Shall We Dance. . .

Since we have returned to Thailand from America, God has just been so incredible in my life.  In fact, sometimes, I have felt as if I am running just to keep up.  Sadly, one area in my life that has gotten set aside during this time is my blogging.  I say sadly, because I truly enjoy blogging.  I love to share what God puts on my heart, in hopes that it will speak to and encourage someone else.

Here in Thailand I have offered to share my knowledge about ballet and Praise Dance with the girls in the area.  The girls have been so dedicated and enthusiastic!  They have picked up the basics of ballet so quickly.  Okay, okay, I know I sound like a proud teacher, but listen to how the Lord has worked through this ministry. . .

A friend popped into in Youth Group one Saturday, and chatted with Bill and I briefly, while the youth ate dinner.  I talked about how well the girls had done in their first ballet class.  He immediately jumped in and said, “Oh by the way, would the girls be available to perform at an all church gathering the last Friday in September?”

I laughed and told him that they had only had 1 class so far.  He said that was fine, and that he was sure that they would do a great job.  Some of the girls were at Youth Group and I called them aside and told them that they had been asked to dance in two weeks for a gathering of hundreds.  They all started to laugh.  I told them it was true, and they laughed all the harder, saying that they had only had 1 class so far.

I went back and told our friend that 2 weeks was just too soon.  Not to miss an opportunity, he said “Okay, how about if they dance at the following gathering on the last Friday in October?”  I told him I would let him know.

At the next ballet class I discussed with the girls the possibility of dancing at the end of October.  They kept asking me if I thought they could do it.  I really felt like the Lord was saying “Yes, they can do this.”, and I told them I thought they could do it.

And they did!  Two nights ago, they danced in front of about 200 people from Thai churches and from English speaking churches, and they did an amazing job.

In fact, as soon as the worship service was over, the coordinator came over and pleaded with me to have the girls dance at the November gathering.  Not just one dance, but two.  She said she wanted the girls to open the worship service with a dance and close the service with another dance.

We (the girls and I) decided that it would be too much for me to choreograph two dances, teach them the dances and rehearse enough that they would feel that they had done their very best.  So, we are looking at maybe December.

So far, the girls have danced at two churches and the all church gathering of our town.  They are dancing at another church in December, and. . .

Well, we are still working out details about other dancing opportunities.

I have seen this group of girls draw closer to each other, encourage each other and seek to Honor the Lord with their dancing.

Praise God!

"Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!"  Psalm 150:4

Blessings,

April

Let’s Make a Deal. . .

In order to teach the Youth Group the importance of decision making, sometimes we play 'Let’s Make a Deal'.  We have been teaching from Proverbs and about how to make wise decisions.  We play the game at a fairly quick pace, so the youth have to make some snap decisions.  They will often turn around to the group looking for help as to what bag or bucket to choose from.

We start by asking for a volunteer and then we invite that youth to come forward and choose Bag #1 or Bag #2.  Once they decide which bag they want to choose something from, we have them look away from the bag and reach in and grab something.

It could be something ‘good’ like a new toy or some candy or it could be a ‘not so good’ item like a broken chewed pencil, a toothpick or a crumpled paper towel.  Once they have taken their item out of the bag, we then offer them the option of keeping their item or trading it in for what is in one of three bowls.  We do not give them a lot of time to think about it, forcing them to make a quick decision.

If they decide to keep the item then they go back and sit down with their item, however, if they decide to trade it in they return the item they picked and then they reach in the bucket they have chosen.  At this point there is either a lot of laughing, because they traded a new toy for a used toothbrush or there are oohs and ahh’s because the new item definitely was better than the first.

Then, we challenge them by offering them one more choice, to keep what they have or trade it in on an unknown item in one of two buckets.  After either keeping the item in their hand or trading in their item for another ‘treasure’, they return to their seat.

One of the true blessings for us is to see the youth when they reach in and pull out a brand new Bible.  Every time it has happened the youth has looked delighted.  One time one of the Thai youth reached in and got an English Bible.  I explained that the Bible was in English and that he could trade it in for something else, he hugged the Bible to his chest and said he wanted to keep it.  He went and sat down and held the Bible like it was a priceless treasure. . .and that it is!  What a wise young man.

We have been blessed with seeing the youth that ‘won’ Bibles carry them to and from Bible study faithfully.

We have also been blessed to hear how God has spoken to their hearts as we have challenged the youth to read a chapter of Proverbs every day.  We explained to the youth that sometimes when you have to make a decision you have plenty of time to pray, or to ask for counsel from someone you trust.  But, sometimes circumstances require us to make on-the-spot decisions; and that is where Proverbs comes in.

The Book of Proverbs in the Bible is replete with words of wisdom for us to live by.  We explained to the youth that when they have to make snap decisions it will be helpful to them to have words of wisdom from the Bible in their hearts and minds, so that they can call on them as they try to make wise decisions. 

Proverbs 22:17-21  “Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips. That your trust may be in the LORD, I have made them known to you today, even to you. Have I not written for you thirty sayings of counsel and knowledge, to make you know what is right and true, that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?”

1 Timothy 4:11-13  “Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.”

Deuteronomy 11:18-19  "So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.”

Psalm 119:11, 105  “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. ...  Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

So, my challenge to each of us is to read a chapter of Proverbs every day.  The youth have been reading from Proverbs for over a month now, and with 31 Proverbs it works out really well to read one a day completing all of them in a month.  As the youth had read through all 31 Proverbs, they started at Proverbs 1 again and they found that they now comprehend some things that they did not understand the first time through.  Praise God! 

I know that I am finding the same thing as I read through Proverbs and the rest of the Bible.  God’s living Word is continually opening up to us in new and refreshing ways.

You can do this!. . .And I believe you will be blessed for doing this as you find yourself making decision after decision, day after day; using wisdom from Proverbs as your guide to making wise decisions and living a life that honors the Lord.

A chapter of Proverbs a day. . .

Blessings,

April

Bill and the youth waiting to start playing 'Let's Make a Deal'.

Twenty Six Hours One Weekend. . .

On September 19th our first Youth Group Retreat in Thailand started. All of the youth and three adult volunteers were to meet at our house at 4:00 pm on Friday.

I had gone shopping with my friend that runs the resort, to get food and snacks for all of the meals that we would share together at the Youth Group Retreat. When my friend and I returned to the resort, I called Bill (my husband). He said that the youth started arriving at our house before 3:00 and that there appeared to be more than had signed up. Yikes!

After getting off the phone with Bill I quickly arranged for the use of a third dorm, as we had more youth than we anticipated.

Around 4:15 the vehicles left our house and transported the youth to the resort, and we were off and running. The retreat included dinner on Friday, then a Bible Study followed by a time of discussion. Next, they had free time – which a lot of the youth choose to spend swimming, playing board and card games, or doing art work. Then we walked the two minute walk to the beach for a bonfire – where we taught the non-Americans about the yumminess of s’mors. After that, we went back to the resort for a movie that ended around 11:00 pm, the youth went back to their dorms and we had lights out at 11:30 pm.

Saturday was to start with the youth waking-up at 7:30 am. I had planned to get up at 6:00 to spend time in prayer, reading my Bible and perusing the lessons we were going to teach. After my shower I heard talking, and sure enough a number of the youth were up and excited about the day, not long after 6:00 am.

Saturday went as follows: Breakfast at 8:00, followed by quiet time/prayer time, then about 40 minutes of free time (aka swimming, swimming and more swimming). Actually some of the youth did go for a walk along the beach, and some played games or worked on arts and crafts, but the pool and the slack line were the big hit. The slack line was like a tightrope across the middle of the pool. We then had another Bible Study, followed by a time of discussion. Next, it was time for lunch. As I watched the youth get in line to get their lunch and then find a seat, I thought about the cartoon that shows a whole fish on a plate and then something runs by the fish, and all that is left is bones. That was what feeding the Youth Group was like. There was a lot of food, the youth went through the line, and then there were empty serving dishes. I guess they liked the food.

After lunch we had free time down on the beach. The youth played Spud, volleyball with a huge ball, walked on the beach, sat and talked with each other, and made sand castles.

After brushing off the sand from the beach, we went back to the resort for the third Bible Study and discussion time. The youth then had 45 minutes of free time, which most of them spent. . .you guessed it, swimming and walking the slack line across the pool.

After all that excitement, we had the task of trying to get everybody back upstairs for a time of Worship.

We then shared dinner together, followed by packing up their belongings and clearing out of the dorms.

Before we left the resort, I gathered all of the youth together for a group photo. Standing toward the front was a young boy with two tears flowing down his cheeks, he tried to smile as he realized that the retreat was over and it was time to go home. Seeing that young boy and the emotion he felt about the retreat being over, tugged at my heart. Bill and I had tried to make the retreat a wonderful, fun, exciting time to learn about Jesus. We had been planning for months, so that it would be a meaningful time for each of the youth. Seeing and later hearing, how much the retreat meant to each of the youth was such a blessing for us. We feel so blessed to be used by the Lord. We are humbled and grateful. Thank you Lord!

We headed back to our house around 6:20 pm on Saturday. Upon arriving, with the youth and their belongings strewn around our yard and house, we served up the usual ice cream cones that signify the end of Youth Group. A lot of the youth hung out at our house well past 7:00 pm, reminiscing about the retreat. Praise God!

The Lord was awesome in bringing just the right youth to the retreat. With 27 youth from at least three different countries, there could have been disagreements or problems, but there were none. Thank you Lord!

Being in a foreign country it is amazing to see the Lord work in the hearts of the Thai youth. Only He can do that, as we are still learning the Thai language.

Mark 10:13-16 NLT - "One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch them and bless them, but the disciples told them not to bother him. But when Jesus saw what was happening, he was very displeased with his disciples. He said to them, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you, anyone who doesn't have their kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God." Then he took the children into his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them."

The English speaking youth blessed us with a wonderful, huge Thank you card, and the Thai speaking youth blessed us with a great Thank you card that was artfully folded into an intricate heart shape.

Oh how we pray that each one of the youth would come to truly know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

We want to give a huge thank you to all of you that supported us with prayer and with funding. Thank you for your faithfulness. We were able to offer the retreat to all of the youth at no cost to them. We pray that you will each realize that you are as much a part of the work that is being done for Christ here in Hua Hin, as we are. God bless you!

By April

Photo by Stefan Schmied

Has It Really Been a Year. . .

Has it really been a year since Bill and I left America and moved to Hua Hin, Thailand as missionaries? August 30th was our 1st anniversary of being in Thailand.

Wow, in some ways it seems like we have been here for years. We have made wonderful friends; the Lord has worked through us and used our home in a mighty way, as only He can. At other times it seems like the year whizzed by, and we can hardly believe that a year is up already.

The blessings over the year have come in the form of starting a weekly:

Ladies Bible Study -

Men’s Outreach Project

Men’s Bible Study

Day of Prayer

Youth Group – Games, Bible Study, Dinner & Fellowship

As well as, moving the Friday night Dinner and Bible Study to our home; and my taking over all of the church accounting; and Bill produces a weekly church bulletin and prints Our Daily Bread in English and in Thai for those attending Sunday services. We have added a prayer box at church for those that do not wish to lift up their prayer concerns during the service. We pray over all of the prayer requests each day of the week.

We praise God for faithful Bible Study participants that come eager to learn about Jesus; share in praying for each other and share in giving praise to the Lord.

We praise God for youth that show up for Youth Group half an hour early with grins from ear to ear, they are so happy to be here. They don’t let flat tires, or rain drenched days keep them away, and they thank us profusely for letting them come when they leave. They are joyful and thankful. Praise God!

We have added a Prayer Box and Prayer Pops program for the youth. When the youth leave a prayer request in the Prayer Box, they get to take a Prayer Pop (a tootsie pop type lollypop). It has been such a blessing to hear the hearts of the youth. They confess weaknesses and ask for strength in following the Lord, and they lift up the needs of others. We lift up these prayer concerns to the Lord every day.

Of course there have been some difficult times, but as Jesus reminds me during those times of trial “Keep your eyes on Me!”

As we continue to live and minister here in Thailand, we pray that when people see us – they will see God; and when they hear us - they will hear God. Every day we will seek to see where the Holy Spirit is leading us; seek to follow Him in all we do; and pray that we reflect Jesus everywhere we go.

A beautiful friend brought us beautiful roses to commemorate our 1st anniversary of being in Thailand. What a blessing! Thank you, Moni!

By April