Medical Mission Trip to Nan

Witt and I recently had the opportunity to join a team from Woodlawn Baptist Church out of Chattanooga, TN to go to Nan Province (Witt's hometown) in Northern Thailand on a Medical Mission Trip.  

The Highlights: 
1. I now understand the 'high' that doctors and nurses get when they are able to truly help people.
2. Each patient got to hear the Gospel one-on-one in at least 3 of the 6 different areas!
3. 11 people surrendered their life to Christ! PTL!
4. At least 100+ people said they were interested to learn more about God and the Bible.  Lots of follow-up will be happening in these next few weeks.
5. 1,200+ people in very remote villages (literally the ends of the earth) were cared for, prayed with, and heard the Good News of Christ -- probably a first time for most!
6. More than 6 different tribal groups (all with their own languages) got to hear the Gospel in their own language!


AREA ONE: TRIAGE which consisted of Registration, getting BP, Pulse, Weight, and Symptoms (I got to help with this area 2 days.)

AREA TWO: THE WAITING 'ROOM'   Each day we went to a new village, and we had approximately 250 patients each day until every last person was seen.  But with that, the waiting was very long and a piping 100 degrees!  So to make the time go by faster, we passed out candy and stuffed animals to the kids and made fabric bracelets with the ladies-- of and played with the little babies a lot too!  

AREA THREE: THE CLINIC where each patient met with the doctor and translator to figure out what was going on.  We had patients from 2 months old to 86 years old.  Most with aches and pains associated with hard labor in the fields. But for some with more serious issues, we recommended they go straight to the nearest hospital.  Witt helped translate for Dr. Phillip -- they were quite the team!

AREA FOUR: EYE CLINIC where over 1,000 Eye Exams and Eye Glasses were given!

AREA FIVE: PHARMACY stocked full of antibiotics, parasite meds, ibuprofen, immodium, vitamins, etc. I got to help with the Pharmacy one day.  

AREA SIX: PASTORAL CARE     If any of the patients gave their life to Christ, were interested in learning more about God's Word, or expressed a need for special prayer, we had an area where the pastor of the village was sharing with, praying for and encouraging people.  

SCHOOL MINISTRY: Since our medical team was actually set up at the government schools, we asked each principal is he would mind if we taught the students some Christian songs, a Bible story, and made Cross necklaces with them (aka share the Gospel of Jesus with them!).  Each principal was overly excited that we wanted to teach their kids even if it was about Jesus!  Thank you Lord for these People (principals) of Peace!

SPECIAL PRAYER REQUESTS: 

The lady below with the little baby, we'll call her Katie, came to the Triage area nearly in tears because her husband had been abusing her and she was to the point she wanted to take her own life.  The week before he had hit her in the head with his fist so hard that it nearly blinded her in one eye.  We immediately took her from Triage to the Village Pastor.  Although I wasn't with her while the pastor was sharing with her, I saw her again before our vans left the village and she had the biggest smile on her face as she waved goodbye to us.  My heart just breaks for this young lady, for her marriage, and for her baby.

Please say a special prayer for Katie and her husband to come to know the peace, love and grace found only in Christ Jesus.

Another young lady that my heart breaks for: Da.  She is the wife of the pastor in one of the villages.  She was so helpful and joyful all day, but before we left, she came crying to Joom and me asking for prayer.  She has had 2 miscarriages in this past year.  One at 8 weeks and one at 12 weeks.  Oh my heart just broke since me and Witt have a similar struggle and the flood gates of tears burst open.  We prayed so fervently for this daughter of the Most High ... for her to have healing in her body, for her to find peace in the midst of such loss, for her to have joy while loving on the other little ones in the village, and for her to have hope that God still has wonderful plans for her life.  In Jesus' Name, AMEN AMEN AMEN!

All in all, what a wonderful week of 

declaring His salvation from day to day,

3 

proclaiming His glory among the nations, 

and His marvellous works among all peoples!

A New Year's Resolution Worth Keeping

After eating every casserole and dessert known to man this past Christmas, even I am tempted to make those typical New Year's Resolutions of dieting and exercising-- you know the ones that usually last until about mid-January! Hah!  Now don't get me wrong, eating healthier and getting active are great goals to live for, but this year, I want to challenge you to take on a New Year's Resolution worth keeping year-round:

"To Saturate Your Life with Scripture."

I remember a few years ago when my heart yearned to know God more intimately, but my mind screamed "How???"  And so I started simple.  I picked up the Bible, and with no clue of where to begin, I chose the book of Psalm.  I read a psalm a day for about 5 months... and to be honest, I don't really think I understood what I was reading, but it was the start of a beautiful friendship.

And with daily readings through different books of the Bible like Genesis or Matthew, and through topical devotions like Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, and then on to more thorough studies like Beth Moore's Esther and James, that friendship continued into a beautiful love story. One where I came to truly understand that El-Shaddai--The God Almighty--cares for me, pursues me, and loves me deeply.   A protective and fierce love.  A love that redeems and renews.  A love that is bigger than my biggest mistake.  A love that continues regardless that I fail Him every single day.   An unconditional love. A love that never fails.

If you want to truly understand a love like that... I challenge you to take that first step towards the Greatest Romance and saturate your life with the Word of God.

Gold through the Fire: Treasures Learned from the Life of Job

I have long been scared straight of studying the book of Job. I think deep down, if I am truly honest with myself, I was terrified that by reading it, God would do to me as He did to Job-- strip me of my possessions, rip away my family, or rack my body with some malicious disease. 

Somehow recently, I got the courage to tackle this age old book, and there are loads of treasure found in here:

Treasure One: God is big enough to handle our doubts, our grievances, and our anger.

We see this chapter after chapter as Job openly expresses his doubts, harshly airs his complaints, and honestly voices his grievances. In 1 Peter 5:7, we too are encouraged to "Cast all of your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you." 

Treasure Two: Trust God with all of life's circumstances: the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

After all the fussing and wailing, I love how in chapters 38-40, God personally takes Job on a little tour of nature and shows him how life is way too complicated for our little human minds to conceive.  And that's why many times in life, God doesn't reveal the whole picture... the whats, the hows, the whys of our personal journey.  

Through the story of Job, we learn that we have the privilege to be God's hands and feet on the spiritual battlefield in the war against the enemy of man. And we can trust that God has a purpose behind each of these "battles", so even though we don't yet know the answers to the what or whys, take heart in knowing that ultimately, through Christ, we are the victors!! 

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

Treasure Three: God will not take us through any trial we can't handle. 

Though I've known this truth for a long time, I just realized that this is not for our own benefit, which I always so arrogantly assumed, but it's for God's glory.

Think of it for a second. We exist to be in relationship with God and to bring God glory.  And through persevering through hardships, while all along relying on His strength to get us through, two things happen: we draw closer to God and God is glorified. 

"And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:13

All in all, I pray that if calamity ever does strike me or my family, that my heart will remain steadfast and I will wholeheartedly say- as Job did- "The Lord gave, and The Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of The Lord" (Job 1:21).

And that when God has taken me through the fires of life, that I will not let trials burn me to a crisp, but "when He has tried me, I shall come out as gold" (Job 23:10).

Beacons of Light

After visiting Witt's hometown this past weekend, I was overwhelmed by how the enemy has such a stronghold in that village. Even though everyone there is so friendly and quick to throw a smile or lend a helping hand, the eyes said it all: worry, brokenness, hurt, sadness... All very prevalent in their eyes. My heart just started to break and feel so overwhelmed with despair for these beautiful people. I remember passing by the elaborate buddhist temple -currently under renovation- and just wishing those stilts holding it up would collapse and would cause it all to just crumble to dust- such a horrible prayer I know. And then the funeral procession (FB post) was just icing on top of my grief. 

But thankfully HOPE comes in the morning and on Sunday, my hope started to return. We went to worship at the church that had helped lead Witt to Christ. And It was jam-packed!!! 

Grace Baptist Church in Majarem Village

Mostly with kids from the village... Maybe 80+ kids...  and then the adults started to trickle in... All the regulars that we "expected" to see were there, but then many new faces as well! Young, vibrant leaders with a passion for God!!

And it reminded me that the darkness has not consumed this place, God is here, always has been, always will be!! His Light is streaming in and He is the God of this city!! 

"In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:4-5 ESV)

Beacons of Light in Majarem:

The Pastor and his wife (left) and the Filipino missionaries (right) who have been investing in Witt since he was a wee little 3 year old trouble-maker!! So thankful for their faithfulness to serve this community!!

Two of the teachers at Grace Christian School in Majarem. Witt was one of their students back In the day, and they are still shining God's light to hundreds of kids each day!! 

Nu and Nuch- they run a Christian dormitory and orphanage where most of the kids attend the Grace Christian School in Majareem. They also have Bible studies and a worship service on site because they wouldn't be able to fit in the village church!! They shared that all 77 kids have sponsors from Kansas... They said that is a first! Huge praise!! 

Keep Shining Faithful Ones!!!

Our Dream Trip to Europe - Thx to DeltaSkyMiles!!!

We just got back from a once in a lifetime trip to Europe last week.  Of course, it is 100% thanks to our Delta Sky Miles, which we had accumulated over 500,000 miles which you can use to pay for your flights, hotels, food, and more!!  Of course, it took us over 6 years to accumulate that many miles, but hey it was so so soooooooo worth the wait!!  And my dad benefitted from all our miles too!!

Because it took less of our sky miles to fly into London, we spent our first and last night of our trip with Witt's dear friend from college who is a native Thai now living, working, and following hard after God in the 'City of London.'  His name is Yod and he showed us around the city, shared a glimpse into his life and how hard it is to be a Christ-follower in a city that is steeped in traditionalism and catholicism.

London, UK

Buckingham Palace

St. James Park right next to Buckingham Palace

My fav pic if I could just crop the street out!!

The infamous red telephone booth!!

Witt and My Dad in front of Big Ben

A glimpse of Big Ben from The Eye

Witt and Yod in front of Tower Bridge

Riding the 'Tube' aka Subway

 The popular kids tune: 'London Bridge is Falling Down' in the UK is actually 'Tower Bridge is Falling Down'... thought that was funny to learn)

ARRIVING IN ITALY:

Next, we hopped over to Italy which has been a dream of mine and Witt's since before we were even married!! We thought we better mark it off our bucket list before babies or it might never happen!!  Leading up to our trip, I dived into the book of Rome and really studied about Paul's missionary journeys around this area.  It was so neat being able to see all the churches, cathedrals, and learn about Constantine and how Christianity flourished after he made it possible for Christians to worship freely under his ruling.  Before that time, Christians were heavily persecuted, flogged, ostracised, tortured,  eaten by lions, and crucified upside down.  We have it so easy these days thanks much in part to Constantine, Martin Luther, and many other brave Christ followers of that time period!!

Here's a glimpse into our journey through Italy:

The canals of Venice

Santa Maria Cathedral

No trip to Venice is complete without a Gondola Ride through the ancient canals!! Thanks dad for that memorable part of our trip!!

Love how the street signs are all on the buildings and not cluttering the streets

Ahhh! Venice!!

My fav part of the trip: a bird's eye view from San Giorgio's Cathedral's Clock Tower

The Colosseum

Inside the Colosseum

Had an exhibit on Constantine which was so intriging!

The Parthenon - I didnt know that there are only two other full-size Parthenon replicas.. Greece and Nashville, TN!  Very cool!

A fortified castle on the Amalfi Coast in Naples - free entry .. yes please!!

Hi-Ya!!

St. Paul's Cathedral - supposedly the Apostle Paul is buried here

Inside Vatican Museums

It is said that if you look at each piece of artwork inside the Vatican just for 1 minute each, it would take you a total of 4 years to finish!!  This place is steeped in history!!  Not to mention it has Micheangelo's famous Sistine Chapel which unfortunately 'no photography is allowed'. I think we sat and admired all the paintings on the walls and ceilings in that one room for at least an hour!! 

I didn't know before but this statue is so popular because it marked the end of 'paganism' and the beginning of Christendom in the Roman Empire!!  Praise the Lord!!

WELCOME TO BRUX

We ended the trip with the best part of all: visiting LifePoint Brussels!  We loved being a part of the Sunday morning gathering where Amy spoke for Mother's Day with a French translator and the Ebensbergers led worship with Phoebe and Even at their side and then right after the message, they have 'small groups' with coffee and croissants in which they have 4-5 open-ended questions to just be able to dive even more into what was taught and apply it to our own lives.  I love this idea!!

Other highlights from our Brussels trip were:

• Stayed at the OM Missions House and enjoyed hearing how all the missionaries and staff with OM are making an impact in Brussels 
• Had lunch with the Christensens who have truly immersed themselves in the French culture and are passionately serving with refugee groups and women in the red light district. 
• Loved spending time with the college interns and the group of friends they are investing in! They showed us the main highlights around Brux!! It was so fun to hang out with them and hear how God is moving through each of their lives!!
• Was inspired by the Cafe Anglais ministry outreach that Amy and Kyle Goen's started up a couple years ago and am excited to take some of these ministry ideas back to Bangkok!!
• Such a blessing to have dinner with the Laws on Cynthi's very own birthday!!  Their love for the people in Belgium was so inspiring!!
• Love how one of the biggest impacts being made is through the school system and the relationships the kids are making but even more so that the parents are making with other parents!!  So in awe that the Goen's kids and the Ebensberger kiddos are fluent in French and even working on Dutch too!! Wow!!
• Got to walk through and pray over their new 'worship space' which could potentially hold 130 people!!  What an answer to prayer which they have been lifting up for many months now!!

Sorry for the lack of pics... this was the end of our trip and we were burnt out on taking pics!! haha!!

The Gates in BRUX

Loved hanging with the interns and their friends

Kyle, Witt, Ryan, and my dad Wendell