Serving The Lord in Thailand

Hello my name is April and I have been married to my wonderful husband Bill for 23 years, and we are missionaries in Thailand.

Four years ago Bill and I were living in Pennsylvania, where Bill worked as an attorney and I worked for a municipal government in the Finance Department.  We were busy with work and serving in many different capacities at our church.

Back in 2005 God had placed it on our hearts to sell our large home (we were thinking Christian Bed and Breakfast, but God had a different plan.)  So we sold our home and started to rent a small bungalow.

Bill and I both felt that the Lord wanted us to serve as fulltime missionaries, but we did not know where or when.  So, we just kept praying.  We started to feel that the field had been narrowed to Australia or Thailand.  (Let me just stop and tell you that our claim to ‘world travel’ up to this point had been that we had traveled into Canada, several times.)  J  We really wanted to serve where the Lord wanted us to serve, so I kept praying that God would make it SO obvious that even I would get it.  And He did!

One day Bill and I were in New Jersey.  We had just gone to church down in Ocean City, and we decided to go for a drive.  We were driving in our Prius, when all of a sudden the GPS started talking.  It said “Your destination has been set!”  We were truly startled when the GPS started to talk.  We had not programmed it, and to be honest, we really had not used the GPS other than to look at the screen that shows where we are currently driving. 

We both turned to look at each other, and Bill tried not to drive off of the road.  Bill looked at my hands to see if I had pushed a button or something, and I looked at his.  But, neither of us had touched the GPS or any controls for that matter.  Just then, the GPS started to speak again.  This time it said “The Point of Interest will now show all Thai Restaurants.”

The screen did not show anything, but from that moment on we knew without a doubt that Thailand was where He wanted us to serve.  We had such a peace in our hearts from that time on.

So, we left our jobs, our families and our friends, got rid of our stuff, and moved halfway around the world to Thailand.  From the time we landed in Thailand, we have felt at home.  Okay so there were things that we had to adjust too: Like not being able to speak with most people, because we did not know the language; Not having the luxury of going to a bookstore to buy a book written in English; Dealing with the fact that a simple Thai Bible costs nearly $30.00, which puts it way out of the reach of the average Thai person; Geckos crawling on the walls inside and out; Washing dishes and clothes in room temp water; and Hot weather all year long.  The list could go on.  J

God has really given us a heart and a love for the people here in Thailand.  I really like the Brandon Heath song “Give Me Your Eyes”, and that is what I pray daily, that God will give me His heart shaped eyes to see people the way He does.

When we came to Thailand we did not know exactly what the Lord wanted to do through us, but in the two years that we have been here He has used us.  Praise God!  We have helped start two churches.  We opened a Youth Center and where we have Bible studies, games and dinner for youth between the ages of 10 and 18.  I teach Ladies Bible study every week.  I started to teach Ballet and Praise Dance about a month and a half ago, and the girls have danced in two churches and for church gathering of 200 people.  We have taught English at church and at an orphanage. . .

Everyday is a new opportunity for us to reach out, serve and love like Jesus.  We are so humbled that He would use us in this way.

People here ask me about my joy, which is a wonderful segue for me to tell them about Jesus.

When people ask me how I am, I always say “I am blessed!”  This too leads into conversations about the Lord.  Yes, there are potholes in the road of life.  There are challenges and hurts, but I know through everything that I am blessed because the Lord is always with me.  Loving me, and loving through me.  Guiding me, and helping me guide others.  Giving me wisdom, discernment, and encouragement, and helping me to teach and encourage others.    

So with a grateful heart I serve the Lord with my husband, here in Thailand.  I feel blessed and honored to serve the people of Thailand.

Giving all the credit, all the praise and glory and honor where it belongs, to the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings, Jesus, my God and my Savior!

Blessings,

April

American Blessings. . .

For a little over two weeks in July, we were blessed with a trip back to America. We saw our beautiful niece get married to the love of her life; we visited family and friends, and we sold one of our vehicles. All and all it was a blessing filled, albeit, whirlwind trip.

We landed around 7 in the evening of the fourth of July, which of course meant fireworks were coming in a few short hours. So, after Bill’s brother and his wife picked us up at the airport, we went and got takeout food for dinner, as we were hungry. We then went to the parking lot of a large store, as it was purported in the newspaper to be the best spot from which to watch the fireworks from. As we sat in the parking lot, having met another niece and her husband and their son in the parking lot as well, Bill and I ate and chatted and stretched our weary legs. Others had obviously read the notice about the prime location for watching the fireworks and they had set up lawn chairs and had toys and blankets for the children. However, as time went on and darkness came, the only fireworks we saw were obviously home fireworks sent into the sky to delight their families. So, one by one, families that had set up camp in the parking lot began to pack up and go home; and we followed suit. Because we had been up for over two days, except for a couple of cat naps we took during a couple of the flights, we were not too disappointed that we were not able to see fireworks that night.

We were humbled and blessed by the hospitality of so many. Thank you to the many family members and friends that opened their homes to us, invited us for meals and provided wonderful encouragement and conversation. We cannot thank you enough, as this was balm for our souls. We were also blessed to have met two babies that had been born since we have been living in Thailand. As we got together with family and friends, even though it had been nearly a year since we had seen them, we immediately felt comfortable with them and the conversation flowed easily. Thank you Lord, for these blessings!

After a little over two weeks in America we were headed back to Thailand. Four flights and 35 hours later, after greeting our puppy, Pumpkin, we fell into our bed at home in Hua Hin at 3:00 in the morning on Friday. When we got up later that morning we hit the ground running. After all, at 6:00 p.m. we would be hosting 25 people for dinner, fellowship and Bible Study. (The hit the ground running method has worked wonders for not suffering from jet lag.) The following day, Saturday, we had 20 youth for Youth Group at our house. We played games, led a Bible Study and supplied dinner for them.

I love serving others, by serving the Lord.

The Lord is continually working on my heart,

To make it more like HIS!

“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,”  Ephesians 6:7


“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”  Romans 12:11


By April