Saturday, March 31, 2012

Elevate

The Middle School Ministry (MSM) at our church is having a D-Now weekend (Elevate) with 88 MS students-- and Pastor Kyle is highlighting Claire and my mission-"stay" in Thailand over the course of the weekend. We'll be sharing this afternoon with the MS parents a little bit about how God led us to Thailand and what we'll be doing while we are there. I am so excited to be able to share what God is doing in our lives, so that other people can join in and be a part of it!

Especially MS students. It's easy to believe the lies that culture spreads about them, that they are too young, too poor, too [fill-in-the-blank] to make a difference. But that isn't the case. Middle school is a time of training and preparation, but it is also a time of action. I'm excited to see how God uses this weekend in their lives to impact their hearts for the nations. So many of these students genuinely love the Lord and are seeking ways to follow Him in obedience-- and that is ripe ground for growth.

In addition to sharing today, we also set up a table with lots of pictures, some information about our trip, support magnets, and promo material for an upcoming fundraiser. On April 18th, the church will be having an Italian Dinner Night (that the college folks will be hosting) and all the profit from that night will go towards our year in Thailand.

[click picture to enlarge]

I am so humbled and blessed to be a part of my church. Raising support for an entire year seems daunting at times-- but His church has overwhelmed us with their love for us and for His mission. God is so faithful. Jehovah Jireh. The LORD will provide. I'm excited to what He does!

Friday, March 23, 2012

A penny for your bahts.

I recently received an email from one of the girls at my church who is in the process of praying through being a part of Spotswood's August Thailand Team. It was so encouraging to hear her heart, and to have the opportunity to share with her a little more about "what to expect" if she decides this is how God wants her to spend that part of her summer.

While my response to her was a massive wall of words, I wanted to share a couple parts of it here for the benefit of anyone else who may be considering this trip.
Here’s what our August trip to Thailand was not: It was not a rehearsed program where you prepare skits and "perform". Instead, it’s partnering with long-term missionaries who are already doing healthy ministries in Thailand. We look at ministries like "The Well" which is rehabilitating women brought out of prostitution, or the prison ministry (which is growing like crazy in Thailand) or Blaplaa. And because believers are doing these things before we get there-- and after we leave-- we just get to join in the process and the joy.
This accomplishes two things: first, it is less exhausting for us, because we’re not generating a bunch of programs, but secondly (and I think this is the best!) it gives you an accurate and honest look at what ministry looks like in Thailand. These are sustainable ministries- healthy, growing ministries that are seeing people coming to know God, being discipled, and growing in their fruitfulness.
As far as the culture, it is very relational. People spend a lot of time together: hanging out, talking, sightseeing, going to the markets, etc. Thais are also very sweet, generous, and hospitable. (And very very forgiving when you say the wrong thing or make cultural "mistakes"!)
In regards to where they are spiritually-- that is perhaps the saddest thing. Buddhism is so pervasive in their culture that it affects everything. But the good news is that they don’t need to understand everything to be interested. In American church—we say, "fit in/change/become like us and be accepted." There-- they are accepted in the community first. They go to church, they even invite their (also) lost friends to small group Bible studies, and then they begin to accept who Jesus is. How different that is than what we are used to! But how biblical! Jesus always offers the relationship first.
If any of you have specific questions about life/missions in Thailand, please feel free to ask them in the comment box below! (If I don't know, I'd be happy to ask some of the missionaries we met there who are still on the field)

Saturday, March 17, 2012

June 11th

It's OFFICIAL!

Claire and I just bought our one-way tickets to Thailand! It's a little over 30 hours of travel time (including layovers in Heathrow, London and Changi, Singapore). We are leaving from Washington (IAD) at 6:40pm on Monday, June 11th-- and will be arriving at the BKK airport in Bangkok, Thailand at 11:05am on Wednesday, June 13th. What a flight!

We were only able to select seats for the last two legs of the trip, but here is my seat (1) for the London to Singapore leg (the longest of them all...) We're on the "top deck". Claire will be in 79D.




I am so excited (and nervous)! In less than 3 months, I will be sitting in that seat-- a third of the way on my way to Thailand... :)

Friday, March 16, 2012

Hab. 2:14

The Sunday our Thailand team visited New Vision Church last August the pastor spoke on Habakkuk 2:14. It was part of their prayer and vision for both Thailand and the world. While reading my Bible last night I noticed it, and wanted to share it with you all.

"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." -Hab. 2:14

What a privilege to get to be a part of that.


Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Update

I know this blog has been a quiet lately, so here is an update to let you all know what is going on...

- I'm 60% done with TESOL! (Which may seem like an accomplishment, but I've been working on it since the end of January, and need to have it completed by the end of this month... so it needs a little more time and attention. Please pray for me.)

- Claire and I are looking at flights for the week of June 10th-- which means we're officially at the 3 month mark.

- $620 has already been given towards the "Support Liz in Thailand" fund. AND two people (of the 34 needed) have already committed to sponsor me monthly. Praise God!

- My BSC application is complete (yay!).

Thursday, March 1, 2012

The Lapos Letter (3/2012)

Guinea Pig Interns

Claire and I were able to skype with John Lapos on Wednesday night after our small groups (click here for her post on it!). While we would love to have a definitive schedule of what our year in Thailand will look like, that’s not really practical. Instead of pre-planning every ministry and event that we will help with, John has asked us to be flexible. Which, if you know me, I tend to default to flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, so this should be no problem! But I did want to share what we do know so far:


Teaching
Monday-Thursdays we will be teaching 8 English classes (this may be 8 different classes, or a couple classes, multiple times during the week—depending on the need) These classes will be from 5:00-6:30/7:00-8:30(9:00), with our prep time from 3:00-5:00 on those days. This will be the bulk and most consistent part of our ministry time in Thailand.

Interns
We will also be serving with John as his “interns” while we are in Thailand. The job description is: “yes”.Being willing to serve and help and go wherever the need is. John asked us this question when we spoke, “Would you be willing to say ‘yes’ to anything God asks from you this year?” That is exactly what I want! I know there will be things that are hard, uncomfortable or not my strongest gift-set, but I want to maximize my time and impact where I am for the Kingdom. And I’m not waiting until in June when I leave for Thailand to start saying “yes”—I’m saying it now.

Friday nights
Friday nights, the BSC hosts something called “Friday Night Life” which we would assist with in some capacity. We did not get to see this while we were in Thailand in August, so I’m excited to find out more about this ministry!

Sundays
Sundays we will have church (of course!) as well as possibly leading a Bible-English Class. There is also a possibility that we may help with a church plant while we are there—which would be such a neat opportunity! If this pans out, I am sure there will be many more posts in the future on this topic.

Other Ministries
During our “free time”, John will be taking some time to introduce us to different established and new missions opportunities. We will be the “guinea pigs” for future teams that come. For instance, before the Spotswood team comes, we will have the opportunity to experience some of the projects that they might work on and give feedback on them. This might include things like the prison ministry, or working with women who have been rescued from bars and helping provide them with sustainable occupational skills. We would also help set these projects up for the team for when they come. This way when our team, or other teams come, we can better connect them with suitable ministries.


Thank you for being excited with me, and for praying over me. Please feel free to comment on any of these posts if you have questions or comments. I love getting feedback (and will love it even more when I’m half-way around the world)!