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. =)