Yesterday began to feel like the Christmas season, though I am in Thailand, and the weather is what most would call summerish.
Yesterday was monday, the missionaries' day off, and I met up with the Millers, Aaron, Yut and Huesamer in the morning. We first went and bought Yut a Bible of his own. It was cool to see someone get their first Bible. When he first got it, Yut was flipping through it and asked me what he should read first, so I got to explain to him how the Bible is divided up and what each part talks about. Then we all prepared for a xmas party the Millers were going to have at their house that evening. A lot of the RCC people came over and we had pot luck and played games and decorated the Millers' xmas tree and sang carols; it was very fun.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Rejoice with us!
We have a new brother in Christ! The man named Yut whom I mentioned in my prayer requests post from Monday was baptized yesterday evening.
Yut has been reading with Kat for the past 3 weeks. When he was younger, Yut had been a monk for a period of time, and he said that he saw many evil things in the temple where he lived that convinced him that Buddhism was not the truth. After his experience as a monk, Yut looked into Islam. He said it made sense to him, but there was nothing in his heart that told him that this was the truth. Then he began to read the Bible and to study with Kat, and he said that immediately his heart knew that this was the truth. He said the truth he found in the Bible was so exciting to him, that he couldn't stop talking about what he was reading in his Bible with everyone he knows. Pray that God will bless our new brother and strengthen him in Him in every way.
Focus
The other day Patinya asked me out of the blue, "Lydia, why are you here?"
Dozens of reasons and answers popped into my head, but the one that came out was: "Because I love God, and I have to tell other people about it."
"Good. Don't ever forget that." He said to me. It is easy to know why you're here when you first come and just as easy to forget it. That's what he said to me, and I took it to heart. It is so important to keep one's focus when on the mission field; when one's focus is right and with God, then the rest falls into place. I'm so glad Patinya made me vocalize my focus. To have it put into one brief sentence makes it easier to hold onto and to remind myself of it everyday.
Dozens of reasons and answers popped into my head, but the one that came out was: "Because I love God, and I have to tell other people about it."
"Good. Don't ever forget that." He said to me. It is easy to know why you're here when you first come and just as easy to forget it. That's what he said to me, and I took it to heart. It is so important to keep one's focus when on the mission field; when one's focus is right and with God, then the rest falls into place. I'm so glad Patinya made me vocalize my focus. To have it put into one brief sentence makes it easier to hold onto and to remind myself of it everyday.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Prayer Request
Praise that I am adjusting well to the Thai culture and life in Bangkok.
Request that as I begin giving English lessons this week that they will go well and that I'll click with my readers.
Request for a Thai man named Yut who is Kat's student. He is very close to becoming a Christian and is talking about some reservations that he has with one of the Thai Christians here.
Request for a girl named Thwo who is Aaron's student. She is hearing the gospel story for the first time and considering all it means; request that God will be in her thinking and that He will move her towards Him.
Request that as I begin giving English lessons this week that they will go well and that I'll click with my readers.
Request for a Thai man named Yut who is Kat's student. He is very close to becoming a Christian and is talking about some reservations that he has with one of the Thai Christians here.
Request for a girl named Thwo who is Aaron's student. She is hearing the gospel story for the first time and considering all it means; request that God will be in her thinking and that He will move her towards Him.
Week-end
This week-end Andy, Kat, me, and a hand full of other Christians from the Watchrapon church here traveled to Banana Village (a 10 hour drive to the North) on the Thailand-Laos border for a revival meeting. Christians from many villages in that area gathered for a week-end of lectures and fellowship.
It was good to travel outside of Bangkok and see and experience the different between the richness and industrialness of Bangkok and the poverty of the villages. The Christians at the revival were so welcoming to us and so happy to be all together.
One of my favorite parts of the revival was hearing from one Christian man there who asked to speak. He told the story of how he became a Christian 20 years ago, and how he didn't know how to read, and how he wished so much to be able to read the Bible. He prayed that God would send him a wife that could read so that she could read the Bible to him. God sent him a wife, but she could not read. God eventually answered his prayer though and made it so the man's children had the opportunity to learn to read, so now his children read the Bible to him, and to any of their neighbors that will come to listen.
It was good to travel outside of Bangkok and see and experience the different between the richness and industrialness of Bangkok and the poverty of the villages. The Christians at the revival were so welcoming to us and so happy to be all together.
One of my favorite parts of the revival was hearing from one Christian man there who asked to speak. He told the story of how he became a Christian 20 years ago, and how he didn't know how to read, and how he wished so much to be able to read the Bible. He prayed that God would send him a wife that could read so that she could read the Bible to him. God sent him a wife, but she could not read. God eventually answered his prayer though and made it so the man's children had the opportunity to learn to read, so now his children read the Bible to him, and to any of their neighbors that will come to listen.
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