Beginning of a New Decade

Happy New Year!

As the year ended, we could not help but once again remember God’s faithfulness. 2017 is the beginning of a new decade for us here in the mission field. We arrived in Thailand on the 6th of January 2006, with three luggages, meager support and three children, nobody thought (including ourselves) that we could even last for a couple of years.

But here we are, with God’s care and provisions and with our friends’ love and sacrifices. We are ready to face another decade of ministry. We will continue serving God and helping people to find their freedom in Christ.

In Thailand, they don’t celebrate Christmas or at least they do not know the real reason why Christians celebrate it. Although it is not considered as a holiday, the supermarkets and shopping malls are full of Christmas stuff on sale and Christmas songs filled the air. This is the time of the year when Thai people are open to listen to the true message of Christmas. This Christmas, the Lord had given us several opportunities to be in that situation-share the message.

Christmas Activities

We are thankful to God that the Tesaban 1 Municipal school asked us to sing carols and explain the meaning of Christmas at the school during their flag ceremony. We thought it was a great opportunity to involve our church in the activity. Our church’s youth joined us in the singing and our Pastor, Ajan Sunit shared the message.

We also had the privilege to join several Christmas activities. First, we organized the New Life Creations Foundation Christmas Party. Second, we had the opportunity to be part of Pantamit Church’s Christmas outreach program in Baan Nana, one of the biggest children shelters in Mae Sai. Lastly, for three years now, we had been invited to be part of the Christmas program for the School for the Blind in Mae Sai. We are praying that our working relationship with the School of the Blind will grow deeper. We pray that we may be able to help through connecting them with people who have called to work with the blind.

English Camp at Tesaban 1 

Narlin is doing what she does well, organizing English camp at schools. Joey has to excuse himself to take the time to write this newsletter. She had been planning this English Camp (with YWAM-Madison Team) for more than a month when Teacher Jar (the head of the school English department) told us that two other teams from Univeristy in the US would join the activities. So instead of having 7 people from YWAM, we ended up with 18 volunteer teachers from the US.

It is a big group, but by God’s grace we are on the last day of the English camp and as far as we can see, it was a success. We are once again, thankful to the Lord for giving us the opportunity to serve the children at the school. We also have helped the teachers and our good relationship with the school has grown stronger. All for the glory of God.

Family Update

We considered going home to the Philippines to celebrate Christmas with our family. But we thought it would be better if our children, Jared, Jillian and Reuven, would come to here to celebrate with us and also that they would be reconnected with their little brothers and sisters. Nuch came home from Chon Buri to join us. That was the first time in five years that we were reunited.

Fruitful New Year

Happy New Year! We are thankful to the Lord for his faithfulness for the year that passed and we look forward to another fruitful year to come. We pray that the Lord will give us the resources and opportunities to help young women and more children at risk. Most importantly, we are praying that Jesus will reveal more of himself to these people through these projects.

This year, we are taking our New Life Garden (NLG) team verse (Jeremiah 29:11-12) as our family verse too.

For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope. When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear your prayers.

We are sending this update from the Philippines. We are grateful for our friend, Leah, who (surprisingly) find ways for us to be home on new year to celebrate God’s faithfulness in our lives and in our church too. We are at the moment enjoying the remaining times of our stay here with our children.

Thanks again for your continued support, love and prayers. We are sharing to you the ministry that we had last Christmas season.

Christmas Activities

When we came to Thailand ten years ago, we often heard people say that there is no Christmas celebration in the country. But I think that notion has already changed. The Thais are more aware of the commercialisation of Christmas rather than its spiritual meaning.

For this reason, we believe that Christmas is a day when many Thais are open to the message of the gospel. Thai churches have their Christmas party that is open to all the people from the community in a effort to impart to the people the real meaning of Christmas.

Hence, we, the NLG team carefully planned and held a party at Santhad Village on Christmas day. We gave gifts to those who attended and explained that Jesus is the greatest gift that a person can have in his life. The children also told the story of the birth of Jesus through a dramatic presentation of the nativity. The show was successful in getting the people’s full attention in learning the story of the birth of Jesus.

We also participated in our church’s Christmas Party. Our children performed a traditional Thai dance and they did perform the same dance at a Christmas party in the School for the Blind Foundation.

Another town event that we participated is the Ten Tribes of Mae Sai Festival. This event was totally a secular activity for businesses and organisations who put up their booth for selling their products and services. We put up a booth promoting the activities of the Network for Women and Children Protection, NLG, Rainbow Homes and other community and social projects that we are doing.

2016 Opening Activities

The year 2016 has begun and we believe that it is appropriate that we spend the first few days of the year with our children in the Philippines. We’ll be back in Thailand on the 15th of January.

Please include in your prayers our activities this month. Upon arriving we will have a YWAM team from Wisconsin. This partnership has started five years ago and the traditions of the team taking care of the children to give us a weekend break has become a tradition. We are looking forward to it not because of the break but because we know that the children will have a wonderful time with people from across the seas.

The team will do English teachings at schools in the village. We are also hoping that the village leader will be able to organise Conversational English teaching for adults. Please help us to pray for this ministry opportunity.

In February, we will be joining the other NLG team members in a visit to a community project for young women that we will pattern our ministry with. The project is about training the young women with skills that they can use so that they can earn a decent income to save them from prostitution and other forms of exploitation.

Thanksgiving Prayers

Once again, we want to share many wonderful deeds that the Lord has done in our lives and the lives of our children.

• We are thankful for God’s continuous provisions for the children’s schooling. The Lord has been using friends like you who are faithful in their contributions. Pray that we will be able to get Fluke this year.
• We are thankful for his goodness to our own children in the Philippines. Jared passed the teacher’s board examination and Jillian will be graduating in May. Reuven just finished his first term with minimal difficulties. Please continue to pray for them. Their financial, spiritual and educational needs.
• We are thankful for the opportunity to help more children. Also for the opportunity to work with NLG. We are envisioning to help more young women and perhaps the elderly too. We hope that as we minister to these people, Jesus will reveal more of himself to them.
• We are thankful for the opportunity to preach and share the word of God. Thankful for the church that we can call our family in Thailand.
• We are thankful for Narlin’s healing in the due time. We are thankful for friends who helped us with her hospitalisation and medication.
• We are thankful for friends who continues to believe in us and the works we are doing to help children and share God’s LOVE. We are so blessed to have you as our partner. May God bless and keep you.

In behalf of the children, we thank you for your love, prayers and generosity. Praying that God will bless you more and more.

New Year Notes

Sawat dee pee mai! Happy New Year!

The year 2006 (2549 for the Buddhists) passed by so quickly. My prayer right now is that 2007 will be a fruitful year for us as we live as “strangers” in a foreign land. At this point, I want to look back at the past year and note down here the significant events in our lives.

1. Our coming to Thailand exactly one year ago.
We came here one year ago to respond to God’s call to become harvest field workers. In spite of the hindrances and difficulties God made a way for us to come and work here. We are celebrating God’s faithfulness to us, he sees us through and he provided all we need by using people through out the year.

2. Our Visa struggles
We have been turned down once and we experienced difficulty in processing our non-immigrant visa. A lot of money was spent and we experienced physical and emotional stress. The problem was compounded by abrupt changes in the Thai immigration rules. But God was with us every step of the way.

3. Church family and ministries
We are blessed to be a part of a church family where almost of our ministries are done through its partnership. “We are on our own with God supported by our church, friends and families,” is the best explanation we can give to the people who asked us who sent us. Most of the missionaries here have a platform; they work as Christian Non-government Organization (NGO) or as businessmen with their English Language Center. We can neither claim the same because we don’t have the resources to do so. My wife is a volunteer English teacher and I do the work of a pastor-evangelist and theological educator through the church that have a big vision to preach the gospel to the different people groups here.

4. Our new friends
This morning my wife and I went to the market and I believe we are really blessed with friends. We were happy that the vendors in the market consider us their friends because we look like we need one. We look like them but could not speak their language. They are the vegetable vendor, the meat vendor, the fish vendor, the fruit vendor, the banana vendor, clothes vendor and our lady barbers. Our neighbors: the kapun (vegetarian noodles) vendor, the siopao vendor, our handyman neighbor and his wife who are ready to do everything in the house not expecting any payment. My children's Thai tutor and his husband with whom we really learn to share our lives with. Our Canadian friend, who went to Korea to teach English, entrusted us her house, 12 cats and a dog. And more Christian friends… we are blessed to have many friends in our one year stay here in Thailand.

5. My blog and blogging friends
I started blogging last July simply because I unexpectedly have an internet connection and a laptop given to me by a dear friend. I could not afford an internet connection back home. Here the connection is cheaper. Moreover, I didn’t expect that this blog would attract readers. Somehow it did, I began receiving emails and was linked by fellow theology bloggers, I really appreciate this. Blogging friends gave me theological books that I will not get anywhere or anyhow. They even paid for the postage. This is indeed a blessing.

We welcome 2007 with open hands, praying that we will accomplish greater things for God’s glory. New Year will never be complete without resolutions. Although most of the times they are never kept, it is good to make them. So as a family we want to:

1. Be used by God according to our gifts. My wife as a volunteer teacher and trainor, my children as they sing and play instruments in the church, and being friends to local children. Me? As Pastor-teacher-evangelist, and a servant to a local pastor.
2. Be good learners. My children in their home-schooling. My wife and I as we learn more of the culture and language.
   
3. Be more effective witness to Christ—telling them how he died and resurrected to reconcile the world to himself.
4. Be friends to someone. It doesn't matter if they need a friend or not.
   
5. Be focused in writing my dissertation. I am a postgraduate student and needs to finish my dissertation. I have a hard time finding the time to do so. I hope I could do it this year.

We need important tools as harvest field workers. Please help us pray for:

1. A motorcycle. We are using an old motorcycle lent to us by a friend. She might need it this year and may take it anytime. A motorcycle here costs more than $1,000.
2. A desktop Computer. The whole family is using the laptop. We all do our works here including teaching materials, church bulletins, emails, bloggings, etc. We are worried that this may breakdown anytime and we don’t have anything to use.
   

I should stop here, these notes are getting longer. In behalf of my family, I'm praying that 2007 will be a Christ-filled year for all of us.