Concordia Day Care Center Bangkok

On Wednesday morning we visited Concordia Day Care Center in the slums of Bangkok. Our BLC team has visited here on our past two Thailand trips in 2011 and 2013. There were 50+ students, ages 3 to 10, which included a few special needs children. Due to a lack of resources, accommodations for the special needs children are non-existant, so they are assimilated into the general class population. Concordia Day Care Center is a safe haven, where the children can be fed and taught in a Christian environment. The alternative is them being locked alone into the it own homes for up to 12 hrs a day, while their parents go to work, who cannot afford child care. There is also the fear they may be kidnapped by sex traffickers.
This little girl, "Phet" I first connected with 2 years ago when I was here. She remembered me, and we reconnected. She has come along way, from not speaking at all, to talking non-stop in both Thai & English,  thanks to the staff at this Mission.
Even though our BLC team has only spent a few hours here over the past three visits, it is a huge encouragement to the staff here. It shows our commitment to an established relationship that will continue to bless them, as well as us. It demonstrates to the children, the love of Jesus, as we compassionately interact with them.
The financial gifts that we have given here also is a true blessing, since it provides for much needed resources.
Please keep the children and staff of Concordia Day Care in your prayers, for health, safety, and that they know of Jesus' love and saving grace.

-Brian Betchner

Continuing Our Mission...

     

  As our team flies home from our Thailand mission trip there are many thoughts and feelings that have come to the forefront of my mind.  We went to serve our God who loves us, through serving the Thai people.  The passion  exhibited for their faith through the use of spirit houses was striking. The houses were seen next to the poorest of shacks, in front of businesses and even in the medians of the boulevards.  What impressed me the most was how shiny and well maintained they are. They place fresh flowers and other trinkets on them regularly.  It is common to place bottles of water or juice with straws in them as a means of pleasing unknown entities.  The filth, trash and disrepair that accumulates around houses and businesses is of little concern to them.  By contrast, the spirit houses are well maintained.  They glisten in the sun with gold leaf, jewels and intricate architectural lines.  They are a thing of beauty.
  Is there a point to all this?  I wonder why we as Christians are tentative in showing our faith in God with an outward sign in our front yards for everyone to see.  It would be a meaningful expression of our faith to place a cross or other sign of faith and plant some flowers to honor the God who has so richly blessed us.  It could open up conversations with the neighbors and act as a more constant reminder of how thankful we are that Christ made the ultimate sacrifice to save us.  Nativity scenes in the front yard at Christmas remind us every time we drive up our driveway that Jesus became like one of us in order to fulfill God's plan.  The Thai people offer these things in the hope that something better will be in their future, but we as God's children have that blessed assurance of a place with Jesus in heaven for eternity.  My plan is to make this outwardly obvious in more ways and encourage my Christian neighbors to do the same.  I want to continue the mindset to save the lost right in my own neighborhood mission field.  How about you?  I pray that through the seeds we planted showing God's love through song, dance, pantomime, gifts, hugs and a willingness to just be there, our friends at Lutheran Hour Ministries, with God's help, can change those spirit houses to crosses.

-Laura Ciletti

Questions Answered

We had our fourth day at the schools today! It was fun to see the kids, their continued interest in our workshops, and to know we will see them tomorrow for round 2! We enjoy going to the same school more than once because it gives us more time to find a deeper connection between the students and teachers from Lutheran Hour Ministries-Thailand.                                    

After eating lunch at the school, our Thai friends took us to see Saraburi's main temple. Not being the first temple we've seen, we knew what to expect, and therefore became more aware of practices of the Thai people on temple grounds. Watching these practices stirred many questions...

During the van ride back to our hotel, we were able to get some answers. Van rides have been a great opportunity to mix with the Thai missionaries and learn about the culture (which plays a huge part in the obstacles they face while trying to serve in Thailand). Knowing more about their culture helps us understand more about the dire need for Jesus.

While we were at temples, we saw people burning incense and buying gold leaf to put on a Buddha and pray, people ringing bells, and people dropping money into what they believe to be a footprint of Buddha. We assumed it was all for worship and prayer for Buddhists, when really, it's in order to increase positive karma. We learned that Buddhists believe- or really that Buddha taught- that in order to reach Nirvana, they have to let go of all desires. These offerings were not a part of original teachings, but rather an addition made by people as a way to raise money for the temple. Our confussion was realizing that their offerings are not going up to anyone and their prayers are not being heard because they have no god. 

This brought another question about the "spirit houses" we have seen outside of most homes and businesses. We thought they were for Buddhists as well, but learned that they have been adopted into Buddhist practices as a way to appease the spirit. So, knowing they adopt different parts of different religions makes the ministry here more difficult. It's not difficult to introduce them to Jesus, but it is difficult to get them to believe in one true God.

Please pray that the Spirit would work through the missionaries at the Lutheran Hour Ministries- Thailand. Pray that hearts would be open to the absolute truth of one path to eternal life. Our time in these schools opens the doors for the missionaries and local churches to continue ministry in the neighborhoods where we worked.

-Katie Cizel

-Nicole Whittow

Job Opening Help Wanted

Job Opening Help Wanted

On Sunday October 4th we gathered in the BLC parking lot  as a group with friends and family seeing us off on our Trip to Thailand.  We had communion and a short time to share what we were looking forward to.  I shared that I was looking forward to the unknown.  God has  gifted all of us in different ways and I thought this was an excellent opportunity to see how our team would respond to the many “unknowns” that we would be faced with.  This is a case of needing to be careful  for what you wish for.  The first 3 Days in Saraburi found  us with team members recovering from jet lag, being dehydrated, suffering ongoing intestinal distress, and loss of voice.  Despite this we adjusted our teams and were able to connect with the school children.  It’s amazing what the smiles and hugs from school children can help you power through.

Logistically this trip has also been a challenge. Following the 28 hour trip we thought we would  have a recovery day.  Not to be.  We spent the day in orientation then traveled by van from Bangkok to Saraburi, a 2 hour ride which ended in grocery shopping.  By the time the trip is over, we will have checked in and out of 5 hotels.

Why did I title this blog help wanted?  Simple,  The Lutheran Hour Ministries has more opportunity here than they have people for. Here is a partial description of job responsibilities and working conditions.

Candidates must:

Have ultimate flexibility as schedules and plans change on a moments notice.

Have a heart and passion for the lost.

Enjoy 90% humidity with 90-100 degree temperatures.

Not be prone to motion sickness and be able to endure long van rides on rough roads.

Be willing to invest emotionally and build relationships with people of a different culture.

Be able to embrace living in a city where standards for buildings and utilities are seemingly non-existent.

Be a true team player.

Master using a squat toilet.

Enjoy God sightings on a regular basis.

Compensation:  

Short term you must either give up vacation time or sacrifice earnings while you are working.  Additionally the cost is a minimum of $1000 and you will be responsible for fundraising too.

Benefits:  

You will know you are executing God’s plan for the lost. 

You will experience a culture that is totally different from ours.

You will see areas of the world through the eyes of indigenous people.

You will have a new reference on how blessed we are as Americans.

You will have a new perspective on friends and relatives that don’t know Jesus.

You will build lasting relationships with the Lutheran Hour Ministry folks and other missionaries.

If you have  a prayerful attitude but are short on experience, and want a life altering experience for you and the people you will serve, please apply through our Mission Committee.

Reed Felton

We Can Be His Voice In The Wildernes

We started Sunday morning with a Bible study, Led by Denis Dennow at the mission in Bangkok. He spoke about being in a "wilderness" or "desert". These are  uncomfortable places of emptiness , darkness and loneliness. God has brought people to these places through the Holy Spirit's leading, for various reasons. For instance, He led Moses and The Israelites out of Egypt and into the desert (literally) for refinement and preparation. God also not only led, but turned Babylon into a dark place as a punishment for opposing His people.
 When teaching the Thai people of Gods grace and forgiveness, Dennis said we must be careful and honest about what we say. We don't  want them to think that God will take away all their problems, just because of their belief in Him.
Most Thai people are Buddhist, and believe they must earn their own way to a better new life through reincarnation. Since they do not know  Jesus, they too are in a wilderness, and will never have eternal life through and with Him.
 God never promised us a storm free life, but He did promise to walk with us through these storms.
 Gale did a devotion the day before, that brings al of this full circle:
Here is the testimony of a Chinese Christian:  "I walked through the road of life and had fallen into a great ditch.  The ditch was filled with depression, discouragement, and sin.  As I lay in that ditch Mohammed came along and said, "Its your fault you're in there the ditch. You offended Allah, and this is your just punishment".  Then Marx came by and said, "You're in the ditch because of class warfare.  You must revolt. "  But after the government changed, I was still in my ditch.  Then Buddha came along and said, "You're not really in that ditch.  You just think you're there.  Its all an illusion of the mind.  Be at peace, and learn to live in your ditch".  Then Confucius came by and said, "Here are 10 steps of self-attainment by which you can get out of your ditch.  If you will struggle, you will climb out eventually,".  But as much as I struggled and strained, I couldn't get out of the ditch, because it was too deep.


"Then one day, Jesus Christ came by and saw me in my ditch.  Without a word, He took off his white robe and got down in the muddy ditch with me.  He lifted me up and pulled me out of the ditch.  Thank God that Jesus did for me what I could not do for myself.  Romans 7:24-25
                      -Brian Betchner

What Power!

  

10-11-2015

Bangkok Thailand

What Power!

We woke to the sound of thunder and lightning. In Thailand, that is cause for uneasiness as the rain routinely comes down in sheets.  Add to that, a power outage, which means loss of air conditioning and our uneasiness grew.  That's how today started out: full of water, out of power.  Fortunately, the power returned just in time to take showers, pack up and head to the school for the morning.

On our drive to the school, the rain subsided.  We arrived to find the school out of power and fully in session.  The children we were supposed to teach were already in class.  The Director (principal) had been called multiple times but had not alerted the teachers or students of our visit.  Time was ticking away, and we were getting anxious as we thought of the lessons we had planned and the time we needed to teach them.

The Director came back to us and agreed to let us start the lessons.  Soon after, the power was restored!  For the second time in just a few hours the power was restored in a timely fashion.  As believers, we don’t see this as coincidence.  It is His Power we rely on and count on.

 The children were brought in for a time of song and introduction.  Tak, from Lutheran Hour Ministries, has a way of working with the children that is hard to describe unless you've seen it.  He gets the crowd engaged and excited.  This morning, that did not seem to be the case.  The children, especially the 9th graders, were slow to engage and this made our task a little harder and all of us a little more anxious. It seemed we'd lost the power to get the kids revved up to learn.

God however never loses His power, and things started to change.  The storm passed and the one we thought was brewing inside, was only a  sprinkle of unease.  God was working.  The Lutheran Hour team, with the Brookfield Lutheran team and the supporting church team, shared the love of Jesus through our English Speaking lessons.  The Living Water was now flowing through the classrooms. The only power necessary to change hearts was working in the children, thanks to God's Holy Spirit.  

God continued to show his power through our lessons.  One of the demonstrations we do has the children draw a heart in the center of a piece of paper.  The paper is folded several times and ripped in a specific way.  When unfolded, it reveals a cross with a heart in the middle. When the children saw how the torn piece of paper turned into a cross, their faces lit up. The paper cross activity was followed by group pictures. When the pictures were done we were mobbed by a spontaneous group hug.  God had melted the hearts of these seemingly cool kids in 9th grade.  Only He has the power to do that, across an ocean and through a language barrier.

Let’s reflect on power.  Where do we get it? What form does it take? Is there an infinite amount of power? Is it renewable? How do we access power when we need it? Is it easily transferrable? We have experienced today that His power is all of the above. Readily accessible, renewable, transferrable, infinite!  We have an awesome God! Please pray that God will continue to bless our work here in Thailand, keep us safe and healthy, and let our words and actions do His will.

                                 -Dave & Gale Goeman 

Are you Curious

Are you curious?

Friends, relatives and supporters ask us what we will do on this mission trip and how we might make a difference as a result of our work in Bangkok.  Insights to follow.

First, a little context.  Our mission team is known to have “white skin, round eyes, big nose, and long face,” and are assumed to be Christian. Most Thai people have never talked to a westerner or had a relationship with one. We are key partners for The Lutheran Hour Ministries in Thailand because as a group we are culturally and strategically positioned for attaining access to the public school children.

Our program, Fun (Sanook) with English, will be given in 3 different schools, during a time the children are on break.  Could you visualize American school children coming back to school on break?  Didn’t think so.

In the United States, we are living in a time where we see open hostility toward Christians. Discrimination against Christians seems to be the last acceptable form of politically correct discrimination.  In contrast to that, missionaries have been working in Thailand for over 250 years. Less than 2% of the Thai population is Christian. With the genuine curiosity and openness of the Thai population to people with “white skin, round eyes, big nose, and long face,” there has never been a better time to be doing the relationship building our team will be doing.  Our work in the schools has sometimes results  in standing invitations from school officials for LHM personnel to teach about Christianity as part of the school curriculum.

It is refreshing to see such spiritual openness and we are all excited to be sowing seeds in this very fertile soil and opening doors for our friends here at Lutheran Hour ministries. Please pray that hearts and minds remain open to the message of salvation, and the Holy Spirit can work through us as opportunities are presented.

Reed Felton

10-7-2015

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Technologically Spirited

I write this 5 hours into the first leg of our journey. As we flew north of the Arctic circle, 32,000 feet over the frozen expanses of ocean sheet ice below, the enormity of God's creation was evident.  Climbing into this metal tube with 300 other people only to emerge 14 hours later on the other side of the planet made me think how mans’ technological inventions are amazing. What many people fail to see is that this technology ultimately comes from God Himself. Technology like other gifts from God can be used for good and for evil.  Advances in technology in recent history have made it much easier to carry out the work God has called us to do. Fulfilling the Great Commission, as laid out in Scripture (Matthew 28:18), can be accomplished in a matter of just days to weeks, as opposed to years or lifetimes as in past history.

Advances in communication and the internet have made it easier to spread God's Word to all corners of the earth. It also is used to spread deceit, lies, and pornography at the devil's prompting. Medical research has cured many diseases, but it has also been perverted with drug abuse, abortions, and human genetic engineering.

We are to be good stewards of the gifts given to us by God, including our intelligence.  Many have turned to worshipping "the created", and not "The Creator", trusting in man, and not in God. We are not self-sufficient, and we couldn't accomplish anything without God!

My prayer is that we realize this, and use these gifts, for God's glory only, as we arrive in Thailand to boldly proclaim the name of Jesus!

                            -Brian Betchner

2015 Thailand Mission Trip

The 2015 Thailand Mission team was commissioned this morning! The team is excited and eager to serve the people of Thailand whom God places in their path.  The congregation send them on their way with many prayers for a safe and blessed trip, for their departure early next Sunday morning, October 4th, 2015. (Not pictured are Karen Metzger and Katie Cizel)

Please follow them on this blog as they share their experiences and God sightings along the way. They welcome your encouragement and prayers along the way! 

  -Maria Wartgow (2013 BLC Thailand Trip Alumni)

THIRD THAILAND TRIP AND COUNTING

Yes we have an established relationship with Lutheran Hour Ministries in Bangkok, led by Boom (Ekwanit Denow), and her wonderful staff. BLC has sent a team there twice, once in the fall of 2011 and again in the fall of 2013. Boom and three of her staff, Tak, Waan, and Siam, were gracious enough to come to America, and help us out here at BLC in July 2015 with our VBS.
 This is why we are excited to return to Bangkok in one week, to spend 10 days helping the LHM staff do 5 English improvement workshops, at 3 different schools near Bangkok. In doing so, we will continue building on our established relationship, while sharing The Word of God and the Love of Jesus with the Thai people.
 The 2015 BLC Team consists of 9 people; Joann Cizel, who is leading the trip this time, Brian Betchner, Reed Felton, Dave & Gale Goeman, who all have been on one or both of the previous trips. Joining them are newbies, Laura Celetti, Karen Metzger, Nicole Wittow, and Katie Cizel. We would like to thank all of our friends, family, and fellow BLC members for the ongoing support of this mission. We have all been so blessed by your generous outpouring of both prayers and financial help. We will be passing these blessings on to the Thai people, helping to bring more of them to know Jesus Christ as their Savior.
 Stay tuned to this blog, as all 9 of us will be sharing our experiences while over there, telling of how The Holy Spirit is working through us. It is such an honor and privilege to be a servant to The Almighty God, from whom all good things come!
  -Brian Betchner

Seoul-ful Reflections

I write this blog as I sit in the airport of Seoul South Korea, during our 2 hour layover, waiting to board our next 13+ hour return flight to Chicago. Our team's bodies & minds are tired, and this is when we fall victim to our selfish human nature. I am proud of everyone on the team for not falling into this trap, and for keeping the focus on Jesus and doing His will.

Most people have not been on a mission trip. Contrary to what their preconceived notions may be of a teaching, relationship building, medical or construction mission trip, it is far from a "vacation". Many of our prepared lessons which we had planned on using were abandoned, so much effort went into creating new plans that were more appropriate for our students. 

Logistical scheduling  was complex, beginning over a year ago, and developing a group dynamic can be challenging. We were so blessed to have the people we did on this trip, no drama; no conflict; each of us playing off one another and contributing as each was blessed to do so. We have all come together to work like a well oiled machine for Jesus. Our ability to adapt and overcome when road blocks were thrown in our way (aka "rolling with it") was a perpetual God sighting and has given us what we need to know that our plans, may not always be His plans.

Two phrases we learned were,

ไม่เป็นไร-pronounced,"mâi-bpen-rai", which means, " that's alright"; and, ใจเย็นๆ-pronounced,"jai-yen-yen", which means, "calm down".

These phrases  show qualities of the Thai people and their patience to accept and not to complain about things out of their control, and their cool headed calmness. We, as Americans, could learn these lessons from them.

      -Brian

         Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.

 -Reinhold Niebuhr(1892-1971)

                                                                 

God Opens Doors & Hearts

Our English Improvement workshops here in Nong Khai province, have been equally interesting as rewarding. Being separated amongst 3 locations, our team has experienced different challenges, again reminding us of our theme of "rolling with it". 

First off, all three groups have found that the majority of the people's English here was not what we expected. Unlike 2 years ago at our workshop in Bangkok, where the people's English was good enough to communicate with minimal need for a translator; here we need a translator at all times. We were blessed to have Boom, Pastor Sompong ,and his wife, who acted as translators; one at each location

 

Because of the lack of English knowledge, we had to overhaul our lesson plans by scaling back on the complexity, to make it VERY basic. The grade school aged children of the government officials who attended spoke the best English, but the adults spoke much less.

 The group dynamic at all thee locations changed on a daily basis, since people's work schedules and meetings affected whether they could make it or not.

 All  three locations did have a core group that attended everyday.  These people know the value here of being able to speak English, and their dedication showed this.

  Another thing all three groups saw was the social progress participants made in just a few days, going from shy and withdrawn to laughing, smiling, and having fun while learning. 

  The contentment of all the people was evident as they opened up throughout the week. Many brought additional friends and family along to the workshop after the first day, to share in this "good time", learning atmosphere.

  Some of the participants were so comfortable with us, that they invited us to their homes.

On Thursday at our ESL workshop, at Wang-Luang sub-district, Linda  & I were invited by one of our class participants, along with the rest of our team to his rice/pig farm. His name is Banjong, and he is the sub-district chairman here (comparable to a mayor). 

Banjong walked us through the rice fields, which went on as far as the eye could see.  Papaya and guava trees were dispersed throughout the rice field and Banjong was happy to pick many of the fruits from these trees which he graciously gave us to take with us. 

We observed a worker there working a milling machine, which was taking the hulls off the grains of rice, and a huge pile of rice hulls lay out back. We got to visit the pig barn, which had about six pens, with a dozen pigs. Both Greg & Reed got up close and personal with the swine, while trying to get a "selfie" photo.

 

Banjong takes great pride in his farm, and his community. Thai culture dictates that it's very important that one accepts an invitation. This is why we were honored to accept. 

More importantly though, we accepted, because we learned that Banjong was originally not happy when Gennesaret church was built in his community. Banjong's thoughts were along the  lines of; why do we need a Christian church here....there are no Christian's here.

 Pastor Sompong has been doing outreach work with Banjong for the betterment of the community.

 Our team coming here, and helping the local officials improve their English, shows Banjong and his people what the love and compassion of Our Lord is all about. More importantly, we serve as a huge encouragement to Pastor Sompong and the minority Christians in this community. 

Please pray that God continues to work on the hearts and minds of the officials in power here, so that a softening of their hearts may lead to more people knowing Jesus's name in this community.

   

                      -Brian

The First Day of Class

Today we were given an amazing welcome by the chairman of the district and his people.  There was a welcoming ceremony where we were given seats of honor.  Everyone was introduced from our team as well as the team from Lutheran Hour Ministries. 

The people were extremely friendly and kind.  After  introductions we toured the Municipal grounds including the residence of the Head Chairman of the district.  Along the way we saw the national flower of Thailand as well as some cattle.

(Modern cowboys use motorcycles)

We were treated to lunch at a table fashioned out of a boat.  It was such a unique thing and I am sure our pictures will not do it justice.  

Everything is so beautiful here and we are enjoying the lovely weather.  A nice break from Bangkok.  We are told the weather is nice this time of year since it is winter.  (There was a high of 90 degrees yesterday!)

After lunch we were off to set up our classrooms, working in teams of 2 at 3 separate buildings.  Going into this project, we were not aware of the students' English speaking abilities.  We prepared for a higher level of fluency with the idea that we may need to be flexible in our teaching.  We adopted the attitude of "Roll with it" early on and that saying was put to the test on the first day.  We had classes as small as 3 students whose english was at a beginning level to a group of 15 with varrying degrees of  fluency.  We adjusted, we slowed down, and we had a lot of fun.

As a group we are doing great and have amazing unity and trust.  Everyone is contributing as God has gifted them.  We are establishing an early morning coffee run/walk.  There is a pedestrian walkway along the Mekong river a block away from our hotel.  We can get great coffee and this acts as our informal together time which we are all enjoying.  

We praise God for this awesome opportunity to introduce these beautiful children of God to Jesus!

-Maria

 

A Tale Of Two Cities

 

Two days, 500 miles, two cities, two contrasting environments. One God.

 

On Thursday we visited with the children of the slums in Bangkok that are cared for by Concordia Day Care.  The children were quick to  smile, looked well  nourished, wore clean clothes and had the infectious energy that is universal among kids around the world.  We colored with them, watched them create sidewalk art with chalk, played with balls and sang songs.  Seemed like we were getting more than we were giving.  

 

We left the facility and made visits to a few of the residents that Deng ministers to and gave them food, some money and prayed over them. Brian chronicled some of this experience on Thursday but there are a few additional observations that now seem appropriate to share.

 

 Adjacent to one of the people we visited was a woman that was doing  laundry using a large metal pan.  The cloths being  laundered were children's cloths, impeccably clean, hung neatly and wrinkle free.  The lady doing the laundry had an irrepressible smile and made eye contact with me. There was a genuine warmth in her eyes  that seemed completely incongruent with her environment.  As we prayed over the young women inside, her caretakers wept as we prayed.  At some level I felt we had won the lottery.  What was the likelihood that suburban church goers from the other side of the globe would visit a slum in Bangkok and connect with some of the least fortunate of us?

 

Later that day we visited Siam Nirimit, had a wonderful dinner and saw a fantastic show.  The following morning we had an informal debrief about our Thursday activities.  The consensus was that the timing of the show after visiting a Bangkok slum was odd. No one really anticipated, or at least expressed that the two  consecutive events would cause emotional discomfort, but perhaps there was good reason.      

 

Saturday was a travel day.  We left Bangkok for Nong Khai,  got settled in to a hotel and looked forward to church on Sunday.  

 

We've all listened to hymns before and felt  tuned out.  It happens.  This Sunday was a bit different, the hymns were sung in Thai so we were in a sense, literally tuned out.  Our choice was to "feel" the hymns instead of sing them. Some of the melodies were  familiar but most were not.  It was easy to realize that we had truly been transported to   a different world.  We had left oppressive humidity, heat, and heavy rain in Bangkok. We also left behind the smog, traffic, and weight of the 6 million plus people in the city.  By contrast, we were sitting in a country church with  the windows wide open and a pleasant  breeze upon our faces.  The members were singing with verve and the presence of The Lord was blessing the service.  Just outside the the windows of the church were rice fields and further  distant still were rubber tree groves. Beautiful!

 

The service concluded with the doxology sung simultaneously in Thai and English.  Seemed right.    A common tune tying 2 cultures together.

 

Somehow, the emotional discomfort with living life as  the most fortunate at Siam Nirimit after walking the slums of the least fortunate  resolved.   This resolution defines faith, believing in  something you don't understand.

 

His blessings on this journey have been predictably unpredictable.  We need only act in faith and he will reward our efforts.  We humble ourselves to His will and trust Him to guide us as we go.  Not knowing what is next is really a test  of our faith and a blessing.

We walk, He guides.  It's a wonderful plan!

                   -Reed

 

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,

Praise Him all creatures here below,

Praise Him above ye heavenly host,

Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost,

Amen!

Being A Light In A Spiritually Dark Land

 Friday we were not scheduled to do any workshops, which gave us some personal time to relax, journal, reflect, pray, and work on our lesson plans for next week in Nong Khai.

 

We toured The Thai Royal Palace, which is a huge complex of Buddhist temples, and the Residential Palace of The Thai Royal family. Though a constitutional monarchy since 1932, when Thailand was called Siam, the King is still very influential here. He has won the hearts of the Thai people, with many of his social programs, and economic redevelopment plans.

 The history, architecture and intricate artwork of these buildings rival those of Rome's chapels and cathedrals.

 However, watching the people here bowing down and worshipping idols of Buddha, animals, and mythical creatures gave me an odd feeling. I thought about Deuteronomy 28:17-18, "You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold. Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison."

  

It really puts meaning to the reason we came here; to let people know about Jesus, and that He is the only way to The Father. Also how He has been a positive force in our lives, and how  He can also be in theirs. Again please pray for us as we walk through this spiritually dark land, to be a light shining for The Lord!

                    -Brian

Concordia Day Care

We had the awesome opportunity and privilege to meet and play with some amazing children at the Concordia Day Care center.  The kids were all smiles as they drew pictures with sidewalk chalk, blew bubbles and colored with the markers we brought them.  The team from Lutheran Hour Ministries came with us and also lead us in songs and games.  This center provides a respite to these children who live in conditions most of us have a hard time imagining.

The center not only provides for physical needs of the children but also shares the love of Jesus with them.  At Christmas and Easter the parents are invited to come and learn of our heavenly Father and his love.  I pray that their hearts are open to believe and receive Christ as their Savior.  

I am having a hard time putting into words the feelings that come considering our life back home and all of the blessings we take for granted.  In the midst of this slum is a safe, clean, and loving place where His children can play, smile and laugh. These kids were amazing and I count myself blessed to have the opportunity to meet them. 

-Maria