In Chiang Mai with Ky Mook and Poppy

After the youth conferences, (If you have not read about these...the previous 6 posts discuss them...read from the bottom to the top =) )Sarah "Ky Mook" and I were able to stay in Chaing Mai and extra night with our friend Poppy. She took us around for two days. It was a fun vacation. She picked us up in a Sung-Taow (very popular form of transportation here). Then she took us to Tiger Kingdom where we chose to see the baby tigers and watched others go inside the cages with the big tigers (although if you get the chance to go ever...choose the big tigers...That would have been awesome!). Then we went to the Elephant Camp where we fed the elephants and watched their shows ( I posted a couple videos at the bottom of this post so that you can enjoy too!). The shows consisted of Circus stuff, an elephant giving a man a massage, elephants playing soccer, elephants playing darts and elephants painting pictures. Then we went to a monkey show and the night market in the evening. The following day, we went to the Chiang Mai Zoo. This zoo was not an ordinary zoo. IT felt like it should have been the Garden of Eden (see pics). I was most thrilled to see the Giant Panda. Giant Pandas have been my all time favorite animal since the 3rd Grade. And this was the first time I was going to see one in "real" life. So, we spent lots of time at the Panda Exhibit where there was a 15 month baby panda and it's mother and father. After the zoo, we met up with our friend P'Pat and went to a Mexican Restaurant (my favorite food...that I never get to have!) before Ky Mook and I had to head back home to Bangkok. (If you have facebook...I posted an entire album...because of Poppy's request..so you can see more pics there if you would like). It was an adventure! =)

Songkran Festival!

This is the Thailand New Year! Everyone typically goes back to their home town for this 3 days to a week long Holiday. For Songkran people go to the elderly in their home town and they bring them gifts-a way of showing their respect for them.

Songkran is also a party-an awesome excuse-for what is traditionally the hottest week in Thailand...to have a water fight. People will stand on the side of the road with Big things of water and throw buckets of water on the people driving by. If you are walking they will not only throw water on you but put baby powder on you (supposedly this makes one cooler-heat wise). Some of the children played Songkran at the Youth Conferences (see Pics above). But, we really felt it when we were riding for hours in the back of the pick-up truck. We got nailed with buckets of water as we went through each town and then for a few hours straight while going through Chiang Mai.









Yes...this is us in the Pick up Truck getting drenched!!
I was shocked at how we could be going 40mph and the children would surprisingly nail us with the water. As we were going through Chiang Mai...Dave took the Liberty of "egging the children on in Thai" and then as they threw the water...I was doused. =) It felt good with the hot sun for the day time. But by 5:00pm it was cooler in the day and I was shivering! So, Sam switched me places and I sat (still in the truck bed) but up against the cab of the truck and Sam took my drenching spot. It was fun because I was sitting by Naam Fon and we would watch the flow of water hit Sam, and Dave...drenching them (probably 15 times)...then Naam Fon would look at herself...then look at me...realizing that neither one of us got more then some sprinkles of water...and then put her hand up for a high five...with a huge smile on her face...saying, "Just Sam" as we high fived. Still This moment brings a smile to my face if not a few chuckles. It was a memory (maybe a had to be there moment...you tell me ;) )


Here is a picture of our team (minus Pastor Dave, Pastor Boonchu, P'Oh, and Spy...I do not know where they were when we were taking the picture...) the morning after we arrived into the city of Chiang Mai. We were saying our good-byes after a wonderful God given time together in the mountains/villages of the Karen tribes. Pastor Luke, his wife Kris, their son Sam, and Dave were catching a flight back to Bangkok that night. Pastor Boonchu, His wife P'Oh, and their son Spy were going to stay a few days before heading back up into the mountains to some other villages. Naam Fon and P'Charin were catching a bus back that morning and Sarah "Ky Mook" and I were going to stay two days and spend time with our friend Poppy.

These Last couple weeks have been a time to remember =) Read the following 5 posts below to hear all about God's workings within the past two weeks at the youth conferences!!

Testimony

So the second conference the team decided to change things up a bit. Now, I am a planner. I like to know the plan and I think and prepare for the plan as time goes by. I am also a perfectionist when it comes to presenting, or teaching, etc. Well, all this got thrown out the window on the third day of the second conference. You see, I was sitting in a chair supporting Pastor Luke and Pastor Boonchu as they were up on stage teaching. Then, all of a sudden, without warning, they asked that Sarah and I come up on stage and give our testimonies. I didn't have time to find Bible Verses or place an outline together of the direction that I wanted to go with my testimony. And well...my issue of being in control and not giving it to God was right in my face. So, Sarah went first. I wish I could say that I remember her testimony...but the butterflies in my stomach were getting bigger by the second and I don't a thing she said. Within a few minutes, I was standing on stage, with a microphone, in front of 500 people. I started off with the fact that I have been raised by Christian parents. That from a very young age I have achknowledged and accepted Christ as My Lord and Savior....then I went on...I drew a blank...I told the group to hold on a second...because I could not give my testimony on my own. I put my hands over my eyes and I asked God, "Please, speak through me...I want my words to be yours...help me not to ramble but to share the truth of the difference you have made in my life...Use me to help the youth in the audience to see you glorified." After this Praise the Lord, I had clear direction. You see I struggle with plans and being in control of issues. I neglect to admit that it is really God's plan and I need to trust Him with it. I know the right Christiand answers because I have been "well churched" (On a tangent-When using a translator for things like "well churched" or "it blew up in my face", etc...it doesn't translate...it was funny trying to explain my sayings...55555). I have believed in God for as long as I remember. God has always been A PART of my life. But it was not until I cancelled my wedding that I realized that God needed to be my ENTIRE life. It was not until this time that I have truly realized that His plan is the best and no matter the humiliation, the pain, or the suffering that I may go through in life...I can stand in front of anyone and say that I have complete Joy because of Christ alone. With Him being my entire life...It far outways the negatives that life will throw at you. I am blessed to walk with God each step of the day. I desire God's Will in my Life. And I ask that God helps me each day to easily give Him the reigns and stop trying to take control; to learn to fully let go and trust HIM. I thank God for the Joy He gives and the eternal outlook I have because of what He has done for me! So, therefore, those of you who do not know, my favorite verse that I quote/pray everyday is "I have set the LORD always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. -Psalms 16:8

Later I found out that many youth had questions about my Testimony and people wanted to hear more. Please pray with me that God will use my testimony to help others to come to Christ, lean on Him, desire His ways, and make Him their everything!!

Humble Living--Giving Hearts--Pure Joy!!!!

When we were at the Second youth conference our team along with the other 500 students were hosted in the homes of the people in the village. I was amazed at the simple living of the people combined with the pure happiness and joy they maintained. I was blessed to be able to experience this lifestyle for the time I was there...a lifestyle that I found complete enjoyment in. Chickens and cows walked around on their own. Hogs and pigs were tied to ropes. As shown in the picture above, the homes are simple where they my be a couple rooms, one for cooking and another where the entire family will sleep on the floor. The bathrooms contain a squaty toilet and a large water holder in the same square space. One can take a bucket and wash yourself with the water from the large water holder-for a shower (See pictures above). The people of this village have access to more water only at certain times throughout the day (the time of day depends on where they live). So they have to savor the water when bathing, cooking, and washing dishes. I realized that in the afternoon, after we had been playing Volleyball (the boys played soccer and Ta-crawl) in the hot sun...this was a perfect time take a shower as I drenched myself with a few buckets of water. IT was refreshing!!

Each day, both pastor's wives made us wonderful meals. I noticed that they took note of what we liked and tried to make the foods the way we liked it. It was so sweet. They were also creative, using the same foods and making them into different dishes at different mealtimes. I also was able to get up early and help make breakfast one day. It was an experience...Almost like cooking over a campfire on a backpacking trip, except the fire was inside four walls. =) I felt like "Mommy's little helper too". By the time I finished one thing the pastor's wife had finished four other things. I also was amazed how each of the adults were able to squat without any complaining for the entire time of cooking and washing dishes (they would pass Karate squat testing with flying colors).








One evening, we went to another village to go to the home of another pastor of that village and join them for evening service. I felt like I was in the Swiss Family Robinson Home where it was like an open deck that eat dinner on. They made a Special meal for us with a chicken soup, fried eggs, and eggplant in an oyster sauce (my favorite dish now-See picture!). In speaking with the pastor's wife she showed me her small business of weaving scarfs, shoulder covers, and Karen bags. They were beautiful.

As I mentioned before in an earlier post, Pastor Boonchu, his wife P'Oh, and their son Spy live out of their car. They stay in the homes of different people while they are staying in a village. (See Pics of family car below. Notice Pastor Luke and his wife Kris are also in the car).





These wonderful families that I have gotten to know have become dear to my heart. Their love for God is evident. Their giving hearts are so touching. Their pure joy in a simple life is admirable. And I feel blessed to know these wonderful families.

With God ALL Things Are Possible

Many of you probably have seen on CNN about the political issues in Thailand right now. Yes, the “red shirts” do not like the way the government is doing things and to make this part short, they are gathering in Bangkok and Chiang Mai to protest. This is causing lots of roads in the city to be backed up. The morning that our first youth conference was going to begin, we found out that the government put into order that “no groups over five people can gather at one time.” They did this in hopes that the red shirts would disperse.

Originally we had 500 youth planning to attend the first conference and about 800 youth planning to attend the second one. So as a group we prayed. We obviously had to obey the law and did not know what was going to happen. =) Pastor Boonchu met with the government near by and was given the “OK” to have 100 youth come to the first conference. So he and another couple men spread the word to the neighboring villages to send their youth leaders to the conference and then have those individuals go back and repeat the conference material with the youth of their villages. This worked for some but, still some youth had already been traveling all day to get to the conference and did not know about the orders the government had put in place. So, we had many more people come that allowed. When the number went past 100 people, the government officials there said that no more can come. Pastor Boonchu said that that was fine. But, He paid for them to get to the conference and he didn’t have the money to send them back separately. The government officials than said, “Neither do we.” So, all the youth were able to stay and it was so neat to see how God is above all things in such a big way. As I stated in the previous post about 250 youth still came to the first conference.

After the First conference, we were not sure if we would be allowed to do the second conference. Obviously praying for God’s will, Pastor Boonchu went to meet with the officials…and praise the Lord…Everything was cleared and we were able to have the second conference!!!

I am in Awe of the Lord. This just shows that we can trust God. His hand is in all things. And if HE WANTS something to happen….IT does NOT matter what is going on in the world, He WILL make it happen. If He doesn’t, then there is a reason and we are glad that God knows that reason and we do not have to fret about it…but thank Him for having better understanding than yourself =)

Youth Conferences

Part of our ministry financial support goes to Pastor Boonchu up in Chiang Mai. He, his wife, and their son, live in their car and travel around all of the Karen tribe villages. $16,000.00 of our financial support was spent wisely on two youth conferences-covering transportation and food costs as they reached all the Karen Tribes in Thailand. (The students were thrilled with the food they were given--it was not just a bit of rice each meal but nutritious meals and snacks as well! Please see the pictures above) Each conference lasted four days. Between the two conferences all of the Karen tribes were invited to one of the locations. The conference days were packed. Pastor Luke (from Wisconsin) was the main Speaker with Pastor Boonchu as his translator. He had multiple teaching each day. The youth lead the worship, we had breakout sessions, games, snacks and meals. At the first conference (approximately 250 youth attended), the youth hungered for the Word of God. The sat eagerly attentive to Pastor Luke/Boonchu. In the morning we began worship at 5:30am. Throughout each day there were many teachings and a couple breakout sessions (see the pictures above to get an idea of what it looked like). In the late afternoons, we would have a couple hours to play sports, and then in the evenings there were more teachings, breakout sessions, and worship (For the worship please see the videos at the bottom of this post). The days ended around 10:00pm. At the end of the conference we went around and prayed individually in small groups over one another. IT was a HUGE blessing! Seeing the youth's joy over learning more about God and their pure/honest worship in song made the conference a perfect one. The second conference (about 500 students came), was at a location about four hours away from the first. This conference was set up the same except the audience held a different vibe. Some of the youth were Christian leaders, others baby Christians, and others not Christians-just there out of respect for the pastor in their village. We saw anxiousness in the students one day and so therefore changed up the flow of conference for the next day. The pastor changed the structure/order of his teachings and new things were added (one being my testimony--which will be in a later blog). By the end of the second conference, we saw God's hand at work in the youth's hearts. Another blessing is that a couple youth are considering coming and join our team in Bangkok; working with our ministry (wouldn't that be awesome!). From both conferences, by the end of the conferences, I saw the fire and excitement of the youth being filled with the Holy Spirit. The vibe from the youth's hearts was one of complete, fully satisfied, joy of the Lord. Now, together we must pray that through peer pressure and the wicked worldly lies they stand close to Jesus and follow God's ways.
l

A Godly Man

In preparation for the Youth Conferences to come, I was told to prepare a breakout session on "What to Look for in a Godly Man". Honestly, this completely stressed me out. I have my own opinions based on what I know and what my experiences are. I enjoy conversations with people sharing exactly what I THINK a godly man looks like. But, this was all together different. It was not about my opinion in a conversation. It was about Scriptural based facts and truths. I love studying Scripture. However,when teaching on something, I prefer expository teaching because it is truths and applications from a particular passage. This makes it much harder because it is easy to misinterpret scripture or make scripture "fit" the point I would try to portray. Because of this I definitely do not like to teach in a topical way. So, I prayed. I asked God to give me His eyes and Help me to see what HIS definition of a Godly Man is. After reading Proverbs, Song Of Solomon, Researching Godly Men throughout the Bible, looking up ever single passage that would describe a man after God's own heart (through my concordance in the back of my Bible) and finally typing them out (28 (typed) pages later), I felt content with my Biblical Research. God gave me His eyes as I soaked in the Passages and He showed me the characteristics.
Lets take a step back for a second, because God also used my parents in this preparation. You see, a few weeks prior, I was talking with my Dad and He said that a godly man will first "Love the Lord with all His Heart Mind and Soul above all Else" and Second "He will love his neighbor above himself". Then a couple days prior to putting the teaching together, my mother said, "Oh you should put the characteristics of a Godly man to His Physical Body for an illustration." I was excited about the illustration thought because visuals are always easier for me to remember.
So, after God gave me a clear understanding of a godly man, I summarized the points through the verses into four pages.


I had fun with teaching the Sessions. For an introduction I had all the gals close there eyes (see picture above) and picture the most handsome man in the world. Then they were to place that very man at a distance. As they approached closer to the man they saw him yelling at a dear lady, smack her across the face and run off angrily. The girls then pictured themselves running up to the lady-to find out that she was this man's mother and he got angry with her because she would not give him what he wanted...When the gals opened their eyes I asked how many of them thought that this man was still the most handsome man in the world. Then followed that with the lady who has been married to her husband for many years and each day he becomes more and more handsome; each day she falls more and more in love with him; each day-He is putting God first. So together I took them through what it means to be a Godly man...
Here are the Points:
I. "Love the Lord your God with All your Heart, Mind, and Soul" (this is the greatest commandment of all) --eyes fixed on Jesus--towards heaven--as Paul described this person is running a race--not aimlessly but with diligence, training, and discipline---towards the goal.
1. Eyes-Studying Scripture:Daily time with God by reading/studying the Bible
2. Knees-Praying: for What? When? How?
3. Ears-Listening to God: Like sheep with their Shepherd-following his guidance, when he hears God, he is like Samuel saying"Yes Lord, I'm Listening"
4. Nose-Purity of the Heart: Desiring God's Will. God reveals a mans motives-like when one breaths out through their nose-the good/bad air is revealed.
5. Obedience (with stars on the areas of the body): Our Heart (heart), Our Will (Stomach), Our Mind (brain), Our Finances/materials (belt), Our Future (beard)

Transition: A man will Clothe Himself with Christ's attributes (Col. 3:12-17)
II. Romans 13:9 “ The Commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery’, ‘Do not murder’, ‘Do not steal’, ‘Do not covet’, and whatever other commandment there may be, are all summed up in this one rule, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’”
1. Light bulb in the brain-Wisdom/Discernment: How? By seeking God-Information-Proverbs 3-4, and 8-9.
2. Hair on Head-Fruit Produced: Fruit of the Spirit...Remaining in God.
3. Mouth-Truth: Speaks with sound doctrine according to God
4. Feet-Walking Servant Faith: "What is faith without deeds?"-putting others before himself.
5. Head-Leader: Following Christ's example as Christ is the head of the body of Christ, he is the head of his family.
6. Hands-Caregiver/Provider: evident in ministry and family
7. Whole Body radiates Christ-Righteous Living: striving to be more like Christ each day because God says "Be Holy for I am holy".

I challenged the women to run the race this man is running...because if they want this kind of man...they too must be running this same race. They too must Show these same Characteristics in their walk with God. It will be evident.
(If you are interested in receiving an e-mail with the verses and summarizations I can send them to you via e-mail).

The Sessions were fun to do and I even had some men in one of them and it was exciting to see them soak in How they can be godly men. In the pictures above you can see the poster of my "handsome man"(drawn by P'Charin-my co-worker/friend) as I was giving one of the sessions. Dave is also standing next to me translating to Thai =)

Through this preparation and presentation I feel like I learned more than the guys and gals listening. I learned what God's definition of a Godly man is and this has set my standards higher in what I want in a man before I marry him. It also showed me the woman that I am and the woman I am now striving to be as I work on listening to God (not just reading and praying =) ) and then being His hands and feet in all areas of my life. If I want a man like this man...I better be being this kind of woman, right ;-)

Easter Morning Sunrise Service

On Easter Morning, I had a lot of energy as I was so full of Joy when I woke up! You all have heard about the beautiful Mahatthai Park that I go to most mornings in previous posts. As a church we met at this park at 5:30am for a Sunrise Service. At first we set everything up in the grass. But, we were told by the workers of the park that we were not allowed to place our stands and chairs on the grass. So, we moved our sunrise service to the basketball courts (as shown in the pictures above). The Sunrise was beautiful!! We enjoyed some worship together, praising God for His many characteristics shown in the event of His Resurrection (including-All Powerful, Conqueror of Death, Amazing Love)and thanking Him for the blessing and gift He has given us for eternity.

**(Don't miss the videos of a couple of the worship songs at the bottom of this post)

We also spent time in prayer and some of the pastors gave a short sermon too. Then we had a fellowship with conversation, while eating breakfast foods and playing sports together! After this... I realized how exhausted I was and went home for a nap (a necessary one too!) before Easter Service at 10:30am =)

Together we can praise God for the people that came to the services and asked questions about God. One 19 year old boy in particular asked a friend of mine (in Thai), "Did Jesus really do that for us? Is this true?" My friend shared with me that he and this boy had an in depth conversation. This boy seems eager to know the truth and eager to know God personally. Will you pray with us for this boy to come to know Jesus as His personal Savior?