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]

follow-up.

I originally promised this post for Friday, extended grace to myself to post by the weekend, then to post by the American weekend... but now it's Tuesday both here and in America and I have no excuses to offer for my tardiness! So, without even further delay, here is my update :)

First, thank you so much for praying for me last week. Both your prayers and the accountability of knowing that you were praying were such a huge encouragement to me. It truly lifts me up when I hear from you all, even if it's just a quick note saying that you have not forgotten me (or to pray for me!) half-way around the world.

God is so amazing. How did He answer your prayers? My Thai test went alright; I was able to move out in time; I also was able to organize my desk in the office (a to-do item that's been hanging over my head for months...) and amidst all the "being productive" I still had more time to read my Bible than I had the week before! But more than that, He gave me peace and settled my heart.  During one of my runs, He orchestrated me listening to a Spotswood podcast that was on the exact topic I needed to hear! I could go on about all the things that God did, but I'd like to share instead from the podcast that I listened to, because it was my "ah-ha!" moment from the week & articulates the lessons I was taught (and have hopefully learned!) particularly well.

If you'd like to listen to the full podcast, you can search for it on iTunes or, click here. Below is my processing of it with a plethora of quotes. (I had to listen to it twice because I couldn't take notes while running!)

ref: Mark 4:35-41

In this podcast, Dr. Drew Landry talks about when the disciples crossed over the sea and the storm hit and how this not only parallels our own lives, but also provides us with an example of how to view and approach the "storms" of our lives.

"God cares enough about us to grow us, to mature us, to prune us... He made a promise that He'd take us to the other side... The storm was just part of the process of getting to the other side."

How often do I view storms as intentional tools that God is both aware of and simultaneously using in my life to grow my trust and faith? Not enough. But that slight change in perspective radically alters how I view these storms.

"Jesus knows when the storms are coming. Am I aware of how God uses the circumstances of my life to enable me to trust Him? ...and submit to Him? It's easy to say we understand the authority of God, but do we submit to it? ...Don't think ever allow pride to move into your life where you think you will put something in front of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords that He has not already resolved. But here's the other part of that challenge: as you bring that to Him, and He makes it obvious how to submit to His authority, you need to be ready to respond with submission. "

Uhm, yes. The ever present disconnect of what we lip-service-believe and what we actively live-out-believe. My prayer is that God continues to close that gap in my life. He often accomplishes this through storms, making them, unfortunately, necessary.

"Jesus knows when to apply the pressure and how long... We need those [storms] to clarify Jesus as the bedrock of our faith. We need that in our life. The storm was part of the process of learning obedience. What is more beneficial for growing faith and trust? Knowing what's going to happen? Or trusting the Person who has authority over everything in life?"

And yet, it is so easy for me (like the disciples) to turn God's promises into questions... Do you really care? Do you see this? Are you working in this? And yet, as Dr. Drew so perfectly stated, "Knowing sometimes keeps us from trusting." Am I content to not know, but to trust?

"If you want to see what Jesus can do in the storm, you have to be in the storm... When we experience the compassion of God, we learn something about the power of God."

Are you getting this, too? I know I cannot articulate this truth to hearts like the Holy Spirit did to mine... but this is my attempt. The storm is not easy. But because we serve a good God who does care, it also isn't something to dread. Much like fasting, it is hard, but it is also a time of growth and closeness with the Lord. The storm has not caught God off-guard. He knows what you are enduring, He knows how much you can endure and He has a purpose for allowing you to endure it. That is such Good News! If I want to experience the power and compassion of God... If I want to grow in my trust and faith in God... then when the storms come, I need to follow Jesus' example and "rest in the Father."

change.

This week, would you pray specifically for me?

The past few weeks have been taxing. I am back to teaching a full course-load, taking Thai school, preparing to move out of my apartment, preparing to move in to my new room (spelled: p-a-i-n-t-i-n-g), we had two farewells last week for some of our LifePoint family as they return stateside, my to-do list is extensive (and none of it seems easy), I have a test on Wednesday, my room is a wreck and I feel like one, too. I know that everything that's in upheaval now will settle down soon. I know that the to-do list will get done. Maybe the discouragement I'm feeling is just the paint fumes. But despite saying "no" to quite a few things this weekend in order to leave myself some margins, I still feel overwhelmed.

I know that the combination of physical and emotional change is taking its toll on me. And I also know that there is a spiritual component at work as well. Please pray for my heart and my body this week. Specifically, that I will be able to sleep at night (it's been a problem), that my heart would settle down, that I could focus on the opportunities I have this week to spend time with my Thai friends, that God will continue to speak to me as I am in the Word, and that I would be able to pack up and move into my new room by the end of this week.

Thank you so much for lifting me up in your prayers. I'll post again this weekend with an update :)

thai class.

I am so blessed to be able to study another term at Union Language School (Module 3!). This term has been one of my favorites so far. I have 3 classmates, from Korea, Taiwan and Japan... my teacher is Thai and I'm American... so 5 nationalities in one classroom! It's a great opportunity to not only improve my Thai (4 hours a day/5 days a week, how could it not improve?!) but it's also been great to learn more about their cultures as well. As with all classes at ULS, the instructions and all our communication is in Thai (although sometimes I sneak in some English for clarification). My classmates are much more proficient than I am, so often I just get pieces of the conversation, but usually it's enough. I've now finished 7 days of class, and have collected a little list of humorous incidents that I'm sharing for your enjoyment & in-culture-ation. It's a little jaunt through my head, with no real significance and in no particular order... (you've been warned!)

1. Thais think that eating durian while pregnant will make your baby strong. I find this incredibly funny. Maybe you have to have experienced durian to really appreciate this, but the only thing strong about durian is the smell. Phew. 

2. I discovered I'm eye/hand cross-dominate (as in I am right-handed but see from my left eye). Again, this was all being explained in class, but it sounded a little concerning as (from what I gathered) it is unusual. So, after returning home, I promptly googled it and found out it's not a big deal, but it does affect shooting! Which may explain some consistently bad skeet shooting I've done... I also discovered, that you can train your eye to switch dominance on command. Which led to me practicing on the BTS and eventually switching... and then I was freaked out because I couldn't switch it back. None of this is really relevant, but you should try it. For any concerned parties though, after I went to bed, my eyes reset to normal. No harm done.

3. I haven't snopes.com'd this, but supposedly furbies were originally a Japanese creation/idea and they weren't popular, so they sold the patent to America. You know what happened from there... In Thai news, a Thai celebrity recently posted a photo of herself on Instagram with a furby, and now they are making a comeback in Thailand... at 3-5,000B a furby. That's around $100-150. (See the range of things we talk about in class?)

4. Today's lesson on gifting: In Thailand, you never gift any sharp objects: knives, nail clippers, hair cutting scissors, regular scissors, anything. Not for weddings, birthdays, or even because you have extra. They're afraid that if you give someone a blade/potential weapon and it's used to hurt someone... then it's on you somehow. Interesting, no?

5. And last, but not least, a little shout out all the times I "puud pit" (speak incorrectly). In general, Thai is built very sensibly. "Tdit" means "close" and "kap" means "with"-- so "tdit kap" means adjacent (close with). "Rot" means car. So "rot tdit" is traffic (cars, close). But it's the tones that'll get you. Dog and mom are really close in Thai, only one tone different... So, I may have told someone once, "He can speak Thai well because his dog had him in Thailand." And by "may" I mean I did... Whoops. Other close words are tiger/shirt, lose/give and time/father. So many mistakes. It's part of learning the language, though. And I'm thankful for gracious classmates and a teacher who is used to figuring out what we really are trying to say!! :)

[month nine]

Somehow it crept up and surprised me. The 13th of the month. My 9 month anniversary in Thailand. If you have been following along with the pictures I've posted on Facebook, you probably think this last month has been one extensive party... from the wrap up of "birthday month", to two baby showers, a going away party and a weekend beach retreat, some of you may be getting your pen out to sign up for missions!

ECB Women's Prayer Retreat at Hua Hin

[photo credit: Molly]

I know it may come as a shocker that missionaries have retreats, birthdays, and babies (well, not every missionary has the latter), but here's your proof! It's true.

Josiah's 2nd Birthday Party... Mickey Mouse style!

[Josiah and his parents: Jen & David McCaman]

I think because international missionaries are sometimes "so far away" it becomes easy to over-spiritualize and elevate the work we do "on the field." I never want to be put on a pedestal or seen as anything more than just a normal person who has been brought back from isolation, sin, and death by God's grace. So, this post is further evidence that "Look! We're normal people just like you!" :)

But, back to baby showers and birthdays (there is a point to this, I promise!). One of the things that my church here does really well, is bringing people along in their celebrating. They use baby showers, birthday and farewell parties as opportunities for outreach and discipleship. In America, baby showers are across-the-board by invitation only. You have to know the expectant mom. Not so here. At every event we've had this month there have been new people who have dropped in or been invited by a mutual friend. Some of whom have never even met the person for which the party is being thrown! Because most of these celebrations occur at church, it gives people a chance to come to church, but more importantly to connect with the Church. For some, these "parties" were just the thing they needed to start building relationships and get connected.

Farewell Party for the Kyle & the Hathcocks

[photo credit: Vann]

Don't get me wrong, LifePoint does have programs to specifically engage the lost... but there is also something so beautiful in simply bringing people along for your celebrations. To allow them to see authentic believers living in community and joy. Serving, not only a country, but also each other. I have no statistics on this, but I imagine this is pretty attractive and winsome to people who are seeking love and purpose.

Robot-themed shower for baby Plunkett!

[photo credit: Brittany]

This is something I want to bring back with me to America. There is very little "privacy" in warm-climate cultures like Thailand... invitations are open for everyone and there is less of a "preferential list" mentality. There are just people. And all are invited. I don't have Luke 14:12-14 completely worked out (okay, or even close to worked out...), but I think this is a good place to start.

"Then Jesus said to his host, 'When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.'" 

Happy 9 months! <3.

can't vs. can

There are a plethora of things I can't do... some are for want of trying, while others are simply because I am not qualified by some requirement other than sheer skill. For instance: anything where the pre-requisite is being a man, or being under 5 feet 6 inches, or over 6 feet, or a different ethnicity, or older than a certain age, or younger than a certain age, or ambidextrous, or able to sing the alphabet backwards... I need not apply. And really, none of these things bother me. Except for one.

Last month I was confronted with a ministry opportunity that I was "disqualified" for because I am single. This event catapulted my mind into a lot of reflection. I'm pretty creative, so the more I thought about it, the more extensive my list of "things I can't do because I'm single" grew. Before I realized it, my joy was slowly ebbing away and I started feeling resentful that God would give me gifts and then keep me from using them because of my relational status.

Well. Not long after that, I was able to have some quality sit-still-and-be-quiet time with God at the ECB women's weekend prayer retreat. During that time, God surfaced that the way I had been identifying myself and viewing ministry was in the context of "can't" and "am not": What can't I do? What am I missing? What gifts am I not using how I would like? And He, in His patient graciousness, reminded me of who I am: chosen, called, forgiven, righteous, loved, redeemed, adopted, and sanctified. He also reminded me of the ministries I can be involved with, capacities I can and am serving in, and what singular opportunities He has been able to give me because of my singleness.

He also showed me that this is not a struggle that will end upon getting married. Every person, at every stage of life, has something that, in their eyes, "disqualifies" them from serving either in a way or capacity that they would like. There are parents who want to be more involved in church, but the needs of their young children limit them. Older people who are limited by their health. Younger people limited by their lack of experience. Everyone could come up with some reason why they can't do something, but we also have a choice. We can believe what we feel to be truth, or we can believe what God has revealed to be Truth. That He is sovereign. That He has a purpose. That He is good. That He is for our obedience. To dwell on anything other than this is to follow in the footsteps of Eve, who focused on what was witheld, rather than the abundance which had already been given.

No matter where I am, or what season I am in, God has given me a sphere of influence in which to do ministry. I want to choose to actively recognize what He has given me and how I can use my gifts within the context I'm currently in. Why? Because there is great joy in living and serving within the boundaries He has placed in our lives.

Where you are now is not where you'll be forever. Where you can serve now, is not where you'll be able to serve forever. God operates in seasons. I think the key is learning to maximize and value the season you are in. When this season passes and God opens different doors to serve, love that season, too.

thought.

I have a lot to blog about to catch y'all up on the last few weeks... but this is not that post. My body is recovering from having a little illness/infection fiesta, so I'm not really up for tackling a long detailed post at the moment. But! I did want to share a couple verses I read today. God always knows exactly what I need to hear and be reminded of... And when I get convicted or encouraged, I love to spread it around! :) If you're like me, sometimes you skim Bible verses in blog posts... but I want to encourage you to slow down and take this one in.

Col. 3:12-14

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

May we be people like this.

10 things. [part ii]

6. Baby shower

After church on Sunday, Brittney and Witt Kaminh hosted a baby shower for Witt’s sister, Air. Air works at the Boly Café (attached to LifePoint). After the morning worship service and sermon, the church was transformed into a beautiful baby shower. Brittany is a Pinterest Queen. I don’t know how she’s so crafty, but between her and Witt, they throw quite the party!

[The tasty spread... complete with a diaper-cake centerpiece!]

[Tiffany & I]

[Julia & Taan]

[Tiffany & Claire]

[For the milk!]

[Yes. Witt made a baby carriage out of a watermelon...]

7. Mail

Getting mail always deserves a shout-out, and this month has been one for the record books! Two weeks ago I got some cards from some friends from church and notes from all the Middle School students at FCS. Then, this week, I got a birthday letter from my mom, card from Stephanie King, and some packages from our Aussie friend, Dani… I think we’re getting all this mail because it’s almost our birthdays. But I’m not complaining. I always love me some mail.

8. Lorena & Logos: Hope

It’s the 20th of February. Today is the day that “Grandma Lorena” arrives back in Bangkok, and also the day that our friends from the Logos: Hope return to their ship. It has been so nice getting to know them over the past two months… I’m excited to get to see their ship, go to their International Bookstore, and maybe even spend a Sunday morning with them at “boat church.”

[This picture is from "Grandma Lorena's farewell party last fall]

9. Nursery Duty

Our two-baby nursery might have the two cutest babies in Bangkok. Meet Josiah, aka: JoJo. All you have to do to get him to start cheesing is show him his face in a camera! Love this boy. He and Tobin make nursery duty fun :)

10. The VanDykes

Tiffany had to make an unexpected trip back to the States because of a death in the family. She’ll be gone for two weeks, and during that time, her husband Steve will also be out of town for a few days. I’ll be hanging out with their kids (Leigha and Kevin) part of next week while they are out of town. Please pray for both of their safety while they are traveling! And for my time with their kids to be fun, safe (see a reoccurring theme here?) and uneventful (also read: safe)!

10 things. [part i]

A lot of unrelated, but neat, things have happened this month. Since I'm not sure the best way to capture them all, I'm reverting to a list. So, here you go!

1. Valentine’s Day (@ Rahab)

As I’ve mentioned before, Claire and I tutor some of the women at Rahab on Thursdays. Claire has been working with one of the Level 5 girls, and I’ve been working to teach basic English with the others… letters, phonics, blends, etc. However, being Valentine’s Day and all, we brought a special treat to share with the girls and staff: brownie-cupcakes. They were quite good… the recipe I found is great, and uses low-cost ingredients (ie: no pricey butter required!).

At the end of tutoring, Goy decided to give the Valentine's bear a little lesson on phonics, too! She's always making me laugh... God has given her such a sense of humor!

After tutoring, we prayed together and then went around Patpong to give Valentine’s chocolates to the girls in the bars. The chocolate we handed out was nothing crazy or lavish, and it had a simple note on the front that said “Jesus loves you” in Thai. Because Rahab goes out to the bars on a regular basis, it was a chance for them to do something nice for their neighbors. Especially since they go out enough to be recognized by the bar girls. If you sponsor me; you were a part of this!

2. Valentine’s Day (@ BSC)

I baked for both of my evening classes, but my 7:00 class voted on a full-out party in lieu of a “proper lesson.” Everyone brought supplies, snacks, drinks, etc. and we made and exchanged valentines and ate treats… with a little Taylor Swift gracing us in the background :) I also brought some balloons to add to the festivities. A lot of my students brought gifts, notes and chocolate to exchange… which made it a pretty exciting evening!

[My 7:00 class on Thursday!]

[Bill]

[Jump]

[Aey]

3. BSC Guesthouse manager

When I first accepted the position of “On-Site Guesthouse Manager”, it was with the understanding that it was a temporary position until God provided a couple to serve in this role. In the meantime, I’ve been enjoying the perks of my new apartment home… hosting monthly family dinner nights, baking bread and bagels and having lots of movie nights, game nights and birthday festivities here. The timing of being able to utilize and live in the apartment really has been perfect… but it is time to pack up and relocate! There is a fabulous family, the Hoods, from Australia who have made a 3-year commitment to come and serve in Thailand at the BSC. They, and their three boys, will be moving here at the beginning of April, and among other things, will be serving as new Guesthouse Managers! We met them during the Fall when they came on a short term trip and absolutely loved them. They are very encouraging, energetic and love the Lord. I know they’ll be a great addition to the BSC family. I’ll be moving back to my old room, C3 at the end of this month. Good thing I love that room so much!

4. Park Day

It’s a rare thing to have no commitments for a whole day… but last Saturday, it happened! I decided to spend my afternoon running/park-hopping. I made it through two parks (my “shortcut” between the two parks ended up being not-so-short at all… thanks googlemaps) and finished off the day with a little canoeing in the lake. So nice! I love getting time outside to pray, reflect and enjoy nature.

5. Unite: BKK Pancake-style

The term is over, and so are our FNL commitments (until next term). So this past Friday, Claire and I got to go to LifePoint’s Friday program, “Unite: BKK”. It was a pancake-themed night. After burning a panda bear, making a creepy looking star, and a lop-sided mustard bottle, I finally made a cute animal pancake! Check out my turtle.  I know. My future kids are already getting excited about their Saturday mornings with Green Dye #4...

...[part ii] will be posted tomorrow!

big news.

Well! I am excited to officially announce some big news! Since Thanksgiving-time, I have been prayerfully considering extending my year in Thailand. One of my stipulations for staying longer was that I needed to be using my spiritual gifts to make meaningful contributions to ministry here. Being on the missions field is hard in this regard because ministry is not always quantifiable by stateside standards... so I came up with my own "working measure" of success: Am I continuing to grow personally in my relationship with the Lord? Am I specifically meeting needs and connecting in relationships with Thais? Am I finding ways and opportunities to vocalize the Gospel? After much prayer, I have decided that the answers to those questions are: Yes.

So, here it is: I will be extending my time in Thailand until December 2013.

However, I will be making a month-long trip state-side this summer to spend some time with my family, meet my adorable new niece, Addie, and catch up with many of the people who have prayed for and supported me. I'm planning for this to take place from the end of May to the end of June.

If you're currently sponsoring me, or if you have a very practical-detail-oriented mind, you may already be crunching numbers in your head and wondering where this extra 6 months of funding is magically going to appear from... well, I have more good news! God has already been working this out.

The BSC has offered to pay my monthly living expenses for my extension here. This means that I only need to raise money for my roundtrip flight (June-Dec), my first month (to tie me over until the end-of-the-month July pay-day) and my visa fees. These will total around $2,500. If you currently sponsor me on a monthly basis and would like to continue after June, you can, and that money will go towards these costs. However, if you would like to complete your one-year commitment in June, that is alright as well. God has been so gracious to provide everything (almost to the exact dollar!) for my year here, though the generosity and obedience of His people. Regardless of what you decide, I'd love to talk to you in person when I return in May/June to share what you've been a part of here and answer questions you may have. If you would like to go ahead and give a one-time donation towards my time here, there are details under the "Get Involved" tab!

And, since we're still on the topic of good news... One of the ladies I have had the privilege of discipling, Steph B, has also felt God's call to come to Bangkok to serve as a missionary. I first met Steph when she came to Spotswood's Collegiate Ministry, Encounter, while I was a student leader at Mary Wash. I've been able to see her grow in her faith and her love for the Lord the past few years. She's gone from being discipled, to also being a discipler. From being invested in, to also being an investor. From being content with being fed, to being hungry to feed herself. Suffice it to say, God is doing great things with Steph and she is being obedient to follow her Father in faith... first with a short term trip to Thailand this past August, and now for a longer commitment. You can read about her journey on her personal blog and also on her new Thailand blog! By extending my time here, I will also be able to help facilitate her adjustment... which I am very excited about :)

If you have questions that I haven't addressed, always feel free to shoot me an email (lizswauger@gmail.com). I have been and continue to be so incredibly blessed by your love, support and prayers. Thank you for being a part of taking Christ to the Nations. I couldn't be here sharing the Gospel without your partnership.

students.

I know I don't include enough pictures, so this post is making up for that! I wanted to share some glimpses from this term... partly because this is the last week of classes and it's leaving me a bit nostalgic.

Friday Night Life: During the term we have a free weekly program that anyone can attend. We have worship songs, an English game and some kind of English lesson/activity/role-play. Claire has been doing an awesome job with this responsibility as our new "Friday Night Life Coordinator" extraordinaire!

[Role playing "going to the bank." In the front right is Wut, one of Claire and my students!]

[Tar and Geng leading us in worship]

[Aom... always with a big smile on her face! Although, as of a week and a half ago, she no longer is sporting the braces :) ]

[After one of our Friday Night Life programs]

[Claire's students... but they wanted us all to join in the photo]

BMA (Business Course): My twice a week intensive English/Business course. Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:30am-2:30pm I had these lovely students! At our half-way point in the term we were discussing "decision making skills" and I had them discuss and decide what item they wanted me to bring to class. They decided on a cake! Then, on the last day of class they surprised me by taking me out to lunch and gifting me a beautiful framed photo of all of us and a couple scarves. 

[My BMA class this term!]

[The surprise luncheon!]

[They ordered all my favorite foods... and even made sure the fish was headless... the way I like 'em!]

[Me sporting my new scarves! What thoughtful gifts & students!]

Regular Night Class: I always forget to take pictures of my night classes and I hate that! I did remember to photo-document one class this evening, though: my 5pm, Level 5, Tuesday class (which is 4 people if everyone shows up)! Teaching them feels like a large tutoring session. I sit down at the table with them and we have a lot of time for discussion and helping them with specific struggles they are having in English. This class has also adopted my dear friend Brenda as their class pen-pal and have enjoyed writing her a couple letters over the course of the term. Today in class we were talking about talents and hobbies, and when the topic of drawing came up, we had to show off our awesome sketching skills... check out them elephants.

[Nice, Nat, Ploy and I]

Also, in my Level 6 class at 7:00, I used some verses from Proverbs in my lesson on "English Proverbs." After class, one of my students, Jum, asked if she could learn about the Bible since she was a Buddhist! I told her that you cannot be both a Christian and a Buddhist, but that everyone is welcome to come to Church, read the Bible and learn more about Christ (Buddhist or otherwise). I told her that we are not born into Christianity, so every Christian was, at some point, something other than Christian looking into and learning about God... and of course that is okay! I invited her to some of the events at my Church and am praying she comes.

Tutoring: This week is just beginning, but it has already had some really exciting moments. One of the guys I tutor, Sit, started our time asking me about "my religion's leader who just resigned." (He was referencing the Pope.) I told him that I'm not Catholic and gave him a quick summary on Catholics v. Protestants. Which led to discussing religions in America, including a short digression on Mormons. In the past, I've brought up my faith before and been able to share parts of the Gospel with him. As with most Buddhist men, he spent some of his life serving as a monk, but he seemed open to hearing me talk. This time, however, he asked me: "What is the meaning of the cross?" What more of an open door could I want?? I excitedly explained that it was originally a torture device used by the Romans, and was the way that Jesus was crucified... which led me to why His death was significant, his subsequent resurrection and the meaning of all of this to my life. I love every opportunity to share the Gospel, but I love it even more when they are the ones doing the asking! Sit will be applying for a doctorate program either in the States or England, and wants practice speaking... so we talk for 3.5 hours a week. (Which leaves lots of room for deep conversations!) Please pray that the things I share would continue to sink into his heart, and that he would continue to ask questions!

[month eight]

At the beginning of my time here, my monthly updates were wildly exciting. Another month under my belt! More lessons learned! More culture adjusted to! But now, I find myself dreading them. It's this looming marker that another month is finished-- that I'm closer to the end than to the beginning of my one-year commitment. There are so many things I've grown to love here, perhaps because of the struggle it took to win those victories.

And yet, for all the frustrations (including a trashcan-banging pink dragon with an amp system piping the ruckus through the whole grocery store on Chinese New Years... for the whole hour I was shopping.) I love it here. I love the people. I love the food. I love that relationships are prioritized. I love that there isn't a constant under-girding of high-stress high-performance panic. Aside: did you know in Germany, most employees get 20 days of paid vacation a year? (I have a German friend, and he verified this to be true.) We work so hard in America and I'm starting to think that maybe it isn't healthy. It's not being lazy to build time in your life for rest. Jesus was intentional, but He was never frantic. But, I digress... maybe this will make an appearance in a future post!

I also love that I have had space to grow apart from the "ministry" that I do. In America, I was very committed and entangled (in the best sense of the word!) with ministry. Preparing and facilitating took up a large part of my time and life. I didn't fully realize how much time it took away from my personal spiritual disciplines until I came here, though. Paul Tripp states in his book Dangerous Calling that those in ministry are often "content with a devotional life that doesn't exist or is constantly being kidnapped by preparation." If you've ever led a Bible Study, you know how easily personal time with God is "kidnapped" for the sake of preparation. Moving away from those commitments has allowed me to focus on God-- apart from prepping for small groups, leading devotionals or trying to invest in everyone & everything. It's been a good God-realignment.

And lastly, I love that I've had space to grow as a person. I've decided that I officially like running and my excursions to the parks have become highlights of my days. I love having opportunities to practice hospitality/facilitate community though helping coordinate monthly "family dinner nights" at the guesthouse... it has rekindled my love of feeding people. I love getting to try new things, be it new recipes or new classes. It stretches me and I'm enjoying being stretched.

I have many more thoughts that I'm itching to blog about, but I've been told numerous times that people get bored with my wall-of-words posts, so I'm going include a gratuitous picture and close out this post for now. Thank you again so much for your prayers and support! And expect a couple more posts in the near future (with plenty of related pictures)! :) Happy eight months!!

[Sending my love from a galaxy far, far away...]

wats.

The past two weekends I have ended up at wats (Thai/Buddhist temples) and the question begs to be asked... why so many wats? Well, part of it is because I let Thais plan the excursions, so they always include a wat or two for good measure... it's part of their culture.

For me, it's a good reminder why missions matter: because there are still lost people. It pains me to see so many Thais (and tourists) sprinkling their heads with lotus flowers, lighting incense, sticking gold-leaf on statues, ringing bells, giving offerings, "making merit"... but there is also no better place to have organic spiritual conversations. My intention during this wat-time is to always bring the conversation to Christ.

["Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold." Exodus 20:23]

Recently after one of these trips, I was able to share with my Thai friend, K, why I did not participate in these "merit exercises". This, in turn, opened up a dialogue for both of us. She shared some specifics regarding what she believed and I was able to share the Gospel... that God is the Creator and He is good. He has stated the standard is perfection and as a just God can tolerate nothing less than that. As sinful people, we fail to meet His standard, and the punishment for that is death and separation from God. It's not about doing more good than bad, it's about being perfect. And, bad news, we're not. But, (the great "but" of the Gospel!) God is also a God of love, and so He made a way for our sins to be punished and for us to be able to have a relationship with Him. That way is through His Son, Jesus. Jesus was punished by God for our sins, so that justice was served, and we can now receive God's forgiveness and a relationship with Him...

I wish I could tell you that we pulled over the car, prayed, and that you have a new sister-in-Christ. But, that didn't happen. What did happen, however, is that she heard the Truth again. Thais tend to be slow to hear and slow to respond to the Gospel. Why? Maybe due to their heritage of spiritual darkness and deafness. Maybe because it is so foreign to them. Maybe they just take longer to process things. I don't know. But if it takes her hearing it 16 times before she accepts it, then praise God for the 8th time! And if she hears but never responds, then praise God that He allowed her the opportunities to hear.

[Idolatry] consists not merely in erecting an image and worshiping it, but rather in the heart, which stands gaping at something else, and seeks help and consolation from creatures, saints, or devils, and neither cares for God, nor looks to Him for so much good as to believe that He is willing to help, neither believes that whatever good it experiences comes from God. 

— Martin Luther

Pray that her heart and our hearts would gape only at Christ, seek only from Him, and look only to Him as the sole source and provider of all that is good.