Day 7- Children's Outreach 2

Second day of children's outreach! We climbed this really steep mountain and i almost wanted to give up. but as i pressed on and eventually reached the top, i was reminded that this is just like our walk with God. the journey may be tough, but if we press on and hold on tight to God, we'll see the beautiful scene at the end. =)

when i was sitting in the songtiao, i remember myself asking God, "God, are you playing with us?" because the rain kept going on & off. we had to travel to a few places to find a suitable place so that Benjamin could share. we finally settled for a large field.

(before it started to pour)

after speaking his first sentence, it started to rain and the kids all ran back into the song tiao. looking back, it was indeed quite a comical scene! well, it may have been deemed a failure in the eyes of men, but God definitely had better plans for us.

(after it started to pour!)

Because of the wet weather, the supposedly campfire was held at the RADION shophouse instead. Benjamin & Phyllis shared their testimonies and we put up a simple skit about how sin weighs us down. the only way to be free is through Christ.



Eugene asked those who had past hurts in their life to step out so that we could pray for them. i don't really know what happened in the midst of it, how it even all started, but i remember seeing something which i have never ever seen in my whole 18 years- children crying and weeping so hard.

As we prayed for the kids, a few girls huddled together at a corner. they were sobbing and crying so much, that even though i did not know what they have been through, i felt as though i could feel what they're going through as well. my heart broke into pieces.

(Kut, in the foreground)

then i saw Kut, the only boy whom was under me during the children's outing. He looked quite dazed, he seemed not to know what was going on.i didn't know if he had understood God's love i just felt compelled to hug him and i told him, "Prajau rak kun (God loves you)". He started to cry.

this went on for quite some time. it made me realise one thing: no one is ever too young to understand God's love. :)

thank you Lord for the little ones.. i've learnt so much more from them than they could ever learn from me. :)

(Phyllis, Vera & Kenson with some of the girls)

-Yining

Day 6- Children's Outreach 1

First day of children's outing! After a round of introduction and ice breakers, we set out in view of the good weather. However, it started to rain as we were travelling in the song tiao. Some things could not be carried out as planned, but in the end everything worked out fine.

Thank God for providing a school premise so that we could carry out our evangelistic sharing & games! Even tho we weren't able to do a lot of things, i thank God for that time to bond with all the children as a whole, not just each individual with the children assigned to him/her.



Phyllis shared about the colour creation story.10 children prayed to receive Christ. After the sharing, our team came together and prayed. Usually, the children would be very noisy and would run about without any supervision. however, eugene & ben pointed out that while we were praying, the children just quietly sat there and waited for us. it was God who kept order among the kids. :)

Day 5- Evangelistic BBQ

The day started off with visiting a few more families and inviting them for the evangelistic BBQ at night.

Before the event started, our team did a short prayer walk around the shophouse. As we gathered and prayed together as a group, i opened my eyes and was very touched to see Jai & Jong, with their eyes closed and hands clasped as we prayed. they didn't understand what we were praying about, moreover they did not even need to come to pray with us. but they joined us. Wow. Child-like faith.

We put up a simple skit which reflected on the plight which most of the elderly women there go through- loneliness, hunger, hopelessness.. It was followed by Ronald's testimony about how God was ever so faithful through the darkest moments in his life.



It was certaintly not the work of men but by God- about 30 people prayed to receive Christ that night! it was more than 1/2 of the people who turned up. Praise the Lord! :)




As we were praying for the people, one lady came up to me and asked me to pray for her. Using my very limited Pasat Thai and with some help from Ben, i found out that she was not feeling well and that she wanted to believe in Christ. (she did not say the sinner's prayer earlier on & had just walked up to the front at that moment) Pe Aun led her in the sinner's prayer and another soul had been saved. :)

As many of us prayed for good weather, God was faithful. (He still is!) Despite raining everyday ever since we reached Khek Noi, God held back the rain that night. Words can't describe fully how awesome my God is. :)

Day 4

We continued the second day of home visitations. We were slightly discouraged early on, when some of the houses that we were supposed to visit were empty. However, God chose to show us His faithfulness during the 3rd household that we visited. Individually, we felt in us a prompting to share something to the old lady that we were ministering. After much waiting and affirmation, someone began sharing. An outpour followed when we all confirmed with this common burden we all had been experiencing; that she has been suffering things alone.

She continued with, “I’ve raised my husband’s second wife’s children like my own, yet they do not care about me. Today, I experienced what love is.”

These were the words of this lady. As we prayed for her, our team started weeping. We were burdening and aching for her, and as some of us phrased it as a downloading process of her sufferings into us. We felt the presence of the Holy Spirit, and we wanted her to understand only in Him, can we not be disappointed; men has disappointed us much, but not Him, for He is our faithful God. Our translator, Pe Ann, led her into the sinner’s prayer.

3 girls-Jong, Jai & Faa came along with us. When we were interceding for the lady, the 3 of them cried too. I know that they did not cry just because we did, but it was because God’s presence was moving in the place. While the 3 held my hands tightly, I prayed that God would use them mightily, that they will not only comprehend God’s love, but also want to share this wonderful thing with their Hmong people and beyond. =)

Day 3

After an intense prayer meeting that lasted from morning till afternoon, we headed down to one of the village home to visit the chicken lady (known by the wave 1 team). Unfortunately, she was not around. We were disappointed that we couldn’t meet her. But God had other plans for us.

We headed down to another village home and visited a family of 10. The family had 3 adults and 7 kids. They couldn’t even make ends meet as 1 of the ladies was suffering from malnutrition and another was suffering from sinus that affected her vision. The man of the family was also unable to work as he had been suffering from leg pain for months. We prayed for them and provided some kuay teow for them. I was especially happy and I couldn’t stop crying and laughing at the same time as the man whom we prayed for prayed to receive Christ too. Praise the Lord! Just as we were about to leave the house, some lady asked us to pray for a partially deaf girl. Vera went up to pray for her. After a short prayer, Vera tested the girl’s hearing. She was healed instantly!!! J I couldn’t help but keep thanking the Lord for performing such miracles. It wasn’t for our glory but for His! It was only by divine appointment that we can meet the young girl. Vera was so moved that she kept crying. On the whole, the team felt encouraged after seeing the girl being healed instantly.


The joy didn’t end at the outreach. We returned to the shophouse and had time to bond with the kids. It was such a joy to play with them. We had a short prayer for them too. It was then that the team realized something. All along, we felt like we were the ones whom the kids should be learning from. However, much can be learnt from kids too. The child-like faith that they have in praying to the Lord and even the stillness that they have when we asked them if we can pray for them is something that hard to come by nowadays. Sometimes I wonder, are there actually such kids in Singapore that would show so much faith and reverence to our Lord as the kids in Thailand. =)

Hola! supporters and friends! :)

Today is the 2nd day since we arrived at Khek Noi village. The day started off with a heavy downpour and meteorological reports have confirmed that it will be raining heavily over the weekends. We actually made plans to go to the waterfall for our outreach program over the weekend. In consideration of current reports, we have to come up with alternate locations for the outreach program. We do feel a bit disappointed with the weather reports but we have faith in the Lord that this is all still part of His great plan.

The whole team prayed up for the morning. God never fails to refresh us in an intimate way. It was important that we prepare ourselves even before we enter the spiritual battleground. Eugene also reminded us that we ourselves are the living gospels that will minister to them. Our actions reflect upon the God that we serve. Therefore, it is important that we be mindful of how we live our lives.

On the way up, Eugene was sharing about an "Amy" that he has forged close bonds with. We finally met her today in the comfort of her pig sty. We thank God for the creativity to reach out to the villagers through various means such as employment on the farm and blessing the village with food and introducing modern arigational techniques.



Do continue to keep us in your prayers as we get ourselves all geared up for God to use us in this battle.

P.S Please pray for Eugene and Ben too as they continue to labour for the Lord on the frontline.

Sawatdeekah!

Hello friends and supporters!



We reached Khek Noi Village yesterday afternoon. Thank God for granting us journey mercy. It has indeed been tough for us to come for this trip because of initial parental objections and political chaos in Thailand. Praise to be to God! :)


Heading to the RADION shophouse after dropping our luggages, we had some time to bond with the children. It was a joy to see kids expressions as we handed out the clothes to them, especially with Yining meeting her girls. :)


After dinner, we spent some time sharing and preparing our hearts. We learnt that amount of time we spent doing devotions didn't quite equate to the depth of how much we commune with God. It is necessary to set our hearts right upon the Lord before we can even reach out to the others.

It is our prayer that God will break us and use us for the expansion of His kingdom, that He will grant each of us a personal breakthrough in our lives. Thank you for your partnership and do continue to keep us in prayer! Khorbkhunkah! :)


-Vera

Prayer Calendar!

Hi Friends!

Its 2 days to our trip! Getting ready physically (packing, etc..) is important but what's most important is staying focused on God! I pray that this will be a life changing trip for us, that even after the trip, we'll not forget of the lessons that God has taught us during these 10 days. =)

Below is our team prayer calendar! We really appreciate and need your prayers to intercede for the Hmong Laos and Hmong Thais!

an encouragement

Howdy. Today, i went to collect my new chris tomlin cd, hello love. As I looked through the songs, one song really encourage me. This song is titled- with me.

I open my mouth and you speak for me
You move the mountains and roll back the sea

I will not be afraid
I will be never ashamed
For you are with me
You are with me

I've seen enough to know
That you are my only hope
I don't want to go
If you're not with me

We open our hands and you reach for us
You are the motion of the universe

Well as I am listening to this song now, it serves as a reminder to me that God is in control of every situation that we face. :] so i hope that this song will serve as an encouragement to us as we prepare for this trip! :]

Green Light!

Dear friends and supporters,

it has been a hectic week for our team as we had 4 team meetings in a row this week. It was physically tiring no doubt, yet spiritually refreshed! my heart is filled with thanksgiving and awe as i'm typing this: THE TRIP IS ON!

Through all these, i noticed that my team became more united as we prayed for God to open the doors for us. God used songs and His word to encourage and assure us.. I was reminded that God IS still the same God that was ever so faithful during my wave 1 trip to the refugee camp in March.

This song, Blessed Be Your Name, kept playing through my mind as we were unsure if we could go for this trip. Here's an excerpt of the lyrics:

"You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord blessed be Your name"

Praising God when the situation seems bleak definitely isn't an easy thing to do. But i've experienced the faithfulness of my God- If He has opened the door, no one can close it but Him. Even though sometimes we do not understand why we experience what we experienced, you somehow will see sometime later why God planned it that way. like the chinese saying: "先苦后甜", i believe that with trials, we'll then be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel better. :D

i thank God for this experience; it made this trip even more valuable, precious.. a reminder that every second is important to save lives for His kingdom. =)

---

Here is a preview of what we've been doing..



Have a blessed weekend ahead! =)

Run to Jesus

This song has been on my heart for the past couple of days as we prepare for the trip.

Your eye is on the sparrow
And Your hand, it comforts me
From the ends of the Earth to the depth of my heart
Let Your mercy and strength be seen

You call me to Your purpose
As angels understand
For Your glory, may You draw all men
As Your love and grace demand

And I will run to You
To Your words of truth
Not by might, not by power
But by the spirit of God
Yes I will run the race
'Till I see Your face
Oh let me live in the glory of Your grace

— I Will Run to You by Darlene Zschech

Let's keep running to Him as we run the race for Him in Phetchabun!

Vera Vera Vera...Here she goes :)

Thank you for praying. VERA finally can go! God paved the way for her. Finally God left no one behind. Here's what Vera says "Hello Team. All glory and honor belongs to God!:> Whoo! I just want to thank God for you guys and for your prayers, for intercessing for me. I believe that God will indeed do more miracles and i pray that we will continue to trust in Him as He has indeed made a way for us!" All glory to God!

Almost there

Thank you for all your prayers as we trust the Lord together to send this team up to Thailand. Do continue to pray for our team mates and also our family members who love us and care so much for us a children. Pray that God's peace will fill their hearts as we look forward to depart. Pray especially for Vera as she speaks to her parents regarding this issue. We are currently still waiting for approval from higher authority and of course God Himself to send us if He wants us to go. Its about Him and His kingdom, not us. whether we go or not go God still loves the Hmong people much more than our love for them. We are privileged to journey this path with Him.

Urgent Prayer Request!!!

Last tuesday, Thailand went into a state of emergency as protesters gather at the parliament house. Do continue to pray for the situation in Thailand and also for our team as we look to the Lord for open doors. Do pray that our eyes and our hearts will be focused on the Lord who is the King of Glory. whether we can go for this trip or if the Lord chose not to open. We will still praise and worship the Lord and stay faithful to Him. If He chose to open, we will go in by faith and see Him breaking our hearts for the people He love and is concern about :)

Team, though now MFA has issued instructions to avoid going into thailand for this moment (which means officially we can't go) , but I believe that the Lord will make a way for us! Let's draw strength from the Lord :) though i do not know the outcome, but the LOrd knows. Let's just wait, pray and interecede for Thailand - "land of the free" that it can find true freedom in Jesus alone!

My dear prayer intercessors and supporters, do pray for us and the situation in Thailand and claim psalm 24 as a prayer passage for us

Psalm 24

Of David. A psalm.

1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;

2 for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.

3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ?
Who may stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false. ^[a]

5 He will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God his Savior.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, O God of Jacob. ^[b]
Selah

7 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

8 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.

9 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
he is the King of glory.
Selah