See the Lord's work in action!!

Hello Thailand Mission Trip Followers!
We thank the team at LHM Thailand for putting together these videos of our teaching time in Bangkok.   As they would say . . . enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

My thoughts and a prayer request

I’ve spent a lot of time today thinking about our mission trip and what I learned.  Like Brian, this was way outside of my comfort zone, but Pastor Whitfield had made a statement at our first meeting when this trip was being formed that stuck with me:  Make this the year that you step out of your comfort zone for Jesus.  I guess I thought it was time, time for me to turn things over to God.  There were many reasons for me “not” to go: too busy, my Dad’s strokes during the summer, etc.  Only one good reason to go:  to tell these people in Thailand about Jesus.

We had an amazing, fun-filled, Jesus-packed two weeks.  Assembling a group of 15 adults can be difficult, but all of us together formed a team, a team that supported each other, prayed with each other and stepped in when things got difficult.  In addition, we had the privilege of getting to know some Thai people very well.  People who were kind, generous, trusting, gentle and humble, most of all humble.  My hope is that with the help of the internet, our relationships with them will continue to grow. (I've already heard from several of my new friendes.)

While we felt very close to the Christian staff of Journey Into Light, we also met students who were  Buddhist, new Christians, or people who had never heard about Jesus. I even met a young girl from Finland who is Lutheran and living in a Thai Buddhist home as a foreign exchange student.  Can you imagine going to Thailand to meet a young girl from Finland?  God sometimes works in mysterious ways!

I’ve learned that people are the same no matter where they live.  They share the same struggles, the same fears, they love the same and form relationships the same.  I want to make sure at this point of my life that they love Jesus the same too.  I think having been on this trip, it will be easier to share my beliefs and love of Jesus in a gentle, positive manner.  In fact, I met a young mom from BLC at Aldi’s today who I used to see every Sunday.  I told her I missed seeing her and she told me that she had spent the summer at the Lake and a few other excuses.  We talked for a while in the middle of the aisle about the situation and I will be praying that I see her again soon.  Who knows, maybe even an e-mail or phone call will be made.

I just know that it’s important for us to set an example and not be afraid to speak out.

Now, I ask for your prayers for the people in Thailand.  The very people we got to know, our new family in Christ, are being threatened with one of the worst floods in 50 years. We’ve been told that at least 60 of the 77 provinces have been significantly impacted by flooding during the past two months.  Nearly 300 people have been killed and 8.2 million more have been affected.  The flooding is already causing a big problem for the Thai economy.  The flood waters are dangerously close to the city of Bangkok which is built at sea level. Please pray for the large number of Thai people who are suffering because of these floods.  Many have lost their jobs and their homes.  Also, please pray for God’s grace, protection and provision for all of them during the next two weeks.   Thank you for all your prayers. - Judi

"Building bridges:Brookfield to Bangkok"

In  late 2010, Pastor Whitfield had asked me what I thought about going on a mission trip to Thailand. Immediately I thought of a traditional mission trip, where your group goes out into the jungle to build a school, church, or a home for the less fortunate. Being in the construction trade as an electrician, I thought what a great way I could help others with the talents God has given to me. But before I could say anything, Pastor Whitfield said that this was a teaching and relationship building mission trip. I remembered telling him that I would have to think about it, and that I was an electrician and not a teacher, to which he responded,"Don't underestimate the gifts that God gives you". I took this to heart as I thought and prayed. I prayed that The Lord cast aside any apprehension that I might have, and I knew that The Holy Spirit led Pastor to see some quality in me, that I really didn't know I had, which would be beneficial to the mission. After prayer and discussion with my wife Amy & our children, it was clear that The Lord wanted me to go on this trip, and then everything else; logistically, financially and spiritually fell into place by the grace of God. While teaching at our workshop, I didn't have to try to be somebody that I wasn't , I was just being me, and let The Lord use me at His will, and I knew Jesus's love shone! I was so far out of my comfort zone, being half way around the world, dealing with barriers of language, culture and beliefs, but the Lord gave me the wisdom, and the courage to share his love. If I was able to witness in Thailand, I know it will be so much easier to witness to people in my every day life at home.
This trip was just as much (if not more than) a learning experience as it was a teaching experience.      We are all Gods children, and I have learned that we are much more alike, than we are different
The Thai people, besides being accepting and gracious, are a very content and loyal people; They would make good solid Christians, as these are qualities that we as American Christians struggle to attain.
It was such a humbling experience to have individual Thai people come up to me and express their gratitude , by telling me, they see what the love of Jesus Christ is all about, through my example of voluntarily coming to Thailand to teach them (about English, and about Him) at a  personal sacrifice to myself and my family who I had left behind in America.
One of Lutheran Hour Ministries programs in Thailand is to bring Christ to the Thai people through technology. They have a website that many people follow (journey into light-Thailand), and a text messaging campaign that many people subscribe to. The Internet, computers, and smart phones have become increasingly popular in Thailand, especially amongst the younger population. Being technology oriented and my interest in these gadgets and the avenues they open, was a way I could really connect with both the Thai Christians who were on the staff at LHM, and with the non- Christian Thai people who came to learn at our workshop.
 Just before I left for Thailand I had got a new iPod touch, and had downloaded a Thai translator app, just for my own benefit, so I would know some basic Thai words and phrases. This app was worth it's weight in gold! I had used it on the first day at the LHM center (Friday when we met the staff), and it was an instant hit. It eased any of the anxiety that the Thai staff members and the BLC team may have had, by everyone having fun, playing "How do you say _____ in Thai" and "How do you say_____in English". We all had some laughs as we slaughtered pronunciations from each others language, and  words with no direct translation like, "chāng-fai-fáa"(one who carries big spark) for"electrician" and  "fák-tɔɔng-gɛ̀-sà~làk-sâi-tiian" (hollowed out agricultural product with candle inside) for "jack-o-lantern". But most importantly we were showing them that by making yourself vulnerable and laughing at your own imperfections is a great way to break the ice and start to build a trusting relationship. This impromptu game continued throughout the week, and was also enjoyed by the Thai participants who attended our classes. I was again humbled throughout the week as several of the staff and participants had approached me to express their appreciation that I was even interested in learning words and phrases in their Thai language.
Besides the rewarding experience of encouraging the Thai Christians who work at LHM, and giving them the confidence  in English to share God's Word, I had two other amazing witnessing encounters.
On Monday morning, as the participants started to filter in, a Thai woman in her late 30's sat at my table, and I introduced myself. She told me her name was "Pu", that she lived in Bangkok, and that her mother saw an advertisement flyer for our workshop, and told her about it. Since Pu is working on speaking English better, she decided to attend our workshop. Later in the morning Pu told me she didn't understand why we would want to come all the way to Thailand to voluntarily help them practice their English. I told her it was all about our mission as Christians to spread Jesus's love and Word by building relationships here in Thailand. I asked Pu if she was Christian, and she said she was raised Buddhist, although she has heard the name Jesus before,she knew nothing about Him. I told her that I'd be glad to tell her about Jesus. As our BLC team members gave their presentations on various topics, we would tie in Christian teachings along with Christian songs, which spawned questions at all the group tables. On Tuesday, Pu was asking me about the different apps I had on my i-touch, as she too had an I-phone. She was looking at my apps and saw one of my Bible apps and asked what it was. I told her that the Bible was the book of our Christian beliefs.  I told her the Bible was divided in two parts; the old testament ( stories about creation to just before Jesus's birth) and the new testament ( stories of the birth, life and teachings of Jesus along with the foundation of the Christian church). She expressed interest, and I told her it was a free app, that has numerous translations, including Thai, so she could practice her English( and refer back to the Thai version) while learning more about Jesus and Christianity. Pu then handed her i-phone to me and had me try to download it, but I was unable due to a poor cellular connection, so I told her we would try on Wednesday. Pu then asked me to just write down the name of the Bible app, which I did, and when she came in on Wednesday morning, the first thing she told me was that she was able to download it at home and would start reading it.
On Thursday Pu couldn't attend due to her work schedule, and I ended up sitting at another table with a young Thai couple  in their early 20's, Chom & -Tao, who were also raised Buddhist. While we were playing our group games, Chom won her choice from the prize table and she chose a bracelet with Bible verse, Proverbs 3:5-6 on it and she asked me what this was. I told her the same thing I told Pu about the Bible, and Chom was very interested so I directed her to the app store on her smart phone and  she immediately downloaded the free bible app. She then had me show her where Proverbs 3:5-6 was in both the English and Thai versions.
During Friday afternoons session we all had to say our heartfelt good-byes, and though I told myself I wouldn't get teary eyed, I cried like a blubbering baby (only outdone by Judi). Pu came up to me, also crying and she assured me she would read the Bible, after  I re-iterated how important it was, and that she should come to LHM center if she had any questions or needed support from the staff, since most of the Thai Christians there had been previously Buddhist.
Not only did the BLC team become emotionally attached to staff and participants at the LHM workshop, but we have gotten much closer to each other as we worked together to let The Holy Spirit work through us. To God Alone be the glory!
                                                                                 -Brian Betchner

"One week in Bangkok makes a hard man humble"

One thing we saw when we were in Thailand were the Buddhist temples. Here the people bow down and give homage to idols, false gods, and Buddha. It is quite saddening, that so Many people here do not know  of Jesus Christ and His salvation (only about 1% of the Thai people are Christian).
I'm humbled that I was asked to be a part of the BLC mission team to Thailand. As a thanksgiving offering to our Lord, for the ability he has given to me, to know Him, I gladly came here to make a difference, by building relationships with the Thai people, by introducing them to Jesus's name, His Word, and His love. I pray that the Holy Spirit work on the hearts and minds of the people we touched here, so they too can share in God's saving grace!          -Brian Betchner

Concordia Day Care

This is indeed the day the Lord hath made.  The day care that we were about to visit is on the edge of a slum community composed of 200 homes and 2000 undocumented people. The day care was established to keep the children safe while there parents worked at very, very low paying jobs.  Before the day care was established, children were locked in a room so that their parents could work. 

We left our hotel at 8:30 to drive together in a large van to Concordia Day Care about an hour away.  We went in through tall locked gates into a court yard and then were escorted into a classroom with 66 shining smiling faces staring at us.  They greeted us with shouts of excitement  and counted us off in English as we entered the room and our day began.  There was no air conditioning, but that didn't matter since we spent our entire day outside!  Sandy had been waiting for her chance to present and present she did.  She had a wonderful day planned for the children and the five from our group that remained were her assistants - and assist we did!  We started out with some songs being sung.  Of course, Tak, from Journey Into Light,  was there with his Ukulele to accompany as we sang "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" faster and faster.  Then, we sang our new favorite Thai song in English, "This Is My Hand, Not Your Hand!"  Any one of us would be willing to teach you when we get home because we look for chances to sing it. And good times continued.  Sandy's assistants had the best job because we got to play with the children.  As always, there are several children that tug on your heart.  The funny thing was that we all had different children tugging.  God was definitely at work in our hearts.  I keep saying that, just like the Grinch, our hearts continue to grow.  After singing and the story of the first Christmas, told in English and translated into Thai, we were on our way with games.

We had stations of bubble blowing, parachute toss, play doh station, hot potato station, ball toss, chalk and a variety of crafts.  The crafts included painting, sticke\rs, markers, and putting crosses together. The children had so much fun and so did we.  We can't explain how we felt: that we were involved with these children and that they seemed to love us as much as we loved them.

As our time together ran down, the children were prepared for a meal and a nap and we were given the opportunity to tour the area of foot with our leader from Concordia.  She quietly took us into homes in the slums where people lived with almost nothing.  The first man, who lie on the floor of his one room home, was paralyzed and was on their regular visitation list because he lived alone.  He allowed us to pray with him and we went to the next home.  We also visited the home of a woman with diabetes who has had her leg amputated and is being helped with medical care.  She has an old wheelchair outside in case she has to be transported, but basically lives on the floor of her "house".  As we walked through this village we wondered how they managed to live here.  We walked past an outdoor area where several people were together eating lunch, it looked like the 4 women from one family.  They had a baby inside a primitive cradle of cloth which was tied to two posts.  It was very clever actually and allowed the baby to sleep.  I stopped every time we passed them, did a "Y" and a sa-wad-dee kah (a humble pose with a Thai greeting) and told them their baby was beautiful.  By the second time past them, they asked me if I could join them for lunch.  This is the part that is so hard for us to explain.  The Thai people are the most generous, humble and kind people we have ever met. We are also humbled by what we saw and felt.

Our evening was one of fun and laughter as we invited the staff of Journey Into Light and Concordia to join us for bowling at a local establishment.  A good time was had by all - lots of laughter and absolutely no bowling skills!  We have begun to view our new Thai friends as extended family.

Phuket and farewell but not goodbye!

It has been a couple days since we posted due to an exceptionally busy schedule, flying and no wifi therefore, let me catch you up.

Friday was our last day of "Fun with English" workshop.   Bob and PW did a great job wrapping up the week.  We were able to share about Jesus again as well as pray with all the student.

After a "goodbye" lunch we were off to the airport to fly to the island of Phuket.  We experienced Bangkok Airlines "the boutique" airline.  Thai people are all about service!   When we arrived in Phuket we learned about and saw the "Vegetarian Festival" which many had come to town to participate.  It is a Buddhist festival where everyone wears white for 10 days and refrains from meat as well as many other things.  We arrived late to our hotel but was pleasantly surprised to find the GM had upgraded our rooms to encourage us to bring our "American" friends back.  We found not many Americans actually visit Phuket.

Saturday we had opportunities to explore the island, learn about the tsunami devastation and take in some cultural sites and activities.  The Chinese and Muslim influence is notable in the people.  Those in our group who have been to Hawaii say Phuket rivals it in the splendor and beauty.  Defintely a must see!  Amazing how they have rebuilt everything from the Tsunami.  We were also trained immediately about the warning system and evacuation routes.  They are prepared better for the future.  One fascinating story was we talked to our tour guide and asked if she was a survivor.  She said she was!   She was in the middle of a tour on a bus when it hit.  One of the passengers kicked out a window for some to swim out of the bus to safety.  She was one of seven out of 35 who survived.  She said it runs through her head everyday.  For the following six months she was a translator for all the relief workers who came to help.   She said the Buddhist believe they were blessed that more did not die because Buddha held back more waves.   There is a lot of work to be done in Phuket for the Lord!
 
That brings us to today Sunday!  We headed back to Bangkok for a farewell dinner with our Lutheran Hour Ministry Hosts and students.  It was a phenomenal food yet again.  We have all learned to love Thai food!   Sidenote - did you know they are excellent at desserts?   Both groups shared remarks on the week.  Gifts and prayers were exchanged.  The culminating momment was when we all gathered to sing one of their favorites "All in All".  We were blessed to worship together the King of Kings and Savior of all Jesus!  It was one of the most special nights of the trip.   We shared this is not goodbye but simply farewell as we will see each other again in heaven if not sooner!

Nine of our group is boarding a plane to head home as I write.  Pray for safe travel for their long journey and layover in Korea.   Pray that as they reflect on their time in Thailand they will be able to hear how God's message of hope and plans for their future.   Pray they will assimulate back into the US well.  And pray they will have many opportunities to share the story of Journey Into Light mission outpost and the amazing ministry happening here.  Pray for the Thai people that the seeds planted will grow.  And pray for the 6 of us remaining will be well rested and energized to work with the children at Concordia Day Care Center tomorrow.

God's Blessings families and friends!!

Christ through technology

Hail, Hail the King of Kings comes!

We have enjoyed learning about the King of Thailand.   Did you know he was actually born in America as his father was studying medicine at Harvard?   It has been a joy to learn the King is highly respected because of his care for the people as a servant king.  Yesterday we reflected on our Servant King the King of Kings we saw him serving the people of Thailand through the English class.  Dwayne and Tony were excellent leaders however Jim was able to introduce Christmas and Easter discussion for us to further share our faith of our King's birth and life saving death and resurrection.  

Later we were treated to a spectacular dinner and show Siam Narimit!  We have deeper understanding of the people and culture as well as upclose encounters with the elephants.  Thanks again to Brian for the pictures.   

Today, Friday we wrap up our teaching time and move on to Phuket for the weekend.   We remember the Tsumani victims and families as we interact with the people in this region.   Prayers for a great last session with Bob and PW, safe travel and continued health but most importantly the seeds we have planted may grow!

Up close and personal with elephants-at Siam Niramit in Bangkok

A new friend

I have been blessed with meeting a new friend at our classroom this afternoon.  The Thai people are amazing: humble, sweet, trusting, quiet and all this with a servant's heart.  We Americans, with our rushing to and fro could take a lesson from these people.  Within minutes of meeting you, they are willing and able to take you at face value and give you their hearts.  I am blessed to have this wonderful young woman consider me a friend.  Our picture was posted below by Brian.  Thanks Brian!

Continuing to form relationships at Luther Hour Ministries in Bangkok Thailand

Will you tell me about Jesus . . .

The sweetest words ever spoken at ESL class!  We have had many ask and we are humbled and honored to answer yes I will.   Why did we travel half way around the world?  For those moments!   Thanks to Brian the wiz of technology hopefully you have enjoyed some pictures of our experience.  However there are literally a thousand words behind each picture.  I encourage you to ask some of the people in the pictures when they get home to share.

We finished our third day of workshop today with presentations from Joanne, Kathy and Brian.  Yesterday Gale, Ann and Kay did their presentations even including a Skype conversation from all the Bennings and Grandma and Grandpa!  All did exceptionally well!   Not only have the participants been relaxing and therefore speaking English more, they are asking us questions about Jesus.  We sing songs about Jesus and refer to our faith many times in our presentation as well as regular prayers but you just never know where someone is in their walk.  The overwhelming majority of people are Buddhist.

Thai people are so kind, loving and happy.   They have welcomed us with open arms.  Our team is doing well all the way around.  As a leader, I have been so proud of each one of them for stepping out of their comfort zones in many many ways.  God has blessed our efforts and words.  We give Him all the glory for the connections we have made.

Last night and tonight some of our team is joining the "professionals" as they teach their classes to see how it is done and make connections with their students.  Please include Robin and David in your prayers as they have dedicated their lives to living in Bangkok and reaching people for Christ.

One last bit of trivia!  Did you know "God of this City" was written about a very dark city in Thailand?   As we sang it last night the words have taken on new meaning for our team.  We now understand the amazing about of work yet to be done in this world to tell people about their SAVIOR Jesus!   We are overwhelmed by the amount of people who have never heard of Jesus and his life saving work.

Sandy Rades shares a lotus with Pastor Whitfield

The Packers WON at 6:30 AM (Thailand Time) and "Fun with English Started"

Yes . . . it is a long day when you get up at 3:15 AM to watch the Packers game streamed in.  We have come to greatly appreciate Thailand's advanced use of technology.  We love that we have been so connected by wifi, skype phone calling, streaming, and googling EVERYTHING that we don't know what it is.  Our resident expert is Brian . . . have itouch, have info.  Mary has become addicted to Kay's ipad.  Sometimes we wonder who has it more.  Even Tony has figured out how to get his email!

So today was our first day of "Fun With English" workshop.  We started off with Mary get to know you games.   We introducing ourselves with knicknames.  Everyone here has one.  Mary Moose, Alexander Apple, Judi Jellybean, Kay Kids, Kathy Kangaroo, Dave Dad, Bob Bananna, Tony Toast, Gale Garden, Sandy Shrimp, Brian Baseball, Dwayne Dairy Queen, Ann Angel, Jim Jesus and Joann Jump rope.  Everyone was talking with in minutes.  And to think they wondered if BLC could have fun?  Then Dave led a session on Sports.  We all learned how to Mauy Thai Box and Elephant Polo.  We learned the Thai people are very competitive.   Dave challenged us to an intense ping pong game.  We also loved Dave leading us in song throughout the day.  We had mixed Christian campfire songs with motion songs.  After another amazing Thai lunch Ann led a session in animals and habitats.  She read a book about
"actual size" of animals which caused a scurrying of googling.  But the hit was the "telephone game"!   To help people repeat phases, teams had to pass on a message.  Strangely the message changed from the beginning to the end of the line of people.  

We also had  chance to tour Lutheran Hour Ministries Center.  What an amazing production studio to proclaim the Gospel.  

Overall we had many opportunities to share the love of Jesus.  "Seek Ye First" has a new meaning to us after seeing people who may not know Jesus singing it.  We have had many Godsightings each day that we share at evening devotions and debrief.

We ask for your prayers for continued safety and health.   Praise God!
 

A "Tok-Tok"; a motorcycle type covered taxi used in downtown Bangkok

Buildings on The Royal Thai Palace grounds

Buildings on The Royal Thai Palace grounds

Buildings on The Royal Tai Grand Palace grounds

Concordia Into Light Lutheran church

We were blessed to share in the service of Concordia Into Light Lutheran Church.  Pastor Sumpang opened the worship and Pastor Whitfield gave the sermon in English while Pastor Sumpang translated his words into Thai.  It was a wonderful message saying that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever even though our world is in constant change. It was well received by both the English and Thai speaking people.  We all shared an amazing experience of singing sings and saying prayers together: some in Thai and some in English, but all one in the same to the same God.  People with such different lives able to share their God together.  To make the service even more perfect, we were able to commune together with our new friends in Christ.

Pastor Whitfield and Pastor Sumpang at Sunday morning service

Our hosts at Lutheran Hour Ministries, Dennis & Boom Dennow

Where we are teaching in Bangkok Thailand

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You never know who you are sitting next to . . .

Do you wonder who you will be seated next to on an airplane?   It has been fun to see who God has seated next to us on this trip. We have had several witnessing opportunities to open people who have been interested in the trip and wished us well and offers to pray for us.  

But then there was one whom sat next to me (Mary) from Korea to Thailand.  He was not happy that Americans were headed to Thailand especially if it was a Christian mission trip.  You see he was on his way home to Pakistan from Korea to see his family.  You may have guessed by now that he is muslim.  He shared with me his beliefs in the Koran as well as the parts of the Bible that he believes are true.   We spent about 2 hours talking as I shared with him the hope we have in Jesus Christ and him alone.  We talked about passages in the Bible and who Jesus really is.  We talked about Americans and American Christianity which as you can guess was not popular.  He was deeply concerned about American economics and specifically how much money were were spending to go to Thailand. 

He runs a Islam outreach group on the internet.   It became clear that we were not going to agree on many things though he was passionate to share.  I just prayed that God would put his words in my mouth that would make a difference.  At this point in the trip we were all just exhausted so there was not a chance of an intelligent though on my part.   It is interesting that is when we are challenged.  God was faithful and his seeds were planted.  

I quickly remembered the teachings the PABLO leaders had just presented the week before and said "God Sighting"!  I ask you to join me in prayer for Mohammed Jamie that he will come out of the darkness into the light only JESUS shines.  

Mary

Welcome sign at Lutheran Hour Ministries in Bangkok

Getting to knooooow you . . . .

How do you get to know someone when you totally speak different languages?   You EAT!

We were blessed with a late gathering time so some could sleep in, work out, explore, swim and have a leisurely breakfast.  It was much needed to adjust to the time difference.  We are 12 hours ahead of everyone in Wisconsin.   

We gathered for lunch at one of PW's favorites  S & P.  We were thankful the menu was all pictures.   Everyone tried something new.  In the afternoon we had training with Boom and Dennis and met the team of wonderful Lutheran Hour Workers.   We were welcomed by beautiful flowers again, coffee and eclairs.  We have come to find out Thais are really into desserts!   They all look amazing.  

We had good opportunities to ask questions and to start to get a feel for where we will be working this week.   

We had a short break where a few of us discovered "Thai Massage".  It was in my book of 1000 things to do before you die and now I know why.  :)

Then we were blessed with a wonderful Thai dinner made by the people of the church - Journey into Light.  We also met the full time missionaries who teach ESL - Birdie and Dave.   What a joy they are.  

We have also found out everyone has nickname in Thai.  We look forward to find out what ours are by the end of the week.  We had a chance to practice "Fun with English" - the name of our workshop.   We may have some refining to do but overall it was well received. 

http://www.jilthailand.org/aboutus_en.php
Check out Journey into Light Church's website to find out more about the ministry we are working with.

We're Here - Yea!!!

Praise the Lord! We traveled from BLC to Chicago O'Hare to Seoul, Korea to Bangkok Thailand - and we are here safe and sound. - 27 hours later.  We are very tired and going to bed, but we wanted you to know we are safe and sound. 

Take a quick look at this picture from the airport in Bangkok.  We were met by Boom from Lutheran Hour Ministries and her team and Boom's husband Dennis from LCMS.  They presented each of us with a beautiful orchid leigh and wisked us off to our hotel, the TK Palace.

We are most thankful for all the prayers our support team has provided.  Your continued to prayers for our team would be appreciated, as we begin tomorrow! - Judi

Our capsule for the next 17 hrs!

Ready to go!

We made it to BLC to find many staff and supports there ready to send us off and pray with us.  We were so blessed with a very quick trip to Ohare.  We arrived to find NO ONE at the airport.  So we sailed through check in and security with ease.   We now just patiently wait to load the plane.  It was a TOTAL group effort of how to log on to the airport wifi.  So already we are working as a group.  PTL!

GETTIN' READY!!!

Well, we are getting ready to go to Thailand, it's getting closer and CLOSER!! We are very excited for the opportunity to share our love of Jesus with our new Thai friends.  We had the privledge of meeting with Dennis Denow from LCMS who currently lives in Thailand.  What a great opportunity to ask all of our questions.  So, now we are armed with proper information and we're ready to go.  Just a few more things to get done here before we leave.

We are all working on our presentations for the ESL program and we're trying to make them as entertaining as possible.  Dennis says that the Thai people are very soft spoken, humble and sensitive.  I guess maybe Americans are kind of more "bull in the china shop" in our way of dealing with things.  (Those are my words, not Dennis'!)  We are not sure who will come to our classes, but the classes have been well advertised and the idea seems to be well received.  We know that God has a plan for us, whether it's 10 people or 70 people in our classes, we'll be ready to go forward.  We do know that these will be adults of at least 18 years of age.  We also know that Thai people are well groomed, so we must put our best foot forward.

Once again, we request your prayers for our mission, for safety, for successful relationships and for the Holy Spirit to be with each of us. Thanks for your prayers

Elephants and Polo - WHAT???

And to think we missed this !!!!!!!

Audemars Piguet and Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas kicked off the 2011 King’s Cup Elephant Polo tournament on September 5^th in Hua Hin Thailand, the royal seaside town some 200km south of Bangkok. The event offered a day with seasoned elephant polo players, colourful parades, Thailand’s last elephant spirit men (Khru Ba Yai) and pachyderms - all providing a taste of the excitement to come all week.

English as a Second Language

We met again on Sunday, August 28th and Dave opened with a devotion from 2nd Corinthians 1:9.  Thank you Dave for starting us off on the right foot.

We've been told that it's natural to have fear when going to a foreign land to share your faith. I can only speak for myself, but those fears are alive and well!  We want to share God's love and salvation with others, but there is always that lingering doubt.  We will rely on God and the Holy Spirit to be with us. As in 1st Corinthians 2:2-5 - ² For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³ I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. ⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, ⁵ so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

We are interested in building relationships with these wonderful people and sharing our love of Jesus and His powerful act of salvation.  In order to do that, we have discussed the need for personal and team daily prayer time while we are in Thailand and taking the time necessary to get to know some of the people we meet.  Who knows, with the availability of e-mail, we might even be able to establish a "long-term" relationship!

We've all been assigned a subject to present to the English as a Second Language (ESL) class, such as favorite foods, traditions, families, pets, gardening, BLC, sports (Who could travel from Wisconsin and not talk about the Brewers and the Packers???????), and many more.  We will be doing 14 sessions and a closing ceremony for the students. The idea is to make this a fun learning experience with games, music, pictures and whatever else we can think of.  These sessions will hopefully open opportunities for us to share our love of Jesus.

I guess we are "official" now:  we've been registered with the State Department.  WooHoo!!

The Three "P"s

Pictures – Preparation - Presentation

Did you ever think of taking pictures as being part of a mission trip?  Well, I sure didn’t!  Not until, that is, we discussed it at our last meeting.  We are so thankful to all of you who have supported us financially and prayerfully and just plain ol’ support!  We want you to feel like you’ve been on this mission trip with us.  We have been granted a huge opportunity from God to bring other people to Him and you have helped us make it happen. 

While we are in Thailand, we hope you’ll follow this blog because we will be writing every day about our mission, our God sightings and showing you pictures of the people we’re meeting and the culture we are experiencing.  When we return home, we’d like to do a presentation of our trip. We do hope that some of you might be encouraged to experience a short term mission trip as well.

In September, we will be meeting with Dennis from LCMS World Missions.  We are so anxious to continue our training with him.  Our team will be busy writing down questions for Dennis, so that we don't forget what we want to ask him. Everything we can learn about these wonderful people will make it just that much easier for us when we are with them.

We are requesting your prayers for so many reasons.  First of all, protection and safe travel (Did you know that this trip is 23 hours in the air?  Yikes!!) Please pray that we can be accepting of our hosts’ culture, make us open and receptive to them.  Also, please pray that we may impact these people with Jesus.

Thank you to Kathy and Jim for supplying us with a yummy lunch of Pad Thai and Bangkok Curry from Noodles and Co. Let us not forget that awesome dessert - that was completely American!!

T.E.A.M.

TOGETHER EVERYONE ACHIEVES MORE

We met at Brian's home yesterday after the late church service for more Thailand information.  Brian's wife, Amy, prepared us the most unbelievable Thai luncheon:  Easy Green Curry with Pork over Jasmine Rice, Fried Spring Rolls and Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles).  WOW - Amy is one awesome cook and a hostess with a servant's heart.  Everyone present knows what at least one of Amy's God-given talents are.   Thank you Amy and Brian for sharing your home. 

After our fabulous luncheon, we all gathered in the family room for devotion and prayer led by Pastor Whitfield from Psalm 18.  We moved on to talking about our God sightings and several of us commented on how God was working through our friends and family to support our fund raising efforts.  This has been an overwhelming and humbling experience.  Sandy said that a 10 year old boy gave her $30.00 that he had put aside from his grass cutting money to help with our Thailand trip. Several of our members talked about the support they have received from their employers which allows them to leave their job for a couple weeks. We are blessed with understanding families and supportive friends!

We discussed more about clothing "dos and don'ts" and found out that Thai women prefer proper dress. Here's an excerpt from a letter we received from our "Thai sponsors":  For the women on your team, modest tops, knee-length skirts, nice slacks/pants/capris are good when doing team ministry activities.  Nice shorts are fine for free time, shopping and sight-seeing (except in temples and the Grand Palace where long pants are required for everyone).  For the men on your team, sport shirts or polo shirts and nice pants are good during team ministry and nice t-shirts and shorts may be worn during free time.)   So much to learn! We also talked about proper footwear.  While sandles may be fine for our personal time, having our toes covered with good walking shoes may be more appropriate.  Don't forget to bring your umbrella!  It will definitely be hot, humid and sometimes rainy!

While we understand that the members of our team have the same goal in mind, we talked about how to handle any conflict that might arise on the trip.  Afterall, we will be away from our loved ones, in a foreign country, eating unfamiliar food and living with people we don't know too well.  Hmmmm, sounds like it could be difficult once in a while.  We talked about our individual triggers and resolved to care for each other and be open about problems.

After our meeting was over, Amy served a wonderful  berry dessert that Ann brought to our meeting.   The dessert was light and wonderful.  Thank you, Ann. Do you see what I mean about "servant hearts"? 

Travel Guidelines

We are getting ready for Thailand:  so much to learn, so little time! It's amazing how fast the time is going.
We gathered to meet at Sandy's this week with yummy food and fellowship followed by a reading from Psalms by Pastor Whitfield.  We listened to the session 2 training video and here's some of what we learned:
~~  Pack light - bring modest, culturally appropriate clothing, you will be able to do laundry at the hotel.
~~  Do not forget an outfit for church!
~~  Leave PDA, pagers and cell phones at home.
~~  Always keep your passport on you, not in purse or wallet.
~~  Have a copy of your passport separate from your passport.
~~  Have a second form of ID with you, i.e. driver's license.
~~  Don't take too much money; bring credit card and ATM card.
~~  The flights will be about 23 hours in length (Really?  - Oh, No!!!)
~~  While on the plane - drink plenty of water, get up and move around and carry snacks with you.
~~  Upon arrival avoid the temptation to take a nap.  It will only throw your body clock off more.
~~  While in Thailand - DRINK ONLY BOTTLED WATER!!
~~  Eat what is offered to you by our hosts and remember to try and discover new foods.
~~  You will need an electrical outlet adaptor (CEE 7/16 Euro plug 2.5 amp)

A friend of Sandy's, Eileen Turvey, who has traveled to Thailand on a mission trip with the Whycliffe Bible Society, showed a DVD of her adventure.  She answered questions, gave information about clothing, culture and food.  She showed us wonderful clothing she purchased there for very little cost.  Thank you Eileen!!

We closed the evening with the Lord's Prayer.

See everyone at Brian's house on July 10th after the late service.

Philippians 4:6-7  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Journaling

Dwayne started our meeting with a meaningful devotion on serving the Lord and building relationships with others.  Can you imagine serving Jesus as an educator /administrator for 30 years!  Dwayne has touched many lives and I’m sure that many of the students he has come in contact with know that they are better because of him. What a way to serve Jesus! 

Our team wants to build relationships with people in Thailand.  We want to introduce them to Jesus and make a difference in their lives.  We started training for our Thailand mission today.  We looked at Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  Pastor encouraged us to start daily devotions, if we weren’t already doing that.  We were also encouraged to start journaling, either daily or weekly, to start recording happenings and God sightings in our lives.

We talked at length about being proper guests in Thailand: about being gracious, humble and thankful to our hosts.  We also learned that it’s important on any mission trip to be flexible.  You never know what will happen with international travel and we really want to set a good example for anyone with which we come in contact.

We are thankful for this opportunity.  Now team – Go journal!

Paperwork, immunizations and fund raising !!!

As you can well imagine there is a lot of paperwork and planning to get done in order for a team of 15 missionaries to go to Thailand.  We have been busy getting a lot of things completed and out of the way so that we will be free to study Thailand and learn how to best present Jesus to those who don't know Him.  We have already been blessed to be a part of this team. 

Of course, there will be a few immunizations necessary to keep us safe while we're out of the United States. OUCH! There is also the fund raising involved to make this trip possible.  Our church has graciously agreed to pay a part of the fee, and we are each paying another part of the fee.  However, there will still be more funds needed.  I've never been involved in fund raising to any great extent and I've learned something interesting about it - it's not easy!  It's difficult to ask people you know to help support your mission by contributing funds to your cause, but something dawned on me the other day. It makes you HUMBLE!  What better way to approach a mission trip than by being humble?

I ask each of you that reads our blog to please pray for us while we are preparing, traveling, and volunteering. 

Please come back and visit us again.  We'll keep you undated as we prepare for Thailand.

Welcome

Our blog will allow our mission team to keep our congregation, family, friends, neighbors and community at large conscious of the development of our team as we seek ways to glorify God in our lives and in Thailand.

With joy in our hearts, we humbly ask for your support to help make this mission trip successful, be it prayer and/or financial.