The reality of a limited vocabulary
I’ve been speaking English for over 45 years now yet I find myself at a loss for words. How do I express my gratitude and thanks and deep appreciation to someone, several someones actually, that have blessed me in such a way that “thank you” seems trivial?
Let me explain.
There’s a church in a small town in NV. Small enough you can drive from one side to the other in about 10 minutes. My sister and her family are very involved in this church. I’ve met the pastor a few times while visiting my sister. He and his family are genuine, kind people.
Early last year I sent out a newsletter with an urgent need for financial support. My sister talked to her pastor about my need. I sent them a 2-3 minute video with a general description of what I do and the short version of my calling. There was no way I could have imagined what would happen next.
The missions committee of this church not only made a significant monthly commitment, they have made several generous donations as well. Along with that, they email me every 4-6 weeks or so to ask how I’m doing and how they can be praying for me.
Keep in mind this church is not an Assemblies of God church, I have never done a church service, and I have never met anyone on the missions committee. I have been a full time missionary for 15 years. I say this with all respect and love: not one church has reached out to me to ask how they can be praying for me. Not one. Yet this church, whose organization I’m not part of, consistently reaches out to me and financially supports me.
I cannot exaggerate how much they have done for me. They have single-handedly financially kept me on the field. If it weren’t for them I would have run out of funds long ago. I would have had to leave Thailand and the kids I have come to love like they’re my own.
As I’ve been trying to figure out how to say “thank you” for that, I’ve found that words simply aren’t enough. So what can I do? I can express my gratitude by making the most of my time here. By being more bold in my faith, more intentional in my relationships, more wise as a leader. I could say thank you for the rest of my life and it wouldn’t feel like enough. But perhaps if more kids and their families come to know Jesus that would be the greatest thank you of all time.
I share about this church for many reasons. None of which are to shame or speak down about AG churches. It’s to show that the Great Commission is bigger than denominations and organizations. It’s bigger than all the chaos that is happening around the world. It’s bigger than the uncertainty of the economy. I share about this church because they are a prime example of what it looks like to fulfill the Great Commission well. To trust the Lord with finances and to be generous. To make sure the lost are found. And to make sure missionaries are covered in prayer.
So, to this church in NV, thank you!! There will be a long line of people in heaven that I can’t wait to introduce you to! May they be the reward of your faithful generosity!
But who will I talk to?
In August I relaunched our children’s church program. My goal is to train up the youth to share with the kids. We are working on a kid’s worship team and leadership team. We already have a few that volunteer to the be the emcee. I don’t know who’s enjoying it more, me or them.
One afternoon I was talking to Veronica. She’s 19. She grew up attending the center and is now on staff. I was telling her that if God gathered up all of the Christians in the world right now and took us all to heaven that 99% of Thailand would not be there. Her immediate response was, “But who will I talk to?”
We laughed but we were also deeply aware of the reality that Thailand needs Jesus. Only .97% of Thailand is Christian. After nearly 200 years the map hasn’t changed much. Sure, we can send more missionaries to Thailand. Sadly, it takes more than that. It takes prayer. Prayer breaks the strongholds of spiritual darkness. Prayer softens hearts to be open to the Good News. Prayer pushes back against the unrelenting opposition of the Adversary. Prayer protects and empowers. Prayer opens doors that seem impossible to open.
Would you join me in prayer to Change the Map? I have a prayer space that I update on Mondays. There you can partner with me to pray for the lost to be found, the captives to be set free, and the blind to see. Click the link below to join my prayer space!
Jesus, America, me
After 11 years of being in Thailand I finally got to host a team from my home church!! It was a dream come true! They far exceeded my expectations. Not because my expectations were low, but because the team was so humble.
With only a few days here the team had to hit the ground running. From the airport we went to lunch then the team had about 2 hours to rest and get settled in the hotel. First thing on the schedule was orientation.
Orientation started with a reality check. “You represent Jesus, America, and me.” I didn’t expect the team to be perfect. They’re jet lagged, in a new country, in a very different culture. I did expect them to try. And try they did. I never had to correct them. Not in their behavior or how they were dressed. They we so mindful of the culture and the relationships I’ve built. They were quick to serve and jump right into ministry with me.
I attribute the success of the team to the leaders Carrie and Rhea. They did so well preparing the team stateside. A humble team is not as common as you’d think. A team that is willing to set down their desires in an effort to best serve the missionary is a team that is always welcome!
Can I text you?
Is it just me or do emails and social media make you zone out? Who wants another email to read? Who pays attention to social media posts anymore?
But what about texts? Texts are more personal. Texts are more intentional. Would you be interested in receiving text updates from me? I’m trying to think of ways to better stay in touch with you. If you enjoy my newsletters and instagram posts that’s great! If you want to hear from me more often with more specific information let me know! If enough people are interested I will set up a text update. Fill out the form below if you’re interested. Let me know how often you’d like to receive texts. I will use that to see what’s best for everyone.
It’s that time of year
Please pray for us as we prepare for our Christmas program. We are expecting around 200 people. Last year our theme was “What is Christmas?”. This year is “Why Christmas?”. Last year we shared that God came to us in human form through Jesus. This year we will share why he had to do that. Please pray for ears to hear, minds to understand, and hearts to receive the Good News. Christianity is foolish to a Buddhist. Pray that they would know the truth and that the truth would set them free.
