Chulalongkorn University Work

Nam Jai, Pop, Me and Jah (Freshman at Chulalongkorn Univ.)

Me and Puppap (4th year student at Chula

Fon and me (the other 2 girls we met at the canteen that are interning near Chula but from a different university)

Kwang, Me, Fhonn, and Eye (4th year Chula students)

Me, Pop, Nam Jai, Beta, Mook, and Jah (all freshman at Chula)

Me and Orn (4th year student at Chula)

Me and Jinn (4th year student at Chula)

Dream, Me, and Noi Naa (4th year students at Chula)

Melissa, Me, Kate, and Katy (3 of the American university Texas girls)

Sorry for the boring title.  It has been so long since I wrote that I just decided to give an update of the work from the "American summer months".  This past summer (June-August) we had a team of 4 American university students from Texas come to work with us.  They are always very helpful and I enjoy having them here but when the 8 weeks are finished there is also a sigh of relief. 

It is hard to believe that Chulalongkorn University (the university I now target) only has another 4 weeks and this semester is finished.  Where did the time go?  I remember the first week in June when the semester first started and I was meeting lots of new students and helping the freshman (they call them freshy here) find their way around campus. 

There are too many stories to tell for one post.  I have met a lot of students in the past few months and continue to meet more weekly.   God is doing great things at Chula and has opened many doors.  God is good!! 

What is His plan?

Well I have been back in Thailand serving my 2nd term for almost 2 months now and loving it!  The weird thing is that it feels like a much longer time and hard to believe that I was in America not long ago. 

Maybe the busy schedule is the reason for it feeling like a much longer time.  Immediately upon my return to Thailand I began studying Thai at ULS (Union Language School).  The schedule for studying is 8:00-12:00 Monday-Friday so I am getting 20 hours of formal language study per week.  I understand most things and can usually answer the question in Thai but the vocabulary is overwhelming.  We learn about 30 or so new words per day which averages to about 150 per week.  My poor little brain can't take in that many but I do the best I can do. 

2 weeks ago the Universities here began the new semester.  Different schedule than America.  The semester here goes from June-October.  So now after studying Thai for 4 hours I go to Chulalongkorn University and meet with students.  This past week was amazing!  I had appointments to meet with different students that I know every day and each of them brought 3-5 friends with them so I met about 10 or more new students this week. 

In the evening I still go to the BSC and try to meet students and talk with people I know from before.  It is a long day for me but I always feel so blessed with all of the great Thai people I meet throughout the day. 

Sometimes I wish I knew God's plan for me for the next 3 years but it doesn't work that way.  I know God has great and mighty plans just like the Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11-13.  I am overwhelmed right now with the many doors that God has opened for me and am just asking daily for His leading. 

Just taking it all in

I was considering not writing this blog anymore.  It has been almost 4 months since I posted last and I'm not faithful at writing anyways.  I will give it one more try and see if I do any better in 2012. 

Taking it all in is the perfect title to summarize my life.  I had 3 wonderful months in America (January-April).  I got to travel to several states and see almost all of my family and friends.  I didn't get to go everywhere and see everyone but almost.  I felt like 3 months was the perfect amount of time.  I enjoyed the wonderful weather in America and the great food but most of all just spending quality time with family and friends. 

Now I'm back in Bangkok and happy to be back.  Although the weather is very very very hot!!!  April is the hottest month of the year.  It has been around 100 and above every day.  I go through clothes quickly since I have to wear at least 2 outfits a day. 

I'm now back studying Thai at Union Language school.  I really want to be fluent in Thai so I'm trying to work very hard to get it this time around.  So far it hasn't been too hard because now I have 3 years of experience listening to Thai people speak.  It is a whole different experience then what I had 3 years ago when I first arrived and studied Thai.  3 years ago I was so lost and had no idea what the teacher was saying and spent hours just trying to understand and complete my homework.  Now I understand almost everything the teacher says and it takes me only about 10-20 minutes to do my homework, but I am trying to study 1-2 hours so I will get more of the vocabulary.

There are lots of changes in my ministry since coming back.  I am now only focusing on reaching Chulalongkorn University.  It is the #1 university in Thailand and has about 24,000 + students.  I am really excited to see the doors that God is going to open there. 

Well that is a very brief summary of the many things I'm trying to take all in at this time.  Hopefully more blogs to come in the future!

3 years and a visit to America

It's hard to believe that I have been living in Thailand now for 3 whole years!!  It has become my life and I can't imagine anything different.  Some days I could do without the hot and humid weather but overall I just love it here.

If I took the time to really reflect on what God has done in my life in the past 3 years I would be writing on this blog more often.  I have so much to be thankful for as God has chosen to put so many wonderful opportunities, ministries, and Thai people in my life daily.  When I take some time to reflect and look back I am in awe.  I know I am not worthy and I know I have so much growing I need to do personally in my spiritual life but God chooses to use me anyways.  I am very thankful for that! 

I'm going to list a few of those doors that God has opened for me here in the past 3 years and I'm likely to forget some because He has opened so many.

* Teaching opportunities in the classroom at Sripatum University (SPU)
*Discipling some students who became new believers at Sripatum University
*Summer Team Ministry at SPU (2009,2010)
*Discipling one professor at SPU who became a believer
*Tutoring students at SPU
*Bible storying in English with students at SPU

*Teaching opporunity for freshman and sophomore chemistry students at Rangsit University

*Bible storying with P'Thai (worker) at Chulalongkorn University
*Bible storying with Aom and Pang (work in the chemistry department) at Chulalongkorn University
*Taking the summer team to Chulalongkorn (summer 2011)
*Meeting a student named Ant weekly at Chulalongkorn

*Just recently the Lord opened a door to a new University called Rajamangala Jakaphong Univ.

*Teaching Bible/English every Thursday night at the BSC (started in January of 2011)
*Teaching regular English classes at the BSC Monday nights

*Discipling many new believers using t4t (training 4 trainers)
*Starting new cell groups

**And many more great blessings!  Looking forward to seeing family and friends in America soon.

Baptism December 5, 2011

6 New Believers baptized!!

Fah, Kaew, Nan, Gig, Aom, Fon (left to right)

Nan Baptized

Where to begin??

I have been really bad about updating my blog these days. That is never good because too much time passes and I forget to update you on exciting things that happened or I simply just forget things that really are blog worthy.

 

 

The most recent one I don't think I will be forgetting anytime soon. This past monday december 5th we went to the beach to baptize 6 new believers! That is the 6th Baptism I have been able to be a part of in my 3 years here. I was so excited to see 6 ladies get baptized but the one that was the most special to me was Nan.

 

 

I met Nan about 1 year ago at the BSC. She is a University student. One evening I saw 2 girls sitting at the BSC waiting for class dressed in their university uniforms so I went to talk to them (Nan and Jae). I invited them to join my free Bible English class on Thursday nights and they did and have been faithful to come ever since that day. Both Nan and Jae have shown a lot of interest in the Gospel since they first started studying the Bible. This past summer at camp both of them were seeking but Nan was the one who made the choice to follow Christ in August. She is so faithful to study the Bible weekly and comes to church faithfully. She shared immediately with her mom about her decision and has never waivered. I'm so excited to see what God is going to do in her life and how He is going to use her to reach her own people. Please pray for Nan as even this Friday 16th I will go with her to her campus to tell her friends the real story about Christmas (her idea).

Flood waters Remain

My home is still flood free but so many Thai people are still suffering with flood waters after almost a month. The water appears to be receding in many areas which is a good sign but they are still predicting 2 weeks to a month to get rid of all of it. I have been able to help in a few ways but I wish I knew what to do so that I could do more to help people.

Once the water leaves the clean up process will be a large task so I'm hoping to be able to help many people clean their homes and move back the things that are still salvageable. I feel like that is something that I can do to help people in the recovering process.

Although my home doesn't have any flood water my daily life is affected in many ways by this flood. Here are a list of a few of them

*There is a water and food shortage at all of the stores. It's weird when you walk in a store and half of the shelves are empty and all of the normal things you look for aren't there.

*The Universities still reamain closed and are likely to stay closed until December. This limits my work during the day time. I'm trying to keep busy and make the most of each day.

*I can't go to some of the places that I often go because of the flood waters.

My list has just a few minor ways that the flood is affecting me but really my heart breaks for the people that have lost everything and just want to go home and start over but still have to wait for the water to leave so that can happen.

Please pray for the people in Thailand. I know God has a great plan for everything that happens.