Jesus's birth, Israel, bad examples of Christians in history. My favorite question they asked was, "So, why did Jesus have to die anyway?" Please pray for G. and E. May God continue leading them to more questions and his answers.

One of My Kids is Cared For

I just want to jump up and down praising God right now! A huge answer to prayer today. One of "my kids" at Mahathai, T., finally will have a Christian male role model in his life!! T. struggles a lot with his male identity, even though he's only 11 years old. I see him being pushed into a lifestyle not pleasing to God. I have been praying for four years for a man to show interest in reading the Bible with T.

God answered. Another ministry downtown has a coffee shop that employs "ladyboys", men who dress like women, and helps get them out of working in the bars as prostitutes. One of the male Thai staff in that ministry would like to do preventative outreach work. He has generously come to meet T. today and decided to meet with him weekly. When he asked T. what T. wanted to do weekly, T. said so openly that he wanted to read the Bible and pray! Praise God that T. showed no inhibitions and felt comfortable with this guy. Praise God for caring for his child, T., and helping him know God. Praise God for the male role model and his motivation to serve God in this way. Please continue praying for the males in the Mahathai community. Pray for Christian friendships for them.

A Good Day Looks Like...

...getting to ride a motorcycle taxi four times (Don't read that, Mom.)

...connecting with another ministry who're sending two men to help minister to some of the young boys at Mahathai. Answer to prayer!

...making two cooking dates this week. Cooking chocolate chip cookies with some folks Saturday, and then Minestrone soup (which I've never made) with other folks on Sunday. Good relationship-building opportunities!

...being told by D. that after talking to me, she didn't feel so stressed anymore. Usually she drinks beer to help. I told her to call me now instead! :)

...teaching the kids about God creating humans. I LOVE teaching kids. I learned Thai words today for God giving Adam his "breath" of life and "rib".

...singing the Thai version of "London Bridge is Falling Down" til I felt like my voice was gone.

...seeing the big palm trees blowing in the wind before the storm.

Sunday School Video

A couple Sundays ago, I took my turn on the rotation of teaching Sunday School. I'm not teaching so much due to members stepping up and helping more. That's a great blessing and it shows growth in our church. I had an idea to make a video of the kids in class to show the church what the kids learned and thank the Sunday School volunteers. It didn't turn out very well. You will hear me ask the kids a question: "Who is Jesus?" I want to hear their individual free-thinking answers, but instead I got the same answer, "God" from all of them. So, it's an unsuccessful video for the church, but I thought I'd share it with you anyway.

For some explanation first: the four kids in class are all relatives of my Thai teammates. At the end, I ask Joshua to answer, but I realize I was saying his name like an American instead of "Yoshua" like a Thai person, so he didn't even turn to answer the question. Unlike the video, during the lesson itself, the kids were sharing and discussing so well. During the video, you'll see them all working on their crafts.

"I'd Rather Speak in Thai..."

Those were the words that came out of the dentist's mouth last week. Her reasoning, "So we have less misunderstanding." Ha. For you maybe, but I might end up with less teeth. I did end the appointment with all my teeth still intact, and having learned a few more Thai words. I had a chance to tell her why I know Thai and why I am here. When I mentioned being from North Carolina, the dentist remarked on the number of tornadoes in the US right now. She said, "With all these natural disasters happening now, it's good to believe in God." I surprisingly asked, "Oh, you believe in God?", then I looked down at her Buddhist amulet around her neck. She responded, "No, I am Buddhist. But we all have the same God." If I could get a dollar for every time I have heard that. Good, but sad, dental appointment.

New Napada Website

Our Napada Handicraft Ministry has an updated website thanks to Tim Mills. Click on the link on the right column. You can now check out all of our current purse designs. Read about how the ministry began and who serves and works there. Pray for them. Thank you!

The Gals I Teach

Snagged a picture of my girls' small group before Carolyn left. She came her last week to help me take care of any "younger sisters" of the gals that "tagged along." Here's a few of the gals I teach in a favorite place to study. Thanks for your prayers.