Hello everyone:
Here are the email messages I sent from my time in Thailand this summer. I will soon be adding pictures and ironing out some of the wrinkles. Thanks for visiting!
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
07/24/2013
Now comes the time for me to depart. I will fly out of Thailand at midnight on July 25th (technically at 23:59 on July 24th, but let’s just assume the plane will take off a minute or more later). I will arrive in America the same day, at 8:15 PM in Phoenix after 36 hours or so of travel time.
The past couple of days have been bittersweet, saying goodbye to the new friends and ministry partners I have made. On Tuesday morning, the Lahu Bible College students sang a couple of songs to me and gave me a picture to remember them by. The missionary couple I help teach English with also made me a goodbye cake, which we all had together.
Later that day, I went to the children’s home and had a special goodbye dinner with the pastor, his wife, and the children. The children thanked me for teaching them English, and I had the privilege of praying for them.
On Wednesday, the pastor and students of Balloon’s church here in Chiang Mai prayed for me and encouraged me as I departed. God has really blessed me with making great connections in ministries here.
Please pray for safe travels and praise God for His work here this summer! Thank you all for your continued prayer support!
-Derek
Pictures:
1) Lahu Bible College students singing a goodbye song to me
2) Pastor Chan, his wife, and the children at our goodbye dinner
Now comes the time for me to depart. I will fly out of Thailand at midnight on July 25th (technically at 23:59 on July 24th, but let’s just assume the plane will take off a minute or more later). I will arrive in America the same day, at 8:15 PM in Phoenix after 36 hours or so of travel time.
The past couple of days have been bittersweet, saying goodbye to the new friends and ministry partners I have made. On Tuesday morning, the Lahu Bible College students sang a couple of songs to me and gave me a picture to remember them by. The missionary couple I help teach English with also made me a goodbye cake, which we all had together.
Later that day, I went to the children’s home and had a special goodbye dinner with the pastor, his wife, and the children. The children thanked me for teaching them English, and I had the privilege of praying for them.
On Wednesday, the pastor and students of Balloon’s church here in Chiang Mai prayed for me and encouraged me as I departed. God has really blessed me with making great connections in ministries here.
Please pray for safe travels and praise God for His work here this summer! Thank you all for your continued prayer support!
-Derek
Pictures:
1) Lahu Bible College students singing a goodbye song to me
2) Pastor Chan, his wife, and the children at our goodbye dinner
07/19/2013
Hello everyone. I hope all is going well for you. I recently recovered from a 2.5-day sickness but now feel great.
My time in Thailand is quickly coming to an end. Over the past couple of weeks, I have been blessed in many ways. In particular, I had the honor of eating dinner with two American missionary couples and Lahu Bible college staff. It was a nice evening of fellowship, warm weather, and delicious duck.
One week ago, a group of Christian students (from the Karen people group) drove down from their school on the Thai/Myanmar border. They stayed in a local church here in Chiang Mai. Their English was very good, and it was a real blessing to get to know them during the week they were here. They also formed a choir and sang hymns for us, which was a lot of fun.
We said good-bye to the Karen students this morning. Though the parting was difficult, I am happy we encouraged them before they left. I felt a sense of unity in the body of Christ as we encouraged them and saw them off. I hope to likewise encourage the believers I have befriended here as I leave Asia in less than a week.
Please pray for the following…
Praises:
>God continues to bless me in numerous ways on this trip
>For a great source of prayer supporters back home (yes, that’s you!)
Requests:
>That I would finish strong in my last few days here, especially by encouraging fellow believers I have connected with here
>That I would have a safe trip back to the US
>That God’s Will ultimately be done, not my own.
Pictures:
1) A nice lunch I had with a teacher and student from the Bible college.
2) The group of 12th-grade Karen students singing hymns at a children’s home where we helped. They were very good!
As always, thanks so much for your prayers and support!
Hello everyone. I hope all is going well for you. I recently recovered from a 2.5-day sickness but now feel great.
My time in Thailand is quickly coming to an end. Over the past couple of weeks, I have been blessed in many ways. In particular, I had the honor of eating dinner with two American missionary couples and Lahu Bible college staff. It was a nice evening of fellowship, warm weather, and delicious duck.
One week ago, a group of Christian students (from the Karen people group) drove down from their school on the Thai/Myanmar border. They stayed in a local church here in Chiang Mai. Their English was very good, and it was a real blessing to get to know them during the week they were here. They also formed a choir and sang hymns for us, which was a lot of fun.
We said good-bye to the Karen students this morning. Though the parting was difficult, I am happy we encouraged them before they left. I felt a sense of unity in the body of Christ as we encouraged them and saw them off. I hope to likewise encourage the believers I have befriended here as I leave Asia in less than a week.
Please pray for the following…
Praises:
>God continues to bless me in numerous ways on this trip
>For a great source of prayer supporters back home (yes, that’s you!)
Requests:
>That I would finish strong in my last few days here, especially by encouraging fellow believers I have connected with here
>That I would have a safe trip back to the US
>That God’s Will ultimately be done, not my own.
Pictures:
1) A nice lunch I had with a teacher and student from the Bible college.
2) The group of 12th-grade Karen students singing hymns at a children’s home where we helped. They were very good!
As always, thanks so much for your prayers and support!
07/02/2013
Hello all, hope things are going well for you.
Things are going well over here in Thailand. I am continuing to work in the three main ministries I told you about last time: 1) assisting Pastor Chan with his children’s home and church; 2) teaching English in a Bible college; and 3) teaching English at another local church. In each of these ministries, it is my hope to further God’s kingdom by sharing the gospel, encouraging believers, and assisting in various other ways.
One particular focus I am involved in is a building project with Pastor Chan at his property (containing the children’s home and church). I recently finished the pig pen project with him. (Recently he also fenced off the area and added ducks and chickens to help feed the children.) I will hopefully work with him to begin construction of a meetinghouse. His plan is to use this meetinghouse when he offers biblical counseling to married couples. Most of these couples are the parents of the children in his children’s home, so it is a neat way to see God’s redemption at work not only in the lives of the children he provides a home for, but their parents as well.
Please pray for the following…
Praises:
>God has blessed me is so many ways for this amazing experience here in Thailand! Areas of specific praise include new people I have forged relationships with, ways I have been able to serve, and new needs I have witnessed.
>My good friend Balloon was baptized last Sunday! I had the privilege of praying for him after he was baptized, which was a great honor.
Requests:
>That I would be able to keep my eyes on God, obediently doing His calling with as little distraction as possible.
>That I would have a clear sense of direction in the remainder of my trip here and then beyond – finishing seminary, and prayerfully discerning God’s future for me.
>As the end of my trip approaches (I have three weeks remaining), that I would stay effective until the end, and have as painless of a good-bye as possible.
>That God’s Will ultimately be done, not my own.
As always, thank you all so much for your prayers and support!
Hello all, hope things are going well for you.
Things are going well over here in Thailand. I am continuing to work in the three main ministries I told you about last time: 1) assisting Pastor Chan with his children’s home and church; 2) teaching English in a Bible college; and 3) teaching English at another local church. In each of these ministries, it is my hope to further God’s kingdom by sharing the gospel, encouraging believers, and assisting in various other ways.
One particular focus I am involved in is a building project with Pastor Chan at his property (containing the children’s home and church). I recently finished the pig pen project with him. (Recently he also fenced off the area and added ducks and chickens to help feed the children.) I will hopefully work with him to begin construction of a meetinghouse. His plan is to use this meetinghouse when he offers biblical counseling to married couples. Most of these couples are the parents of the children in his children’s home, so it is a neat way to see God’s redemption at work not only in the lives of the children he provides a home for, but their parents as well.
Please pray for the following…
Praises:
>God has blessed me is so many ways for this amazing experience here in Thailand! Areas of specific praise include new people I have forged relationships with, ways I have been able to serve, and new needs I have witnessed.
>My good friend Balloon was baptized last Sunday! I had the privilege of praying for him after he was baptized, which was a great honor.
Requests:
>That I would be able to keep my eyes on God, obediently doing His calling with as little distraction as possible.
>That I would have a clear sense of direction in the remainder of my trip here and then beyond – finishing seminary, and prayerfully discerning God’s future for me.
>As the end of my trip approaches (I have three weeks remaining), that I would stay effective until the end, and have as painless of a good-bye as possible.
>That God’s Will ultimately be done, not my own.
As always, thank you all so much for your prayers and support!
06/23/2013
Hello, I hope things are going well for all of you. Things are going very well here in Thailand. I now find myself involved in three main ministries:
1) Assisting Pastor Chan with his children’s home and church. This week I helped him build a pig pen. It was a fun project and now they have a cost-efficient way to raise pigs for food and extra profit to help finance their ministry. He bought four pigs a couple days ago that are now in their pen, eating while getting ready to be eaten.
2) Teaching English in a Bible college. This past week ran smoothly. I am building stronger relationships with the students and learning great teaching techniques from the American missionary couple I work with. I help in a number of English classes and also help teach a computer class in English.
3) Teaching English (and using it as a means to share the gospel) at Payap Christian Zone. This is a church home to diverse age groups and ethnicities, though I am helping in their English-teaching ministry that focuses on outreach to local Thai college students.
Please pray…
Praises:
>God has blessed me with a smooth immersion into the culture and environment here, taking time and energy off of worry or culture shock, and onto ministry.
>Relationships with people have been a huge blessing. I have been able to forge new relationships with many, as well as strengthen existing relationships. This will not only help me in ministry while here now, but help me stay involved – from abroad and when I return – in the future.
Requests:
>That I would be able to keep my eyes on God, obediently doing His calling with as little distraction as possible.
>That I would have a clear sense of direction in the remainder of my trip here (one more month), and then beyond – finishing seminary, and prayerfully discerning God’s future for me.
>That God’s Will ultimately be done, not my own.
Attached are a couple of pictures I thought you might like:
Thank you all for your prayers and support!
Hello, I hope things are going well for all of you. Things are going very well here in Thailand. I now find myself involved in three main ministries:
1) Assisting Pastor Chan with his children’s home and church. This week I helped him build a pig pen. It was a fun project and now they have a cost-efficient way to raise pigs for food and extra profit to help finance their ministry. He bought four pigs a couple days ago that are now in their pen, eating while getting ready to be eaten.
2) Teaching English in a Bible college. This past week ran smoothly. I am building stronger relationships with the students and learning great teaching techniques from the American missionary couple I work with. I help in a number of English classes and also help teach a computer class in English.
3) Teaching English (and using it as a means to share the gospel) at Payap Christian Zone. This is a church home to diverse age groups and ethnicities, though I am helping in their English-teaching ministry that focuses on outreach to local Thai college students.
Please pray…
Praises:
>God has blessed me with a smooth immersion into the culture and environment here, taking time and energy off of worry or culture shock, and onto ministry.
>Relationships with people have been a huge blessing. I have been able to forge new relationships with many, as well as strengthen existing relationships. This will not only help me in ministry while here now, but help me stay involved – from abroad and when I return – in the future.
Requests:
>That I would be able to keep my eyes on God, obediently doing His calling with as little distraction as possible.
>That I would have a clear sense of direction in the remainder of my trip here (one more month), and then beyond – finishing seminary, and prayerfully discerning God’s future for me.
>That God’s Will ultimately be done, not my own.
Attached are a couple of pictures I thought you might like:
1) A couple Balloon and I reached out to. I met them at
church during their first visit, when they came to learn English. They invited
us over to their house for dinner. They both asked a lot of questions about the
gospel. She said she once was close to becoming a Christian, but then decided
not to. Please pray that their hearts are open to receive Christ.
2) Balloon's church group (American interns and locals) outside
their church, before leaving to a southeastern Asian country hostile to the
gospel. Please pray for them to be effectively used by God in sharing the
gospel, and for their safety.
Thank you all for your prayers and support!
06/11/2013
Hello, everyone. Hope all is going well for you. Here is a quick update from Thailand…
Teaching English is going very well! I have two pictures here. The first is me teaching English at the Bible college, using a globe to teach about colors. There is a week-long pastor’s training session at the Bible college this week, which means I have the chance this week to do more English teaching on my own. This is a great learning experience for me and so far has gone very well. The second picture shows the children at the children’s home as my friend Balloon and I teach them English. God also blessed them with new desks to use, so they are excited about that.
Teaching English is proving to be a great bridge in sharing the Gospel. I am meeting later today with a Chinese couple to teach English. I met them several nights ago when they visited church for the first time and had a great talk with them. As far as I can gather, neither are Christians, so this will be a great opportunity for me to share the gospel with them. I will have an update on this (and hopefully pictures) soon!
Several of you expressed interest in financially supporting the children’s home ministry, so thank you for that! If any of you would like to know more about this, please let me know and I will send you more information.
To summarize prayer needs, please pray for the following:
>Receptive minds and hearts for the gospel (especially the Chinese couple mentioned above that I will get to personally interact with about 2-3 times per week)
>Local pastors to be effectively trained in inductive Bible study and preaching skills (that is happening this week at a training session), so they can teach others
>Children at the children’s home to grow spiritually
>Pastor Chan’s plans to one day provide healing family counseling
Thank you all for your prayers and support!
Hello, everyone. Hope all is going well for you. Here is a quick update from Thailand…
Teaching English is going very well! I have two pictures here. The first is me teaching English at the Bible college, using a globe to teach about colors. There is a week-long pastor’s training session at the Bible college this week, which means I have the chance this week to do more English teaching on my own. This is a great learning experience for me and so far has gone very well. The second picture shows the children at the children’s home as my friend Balloon and I teach them English. God also blessed them with new desks to use, so they are excited about that.
Teaching English is proving to be a great bridge in sharing the Gospel. I am meeting later today with a Chinese couple to teach English. I met them several nights ago when they visited church for the first time and had a great talk with them. As far as I can gather, neither are Christians, so this will be a great opportunity for me to share the gospel with them. I will have an update on this (and hopefully pictures) soon!
Several of you expressed interest in financially supporting the children’s home ministry, so thank you for that! If any of you would like to know more about this, please let me know and I will send you more information.
To summarize prayer needs, please pray for the following:
>Receptive minds and hearts for the gospel (especially the Chinese couple mentioned above that I will get to personally interact with about 2-3 times per week)
>Local pastors to be effectively trained in inductive Bible study and preaching skills (that is happening this week at a training session), so they can teach others
>Children at the children’s home to grow spiritually
>Pastor Chan’s plans to one day provide healing family counseling
Thank you all for your prayers and support!
06/02/2013
Hope things are going well for all of you. This past week in Thailand has been great. God has grown me and used me in so many ways it is amazing. Below I have the gist of a sermon I preached today. It is far from perfect, but I hope you find it edifying to some extent.
“Son,
you’ve outgrown my lap but never my heart.” –Anonymous
So often, we see the differences in the younger vs. the older son in Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal (or Lost) Son (Luke 15:11-32). These differences are quite apparent, but today I will focus on how similar the two sons are.
Most of us probably know the story very well. A father has two sons. The younger asks for his inheritance and receives it from his father. Soon after, the son goes to a far country and wastes the money, spending it all. A famine hits, the son starts to feed pigs, and becomes very hungry. So he decides to go back to his father, confess, and ask to be taken back – not as a son but as one of his father’s servants. As he approaches home, his father runs to meet him and kisses him. The son begins to confess, but his father interrupts his apology and orders a celebration for him. When the older son discovers what is going on, he becomes angry. Despite his father’s pleas, the older son complains that in years of faithful service, the father never celebrated like that for him. The parable ends with the father saying it is right to celebrate the younger son’s return, as he was lost but is now found.
In this parable, the brothers share a mindset of approval. The younger son feels a lack of approval from his father (vv. 19, 21), while the older brother feels he has (or should have) earned his father’s approval (vv. 29-30). Both sons act as if their father will or should treat them differently based upon what they do – that they can either earn or lose their father’s love.
In stark contrast to this, their father responds not with approval but with acceptance – he showers love and grace to both sons… regardless of their actions (younger, vv. 20, 22-24; and older, v. 31). The very definition of grace – “unmerited favor” – means it cannot be earned. “Earning” grace is impossible. Grace must be freely offered by one party and accepted by another.
For Christians, Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us that we are not saved by our “own doing” or “works” (approval), but rather by “grace” as a “gift of God” (acceptance). While approval has its place for Christians in our journey to become more like Christ through His working in us (2 Tim 2:15; Rom 8:29), we must not withhold love and acceptance from others (as the older son in the parable did). Instead, we are to show love and grace to all, as the father did in this parable. And just like the lost son, we are to come to our heavenly Father in repentance and restoration on a regular basis.
For those who have not yet accepted Christ as their Savior, there is the age-old question: “What must I do to have eternal life?” Perhaps the most common answer to this question is some variation of, “Be good.” Jesus is teaching the exact opposite of that in this parable. Jesus is saying, in effect, “Cry for help.” Simply trying to “be good” means that a person is trying to earn approval through their own actions. By contrast, when someone cries to God for help, they are recognizing their own helpless condition that only God Himself can fix. The Bible teaches that if you ask for God’s forgiveness of your sins, confess that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Rom 10:9). Our Father in heaven loves us more that we can imagine. He welcomes us wherever we are, no matter what we have done in the past. Come to Him. He will accept you.
Several
prayer requests I have: Please pray for the children (12 girls and 12 boys) in
the children’s home and neighboring church I help out with. Most of these
children come from broken families, so please pray for receptive hearts among
them and their family members. The pastor and his wife manage all of them, and
they are in need of financial support and encouragement. Please also pray that
teaching English at the Bible college will go well. I begin this week.
God Bless you all! Thank you all for your support!
Hope things are going well for all of you. This past week in Thailand has been great. God has grown me and used me in so many ways it is amazing. Below I have the gist of a sermon I preached today. It is far from perfect, but I hope you find it edifying to some extent.
______________________
Approval vs. Acceptance
So often, we see the differences in the younger vs. the older son in Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal (or Lost) Son (Luke 15:11-32). These differences are quite apparent, but today I will focus on how similar the two sons are.
Most of us probably know the story very well. A father has two sons. The younger asks for his inheritance and receives it from his father. Soon after, the son goes to a far country and wastes the money, spending it all. A famine hits, the son starts to feed pigs, and becomes very hungry. So he decides to go back to his father, confess, and ask to be taken back – not as a son but as one of his father’s servants. As he approaches home, his father runs to meet him and kisses him. The son begins to confess, but his father interrupts his apology and orders a celebration for him. When the older son discovers what is going on, he becomes angry. Despite his father’s pleas, the older son complains that in years of faithful service, the father never celebrated like that for him. The parable ends with the father saying it is right to celebrate the younger son’s return, as he was lost but is now found.
In this parable, the brothers share a mindset of approval. The younger son feels a lack of approval from his father (vv. 19, 21), while the older brother feels he has (or should have) earned his father’s approval (vv. 29-30). Both sons act as if their father will or should treat them differently based upon what they do – that they can either earn or lose their father’s love.
In stark contrast to this, their father responds not with approval but with acceptance – he showers love and grace to both sons… regardless of their actions (younger, vv. 20, 22-24; and older, v. 31). The very definition of grace – “unmerited favor” – means it cannot be earned. “Earning” grace is impossible. Grace must be freely offered by one party and accepted by another.
For Christians, Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us that we are not saved by our “own doing” or “works” (approval), but rather by “grace” as a “gift of God” (acceptance). While approval has its place for Christians in our journey to become more like Christ through His working in us (2 Tim 2:15; Rom 8:29), we must not withhold love and acceptance from others (as the older son in the parable did). Instead, we are to show love and grace to all, as the father did in this parable. And just like the lost son, we are to come to our heavenly Father in repentance and restoration on a regular basis.
For those who have not yet accepted Christ as their Savior, there is the age-old question: “What must I do to have eternal life?” Perhaps the most common answer to this question is some variation of, “Be good.” Jesus is teaching the exact opposite of that in this parable. Jesus is saying, in effect, “Cry for help.” Simply trying to “be good” means that a person is trying to earn approval through their own actions. By contrast, when someone cries to God for help, they are recognizing their own helpless condition that only God Himself can fix. The Bible teaches that if you ask for God’s forgiveness of your sins, confess that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Rom 10:9). Our Father in heaven loves us more that we can imagine. He welcomes us wherever we are, no matter what we have done in the past. Come to Him. He will accept you.
_____________________
God Bless you all! Thank you all for your support!
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