guest post: we're never done serving!

Betty was one of the dynamic women I met during my time in Bangkok. She lived in the BSC Community House with me and the other teachers. Many times people have commended me for serving the Lord with my youth. But, I commend Betty, for serving the Lord in her years. I asked her permission to share her story with you... so here it is, in her words.

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I have always lived in America, where my husband, a pilot for American Airlines for thirty plus years and I raised our three children, saw them all marry and are now raising our eleven grandchildren in CT, CA and TX. We lived in the New England area for many years. My husband and I were originally from Arkansas and Texas, but we lived in MA, NY, CT and VT for over twenty years. In fact, I became a born-again believer while living in CT and have spent the last thirty-five years of my life falling in love with Jesus, while reading, studying, applying and teaching His word during that time.

We left CT in 1982 and returned to TX where we have lived ever since. I was widowed eight years ago, at age 65, and since that time I've been asking God to show me how I could finish my life well for Him. When I heard about the BSC last year, I felt the Lord was telling me to go to BKK and share in the ministry here. Doing this has changed my life, fulfilling Psalm 92:12 that says "The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree and.... shall still bear fruit in old age..."!

A lot of people are amazed that I could leave my home, my church, my family and friends and move to a foreign country. Sometimes, I have to admit, I'm amazed myself that I am here! I have found it to be an adventure, though, meeting many new people from all parts of the world, tasting new foods, living in more crowded conditions from my present home in rural east TX, experiencing a foreign, atheistic culture with Buddha shrines everywhere, and attempting to get around in a city where my language is seldom spoken or understood. However, when God leads us to do something, He always provides the way! Nothing is too difficult for Him and with Him as my Husband (Isaiah 54:5), I have found my life here full and abundant, just as He promised us in His word.

One of the most surprising things I have learned while here is that Thailand and the other nine ASEAN countries are working together to form a coalition of Southeast Asian nations and they have chosen English as their common language. Consequently, English teachers are in great demand.

That brings me to the reason for writing to you today, especially to those who are retired, and like myself, want to finish well for The Lord. I want to encourage you to pray and ask The Lord how He wants to use you in  your latter years to glorify Him. If you are healthy and have a retirement income, living costs in Thailand are very inexpensive, so your income goes three times further than in America. And since English is our native language, it is an open door for a Christian ministry.

The BSC is always looking for volunteer missionaries to teach English and to share the gospel with Thai students. These students are usually career-oriented and are here to learn the language to make themselves more marketable in the business world. They come from far and wide in their enthusiasm to learn English and God does the rest by giving us opportunities to share Christ with them.

Christianity is becoming more popular with the young people because they are seeing the futility of worshiping Buddha. As the world becomes more and more chaotic, I believe we will see even more people coming to The Lord. The fields are white for harvest and we are praying to The Lord of the harvest to send more workers into the harvest. There is no better time than now, especially for us who are getting older and wanting to finish well for our Lord Jesus Christ.

I hope that I will be able to meet some of you this side of heaven! Wouldn't it be a blessing to meet in Thailand, a land that belongs to God and one in which His Spirit is moving. May you be one of His children who desires to glorify Him with your life. To God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever.


Betty McClung, your sister in Christ

5: quick post

I spent most of the day preparing for my classes this evening (which, since it's the final week, involved a lot of baking!). I've also been packing, planning, researching and making lists. Lots of lists. But it's time to crash and the only thing between me and 7 hours of Zzz's is this post. So I'll keep it brief :)

This week is the last week of classes for the BSC and me. After 8 terms at the BSC, it's hard to believe I only have 2 more days of teaching left. Not all my students were able to come because of the protests and traffic-- but we were able to take some class pictures with the folks who could come! Here are a few of the faces I've had the pleasure of teaching the past 6 weeks.

Tuesday, Dec 11, is a public holiday-- and also the day Steph and I will be having our farewell "open house" at LifePoint. Please pray that everything comes together smoothly and that we'll have lots of good "Mary-time" with our friends before we leave. 

12: conversation

In the past 24 hours, I've specifically asked three different people, in addition to my blog readers, to pray for me to have opportunities to share the Gospel up until the time I leave Thailand. I'm not sure what I was expecting those to look like, but today, God blindsided me.

I had registration for most of the day, which amounted to being a quiet catch-up day at my desk. The Thai girl who has sat behind me in the office for the past 1.5 years came over to ask me to help her translate some things into English (as in, she gives me the rough translation and I polish it up!).

Even though I see her all the time, I've never really sat down and had a conversation with her. Today, we talked. She is a talented linguist (fluent in 5 languages!) and has been at the BSC only a little longer than me. I learned so much about her. She shared with me about her experiences in Catholic school growing up, but how she had decided to remain a Buddhist. I was able to share a little with her about my faith and the differences between a relationship with God and religion.

In my mind, today was going to be an uneventful day. But God gave me the opportunity to start to build (even at the tail end of my time here!) a relationship with her. What a huge blessing!

It was also really convicting, because I think of my classroom and my church as being a mission field... not so much the office. The office is my "get work done and get out" zone. I am friendly, but not particularly chatty. After all, I need to prep for "ministry/teaching" and so does everyone else there. But even the preparation is ministry. Every thing. Every time. Every place. Every person holds the potential for relationship, conversation and investment. Even if that's only for a few moments, days, months or years.

Today was my reminder: to not forget to see where you are-- and to notice the people around you.

odds and ends.

Aside from my recent exciting weekends that I posted about [here], normal life has been faithfully moving along for the past five weeks. I know that sometimes it is hard to understand updates from people on the other side of the world... because, let's face it, the things I mention seem foreign, most of you don't personally know the people I talk about, and many times, have no framework or context to organize the information dump that, often (but unintentionally), are my posts.

So, to rectify this disconnect, my goal in this post is to include some faces and weekly activities that I'm a part of to help you imagine better "what exactly I'm doing in Thailand."

Who are these interns I keep mentioning? You know, the ones I do "MTS" with? Here they are! Four days a week, four hours a day (at least), I get to see their smiling faces!

[Anderson and Dani (left) are from a church in Brazil that LP partners with]

Classes at the BSC began July 8th. I am teaching 12 classes this term (Term 4). Five classes are level 5 students, two are level 7, one is level 8, three are one-on-one tutoring sessions, and one is a general conversation class. Needless to say, they keep me pretty busy! Here's an inside peek into one of my classes and the woman who makes the BSC run:

[Khun Noo is an all star. She's one of the BSC staff members who helps me manage and juggle my schedule... and every other teacher's schedule!]

At least once a month, we (LifePoint) have a Friday night program in Klong Toey. It is a slum near our church which we fondly call "Community 110." Here are a few shots from my most recent trip there!

My weekly time tutoring these women is such a blessing! The past two weeks we've had so many new girls join in... which is incredible! This past Tuesday, our lesson was on baking... and what better way to learn baking vocabulary than kinesthetically?? So, we made chocolate-peanut butter no-bake cookies :) This may be why there was such a good turn out...

And speaking of baking... Baking on Thursdays for the Cafe ministry has been such a blast! One of the guys who works at Cafe Boly (named Dillon) is Chinese and not a believer. We've been able to have some good conversations (ranging from spiritual, to cultural to culinary) and he's even started some of his own baking endeavors. I know I've said this before, but it bears repeating: I love how God can use something as simple as baking as a bridge to the Gospel!

Thank you so much for taking the time to be invested in the work that the Lord is doing in my life through your prayers, giving and faithfulness. I am so humbled to have this opportunity to share the love of Christ with the people I interact with here... and truly, my ability to serve here is a direct result of God's provision through your support. Thank you.

the last four weeks.

So, my lovely friend and Bangkok sojourner recently sent out her 1st monthly e-update, and I realized just how remiss I've been in posting this past month-and-few-weeks... and not for lack of things happening! The past four weekends have been red-letter weekends! So, this post is dedicated to them.

Weekend 1: On July 13th, Steph and I went to Asiatique to hang out with one of my previous students, Toon. She invited her cousin and sister, and we explored, ate, and went on a fantastic ferris wheel!

Weekend 2: On July 21st, Steph and I braved our way to Koh Larn for a two-day respite from the city and to enjoy our long holiday. We got to see some monkeys, nap on the beach and enjoy some time together catching up (and swimming!) away from our concrete jungle home.

Weekend 3: Then, our third weekend (July 27-28), LifePoint had a church retreat in Amphawa. I'm not exactly sure how they swung it, but for less than $20, we had transportation, meals, and a lovely resort room to sleep in. In addition to being in a beautiful location (near the floating market), it was also a wonderful time to connect with and meet new people! While Buddhists are often hesitant about coming to "church," they will sign up for a "trip" without batting an eye. And so, we ended up having quite a few Buddhists come who, in the process, heard the gospel. One girl heard about Jesus for the first time! We had breakout sessions, regular worship times/sermons and plenty of fellowship time. It was so neat to hear, and be a part of, so many of the Spirit-led conversations that happened that weekend. Praise God for the work He is doing drawing hearts to Himself!! Below are some pictures from our excursions in Amphawa.

Where are we now? Weekend #4? Well, this past weekend I spent in Mae Sot. You can read a little about my time there in my last post. Here are a few teaser photos that didn't make it! You can read the whole post by clicking [here]. 

[photo credit: Erica Pope]

dishes.

A break from the serious and spiritual...

A brief narrative on dishwashing

Since being back in my lovely C3 room, I have devised a make-shift kitchen for myself. Although the sole baking-worthy toaster oven is on the 2nd floor, I can at least make and prep everything in my room now. I added some shelves, cleared off some space, and made a nice little nook. It's nice to be able to bake cookies, make oatmeal for breakfast and yes, even bake bread! But the downside of lots of baking is... lots of dishes. Thus the conundrum, where to wash them?

[Please pay no attention to the pink wall, I had to press pause on painting and this is the lonely remaining pink wall in my room...]

With only a bathroom sink that clogs as quickly as restaurant ketchup bottles, I had to improvise a little. I needed to have a space that was big enough to do large quantities of baking-dishes... and that could accomodate butter and flour chunks being introduced down the drain. So, voila! Here you have it, my kitchen sink:

Yes, I'm sure the inventors of the “fahk bua” (or as it's commonly known by expats, the "bum gun"*) never expected it to be used to wash dishes, but... it works!

As I sit on the toilet lid, scrubbing my pans, I imagine I've been transported into the Boxcar Children... complete with bent spoons and a chipped mug! While it does make me feel terribly rustic and domestic, I am looking forward of the luxury of using a dishwasher again. (Shout-out: America!) All you people with real kitchen sinks: go take a moment to look at it and be thankful. And maybe drink some water from the faucet while you're at it as well!

___
* I am currently entertaining an idea to do a multi-part series on unusual uses for the bum gun. If you would like to make any suggestions, I'd be happy to include them... should this piece ever be published :)

good friday.

I think that all of last week's stress and fullness was necessary to help me readjust my focus and put my reliance back on God. Why? So that I would be ready for the appointments He made for me this week.

My heart is so full as I write this post. God has been doing incredible things in Bangkok. I have been overwhelmed and in awe of how He keeps bringing certain people back into my life... and giving me open doors to share the Gospel!

Tonight our theme at Friday Night Life (FNL) was Easter. Every part of the evening pointed first to the cross and then to the empty grave. I was able to share with my group about the significance of Christ's death and resurrection. Without Jesus' death, we would be responsible to pay the punishment for all of our sin, all of our bad. The discouraging part is that despite living a life exhausted for that purpose, we are assured that our efforts will always fall short... but God made a way for another option. An option that leads to life, and hope, and freedom. And He offers it freely to all who will ask.

It was so exciting to see how many people came to FNL. Not because numbers matter, but because it meant that more of my friends had opportunities to hear about the most life-changing news... that Jesus loves them and not only desires to have a relationship with them, but made a way to!

Today was also special because when I first came to Thailand in 2011 with Spotswood, I really connected with four people specifically. Of those four, three were at FNL tonight (Champ, Ting and Song)! It was absolutely incredible to get to see and catch up with them... and to have all of us back in the same place where my journey originally started.

From Aug 2011...

[Song is 2nd from the left in the back row]

[Claire and I with Ting]

[Dylan and I with Champ]

From March 2013...

[Claire and I with Ting, Champ, Song and some new friends we've made from this year!]

[Luke, Song, Teem and I after Friday Night Life]

[John Lapos, IMB missionary, BSC liaison, and our
go-to-for-everything man]

[month six]

6 whole months. You know what that means... time for another eclectic update!

I now have a new title, call me Aunt/ie Liz! My brother and sister-in-law welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Adalyn Christine, into the world on 12/10/12. Everyone is so excited... and needless to say, Nathan is tickled pink about being an "uncle" at 11 years old. My parents went to the hospital to hold her and take pictures, like the proud grandparents they are!

[My 'lil niece!]

Christmas is in full season here. While it remains a corporate holiday-- meaning that malls and businesses decorate in the seasonal trimmings-- it is not celebrated individually. I found out on Wednesday from one of my students that he's never had what we would consider a "typical" Christmas morning. Here, they still have class, still go to work, it's a normal Tuesday. Which is sad, not just because Christmas is loads of fun, but because they have no understanding of the true meaning of Christmas! So, believe me when I say, I've been finding ways to work it into every conversation!

I've made it a personal mission to bring a bit of Christmas cheer to the BSC guesthouse... and specifically my room. Which, Claire has dubbed "Christmas Town". 

[Our little tinsel-ed out Christmas tree/bush]

We also received a giant package from Encounter! It is currently sitting under our tree and awaiting it's opening debut in a week and a half. We have the best church and college/singles group. They were and continue to be a blessing, even from 12 time zones away. Love them all!

[After finding their package on my desk!]

Anddd, (we're still on the topic of Christmas) Claire and I went with Dani and our Thai friend "Tar" to a Christmas orchestra concert at ECB last week! The only thing that would have made it better would have been if Cynthia, Candice and Lauren were in the orchestra playing... but it was fun and a well done performance. There were over 20 different nationalities represented in the choir and orchestra! How's that for diversity?

[Claire and I on our way to the concert]

[The choir at the Messiah Performance]

This is the last week of teaching classes at the BSC until the January term (Term 1). It's bittersweet, because my classes this term have been phenomenal. I feel like I've clicked well with my students, and they seem to be learning and enjoying class... so thankful that God allowed me to have this combination of students this term! I loved being able to share not just English with them, but also, in many of my classes, the Gospel. Some of my students have even come to outside-of-class activities like Friday Night Life.

Tonight was my last night with my Thursday- Level 7 class, and they wanted to take a group picture! Which, I wish I'd thought of doing 6 months ago! Here are a few of the faces that have become a familiar and welcome part of my week.

Thai school finishes up on Tuesday... This module has been so challenging. I think I can feel my brain forming new ridges every day in class. Everything I am learning is so relevant to every-day conversations, it's just a matter of retaining four hours of information, and then adding to it day after day. My final test is 12/18 if you have a moment to pray for me. After a lifetime of taking tests in school, they still make me nervous!

For those of you praying for me, here are some other specific things to lift up:

- LifePoint is having a big Christmas Party on the 21st. There will be food and carols and a gift swap (typical Christmas shenanigans), but also a presentation of the Gospel. Please pray that God brings the people who He wants touched. Pray also that the believers who are there will be able to connect and reach out to all the new faces. Pray also that the Gospel will be clearly presented and interpreted in a way that will connect with lives.

- The BSC is having some upcoming events as well: The Christmas Fun Fair and the Big Hearted Christmas Party. There is always a big turn out for these special events- please ask that God would prompt conversations and place questions in the hearts of the Thais that come.

- Please pray for the girls in my life who I am trying to reach out with the Gospel to. God has given me opportunities to really get to know some of my former students better and spend time with them. One of them in particular is open to hearing about the Gospel and has even come to church a few times. Please pray that she finds satisfaction in nothing less than Christ. (And you can pray that for me as well!)

- Please pray for my walk with the Lord. It is easy to get busy for God, get busy in ministry, and just get busy doing. If anything, it's easier to be busy here because the field is so large and there is much to be watered and weeded. Pray that God gives me the power to protect my time with Him. That I be, before I do.

So, there's your lengthy catch-up re-cap! What a blessing each of you are in my life. I love being able to share what you are a part of by supporting me... and also hearing about how God is using you where you are (more on that in my next post!). Thank you so much for your love, your prayers and your faithful support... until next post!