Well, I'm home now. Sitting on my couch, about to eat some food out of my own fridge and watching Radiohead live from the basement on DVR. I have all the comforts of home and no wants unsatisfied. I have to say that my journey was again life changing for me. After seeing so many people who are so grateful to get a bag of rice, a bottle of oil, and two tiny cans for fish, I hope I will no longer complain that I don't have enough cash to go out for a hamburger at lunch instead of taking a sandwich from home. I will just be thankful that I have food in my house.

 

Also, after sharing my faith with people I don't know on a daily basis, I began to realize that I don't really share my faith with people I do know ever. That is probably the biggest eye opener to me. I really feel that I should be more open about my faith and offer to do more for the people I know. Even if they don't share in my beliefs I'm sure no one would turn down my offer to pray for them.

 

I'm kind of wondering what my day at work will be like tomorrow. After being in a land where life is so much simpler and everything is less rushed, it's hard to think about going back into the hectic day to day life that I had been in. It's not that I don't want to be back home, but I do want to try to bring some of the Thai mindset back with me. I really don't want to let life drag me around anymore, but spend my time how I decide. I think that's what it really is, here it seems that so many things are always coming up and all of them are considered important. In Thailand, there was really just one thing to think about, doing what God had called us there to do. That is something I believe God will help me to work out as I get back into "normal" life.

 

Let me say a big thank you to everyone who has supported me both through physically and spiritually on this trip. The work done in Thailand is not just from me, but from all of you as well. I pray that God bleses you all for your faithfulness to Him.

Well I didn't get to update the blog anymore while we were in Thailand because the internet cafe didn't open early enough to allow time. The first half of our last day in Thailand we spent doing what we did with most of our time there, visiting people and handing out tracks. We visited a small villiage and handed out packets along with tracks. The packages had a VCD and a few small Christian books written in Thai. Most people in the area we were do not own DVD player, but do have a VCD player. VCDs for those who don't know are like DVDs except the disk is actually a CD. Since CDs don't hold as much data the movies on them are either much shorter or the movie will be split across two disks. After we finished up, we had a break of sunshine and drove by the beach and spent a little time there. There were a few shops close by so Brian and I went and looked in them. We managed to finally find some kids sized T-shirts for our kids! We went back to Keith and Traci's house and ate dinner and had some prayer time and talked about our trip. This was really cool for me. I have to say that I am excited about what God is doing in Thailand. I really feel this is an example of the early church we read about in the book of Acts. These people are truly having life changing experiences. They are being transformed by having Jesus in their lives. For the first time ever they are free from the bondage of having to earn merrit for their next life or appease spirits so they will have good luck. I believe there will be some new house churches started in some of these villiages and through them many others will come to know Christ.

We took a day off and went to Phucket. It is way more western than Phang Nga. We visited a few shopping malls and street markets. It's funny because everywhere you go, you can haggle the price. Even in the high end shopping malls. We found that many of the cheaper things are marked up higher than the expensive items. We took a taxi from one of the street markets to another mall. It was only a small truck with a cover over the bed of the truck. The back was full so I rode in front with the driver. We talked for a while and I was able to share Jesus with him. We gave him some tracks and he gave me his phone number. He told me to call him if I was ever in Phucket again. His name is Mr. Jimi. So everyone, please pray for him that he may come to know Christ. Today is our last day. We will be going out witnessing again today and tomorrow we get on the long flight back home. That will be the hardest part of the trip.

Today has been another good day of sharing the gospel with surrounding villages. We went into an area that is mixed with Muslim and Buddhist villages. I went with Rich and Nim. The first house we went to was owned by an older woman in her sixties. She had her mother who was in her eighties living with her and her youngest son who was nineteen. They allowed us to share the gospel with them, but told us they believed Ala would judge them when they died and that if they were good enough they would go to heaven. Before we left we offered them a copy of the gospel of John in Thai, but they refused. As we left their house we realized the village mosque was right behind their house. We then shared the gospel with a man right on the mosque steps! He seemed very eager to hear and we were able to give him a copy of the gospel of John. Later as we were sharing with a couple who owned a restaurant (ranahan in Thai), the call to prayer started coming out from the mosque. It was kind of eerie. The chat was Ala Akliba or “Ala is the greatest.” This is the same thing the Muslim extremists yell before they blow themselves up in acts of terrorism. Keith was telling us many of the Muslim houses here have a copy of the Koran, but it is in Arabic. The Muslims in Thailand cannot even read their own scriptures! This is a great advantage to the Christians who have the Bible in Thai. After lunch we went back to the same area and visited a few Buddhist households. We met an older man who takes care of his wife’s daughter. His wife died a few years ago and her daughter from another marriage is paralyzed from an accident. He was very interested in the gospel. We left him a copy of John and a Jesus movie in Thai. The next place we visited was wonderful. The entire family listened and said they understood as I went through the plan of salvation using the evangicube. They said their daughters had been going to a Christian school nearby and were interested in Christianity. They obviously were too. They also wanted more information. So we were also able to give them a Jesus movie and a copy of John. Please pray that a house church will be able to be started in this villiage. Tonight we are having chili dogs!

Today has been another good day of sharing the gospel with surrounding villages. We went into an area that is mixed with Muslim and Buddhist villages. I went with Rich and Nim. The first house we went to was owned by an older woman in her sixties. She had her mother who was in her eighties living with her and her youngest son who was nineteen. They allowed us to share the gospel with them, but told us they believed Ala would judge them when they died and that if they were good enough they would go to heaven. Before we left we offered them a copy of the gospel of John in Thai, but they refused. As we left their house we realized the village mosque was right behind their house. We then shared the gospel with a man right on the mosque steps! He seemed very eager to hear and we were able to give him a copy of the gospel of John. Later as we were sharing with a couple who owned a restaurant (ranahan in Thai), the call to prayer started coming out from the mosque. It was kind of eerie. The chat was Ala Akliba or “Ala is the greatest.” This is the same thing the Muslim extremists yell before they blow themselves up in acts of terrorism. Keith was telling us many of the Muslim houses here have a copy of the Koran, but it is in Arabic. The Muslims in Thailand cannot even read their own scriptures! This is a great advantage to the Christians who have the Bible in Thai. After lunch we went back to the same area and visited a few Buddhist households. We met an older man who takes care of his wife’s daughter. His wife died a few years ago and her daughter from another marriage is paralyzed from an accident. He was very interested in the gospel. We left him a copy of John and a Jesus movie in Thai. The next place we visited was wonderful. The entire family listened and said they understood as I went through the plan of salvation using the evangicube. They said their daughters had been going to a Christian school nearby and were interested in Christianity. They obviously were too. They also wanted more information. So we were also able to give them a Jesus movie and a copy of John. Please pray that a house church will be able to be started in this villiage. Tonight we are having chili dogs!

Let me take a minute to apologize for my spelling and grammar. :-) Hooked on phonics didn't work for me! As you read and find strange spellings, just laugh and read on the best you can. :-)

 

Today is Sunday and we had a church service with all the house churches. We gathered in a picnic shelter about 20 minutes outside of town. There were about 60 people there. Most of them were from a house church that started with only 3 people just a few years ago. Ken and I got to share our testimonies and we lead them in a few songs. One of which was "Jesus Lover of My Soul". This was moving to me because they sang in Thai while we sang in English. It reminded me that God is God and praised by all people. Afterward we had lunch together. Amber and Emily made baloon animals for all the kids while Ong and Scott showed the adults how to witness using the Evangicube. (That thing has really come in handy. )  We had brought a case with us so we gave them out to many of the people there and had them take turns practicing in front of the group. Keith explained to me later that this was wonderful because the Thai dialect that he and Ong speak makes it a little difficult for the southern Thai's to understand. If the native southern Thais can evangelise, Keith thinks the message will get through much more clearly. We also prayed for several people in the group. One woman asked us to pray for her husband. At first, he was opposed to her becoming a Christian, but later became more receptive after he had a motorcycle accident that left him unable to walk. She asked us to pray for healing for him and that he will accept Christ. He has offered up his home as a house church which is a big step. We also prayed for a man in a wheel chair. He was paralyzed from the waist down and asked us to pray for healing. Please keep all these people in your prayers. Keith and I have discussed several times how prayer is the most important part of ministering and I believe it.

 

Another way God is working in my life is the meaning to the songs we sing every day. The title track to Paul Baloche's new CD "Our God Saves" is a great example. The Thai people follow Buddah who does not promise salvation. Buddah teaches there is no God, but you die and everyone must go to hell to be punished for your sins. Once your punishment is complete you then go to a "heaven" and are rewarded for your good deeds. After this your list of good and bad deeds gets transferred to a new born baby and continues. What a life of hopelessness! The song "Our God Saves" will no longer hold the same meaning for me. I will always think about our God is a God who loves us and truly rescues us from the pit of hell through his own sacrifice. There is no list of deeds, no earning your way, no paying for debts, and best of all no hopelessness! OUR GOD SAVES!!

 

 

Saturday was a good day. After breakfast we headed off to just outside Phang Nga and went door to door. Emily and I were teamed up with Am. We worked well together since we had both worked with Am before and knew his testimony. We visited several houses before lunch and everyone was very receptive. We were able to share the gospel using the Evangicube and all of us gave our testamony. One house had twin girls who were 16, they really seemed to connect with Emily. They had studied English in school and we told them they could practice with us. This allowed Emily to share her testamony with them. They were very interested and asked if we could give them a Bible that had both Thai and English. Keith said they had several and will take them one later.

 

After lunch we went back to go to the other houses we missed. We came upon a group of young guys who really seemd to connect with us and Am. We both shared our testimony and went through the Evangicube with them. They also were very interested and we gave them a copy of all the different tracks we had and two Jesus movies! All of them also filled out cards to ask for even more information and to have follow up visits.

 

After talking with Keith and Rich, I realized the work we accomplished this day was very successful. It takes several visits for the Thai people to even consider Christianity as something for them. It is considered a western religion, so much so that many people we encountered though Jesus was from America! Allowing them to even hear about Jesus (many for the first time ever) is a wonderful success in itself. We in America sometimes look at success in evagelism in numbers of people saved. However, I think we should look at it more as the number of times we are able to present the gospel and then trust God to do His work. The Bible tells us that His Word never returns void and that God draws all men unto Himself. With these two things in mind, I got back on the van full of inspiration and excitement at the thoughts of what God will do in the hearts of the people we had met that day.

 

We went to Ong's house to eat dinner that night. It was wonderful! They had traditional Thai food prepaired by his wife, Ning. I loved it! Some others were a little unsure but dove in anyway and were suprised at how good it was. Ong showed his mushroom shack. He and Keith explained that he is starting to grow and sell mushrooms to support himself. This way he can continue to stay in Phang Nga and minister to the people. Please pray for Ong's mushrooms to mulitply and grow well. Afterward, we had a time of worship together and planned the worship service for tomorrow. We would be gathering all the house churches together for one large service.

 

 

After I updated the blog yesterday we headed over to the missionary's house and had some prayer time together. Keith wasn't going with us because he was meeting with other regional missionaries at his house. We got to meet some of them. Two younger guys had come down from Bangkok to work with us since Keith couldn't go. One was an American missionary named Rich and another was his Thai disciple who has only been a Christian for 3 years. His name is Am. Ken and I were teamed up with them and we headed out. Rich is very fluent in Thai and of course Am speaks Thai as his native language. Because of this, we were able to speak with people for quite a while. Am was able to give his testimony several times in some of the houses we visited. Rich would translate quietly for Ken and myself to keep us in on the conversation. I was able to give my testimony once and share the evangicube. The people were very welcoming and would listen to what we had to say. It is amazing to me that so many had never heard of Jesus. The few that had though Jesus was from a America! This is one reason why Thailand is such a difficult place to witness. In America, Europe, and even parts of Africa and Asia, most people have heard of Jesus or have an idea about Christianity. To the Thai people it is all new.

 

In the Buddhist religion, it is taught that creation and evolution is a myth. All things just are and always have been. This is a great way for us to witness. Am would ask people how the Earth came to be. This is a question most Thai people never have pondered. The looks on their faces was amazing. You could tell it really made them start to wonder. Wondering makes you ask questions, asking questions makes you begin to search, and if you search for God, He will reveal Himself. So please pray that the people we witness to will read the tracks we give them and fill out the response cards. This will allow the missionaries or other teams to follow up with them.

 

After we finished our work for the day, we went back to Keith's house for dinner. Tracy (his wife) had made tacos for dinner. American food at last, well sort of :-). Afterward, we had a time of worship together. We sang the words in English while Ong and the other translators sang in Thai. That is a truly amazing experience, to be a part of a worship service with people of different walks of life praising God in different languages together.

 

We all slept well and began our day with worship again. On the way to the market to get some breakfast, Ken and I saw one of the ladies we had witnessed to. She recognized us and we told each other "sawadee cup" which is "hello" in Thai. She began to talk to the other women around her about us. I'm hoping she was telling them about our conversation the day before about Jesus. I'm excited about going out again. Please pray that the rain subsides and we can get to talk to more people. I really feel that God is beginning to move here and a revival will sweep through the nation of Thailand. It's humbling that God would choose to use us to be a part of it.

 

We all slept well and began our day with worship again. On the way to the market to get some breakfast, Ken and I saw one of the ladies we had witnessed to. She recognized us and we told each other "sawadee cup" which is "hello" in Thai. She began to talk to the other women around her about us. I'm hoping she was telling them about our coversation the day before about Jesus. I'm excited about going out again. Please pray that the rain subsides and we can get to talk to more people. I really feel that God is beginning to move here and a revival will sweep through the nation of Thailand. It's humbling that God would choose to use us to be a part of it.

It is rainy season over here. It rains about an hour or two off and on every day. It will go from a clear sky to downpour in about 5 seconds. Yesterday while I was updating the blog, one of the storms came. It is customary to take your shoes off before entering any building. I left mine outside instead of right inside the door like everyone else. So my flip flops were soaked. It wouldn't have been that big a deal if they weren't the leather kind. Those don't dry out that quickly. :-)

 

Later that night we went to the fair. It was comparable to a flea market in Dallas, NC.  We passed out tracks to as many people as we could. Most of them looked at us like we were crazy, but we didn't care. I think they thought we were trying to sell them something. Ong told us to say "Jack Free" which means "This is free". That worked pretty good most of the time. The ground was a big mud puddle from all the rain and my flip flops went from wet to mud covered in a matter of minutes, but it's all good. :-)

 

When we finished we went back to the hotel and showered. I hung my flip flops up so the air vent would hit them and hopefully dry them off. I slept like a rock! This morning I woke to discover my shoes were about 90% dry! We walked down to the market and got some sticky rice and fried chicken. I also got some grapes that we all shared, a very good breakfast!

 

Today we'll be going out again to pass out tracks and talk to people. I'm excited to see what will happen today. Keep us in your prayers.

Wow! So much has happened since the last update. We finally arrived in Thailand last night about 8:00pm local time (7:00 am EST). The landing in Phucket was a little rough It was raining pretty bad and we had to circle around a few times. We got some food and headed toward the hotel in Phang Nga about 45 minutes away. We got checked in and got a little sleep. I slept good, but woke up at about 4 and couldn't get back to sleep. I still feel pretty good though.

 

It was funny as soon as we began driving through the town, my memories of my last trip came back. I felt like I'd met an old friend I hadn't seen in a long time. This morning after I exchanged my dollars for baht, I bought some chicken and sticky rice for breakfast. I have to say it tasted as good as Chic-Fil-A. :-) After that it was time to leave.

 

We headed to the missionaries' house and met the people we would be working with and divided up into teams of three. I got to work with Ong. He is the Thai pastor who works with the house churches here. We went door to door and gave out tracks with a response card. If they are interested in learning about Jesus, they usually fill out the card then and we take it. We also will show them the evangicube if they are interested. Our group got to do this twice. One of these times the lady told us she had a medical condition. I'm not exactly sure what it was, but I think it was a problem with blood clots. Ong and I prayed for her and she was overwhelmed that we would care about her enough to pray for her.

 

There is a fair in town and we are going tonight to hand out tracks and talk to people. I'm really looking forward to this. Ong has taught me a little more Thai that I can actually use. "Nee Bin Raung Kong Priasu" which means this is the story of Jesus. I usually say this to people as I give the the track.

 

Please continue to pray for us as well as Ong, Keith, and Traci. Also please pray for the Thai translators MiMi, Amanda, and Ni.

 

I've uploaded some pictures from this morning. The landscape is breath taking. I don't think the pictures will even do it justice.

Well we all survived the 16 hour flight from LAX to Taiwan. We're all a little tired, but otherwise okay. I managed to get about 4 hours sleep on the flight, so I feel okay. We have about an hour before we board our next 6 hour flight to Malaysia. Then we'll have a 5 hour layover and 2 hour flight to Phucket. We're all getting to the point that we just want to get there.

 

I met some really cool people while waiting for the flight in LAX. I met a guy who is from Oklahoma, but now lives in India as a missionary. I also met a guy from India who works training leaders in Malaysia. I go their contact info and will be able to keep in touch with them. It's amazing how God puts people in your path without you ever expecting it and in the most unlikely places.

 

I've added a few pictues of the airport here in Taiwan on the photos page under Thailand Mission Trip 2008.

Well we survived the trip to LA. The 4 hour flight seemed long. We found out that our next flight will be 16 hours to Taiwan with a 2 hour layover then 6 hours more to Malaysia. Then we have a 5 hour layover until our flight to Phucket Thailand.

 

As you can see from the new photos, everyone is really excited about our upcoming flights. 

 

 

So after the boys got up from their afternoon nap today, we went to Walmart and got the last few things I needed for the trip. I finally found the "boonie cap" that I wanted. I also got a neck pillow (to make the 36 hour flight more comfortable) and some beef jerky (yum!). Overall, I feel pretty prepared. I want to refine my testimony a little more, but other than that I feel ready.

 

As a side story, the boys have become captivated by the evangicube that we'll be using over there. I've had one at home for practicing, and they have been my audience. Robbie has completely memorized the story that goes along with the cube. In fact, his favorite part is explaining what to do after you become a Christian. The last part of this is "Tell others about Jesus." Which, I have explained that's why I am going to Thailand. He told me that he wanted to do that to and took the evangicube to his preschool for share time. His teacher said he explained all the different pictures perfectly. I have to admit as a father that was a pretty proud moment. My 5 year old wants to share Jesus! I hope this is a trend that continues.

 

I guess I'll be staying up late tonight packing and what not. It never hurts to be tired when you get on a long flight. It can help you sleep through it. :-)

 

Aimee has packed her schedule for fun activities for her and the boys while I'm gone. Hopefully that will help the time pass faster for them. I think it will pass quickly for me even though it feels like it will be months.

 

Please take just a minute or two every day these next twelve days and lift our team and the missionaries up in your prayers. I believe in prayer and I know God always honors the requests of His children.

 

Thank you all for supporting us.

Less than a week left until we leave. I'm still going through my Thai language lessons. I can now tell someone I want to eat rice at a restaurant.    Oh boy!

 

The thoughts of leaving my wife and boys keep getting more intense. Aimee keeps telling me that it will go by fast. Robbie is excited that I'm getting to go tell people about Jesus. He says he wants to go to Thailand to tell others about Jesus someday too. That's exciting to me. I hope when he's old enough to go on an international mission trip that we can go to Thailand together. I can't think of many other things that would be better than doing ministry work with your own child. It makes me think about what Scott and Ken must be feeling having their daughters go with us this time.  Very cool stuff...

 

:-)

13 days left until I depart to Thailand. I have gotten a copy of Pimsleur's Thai and am going through it. I've gotten to lesson five out of ten. I still can't say very much though. The Thai language is very difficult to me. It's tonal, meaning you have to use the correct tone or series of tones in a word or it means something else entirely. So far I only know how to say I can understand/speak Thai/English and how to ask where something is. I guess that's important.  I'm still excited and a little scared. Also I am sad thinking about being away from Aimee and the boys for almost two weeks.

 

We finally got our trip itinerary. It's not finalized yet, but it looks pretty much as I expected. We'll be actually on the ground in Phang-gna on Wednesday the 7th at about 6:45pm local time. That gives us just enough time to eat something and go to bed. So three days of our trip is pretty much just us getting there and getting rested. Thursday morning we start with a worship time together and then it’s off to evangelism. Every day with the exception of Sunday we will be doing door to door evangelism. This is very exciting to me. We will be able to do a lot of footwork for the missionaries in just a few days that would take them a month. While we are telling people about Jesus, we will be using a device called an evangicube. It's a pretty cool cube that changes shapes and tells the gospel with pictures. We're learning how to use short sentences the translators can easily translate into Thai. Here is a video that gives an example of how to use the evangicube: http://www.simplysharejesus.com

 

The only day we won't be doing any evangelism is Sunday. Instead, we will be having a joint house church meeting. This is something that doesn't happen too often there. All the small house churches will be getting together for one large worship service. Another thing I am excited about is the men will be going to speak with Buddhist monks. Pray for us that we will be able to share our faith with them.

 

The last day we will be there is Friday May 16th so that gives us a total of 11 days there. That's not too bad for a 15 and a half day trip total. We will be arriving home on Saturday the 17th at 6:30am. That will be interesting.  I think I'll probably feel like a zombie for a few days but I know it will be all good.

 

 

We have started a new Bible study in our Sunday school class on the book of Acts. So Aimee and I have been reading the first few chapters. I think it's amazing how God brings different areas of your life together to teach you things...

 

The area where we will be going on the mission trip is much like the early church in Acts. Most of the believers there are new to the faith. The house churches are growing at a very fast rate. God is doing some miracles there such as healing in some of the villages. As I read about the first church in Acts and apply it to the young church in southern Thailand, I am praying that God would help me to learn lessons that can be used on my mission trip.

 

 

 

We had a good meeting about our upcoming trip last night. We still do not have an itenerary, but Scott will be talking with the Keith to plan out our trip. We did, however, get our flight information. We will be flying Malaysia Air. We will go from Charlotte to Los Angeles to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia to Phuket Thailand. The whole trip will be 36 hours. (WOW) I don't think the flight was that long last time. I'm worried I may go a little stir crazy.

 

We also got a list of prayer requests from Keith and Tracy. They asked for us to pray for four villiages: Butay and Deen Cow villages these are villiages with established house churches. Pray for the groups in these villages to grow in Christ and for leaders to emerge to start new house churches. Also pray for the Bring and Band Duhee villages. These are "seeker" villages where there are few believers. Pray for the people in these villiages to accept Christ and for the gospel to be clearly presented.

 

Of course please remember my team (Scott, Brian, Ken, Amanda, Emily, and myself), the missionaries (Keith and Tracy), and the Thai pastor (Ong) in your prayers.

 

I will be writing my testamony for the translators to put into Thai. It needs to be writen in a way that can be easily translated and without any "church" words. The audience who will be hearing it would not understand many of the church words we take for granted like sin, salvation, or saved. So please pray for me as I write.

 

Thank you all for supporting me.

I finally finished my support letter and emailed it out. I really need prayer for a few things.

 

   I really want to make sure I am as spiritually prepared to go as possible. So I am asking for everyone to pray that God will prepare my heart. It's hard sometimes to separate the excitement of the ministry opportunity from the excitement of the experience. I've heard people talk about how they felt like some people who go on mission trips use them as a vacation or for site seeing. That is the last thing I want this to be. So I'm praying that I will really be able to focus on the ministry aspect of the trip and not just the experience of the Thai culture.

 

   It's also important that everyone else on the team is prepared as well. One guy who is going is named Brian. He is the only one in our group so far who has not been to Thailand before. I know he is a little nervous about the whole trip. So I am praying for him.

 

Hopefully I will have some more updates soon.