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!

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)

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... :)

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.

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!).

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)!

24.

24. More than just an awesome TV series involving Jack Bauer.

Today was my 24th birthday. 24. My last year before being pigeon-holed into a new age bracket (25-44). It was a really wonderful day-- which started off with an anonymous breakfast, sweet cards from my co-workers and a singing hamburger card from my Tamra's son, Zack. Not even a video would do this card justice. I'll have it with me the next few days if you would like to see it, just ask!

For all of you who wished me a happy birthday today, bought my meals, or gave me thoughtful and sweet gifts, thank you! I had such a nice day, and it was because of your thoughtfulness. I am so blessed to have such incredible friends and such a strong network of people who care about me.

My mom texted me at work today and informed me that her and my dad had bought my luggage for Thailand (see below). I picked them up from her at church tonight, complete with the loud and conspicious balloons. The luggage seems huge right now, but I'm sure as soon as I try to negotiate a year's worth of clothes and supplies in them, they will start looking much much smaller.

Thailand is coming! It keeps getting closer and closer and becoming more and more real. Claire and I had the opportunity to talk with Rose last night and pick her brain about living in Thailand. We also will be skyping with John Lapos next week to touch base and make sure we are on track with our preparations.

Please keep praying that we will continue to push through and be diligent in completing our Thailand to-do items, while also not neglecting our responsibilities here-and-now.

Done

This morning I had the singular opportunity to share with my church family (in two minutes) about GotLife-- what it is to me and why I participate in it. It felt very surreal. The only thing that felt real was the flip flopping of my stomach and general sense of nausea before going up to the stage each service. But God is so faithful.

Last night I had everything typed out and timed for what I wanted to say... but I felt unsettled about it. So, I prayed, went back through it again, gutted all but a few sentences and started over. I love getting on my soapbox about different topics, but that was not the point of this morning. I wasn't asked to give a sermon or to take over for the Holy Spirit and convict people. I was just asked to tell my story and let God do what He does best. And that is what I tried to do.

It was a very weighty thing to be given the mic and asked to share about something that is so central to the heart of God... sharing His Good News. I feel very humbled that I was asked to share, and I hope that as broken a vessel as I am, that Christ shined through. But after mulling this over for weeks, I am so glad it is behind me.

I am looking forward to a restful sleep tonight! :)

Disqualified

Why is it that so many of us struggle to share our testimony/faith/the Gospel?

One thing I consistently hear people say is that they don't feel qualified to share the Gospel. And usually this is not meant in a "I'm not educated enough" sort of context. Rather, we allow previous sin or personal insecurities to "disqualify" us from being vocal about our faith. (I use " " marks, because I do not actually believe that the privilege to share the Gospel is earned and it, therefore, cannot be disqualified)

However, while reading through Exodus, I noticed two very interesting parallels between Moses' life and our own (ref: Exodus 4).

(1) After being told his upcoming mission, Moses tells God, "O LORD, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." To which God replies, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." This however, is not enough for Moses. He is so human here. So identifiable.  "But Moses said, 'O LORD, please send someone else to do it.'"

Maybe he had trouble articulating the things he wanted to say. Maybe when he was put on the spot he faltered. Stuttered. Sounded silly. Maybe he felt awkward, insecure and inadequate. We've all been there, right?

(2) Then there was this little blurb between the burning bush and Moses' trek to Egypt:

At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.) -Ex. 4:24-26

And then it picks up with Aaron meeting Moses like nothing happened the night before. Isn't that strange? It was an odd read at face value even without going into all the things the footnotes said... But here's what I gathered as being the bottom line:

Moses sinned.

Moses was supposed to circumcise his son (per Gen 17:9-14), and for whatever reason, he was disobedient and didn't.

And this is the man God used as His mouthpiece to Egypt-- the awkward, self-conscious, sinful Moses. Who, also, by the way, was a murderer. This man was sent back to the place (and people) of his greatest failure to announce the onset of their greatest deliverance. God did not disqualify him because of his sin and insecurities, He used him.

I don't think I'll ever fully understand why God loves using broken things so much. Why He delights in those that society overlooks. Why He not only uses the lowly things, and the weak things, and the things which are not... but also, years later, would choose to enter His creation as one of these things.

So, next time you feel insecure and weak and like a sinner... good. You are one. Salvation never depended on our effort or quality, neither does the process of our sanctification. Tullian states that:

"If God has saved you—if he’s given you the faith to believe, and you’re now a Christian; if you’ve transferred trust from your own accomplishments and abilities to Christ’s accomplishment on behalf of sinners—then here’s the good news. In the phraseology of Colossians 1, it’s simply this: You’ve already been qualified, you’ve already been delivered, you’ve already been transferred, you’ve already been redeemed, you’ve already been forgiven.

The everything we need and long for, Paul says, we already possess if we are in Christ. He has already sweepingly secured all that our hearts deeply crave."

Praise God that He uses broken people as His vessels to take the Good News to the world. Don't disqualify yourself from receiving the blessing of being a part of His plan.

1 Cor 1:26-31

"Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: 'Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.'"

Amazing Love

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:3-6)

Evangelism

I love that God gives us experiences and "God moments"-- and then gives us opportunities to share them with others to edify and build up the Body. A few weeks ago one of the pastors at my church asked me if I would be willing to share my testimony about my experience with GotLife (an evangelism class) with the church (2/19). I said yes.

Since then, I've been thinking and praying about what I should share. I feel like it's easy to make "evangelism" into some great big nebulous oooaahh-thing. Really, it's not, or at least, it shouldn't be. Doug is always talking about how we should wake up in the mornings and remind ourselves of the Gospel-- of daily reorientating ourselves to the point of our justification.

We need to daily remind ourselves that God is perfect and flawless, and that He created everything. And that we, as people, are lawless. We have sinned against God, broken His commands and set our lives (from birth) opposed to Him as His enemies. But because of His love for us, He sent Christ-- God incarnate-- to live the life we couldn't live, and drink the wrath of God and punishment for our sin that we couldn't bear. If I choose to accept this, it accomplishes two things; first, it shows the great justice and love of God. God could not leave the guilty (me) unpunished; so Christ took the punishment I earned. Secondly, through accepting Christ's payment for my sin, I am given (freely!) not only forgiveness, but also the righteousness of Christ.

The more I tell this to myself (and have it told to me), the more it is on my mind and in my heart. The more it is in my mind and on my heart, the more likely I am to speak it. It should be an outgrowth of an internal realization. The more I focus on Jesus, the cross, and the salvation that has been freely given to me, the more joy I will have and the greater my desire to share it will be. Thus, evangelism becomes more than a two-month program or a "training class" or fill-in-the-blank. Instead, it truly does become a lifestyle. It is about looking for opportunities to speak the name of Jesus in every conversation. It is about looking for ways to invest in people who have no knowledge of God. It is about giving, and serving, and loving in the name of Christ those who could never repay you. It is about the Holy Spirit compelling you to do these things and about God getting the glory.

In small group, Laurie brought up a great point from one of the breakout speakers at 20/20-- that God's intention for man has always been to create more worshippers of Himself-- from Adam and Eve's "be fruitful and multiply" to the Great Commission's "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations..." That has always been God's "Plan A." God does all the work to bring hearts to Himself and to save the lost, but we are given the distinct privilege of being a part of God's plan to take His Name to the nations.

So, where does that leave GotLife? I still think it is awesome. No, it's not the end-all-be-all of evangelism. Of course not. But if God and the message of the Gospel is impressed daily on my heart, why wouldn't I want another opportunity to share with others about Him? Why wouldn't I want to invite people into a community of people (the church) to learn about God, worship Him, and serve side-by-side with others?

I love my church. It is not perfect, but we love God and we love each other. And while we don't always do that perfectly, there is grace where we fall short. I want for my life to be one that is characterized by being vocal about my Family and my Father.

Raising Support

I received my first "donation envelope" this week. Not from a close friend, or relative, or rich adult... but from a student I just met! I spoke a few weeks ago at the Awana missions night-- and one of the boys there decided he wanted to help send me to Thailand to be a missionary. So he did. He wrote me a note (see below) with his generous donation. I am blown away.

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."
-1 Timothy 4:12

Bangkok Travel Tips

A great video the LifePoint missionaries made about life/tourism in Bangkok. It is so good. And so true.

Bangkok Be Smart Guide from brett clark on Vimeo.

Research

I am trying to consistently set aside time to do research on things I need to be getting in order before Thailand. In the process, I found some helpful links I thought I would share for anyone who may be looking to travel internationally (or to Thailand!).

[more may be added to this list in the future]

Sites I've found helpful:

Travel Independent- almost everything you could want to know about travelling internationally, right down to what to pack!

World Nomads- they have an app for the iPhone to help you learn some conversational Thai (among other languages)

Sierra Trading Post- everything you might ever want or need to know before buying shoes

LinguaEdge- online classes to train you in teaching English overseas and earn your TESOL Certificate

TESOL

It is strange to be taking a class (and notes!) again. I signed up today for a 50-hour TESOL class through LinguaEdge and just completed Unit 1 (of 40). The goal is to spend 7-10 hours/week working on it. Which, I'll admit, it a little ambitious for me, but in order to complete it by the end of March, I need to be aggressive in completing it. It's part of...

John Lapos' Check-List for Thailand:
(...which happens to be much shorter than my personal "to-do-before-leaving" list)

[ x ] Copy of passport
[ x ] Copy of degree
[ x ] Copy of transcripts
[ x ] Resume
[ ] Research medical evacuation/catastrophy insurance
[ x ] TESOL certification
[ ] Raise support
[ ] Double-check my shots
[ ] BSC application (3 letters of reference)
^ I put the easy things first so I could feel successful :)

It's hard to believe in 4.5 months I could be on a plane to Thailand... for a year. I am praying that God makes a way for me to go and to stay there, and that He would continue to prepare my heart and mind and body for what He will do with me while I am there.

Blog Theme

Once Claire and I get settled in Thailand, I am thinking about doing a daily blog-theme. Here are my thoughts for what to expect:

Mish-mashed Mondays
Teaching Tuesdays
Serious Wednesdays
Low-expectation Thursdays
Photo Fridays
and Whatever Weekends

I cannot promise a blog post every day, for 365+ days, but I will certainly make a valiant effort to keep all of you updated as much as possible, starting now!

Beautiful Feet

"As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:11-15

Thank you for helping enable my feet to travel to Thailand to share the Gospel with the Thai people. Please follow my journey here-- and feel free to comment and ask as many questions as you like!

I am eagerly anticipating how God will use the prayers and hands of His people to push back darkness in Bangkok, Thailand.

In Him,

Liz

Decisions

I am very excited to finally be able to write this post... if you have talked to me since August, what is coming will come as no surprise to you, it involves Thailand. While our team was in Bangkok, John Lapos (IMB missionary) and Pastor Thongchai (Protestant Rep to the King) both mentioned that fact that Thailand needs single missionaries to come to Thailand. Why? Because ministry there is uniquely suited for single people. It's relationally based, and they need people who can be flexible, and who have time to spend with the Thai people.

So, providing that God makes a way, I will be going back to Thailand for a year.

I would leave in June with Claire (who is also planning to go for a year and teach), and then return with the Spotswood team in the Summer of 2013. We would be interns for John Lapos, and also teach at the BSC (Baptist Student Center). There is so much that I am excited about and looking forward to... It is hard to encapsulate in one post at 10:30 at night... which is pretty late for me these days!

It is a chance for me to really trust God-- outside of the safety and comfort of the all-too-familiar America. It is a chance for me to fail. And it is a chance for me to grow. I can't be scared of that-- of failing. But I can (and should) be scared of living in such a safe way, that I never do anything of value for the Kingdom. So, this is my next step.

I have had such unique opportunities to share about what God has been doing in my life since I got back from Thailand. Our team was able to share on Wednesday night with our whole church body about our missions trip to Bangkok. We gave out over a hundred cards with pictures of people we met, part of their story, and ways to be praying for them. Then, I was able to share at a staff meeting (and show pictures, of course) with my co-workers at FCS about Thailand. After sharing with the staff, the Kindergarten teacher asked me to talk to her class about it. After that, I figured I'd pretty much tapped out my formal "audiences"-- but then I got a call, asking me to share with the Awana TNT group on their Missions Night.

So. Cool. It was crazy, because, only a few years ago I was leading a 3rd-4th grade group of TNT girls, and sitting in that same room for Missions Night. I went through Sparks, and led Sparks for many years, and always loved hearing the missionaries share about these awesome things God was doing all over the world. Who knew that someday I'd be speaking on the other side? Haha, only God. And what felt so strange was that... I am normal. There is nothing special about me; I have no exciting talents. I can't juggle, I have no musical bone in my body, and I don't pick up new languages quickly. And yet, despite being so average, God has chosen to use me. In my journal last night I wrote,

What an upside-down God we serve-- who uses broken things to carry His light to the nations. Wow.

Platt had this quote in Radical about how we are all given the Commission to be missionaries, and some of us are cross-cultural, and some of us are inter-cultural. I am excited about the opportunity to be a cross-cultural missionary for a year. I am hoping it will help give me some perspective and also some direction for what God wants me to pursue when I go to seminary upon my return.