Ramkumheang 2 Recruitment

Guess What?!! Our Summer Interns, the Thrive Team (7 people), arrived this week. We are so excited because this summer with their help, there is going to be a huge push in our Campus Ministry. On Monday,it was the first day of classes. We were set up on campus along with many other clubs, recruiting the freshmen to come and join our club. Our Club UCF (University Christian Fellowship) will have many Outreach activities and a couple service/missions trips along with our regular Bible Study and fellowship nights every other Friday Evening. So, in the pictures you will see us around the campus telling people about our club. You will see some signing up for the club. You will see pics of us playing instruments, singing, playing games, and having good conversation. Jane and I were...well I call us "cowgirls" but in Thailand we were representing the "gardener" look. She and I were partners in going around and recruiting freshmen to join our club. We tag teamed in telling all about what our club is about. Jane also thought it was fun for us to dance for people and show them that we are fun and easy going. It was fun. We will have our first coffee house this coming Monday (June 7Th). Please pray with us as we are praying for a good turn out. This will be the kickoff for the events of the club for the rest of the year.

The Exciting God Story of the Week!

After Bible Study Fellowship last Tuesday, One of the ladies in my group, P'Yai (see her picture above), wanted to walk with me to the Bus Stop. She is one of the ladies that is new with learning English, so we talk and both of us work on speaking in the other's natural language. Well as we were walking, I found out that she was very hungry. Knowing that she had no money and would most likely not eat that night, I said I was hungry too. So we went to a restaurant on the side of the street and ate some food. By the time that we were done eating it was about 10:30pm. We went to catch a bus...but no bus going the right route was coming by, so we kept waiting. And by 10:50pm I was getting nervous. Because we were right were all the prostitution happens and people are very high on drugs, and the men around us were uncomfortably starring. So, I felt I needed to get us out of here. On normal terms, I would have waited for the bus..because it is way cheaper than a Taxi. But,as we kept flagging down taxi's no one was willing to take us to her home and then mine. You see it would be a long drive and the government had us on curfew. So we had to be in our homes by 12:00am. So, finally I decided we were taking a motorcycle all the way down Sukumvit road and then taking a taxi to our homes. Because at the end of the street a taxi would be willing to take us. Now we were quite the sight on this taxi. Thank goodness I was in leggings and could sit normal on the motorcycle because P'Yai was in a dress so she had to sit sideways (like side saddle on a horse). If we both had to...there would have been no way we would have both fit...haha. So, Sukumvit is a main road downtown and it is very busy. There was lots of traffic. So, our driver weaved us in and around vehicles, buses, etc. At one point we were dodging people on the sidewalk. I could hear P'Yai in Thai saying, "Help us God". I was getting nervous because I could not hang on to our driver (you know like you do in America...here that is inappropriate), so I was hanging onto P'Yai and the side of the Motorcycle as we were weaving around. When we finally reached the end. P'Yai was putting me in a taxi. I said, "No you are coming with me. We can take you home first." Well, it ended up that we both went home to my house. And Thanked and Praised the Lord together. For He went before our evening together. He kept us safe, as we were standing waiting for the bus, as we were riding a motorcycle through traffic, and we made it home before curfew!

BSF Testimonies

The year has come to an end for the study of John in Bible Study Fellowship. The women in my group (see picture above of some of my lovely women)are so dear. Many are new Christians and on fire as they are soaking in God! A couple have been Christians longer and they took on a big sister, leadership role within our group. And others are "checking God out" and eager to know more. My group started in the middle of the study and as we had our last fellowship together last Tuesday, I just praise God for how our group became so close. I praise God for each woman in my group and what a blessing they were to have. I facilitated this group of women, yet God has taught me so much through them and their testimonies. Some led from behind the scenes. Others were eager to share on the personal questions, allowing the group to get deep and real in their own personal answers. When we were struggling to get the right answer on a Biblical Truth, a couple women always piped in with their answer. A couple ladies were true prayer warriors and they would keep up with the others in the group...letting them know that they are praying and showing them true love from a sister in Christ. God opened my ears as well as the ears of the others in the group to understand the different accents of people's English. One gal consistently typed up the BSF lessons in Thai so that those in the group who could hardly speak English, let alone read and understand could still do the lessons each week. Another Thai national, would translate in Thai what was being discussed withing the group each week, so that they were not lost in the conversation. I watched as a couple gals, where the language barrier was huge, show true perseverance. I have been able to build close friendships with them in the process as we both fumble around with the other's language. On sharing night, I heard many other testimonies. Testimonies which made me cry and see God's hand in others' lives around me. Here a couple examples:
One gal in my group will not eat for a couple days at a time so that she will be able to pay for the transportation to and from BSF. She values spending time in God's Word with other believers that much. The sad thing is that it may only cost $1.50 for her to get to and from BSF on a given BSF night. But to see an eagerness like that is amazing. God is transforming her life. He is her daily bread and He quenches her thirst. "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."-Philippians 4:11-12

Another lady shared how, with the men's side opening up this January, they had the right age group open in the Children's program for her son to also be able to go. During the time of the bombings and other explosives going off, she got a phone call from the school that the school was in a danger zone. They were trying to get the children out. She was a wreck, knowing that it will be extremely dangerous just driving over to get to her son. When she called her son (7 years old), he responded with peace. In Thai he calmly told his mother that she need not to worry about him because God is in control and He has a perfect plan. God loves him and is taking care of him. He was okay if he went to heaven that day or if he got to leave the school in his mothers arms. He continued to remind his mom about what they are learning in BSF about God. What an incredible testimony this little man had on his mother, all of us hearing it from her, and all the people in the school who were terrified about being shot at or blown up at any given second. God is at work. "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."-Isaiah 26:3

I am in awe of the Lord and His work within the ministry. All we need is Jesus, no matter what happens in our life on earth...we can be satisfied and complete in Christ. These testimonies prove it. Because no matter the pain, the joy in Christ is greater. And as we rest in Jesus' palms we know that He will either take us out of the pain or He will give us grace and strength to endure it. I pray that people realize the comfort and completeness we have in Jesus. Life would be a nightmare if we did not walk it with God!

Bibles for Mahatthai English Class

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”-Romans 8:28

I go to Mahatthai 3 every Thursday and Saturday evening to teach English to the women and children. On Thursdays, I am teaching them the phonetic sounds of each of the letters in the English Alphabet. Today we will be learning Q, R, and S. By next month we will hopefully be through the letter sounds and ready to start reading. My mama is looking for Bibles that have pictures and are used for children in first grade who are learning to read. Will you pray for God’s guidance and direction to the perfect Bible’s for our class? Each Thursday, we will be learning to read and understand English through the use of these Bibles. Will you also pray for the shipping costs and for this ministry to always have enough funding in the years to come to continue to provide Bibles for each student to be able to keep? Thank you so much!!!

Natural English Trip To Hua Hin

My most advanced English Class is a real close group. Two are Christians and three are not. The English Class is just the opening door to relationships being built where I am able to share Christ with my students in this community. A couple weekends ago, my class went on a trip together to Hua Hin. We visited temples, danced, conversated over really good meals, and grew closer to one another. In my monthly letter, I was able to tell you about my jog with P'Nat (girl in the blue with the fun purse). A jog where we were able to talk about the Lord. The differences in our beliefs and she genuinely was interested in the assurance I had in Christ as my Lord and Savior...the Only God. She was interested in the fact that my faith is not based on merit or favor. You see the day before, we went to a temple, saw a reclining Buddha and then a line of Buddha idols that represented each day of the week. She shared with me that depending on what day you were born is the idol that you pay respects to. Well, I was born on Sunday (I know this because I was born on Mother's Day and Mother's day is always Sunday ;) ) and if one is born on Sunday, they are to have good vision. I laughed as I thought about the fact that I have been focused on having an eternal perspective-keeping my focus on Christ...with my complete dependence on Him...I have to have Good vision..right?! haha. I wanted to stand, but P'Nat insisted that I sit by the Sunday Idol and she take my picture. IT was awkward, because I had to make sure not to be looking like I was worshipping the idol and all of a sudden I had about five people waiting to "pay respects" to this very idol. (see my awkward pic to the right) haha. But, through this time, I was able to understand her beliefs when sharing about THE ONLY GOD the following day on the jog. She was able to be more real with me when genuinely wanting to know more. I saw a light in her...a desire to believe and understand for the first time. Will you pray with me that we will have more opportunities, with all walls down, to talk about God? For her heart to be open and come to know God as the ONE and ONLY GOD? P'Pac, is the only man in the group (see pics above). He is high up in the Navy. Recently he has been stressed and drained with the political situation,as this affects his passions and his heart for his country that he fights to protect. P'Pac is a caring, fun loving man, who knows a lot about Jesus and the Bible. Yet sadly, I have not seen in him a desire to believe in Jesus as the one true God. I watch P'Pac and I see a man who feels accomplished, as he is a very good man who puts others first and He does not see the need for a Savior. To him, he has gained a lot of merit. So, will you pray with me for a miracle? Will you pray with me, that even if it means the political unrest getting way worse, that God will allow something to bring P'Pac to his knees? That will be the day tears are flowing down my face with joy...when P'Pac realizes his need for a savior and I know that I will see Him in heaven. =) On a side note about P'Pac: I have to say that he is respectful of my faith. Before every meal, as the man/leader of our group, He would make sure Mary (their previous teacher) or I would pray before anyone touched the food. ;-) P'Hua (see lady in the pictures with a pink hat and white shirt), is a single mother, with a hard past and a woman who works hard to raise her daughters well. P'Hua, is reading the Bible now. She is inquisitive about different incidences in the Bible. She has been given the truth. She seems open to it. Will you pray with me that she is open to coming to more Bible Studies, our weekly outreach events,and to church? Will you pray that she makes that final step of giving her life to the Lord? She is the closest of these three to come to giving her entire life to Jesus. She is on the verge...and I feel it! P'Toi (lady above who has her picture taken at the beach), is a dear friend of mine. God has allowed me to play a close daughter role in her life since being in Thailand. P'Toi is a Christian. She is the only person in her family who believes in Jesus as God. P'Toi used to attend a legalistic church that told her some horrible things. She is now seeing that being a Christian is about her own relationship with God. These past few months I have been able to have her come with me to Bible Study Fellowship. She is always yearning to know more and soak in more of God's Word. Now, P'Toi is going to the University to study the Bible. She is eager and on fire. Anytime something involves a Bible Study or talking about the Lord, she will desire to be there. Something fun about P'Toi is that she will dance with me and laugh with me always. She is the life of a party. She is a people person and she is not afraid to share with anyone about her God. P'Pha (see pic above of gal singing) is a mature Christian. Her and her husband were one of the first to begin attending our church three years ago. P'Pha is involved in our ministries and she plays a leadership role in this class from a behind the scenes perspective...its like she leads without people realizing it. One thing about P'Pha is that she will always be a consistent Christian, a consistent testimony and witness for the Lord amongst this English Class...as I will be leaving and another teacher will be coming, etc. Its exciting to watch God use her! These people are so dear to me. I pray for continued opportunities outside of class to shine the light of Christ; to share Christ. Ultimately, I pray that they will all come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. I pray that they will earnestly seek Him and find their security and joy come from Him alone. These Verses (for my students) are on my heart: "If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea."-Isaiah 48:18 "Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God."-Isaiah 50:10 The Video Below shows you a live version of my classes' relationship. I hope you feel like you are walking up those steps with us, joining in the conversation, checking out the view and singing all the way up (in a "Sahbye Sahbye" (chill) way). Just ignore my commentary...it's kind of annoying. =)

News of Napada Handicrafts

First of All, we can praise the Lord for blessing Napada Handicrafts with the ability to grow. We are now an exporting company and we have been able to hire a few more ladies from Mahatthai 3(the poverty area we work in). Napada not only makes handbags, but men's shirts, other small items, and cards. We are praying how we can expand in the company. Praying God leads us in how to expand in the products we make as well as praying for opportunities of new locations where distribution can be provided.

As I have stated multiple times in previous blog posts and letters, with the political unrest, people are shaken. The women in Mahatthai are worried, as their husbands and/ sons have gotten involved in the political fighting. They have been in dangerous places. Certain days these women were unsure if their loved ones would come home alive or not come home ever again. I remind you of this so you can get a feel for what is bringing people to the Lord. This new lady, P'Lik, that we were able to hire part time(a mother of one of my students), says that she does not know Jesus. But whenever there is trouble (there is now!) or she is scared (she is now)about something, He is who she prays too. At Napada we have devotions every morning. P'Lik is now asking questions. We can praise the Lord, because she asked P'Kieow for a Bible. She is hungry to know more. To know God. To understand who our security is in. To know the same peace that we can have in the circumstances around us. Will you pray with me that this lady will not just stop at the questioning phase? Will you pray with me that as she reads the Bible, as she talks with our staff and the other Napada women, as she attends the devotions in the mornings, that she will be given insight and clear understanding? Will you pray with me for the result of P'Lik coming to know Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior? And will you Praise the Lord with me that through this ministry a few of the women are now coming to church and a couple have already accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior?!!! God Answers prayers and He is working in amazingly unexpected ways!!

Understanding God in the Midst of Suffering

As a Christian there is ONE question that I always get:
How can you believe in a God when there is so much suffering in the World?
This year God has been giving me enough of an understanding that I can answer this question and as a result it has grown my faith. I have a new excitement in regards to God in the midst of this suffering in the world and I am thrilled to share it with you!

As I have brought up before: Suffering results from a sinful world. Even the earth is affected by sin which explains why there are natural disasters. When we "sheep" stop following our Shepherd(Jesus), who is leading us from the front, we choose to fall off the right and pure path that leads us to freedom-out of the bondage of sin. It may be our own sin, it may be another's sin that is affecting us, or it may be the sin of the country, or of the world in general. But regardless..we live in a sinful world and as a result there will be suffering all around us.

The Good news is that God uses this suffering to help us in multiple ways:
1. To grow one's own faith (ex. the blind man Job came to believe in Christ as the One true God through His suffering)
2. To grow one's faith to a deeper level (Mary and Martha-with Lazarus' death/Resurrection)
3. Suffering will be used so a special work of God shall be revealed to the world through our suffering. (ex. Jesus' death on the cross-suffering the greatest depth of suffering any human has ever experienced)

When I heard in detail the description of Jesus' Crucifixion, the pain that was described sent chills through my entire body. Yet did you know that in the midst of the most excruciating physical and emotional and spiritual suffering one could ever go through, Jesus was alert and His focus was on others?! He was focused (as He still is today) on caring for others' needs and how to best help them. I fall to my knees in humility and awe, thanking Jesus for his example and deep love for me.

So Ladies and Gentlemen we can See God in Suffering! The cross is our answer to suffering because it was part of God's loving plan to deliver His people from their sins. So remember, even when He seems silent we can have faith that He is at work (ex. When Jesus was being crucified God was silent for 3 hours and a great work was being completed--the key to our salvation!). God is here with us through out our trials (like with the disciples on the boat in the storm). He cannot bear to leave us struggling alone and therefore, He is with us. Now we must realize that there is a caution for us. Sometimes God's presence is manifested in unexpected ways and we fail to recognize it. So friends, we have to listen and hear God! To do so we must spend time with Him making Him part of our entire day!
When we suffer for God-He will comfort us at our lowest point. As Christians we will suffer in the world because the Bible says that the world hated Him (Jesus) and therefore they will hate us. We will face persecution. But, we will not face it alone.
God Cares. He will comfort us and He will cause our suffering (physical, social, mental, and spiritual) to work for the highest good. He will take us in His hand either by healing us or by giving us grace to endure the suffering. God will use the very instrument that will reveal His love, power and glory. Praise the Lord!
My favorite illustrative picture is that of ME in Jesus' palm and Jesus in God's hand. Jesus is secured with grip and as believers we are secure forever in this double grip of God!

With this knowledge we must take action! We must trust and follow God, not nervously, but by laying down in the palm of His hand (Psalm 121:8-"The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more." In Him we have security--He is our Gate =) )

As a Result we can have a true and perfect Joy in God. The comfort we receive in Him is greater than the pain. We see God's glory surrounding us because God's glory is goodness and greatness of God so that we can see it! God uses Suffering to reveal His glory and it is a glory that brings Joy to our entire beings!!

So My prayer is that as believers we will:
1. Wait on God's perfect timing! Remember, Jesus waited two days after hearing Lazarus was sick before going to Mary and Martha. If he would not have, then Lazarus would not have died, there would not have been the many testimonies from others of Jesus raising him from the dead. So, God has us in the right place at the right time and we must trust Him!
2. We must have complete dependence on God-living for Him. We may not fully understand Him but we need to live by faith and not by sight. Because we know that we can trust God and faith waits on God's timing.
3. We must take God's peace. Not allowing circumstances around us to take our peace away but extending God's peace through the circumstances. For God's peace calms hearts and takes away fears. Jesus is our comforter and peace in the world. We can rest in the fact that even when it is painful, God's will is perfect.

I love this Quote: "Only one life, twill soon be past, Only what's Done for Christ will last". We are looking eternally as we complete God's work for us with Joy. Remember, Jesus is our example as He did this very thing on the cross and it resulted in the greatest joy any person has ever experienced!

Today we can be excited about our lives with Christ as our foundation! Praise God for being the Vine. As we are the branches (John 15- 'I am the vine, you are the branches...') our strength, joy and peace come from God alone (our vine).

I will remain intimately connected to Him. I will go about each of my days, even as I think of other things,keeping my heart remaining in Christ; remaining conscious of His presence and my being dependant on Him. For in Him alone and through any kind of suffering, I will be fruitful, faithful, and filled with complete peace and joy. Will you choose to do so too?

With this understanding and joy, Today I can stand up in the circumstances around Bangkok, be strong in the ministry I am a part of, and let go of my future. God has it all figured out and I am growing in my relationship with Him daily as He is my Best Friend. He is doing a great work and I am apart of it! Are you laying everything at His feet too? If not...what is stopping you or what are you waiting for?! =) Join me in Praising God today!!