So it is officially one week until I leave to go home. This past weekend has been very difficult for me spiritually. I haven't felt God's presence as strongly which is strange because amazing things have been happening and people have been seeking like crazy. I also have become a little sick. Yesterday I had a fever and body aches but I am feeling better today. hopefully it is over and I can enjoy my last week here with the students. Please pray for all of us to that end. That our last week would be special and glorifying to God. Also that we would all be well because several of us have been sick or hurt in different ways and I think that satan is trying to get us down.
I really want to continue doing what I have been doing here when I get home. Being open about God and about Jesus and not afraid to share him with others because he is life. There is no life outside of Christ. Please pray for all of us volunteers that we would transition well to life at home and that the people here that we have become close friends with would transition well also. I know that they are already very sad about us leaving. Keaw seems he is going to cry any time someone says that we are leaving. He has been very sad in the past and I think that God used us to bring some joy to his life but I hope that he will seek his joy from God and continue to seek even after we have left.
Thank you for praying for me this summer. I have appreciated it so much and all of your comments have been so encouraging and I have really received them. I am excited about what God is going to do in this last week and hopefully I will have something wonderful to share with you when I get home about what He did this week.
Lastly, Corinne is being baptized on Sunday...she is one of the volunteers and Nancy, the Thai girl who became a Christian at English camp may also be baptized. We have invited many of the students to come and watch so please pray that they would witness Corinne's step of faith and that they would want the light that we carry inside of us. People I know will be there are Keaw, Ak, Art, Carol, and Jade. Hopefully Piak will come also. Please pray that God would use this to bring these people to him.
Rachel
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
God is Awesome!
Wow....so I have alot to share from the last few days!
On Sunday night, Danette and I prayed for Keaw and for Poom, that God would reveal himself to them supernaturally. I have been praying for a dream for Keaw or just anything that would show him that what seems impossible is possible with God.
WELL!! then on Monday Danette and I went to the Library on Campus which was completely God because I really wanted to go home. We ran into Keaw and Carol. I began to speak with Keaw and Danette began to speak with Carol. Keaw told me this: "Last week my ear was hurting, I got water in it and I haven't been able to hear for a week. Then I read the Bible and prayed on Saturday night and then on Sunday morning when I woke up I could hear!" I got really excited and so did Keaw he said "it is a miracle there is no explanation! I couldn't hear for a week and now I can" There was so much joy in those few moments I shared with Keaw! (Danette and I prayed together on Sunday night but God had already answered it that morning! amazing!) He told me that he has been keeping his Bible next to his bed and that he reads it when he gets bored while studying to keep him awake and I told him to keep praying. He innocently said "can I?" and I said YES!! God wants to hear from you because he loves you so much. I said God loves everyone and he made us and he wants to hear us speak to him. I went on about how much God loves him for a few minutes which was not me speaking at all because I typically don't rant about God loving everyone...I felt like it was God doing it.
While I was talking with Keaw, Danette and Carol were speaking about how if you seek God you will find him. Carol actually said "I believe in God" which was incredible. Carol is Chinese and we do not have a Bible for her yet but we are trying to get one quickly. As Danette was speaking with Carol she said that she would tell Carol one spiritual truth and 3 more would come out of Carol. It was God opening her eyes! When all of us began to talk together...Keaw said "I think Carol wants to know Jesus" and I said do you? and he said "maybe"! it was so encouraging to hear him say those things. I was so blessed to be the one to experience that with him.
Please pray for Keaw and Carol...that God would protect them from spiritual attack because we have all felt a lot of attack in the last few days. Please pray that there would be no anxiety among us and that we would trust fully in the Lord! He is going to finish the good work that he has started...even if we are not here to see it. The Lord is doing all of these things and not us...people just pop up out of nowhere and ask about God.
At Bible study last night, students showed up that we have never even met before! We found out that our friend Tor has been to the morman church before so please pray that he would go to a Christian church...even our church and would be turned away from the Mormans.
Also! We found out that our friend Ploy is a Christian. Her story is so amazing and is further proof that God does not need us to help bring these people to him. He uses us as a blessing to us and to grow us in him. Here is Ploy's story: One of her favorite singers who is Thai is a Christian and he wrote a book. She called a number and was sent the book for free. After reading the book she decided that she wanted to find out more about Jesus. She decided to go to church. She went to a Morman church but no one was there and as she walked into the building she heard an AUDIBLE man's voice say "this place is not good, Leave!" She believes that this was the Voice of God! and So do I! She ended up then going to a Christian church and and she asked questions and she believed and became a Christian. This happened when she was 15. She has been a Christian for 3 years and we were so encouraged by her testimoney, which by the way Keaw also heard...and later Carol talked about Ploy being a Christian which means that Keaw had to have told Carol about Ploy! God is at work! Ploy also put her hand on the Bible and said "this is life, God is life" Erin and I both started crying because we were so overwhelmed by God's power and love. He pointed Ploy to himself without the help of anyone. He spoke directly to her to show her the way to him! Amazing!
God is at work, it is undeniable! Please continue to pray for these people and for their salvation! Please pray against spiritual attack which we have all witnessed in the last few days. Thank you so much for your prayers! God hears you! He wants you to speak to him because he loves you! If we ask for anything in his name it will be done! names to Pray for: Keaw, Carol, Poom, Art, Piak, AK, Tor, Jar, Idea...there are more than these that I do not even know about that are seeking. Please pray that they would find us before we leave so that we can connect them to Scott and Valerie who are the missionaries that stay here.
Rachel
On Sunday night, Danette and I prayed for Keaw and for Poom, that God would reveal himself to them supernaturally. I have been praying for a dream for Keaw or just anything that would show him that what seems impossible is possible with God.
WELL!! then on Monday Danette and I went to the Library on Campus which was completely God because I really wanted to go home. We ran into Keaw and Carol. I began to speak with Keaw and Danette began to speak with Carol. Keaw told me this: "Last week my ear was hurting, I got water in it and I haven't been able to hear for a week. Then I read the Bible and prayed on Saturday night and then on Sunday morning when I woke up I could hear!" I got really excited and so did Keaw he said "it is a miracle there is no explanation! I couldn't hear for a week and now I can" There was so much joy in those few moments I shared with Keaw! (Danette and I prayed together on Sunday night but God had already answered it that morning! amazing!) He told me that he has been keeping his Bible next to his bed and that he reads it when he gets bored while studying to keep him awake and I told him to keep praying. He innocently said "can I?" and I said YES!! God wants to hear from you because he loves you so much. I said God loves everyone and he made us and he wants to hear us speak to him. I went on about how much God loves him for a few minutes which was not me speaking at all because I typically don't rant about God loving everyone...I felt like it was God doing it.
While I was talking with Keaw, Danette and Carol were speaking about how if you seek God you will find him. Carol actually said "I believe in God" which was incredible. Carol is Chinese and we do not have a Bible for her yet but we are trying to get one quickly. As Danette was speaking with Carol she said that she would tell Carol one spiritual truth and 3 more would come out of Carol. It was God opening her eyes! When all of us began to talk together...Keaw said "I think Carol wants to know Jesus" and I said do you? and he said "maybe"! it was so encouraging to hear him say those things. I was so blessed to be the one to experience that with him.
Please pray for Keaw and Carol...that God would protect them from spiritual attack because we have all felt a lot of attack in the last few days. Please pray that there would be no anxiety among us and that we would trust fully in the Lord! He is going to finish the good work that he has started...even if we are not here to see it. The Lord is doing all of these things and not us...people just pop up out of nowhere and ask about God.
At Bible study last night, students showed up that we have never even met before! We found out that our friend Tor has been to the morman church before so please pray that he would go to a Christian church...even our church and would be turned away from the Mormans.
Also! We found out that our friend Ploy is a Christian. Her story is so amazing and is further proof that God does not need us to help bring these people to him. He uses us as a blessing to us and to grow us in him. Here is Ploy's story: One of her favorite singers who is Thai is a Christian and he wrote a book. She called a number and was sent the book for free. After reading the book she decided that she wanted to find out more about Jesus. She decided to go to church. She went to a Morman church but no one was there and as she walked into the building she heard an AUDIBLE man's voice say "this place is not good, Leave!" She believes that this was the Voice of God! and So do I! She ended up then going to a Christian church and and she asked questions and she believed and became a Christian. This happened when she was 15. She has been a Christian for 3 years and we were so encouraged by her testimoney, which by the way Keaw also heard...and later Carol talked about Ploy being a Christian which means that Keaw had to have told Carol about Ploy! God is at work! Ploy also put her hand on the Bible and said "this is life, God is life" Erin and I both started crying because we were so overwhelmed by God's power and love. He pointed Ploy to himself without the help of anyone. He spoke directly to her to show her the way to him! Amazing!
God is at work, it is undeniable! Please continue to pray for these people and for their salvation! Please pray against spiritual attack which we have all witnessed in the last few days. Thank you so much for your prayers! God hears you! He wants you to speak to him because he loves you! If we ask for anything in his name it will be done! names to Pray for: Keaw, Carol, Poom, Art, Piak, AK, Tor, Jar, Idea...there are more than these that I do not even know about that are seeking. Please pray that they would find us before we leave so that we can connect them to Scott and Valerie who are the missionaries that stay here.
Rachel
Monday, July 21, 2008
English Camp
We just finished with English camp and with camp for the little kids in the village. Both went incredibly well!
First I will talk about English camp...It was two days of non-stop English and we planned many songs and games and stories to share. I played guitar and sang "My heart will go on" in front of 104 Thai students which is definitely a first for me but it went well and was really fun. The students love that song. I also shared a bit of my testimony with all of the students on the first night. I talked about a time I was heartbroken and how God really came close to me during that time and filled me up. I said that many people are empty inside and they try to fill that void with things like relationships or alcohol or friends or drugs or money but that only God can truly fill our hearts and make us joyful. I was really really nervous and felt very vulnerable because it is kind of embarrassing to talk about how I got my heart broken to anyone much less 104 students. I had Tum translate for me and even he was nervous ;). After I spoke I sang "love song" by Third day with Beth. I love this song and it really says what Jesus did for us and how much he loves us and how earthly love cannot compare. Afterwards we broke into groups to discuss what I had shared. Three of the seven groups ended with tears which was really awesome because the students really opened up. My group was very shy and timid about speaking but one girl named Carol asked me a lot of questions about how I knew God cared and if I could ever trust again. It was really a blessing to answer her questions. I found out later that one of the girls in another group had had her heartbroken the day before in a text message which is exactly what I had shared had happened to me. It was completely God working through me and not me speaking at all because I have been incredibly shy my whole life. I spoke in front of over 100 people! if that doesn't show God is real and working I don't know what does! ;).
One girl named Nancy became a Christian during camp! I didn't know her before hand but she has been seeking for a long time and decided that what she was missing in her life was Jesus! She really blessed us by accepting Christ and we were very excited to see her commit her life to Christ! she couldn't stop crying for being so happy and overwhelmed by the love of God. On Sunday at church she shared her testimony for everyone and again broke down in tears! we were all crying with her as she let her joy over being saved spill over! it was such a blessing to be a part of ;)
Also, Piak spoke with Scott and Valerie and has not yet become a Christian but he is seeking more than ever. Please keep praying that God would take fear out of his life. Here it is a huge sacrifice to follow Jesus because you go against everything you family wants. Tum, our Christian friend pays the price daily for his faith. His mother tries to get him to become a monk so that she can earn merit and he has to sneak out early in the morning to avoid her constant nagging. Witnessing Christians here is so encouraging! Please keep praying for Piak!
Please also be praying for Pum (poom), we have really been able to get more insight into her life and her story over the past weekend. Please pray that she will have relief with her family and also just health wise because she gets very stressed. Also, that she will just realize the truth of the gospel. She has a hard time believing in God because she cannot see him like she can see a statue of Buddha. My prayer is that God will reveal himself to her either in a dream or just through his love.
Keaw was not able to come to Church on Sunday because of his studies...all of the students are stressed right now because these next two weeks are midterms. He did surprise me though by telling me that he has still been reading the Bible and is in Mark. Please pray that it would make sense to him and that God will reveal himself to Keaw!
There is also one last person to keep in your prayers as of now...his name is Tongz, he came up to me after I spoke at camp and said that he was sorry I had been hurt and he asked me how I became a Christian. I was able to share with him and I found out that his mom used to be a Christian but now follows Buddhist practices. I asked him what he believes and he said he believes in goodness. He is seeking alot! I found out after camp that he not only asked me but he also asked Danette, Ruth, and Erin about their testimonies. God is definitely working in his heart!
At the little kids camp we played many games with them and really just got to show them love through our willingness to come and be there. I hope that they will remember us and know that we love them. I wish that we could communicate with them better but I know that they can see our actions.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support! These last two weeks will be very hard for us and I am so thankful for your prayers at home! It is encouraging to know we are not the only ones loving these people ;)
Rachel
p.s. Pic 1) Me and Beth singing "my heart will go on"
Pic 2) One of the games that I lead during English Camp
Pic 3) My group at Camp
Pic 4) The pastor from Oklahoma and Tum sharing the gospel with the little children.
Pic 5) Me and Keaw being silly in class
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Hey there,
So wonderful news about Piak...He came to our house on Friday for our fun night and Corinne was able to share the entire gospel with him. He just started asking...in fact the whole night was Thai people asking about Jesus. I got to speak with Art and I looked around the room and Corinne was talking to Piak and Beth was playing Christian songs on the guitar...God was moving.
Corinne spoke with Piak and at the end he asked her to pray with him. This was a really great moment because It shows that he really does want Jesus but we didn't want him to rush into anything because he also has to realize that becoming a Christian means putting everything he has grown up with in Buddhism aside to follow Christ. Corinne gave him some verses from the Bible and told him to pray about them and really read them and then to come back on Sunday so he could talk to Scott...Scott speaks Thai so that makes it alot easier to explain. He did not show up on Sunday though...but he is coming to English camp on Thursday so hopefully more conversation will take place there. Please just keep praying for him because God is listening!
Also, Danette and I got a chance to speak with Art. He was asking us some questions about Chrisitianity and so I asked him what he thinks happens when he dies. He said he doesn't know. Danette then started to talk about what Heaven will be like...her eyes lit up and she was joyful and smiling and Art was watching so carefully. Then I asked him what he thinks about us when we talk about our beliefs. He said that he thinks it is interesting and that he is researching it and trying to find out more about it...then he said the amazing part...he said "I think one day....one day I will be a Christian" It was so encouraging to hear him say that. I hope that he truly will be!
This past weekend I was able to travel to Roi Et which is a province very close to Maha Sarakham. We went with 4 Thai girls named Kook (it was her hometown) Mintra, Rainbow, and Su. We had a blast...we got to see the tallest Buddha statue in Thailand and we were able to go to a temple and feed fish and even get in paddle boats on a lake. It was a really wonderful day. I was able to try crab curry and garlic fried fish and all kinds of foods this weekend...the 6th picture from the top is me about to eat the head of the fish...it wasn't the most delicious part but it was still tasty. I am trying many new things and it is exciting ;)
Please continue to pray for Poom. This Sunday she was translating for us and therefore sharing the gospel with Thai people without even realizing that she was being used by the Lord. It was an awesome sight to see. We nickname her Wildfire because all of us see in her great passion for God's word. When she becomes a Christian she truly will be a wildfire for Christ!
Also, I have no new update on Keaw except that he has still been coming to Church and to Bible study...I just keep praying that as he hears the word more and more he will begin to realize its truth...he is such a good friend here and I am so thankful that God has allowed me to be apart of his life.
Please Please pray for me this weekend...I know the prayer should be directed at these people but during English camp I am going to be playing guitar and singing as well as sharing a testimony...all of this in front of 100 Thai people. I need some prayer that I would calm down and relax in God's love for me. That is all I ask ;)
Thank you so so much for your prayers....I appreciate them more than I can express!
Also...the first picture is Danette, Keaw and Me at the night market, the 2nd picture is me and Poom at a small zoo, the 3rd picture is of me teaching to a class of over 50 students! crazy ;), the 4th picture is me riding on the back of a song tow, the 5th is me pretending to weave at a village craft store, the 6th is me about to eat the fish head, and the last picture is me and the girls in Roi Et on top of part of the temple. I hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I enjoy showing them!!
Rachel
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Awesomeness ;)
So this last week and a half has really been packed with awesomeness ;)
I don't even really know where to begin but I guess I will start with Keaw. Danette and I were able to speak with Keaw last wednesday about Jesus rising from the dead and ascending into Heaven after appearing to hundreds of people. We also were able to tell him about the disciples and how they all died because of their belief that Jesus was God and that he did rise from the dead. It got really deep ;) then Keaw was walking with me to find Erin and Erin had her Bible out. Keaw asked how much a Bible costs and we told him and he looked appalled. I told him that he could have one for free if he wanted and he said that he did so he now has a Bible - Praise the Lord ;)! Also, we started walking to dinner after that and Keaw was dancing along and singing and just waving his arms about so freely...we have never seen him act so joyful - it was if he had caught a little bit of the joy that comes from knowing Jesus. On Sunday I invited him to church again and he came and he had already read through chapter 5 of Matthew. I asked him if he would like to read through it with me and talk about it and he said yes so that is what we will do every Wednesday hopefully. This Wednesday I planned on speaking with him about the 1st 5 chapters (which by the way, are full!! of truth and I can't imagine understanding it if I had never heard it before). Anyway, when we started talking he asked me about a passage in chapter 27! I said "I thought you had only read through 5" and he said "yes, but I wanted to know what happened" LOL. So I guess he skipped to the end...which is pretty awesome. He asked me why the Romans mocked Jesus and put a crown on his head and he also asked me why Jesus had to die...needless to say the Lord really gave me an opportunity to lay out the whole gospel...starting with the Old Testament and how they sacrificed lambs and how Jesus was like a lamb...he was sacrificed for our sins. Anyway! I don't know if he understood but I do know that he knows we love Jesus and that we really believe what we tell him. I have never felt as used by God as I do here...it is amazing to get to tell someone the truth...the whole truth openly! God is so good and man, he wants to use us which is awesome because he doesn't need me at all. I read a passage in a book called "The Heavenly Man" where he said that if God never used us again we would have no room to complain. This statement hit me hard because I think about how much I want to be used by the Lord....I have often complained that he isn't using me but really he is and even if he weren't I could not complain. He loves us so much! Anyway - I am now ranting ;) Keaw seems interested which is good but he also thinks the things we have shared with him are impossible...Pray that God would show him that what seems impossible is POSSIBLE with God.
Moving on ;) Our friend Poom spent the night at our apartment the other night which was a really wonderful chance to build a deeper bond with her. The next day was Sunday and she stayed for Church. During Church we were talking about Abraham and she spoke up and said "I think the most important part of the story is his faith. I think what we have to have is faith." The Paynes have been teaching her and telling her about Jesus for the last 3 years and we all kind of feel like she may be ready to accept Jesus. Several of us have been able to picture her being on fire for the Lord and just being really hungry for the scriptures and I feel that her salvation is near. Please pray to that end ;)!
Also! Our friend Piak asked about Jesus out of nowhere during class. He came to Bible study tonight and he said that his favorite part of the story that Erin told was that Jesus died to save everyone. God is really moving in his heart...please pray for him. That he will believe and also that he will keep in contact with Christian men who can show him the way.
Lastly, Please keep English Camp in your prayers. It will be July 17-18. We get to have almost 2 full days with these students and countless opportunities to share with them. Please pray that we would plan well and come up with things that are fun as well as ways to share Jesus. We have almost 100 students signed up which is really incredible! Please just keep praying because God is listening ;) I am so grateful for your prayers and supportive comments and your love! Thank you!
Rachel
I don't even really know where to begin but I guess I will start with Keaw. Danette and I were able to speak with Keaw last wednesday about Jesus rising from the dead and ascending into Heaven after appearing to hundreds of people. We also were able to tell him about the disciples and how they all died because of their belief that Jesus was God and that he did rise from the dead. It got really deep ;) then Keaw was walking with me to find Erin and Erin had her Bible out. Keaw asked how much a Bible costs and we told him and he looked appalled. I told him that he could have one for free if he wanted and he said that he did so he now has a Bible - Praise the Lord ;)! Also, we started walking to dinner after that and Keaw was dancing along and singing and just waving his arms about so freely...we have never seen him act so joyful - it was if he had caught a little bit of the joy that comes from knowing Jesus. On Sunday I invited him to church again and he came and he had already read through chapter 5 of Matthew. I asked him if he would like to read through it with me and talk about it and he said yes so that is what we will do every Wednesday hopefully. This Wednesday I planned on speaking with him about the 1st 5 chapters (which by the way, are full!! of truth and I can't imagine understanding it if I had never heard it before). Anyway, when we started talking he asked me about a passage in chapter 27! I said "I thought you had only read through 5" and he said "yes, but I wanted to know what happened" LOL. So I guess he skipped to the end...which is pretty awesome. He asked me why the Romans mocked Jesus and put a crown on his head and he also asked me why Jesus had to die...needless to say the Lord really gave me an opportunity to lay out the whole gospel...starting with the Old Testament and how they sacrificed lambs and how Jesus was like a lamb...he was sacrificed for our sins. Anyway! I don't know if he understood but I do know that he knows we love Jesus and that we really believe what we tell him. I have never felt as used by God as I do here...it is amazing to get to tell someone the truth...the whole truth openly! God is so good and man, he wants to use us which is awesome because he doesn't need me at all. I read a passage in a book called "The Heavenly Man" where he said that if God never used us again we would have no room to complain. This statement hit me hard because I think about how much I want to be used by the Lord....I have often complained that he isn't using me but really he is and even if he weren't I could not complain. He loves us so much! Anyway - I am now ranting ;) Keaw seems interested which is good but he also thinks the things we have shared with him are impossible...Pray that God would show him that what seems impossible is POSSIBLE with God.
Moving on ;) Our friend Poom spent the night at our apartment the other night which was a really wonderful chance to build a deeper bond with her. The next day was Sunday and she stayed for Church. During Church we were talking about Abraham and she spoke up and said "I think the most important part of the story is his faith. I think what we have to have is faith." The Paynes have been teaching her and telling her about Jesus for the last 3 years and we all kind of feel like she may be ready to accept Jesus. Several of us have been able to picture her being on fire for the Lord and just being really hungry for the scriptures and I feel that her salvation is near. Please pray to that end ;)!
Also! Our friend Piak asked about Jesus out of nowhere during class. He came to Bible study tonight and he said that his favorite part of the story that Erin told was that Jesus died to save everyone. God is really moving in his heart...please pray for him. That he will believe and also that he will keep in contact with Christian men who can show him the way.
Lastly, Please keep English Camp in your prayers. It will be July 17-18. We get to have almost 2 full days with these students and countless opportunities to share with them. Please pray that we would plan well and come up with things that are fun as well as ways to share Jesus. We have almost 100 students signed up which is really incredible! Please just keep praying because God is listening ;) I am so grateful for your prayers and supportive comments and your love! Thank you!
Rachel
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