TEXAS Team

After the team climbed up the Tom Sua mountain, they could see the surrounding area where they would be working during the week & they prayed for the people in the area. Their work included many activities such as doing a program for the local Compassion group. Their leader preached on Sunday and some of the members did a mime. Their programs in 5 schools were varied with puppets, singing, mimes & games. Wherever they went they were a huge success and were signing their names like movie stars on either tracts or plain white paper. At each school they got hugs and some kisses from the students. In the last school, some of the music students performed using Thai musical instruments such as ongalungs, & drums. In addition, Bibles and Christian material was left for the school library & various teachers.
On their last day of ministry, the group passed out tracts. Divided up into 4 groups, the groups went from house to house presenting the gospel in the village of Dead Elephant. Most of the volunteers had never witnessed before and became proficient as the day went on. One group met Mac. Two years before, a girl had given him some Christian literature. He had questions, but didn’t know where to go to get answers. They gave him a Bible and explained about it so he could begin reading about God. Another group met a girl named Oh, who wasn’t interested in God. As they talked to her, her defenses went down and she said to the translator, “these people are just like me, they have problems and yet they seem to have joy.” We left her some Christian literature and plan on going back to visit.
Many of the volunteers spoke about how the trip had changed their lives. They did not just see Krabi, Thailand as a tourist destination, but as a place filled with lost Thais.

YORAY Charms

Branee gave me a well-worn green plastic container with 3 items inside. Her instructions: “Get rid of this stuff! I don’t want it any more.” The box contained 3 gold plated charms held by a long silver chain stuffed inside individual soft white cloth bags. Believers in YoRay* use this metal charm (encased in plastic) in a ceremony for healing people from various diseases or illnesses. I asked Khun Bird, Branee’s son: “In the past as you practiced the YoRay religion to whom did you pray when using the charm to heal others?” I was curious to know if he prayed to the Japanese founder of YoRay, now deceased, or some other god. Khun Bird replied that one could pray to any god of his choosing. Followers of YoRay believe supernatural power passes through the charm producing a golden light that brings healing to those sick. Each charm cost the followers of YoRay 2000 Baht or about $69 US dollars. As requested, I did away with the charms. But notice the real commitment on the part of Branee & Bird to give up completely the old way of life for the truth in Jesus Christ. * YoRay is a religion from Japan that tries to incorporate beliefs from several religions into one. Besides healings, they ask members to paint abstract pictures to express their energized emotions and arrange flowers to give them peace of mind.

Wanted: Oh

Oh is a young adult woman, who is very shy. While going out with the Texas team, Jay, who translated for the team cornered Oh. Through the testimony of Nathan & Jon, Oh felt close to these young adults. She said they have problems just like me. Jay explained how he was a Buddhist, but came to see Jesus as the only hope for his life. She is interested in God. Pray that she will overcome her shyness, come to worship in Khao Phanom and believe in Jesus as her Savior.

Wanted: Mac

Mac is a 40+ year old man with questions about God. He has a wife from the northeast and 2 children. He has a small convenience shop in his home, but is also a rubber farmer. He is building a new house right beside his old home. Two years ago he received tracts from us and had questions, but didn’t know who to ask. This year the group from Texas met him and witnessed to him. Pray that God will speak to his heart through reading the Bible and dreams.

Prayer & Praise

1. Praise God for the Texas team and the program that they presented in schools and the results which will come because of their coming.
2. Praise God that we have sold most of our furniture. We have only a few small items left. This is an answer to your prayers!
3. Pray that we will finish well, as we prepare to leave Thailand.
4. Continue to pray for the group in Khao Phanom grow numerically & to soon form a church.
5. Pray that those who have received a Christian witness will know they need Jesus as Savior.

Nathan

We were very fortunate to have had Nathan Eversole spend 3 weeks at Tom Gop school in Khao Phanom. Nathan was kept busy teaching kindergarten through 9th grade levels. After teaching one class, he noticed a child starting to go through his backpack. One of the girls in the class fussed at her friend for doing that. Nathan, however, didn't scold the child but figured out that the student was curious about the Christian tracts he carried inside the bag. Nathan gave the student a tract. This led to others coming and wanting a Christian tract too. A few minutes later, the student re-appeared to ask him the meaning of the pictures in the tract. Nathan sat down and patiently went through the Gospel story using the pictures from the tract. This turned out to be a great opportunity to share about Jesus using a natural situation initiated by the student.
One day, the entire school went across the street to a Buddhist Wat. The school was to present candles to the monks. During the ceremony, Nathan was seated at the front. While the students and teachers bowed to the Buddha image, Nathan sat respectfully still. The head monk wanted to know why Nathan didn't bow as did the others from his school. The head teacher from Tom Gop school whispered to the monk, "He is a Christian, Chrit, Chrit". The monk didn't quite hear. She whispered louder, "He believes in Christ". Finally the students picked up the word "Christ" echoing Jesus name throughout the Buddhist Wat. This was probably the last place you'd ever think to hear the name Jesus. After the event, everyone knew for sure that Nathan was a Christian.
Both teachers and students really appreciated Nathan teaching skills and friendship. Several have told us that they will miss him very much.

Dylan

Dylan Hollinger was another teacher volunteer who helped in Khao Phanom for 3 weeks. He worked at Khao Din Pra-cha-ah-new-goon School. Dylan taught mostly 12th graders. He played volleyball, "Cross word" games, cheered the kids on as they competed in sports activities, and even went on a field trip to a plush hotel in a resort city. The purpose of the trip was to help students learn how to eat like westerners using forks and knives like you would in a fancy restaurant. He spent an extended time with his roommate Ga-mon, a Muslim who heard the gospel through Dylan’s conversations with Dee, a girl friend of Gamon’s. He also spent 2 weekends with the head of the English department’s family. Through conversations in the evening on a bamboo shelter outside their home, Dylan talked about Christianity & his beliefs. Baum and his wife, New, tried to give the Buddhist perspective on what they believed. Baum & New had a hard time explaining some things or didn’t really have a good answer to some of the questions that Dylan posed to them. Baum was curious about what happened to a person when they died because he had been to 4 funerals during the last month. Through this conversation, Dylan was able to share the Gospel. He affected the lives of Baum and New’s family and had a teary departure. Dylan said that he learned much from his time in Thailand especially the power of answered prayer as he leaned on God.