So it has been a while and a lot has happened. We are in the states and are as settled as we can be right now. We live with my grandmother in her basement and house sit for friends fairly often. We settled into the church that my parents go to and where I grew up and are happy there. I have a lot of old friends there and they have a lot babies which makes Bum happy. We have been to Florida to see Bob and Jackie (Bum's Farong Parents) and their family and will be going back down to see them and Burt and Teresa (some of our good friends) in a few weeks. There should also be a missionary house coming in about a month so that we can feel a little more at home.
While we have been here our plans have changed a little again. Instead of starting at an extension of a seminary and taking four years to finish we will both work for a year and then move to live on campus at which ever school I finally decide to go to. This will still give us a lot of family time and allow me to finish my schooling in half the time we thought. Right now I am looking at Southern and New Orleans (both southern baptist seminaries) but want to go and look at the campuses and talk to the professors before deciding.
Bum is still working on and waiting for her green card stuff to come through. We have received the notice from the government that they got our first batch of paper work and we are waiting for instructions on what to do next. Pray that this process will be done in a timely manner and we are not just left waiting around forever.
I will try to post some pictures soon so that you can see what all is going on. And I am going to get back onto a regular posting schedule.
Until next time. God bless
Monday, June 22, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
April 25, The Last Time Until Next Time
I was going to do this the other day at home before Bum and I left Chiang Rai but the internet was not working right. So now I am in the room of one of Bum's friends without any of the pictures I was going to include in this post. I guess I will go ahead and make this really short because we are about to go out to eat and then hang out with some of her childhood friends. We are leaving Thailand on May 8th at 5:30 in the AM. We will arrive in ATL on the 8th at about 2:30 I think. This will be the last time that I will have access to the internet and so I will let you all know how the journey went when we are in states and fully rested. Please be praying for Bum and I during our last two weeks here in Thailand and that God would be glorified in our lives. Thank you all for your love and support.
Grace,peace and love form God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace,peace and love form God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Monday, April 6, 2009
April 6, The Rush Begins
So this morning I woke up and to Bell yelling for me in front of the house. Turns out that every time her or Ben opens the gate Cookie, our spasmatic crack addict puppy dog, takes off down the street. I don't know when or why this has started happening but I am the only one she will come back for. So I walk out onto the front porch in my boxers and nearly disintegrated Grapico tee shirt and yell down the street. Cookie comes flying back into the gate onto the tiled porch and crashes into shins with all the force a twitchy little puppy can muster. She then lays on her back and shakes as though her body was not her own but was being controlled by some drunken brain parasite. She does this until I pet her, smack her, or go back inside, in which case she wines until I go back outside and do one of the first two options. Makes me wonder why she loves me so much. I am the only one who beats her. I usually do this a few times a day because she is chewing on or eating everything, or she digs random holes of varying depths and widths all over the yard. I don't think I love God with half the passion that my puppy loves me. He disciplines me far less than I deserve and loves me much more that I am worth. Thanks for the example Cookie.
Any way after that I got dressed and drove my motorcycle up to the mountain where I buy my tea. I bought 2 kilos for while I am in the states and as gifts for relatives that Bum and I are about to visit. I drink a lot of tea and it is a lot cheaper here than in the states. I payed about $30 for the tea I got today verses about $100 for the same type and quality in the states. I was going to have some pictures of the mountains and views (this is one of my favorite places in all of the North of Thailand) but it is the end of burning season and visibility is next to nothing and a gray haze covered most of the scenery. The drive was still very enjoyable however.
After I got home I spent the next several hours packing and sorting and thinking and sorting and packing some more. This is probably all I will do while I am at home for the next few weeks. I will not be home that much though. We leave on the 9th to go to Bum's parent's house (8 hour drive) to take the first load of our stuff down plus stuff from the house that they wanted that we will not sell. we are also taking some stuff from Bell's dorm while she is on summer break. Bum's dad will drive his truck and Bum and I will be in our tiny Dihatsu Mira. Then we will go down to see her grandmother, aunts, and uncles in the south (13 hour drive). They live on the far side of a 10,000 square rai (a rai about the size of an acre) palm grove on the Thai-Burma border. After that we drive to Phuket (pronounced with a P) to see another aunt on the way back to Bum's parent's house (with the detour I am guessing about 16 hours of driving). Then Bum and I will use her dad's truck to come back to Chiang Rai and get the rest of the stuff that we need to take down to her parents before we leave (another 16 hours round trip). During all of this we will be home for about 5 or 6 days starting the 7th. Please be praying that we get done all we need to do before we leave.
We are going to be very busy but I will try to post one more time before we leave. We will not have internet access at her parent's house so it will be on the 20-23rd. Thanks for reading and please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Thai fun fact (this is more of an observation than a fact): The average speed on the highway in Thailand is between 50-60mph (85-100kph) for most cars and trucks. Bum's dad tends to drive a little slower than average and I drive a little faster, so between the two of us we get where we are going the same time as everyone else.
Motorcycles (most of which are 100-125cc) average about 40mph (60kph). I tend to drive about 50mph (85kph) on my little 100cc Honda Dream. I am going to miss my hog.
Any way after that I got dressed and drove my motorcycle up to the mountain where I buy my tea. I bought 2 kilos for while I am in the states and as gifts for relatives that Bum and I are about to visit. I drink a lot of tea and it is a lot cheaper here than in the states. I payed about $30 for the tea I got today verses about $100 for the same type and quality in the states. I was going to have some pictures of the mountains and views (this is one of my favorite places in all of the North of Thailand) but it is the end of burning season and visibility is next to nothing and a gray haze covered most of the scenery. The drive was still very enjoyable however.
After I got home I spent the next several hours packing and sorting and thinking and sorting and packing some more. This is probably all I will do while I am at home for the next few weeks. I will not be home that much though. We leave on the 9th to go to Bum's parent's house (8 hour drive) to take the first load of our stuff down plus stuff from the house that they wanted that we will not sell. we are also taking some stuff from Bell's dorm while she is on summer break. Bum's dad will drive his truck and Bum and I will be in our tiny Dihatsu Mira. Then we will go down to see her grandmother, aunts, and uncles in the south (13 hour drive). They live on the far side of a 10,000 square rai (a rai about the size of an acre) palm grove on the Thai-Burma border. After that we drive to Phuket (pronounced with a P) to see another aunt on the way back to Bum's parent's house (with the detour I am guessing about 16 hours of driving). Then Bum and I will use her dad's truck to come back to Chiang Rai and get the rest of the stuff that we need to take down to her parents before we leave (another 16 hours round trip). During all of this we will be home for about 5 or 6 days starting the 7th. Please be praying that we get done all we need to do before we leave.
We are going to be very busy but I will try to post one more time before we leave. We will not have internet access at her parent's house so it will be on the 20-23rd. Thanks for reading and please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Thai fun fact (this is more of an observation than a fact): The average speed on the highway in Thailand is between 50-60mph (85-100kph) for most cars and trucks. Bum's dad tends to drive a little slower than average and I drive a little faster, so between the two of us we get where we are going the same time as everyone else.
Motorcycles (most of which are 100-125cc) average about 40mph (60kph). I tend to drive about 50mph (85kph) on my little 100cc Honda Dream. I am going to miss my hog.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
April 4, Done and Done
Everything at the university is as finished as it can possibly be. My internship was a success. I gave my presentation, turned in all the reports and forms, and received a pass from the internship department of MFLU. I think I will have to go back one more time to request transcripts but that should not be a problem (he says with doubt tucked snuggly behind the words).
Bum, Ben (her youngest sister), and I all went to Chiang Mai a few days ago so that Bum could interview for a new visa. The interview went great (THANK YOU GOD) and Bum got a one year visa to come to the states. We have bought the tickets and will be arriving in ATL on May 8th. Before we leave we will be traveling a lot to see Bum’s family in the south and moving some of our stuff down to her parent’s house so they can use it while we are gone.
To those of you who have told me that if there is ever anything you can do to help just let you know, I am letting you know. I will be applying for seminary while we are in the states and will need a lot of financial assistance. I will work as much as I can but will not take out any loans at all. The reason for this is that if I am accepted I will move back to Thailand as soon as I finish with school. My plan is to move back and start a house church in the area where Bum went to high school. The city there is several times larger than Chiang Rai but with almost no Christian presence. This is a direct contrast to where we are now where there are many denominations represented each having several missionaries and several active and growing churches. I want to preach where Christ is not yet being preached. I do not feel I am ready to do this and so will be pursuing a seminary degree. Also my visa here will depend on me working. The government in currently working on passing legislature that will make it to where all teachers, foreign and native, will have to have a masters degree in order to teach. Teaching is what I love to do (that is still amazing to me) and will afford me ability to support my family and church if need be. However; in order for this all to happen I will need your help in the near future. If you would like to help financially please write me and let me know so that I can start to budget and plan for what I will have and what I will need. You can email me at life_nchrist@yahoo.com or at lifenchrist@gmail.com.
I would like to mention here that if it had not been for the support of a small handful of financial supporters and a large number of prayer supporters the ministry, work , and witness that I have been able to do among my friends and neighbors here in Thailand would have been very unlikely. So to those of you who have supported and prayed for me over the past 4 years. I ask that you would continue with me in this next chapter of my life and beyond to what ever it is that God is and will call me to do.
Also, Bum and I would love to come and talk to your Sunday school classes, small groups, or churches as a whole. If you would like for us to come and share with you let me know and we can set a date.
Grace, peace, and love
Bum, Ben (her youngest sister), and I all went to Chiang Mai a few days ago so that Bum could interview for a new visa. The interview went great (THANK YOU GOD) and Bum got a one year visa to come to the states. We have bought the tickets and will be arriving in ATL on May 8th. Before we leave we will be traveling a lot to see Bum’s family in the south and moving some of our stuff down to her parent’s house so they can use it while we are gone.
To those of you who have told me that if there is ever anything you can do to help just let you know, I am letting you know. I will be applying for seminary while we are in the states and will need a lot of financial assistance. I will work as much as I can but will not take out any loans at all. The reason for this is that if I am accepted I will move back to Thailand as soon as I finish with school. My plan is to move back and start a house church in the area where Bum went to high school. The city there is several times larger than Chiang Rai but with almost no Christian presence. This is a direct contrast to where we are now where there are many denominations represented each having several missionaries and several active and growing churches. I want to preach where Christ is not yet being preached. I do not feel I am ready to do this and so will be pursuing a seminary degree. Also my visa here will depend on me working. The government in currently working on passing legislature that will make it to where all teachers, foreign and native, will have to have a masters degree in order to teach. Teaching is what I love to do (that is still amazing to me) and will afford me ability to support my family and church if need be. However; in order for this all to happen I will need your help in the near future. If you would like to help financially please write me and let me know so that I can start to budget and plan for what I will have and what I will need. You can email me at life_nchrist@yahoo.com or at lifenchrist@gmail.com.
I would like to mention here that if it had not been for the support of a small handful of financial supporters and a large number of prayer supporters the ministry, work , and witness that I have been able to do among my friends and neighbors here in Thailand would have been very unlikely. So to those of you who have supported and prayed for me over the past 4 years. I ask that you would continue with me in this next chapter of my life and beyond to what ever it is that God is and will call me to do.
Also, Bum and I would love to come and talk to your Sunday school classes, small groups, or churches as a whole. If you would like for us to come and share with you let me know and we can set a date.
Grace, peace, and love
Monday, February 23, 2009
February 23, Nearly Finished
I have about three more weeks and then I am totally finished with all of my internship and the university. I am not real sure how I should feel. I know some people get emotional when they come to the end of a chapter in their life such as this. I guess I am just not an overly emotional person. I am ready to get on with what is next to worry about drawing out what is finished. I am trying to finish strong and keep the momentum going as Bum and I start the next leg of out journey. I am not going to go into what that will be right now but I will update you next week.
As for things that have been going on these past two weeks, we went to the Universities graduation ceremony. Actually we went to take pictures with friends before the ceremony because no one is allowed in the auditorium except students, professors, staff, and special guests. The student body has outgrown the auditorium where the graduation takes place so no one gets in that does not have to be there. It was as much fun as a guy who dislikes taking posed pictures in front of hundreds of people can have doing just that. I am very proud of my friend Naamwaan though, who received first honors and the gold coin for being top in her class. Here is a picture of us just before the ceremony started.
This is Bum, Ngor (Pronounced Ng and then /a/ as in call), Naamwaan, and me. This is at about 7:30 in the AM and is not one of the posed pictures I was complaining about. I may put one of them up at a later date when I am feeling like embarrassing myself.
In other news. We went to the hospital to visit Fah's (one of the girls Bum is dicipling) mother. She is there waiting for her third chemo treatment. I am pretty sure that we were some of the only visitors outside of family that went to see here and I think the visit meant a lot to her and to Fah. Me, Bum, Pbet, and Aew (Pbet is the music minister at our church and Aew is his wife) all went to see her and took her some milk. She said the smell of anything else makes her sick. We also had time to pray for her while we were there. As far as i know this is the first time that Fah's mother has had anyone pray for her while she was there.
That is about all for now. If you would please be prating as Bum and I are making some pretty big decisions right now and want to know that what we are doing is what we need to be doing. I am a firm believer in doing something and then letting God show you as you are going where exactly you should go, or even if you should stop and turn around. So we are walking and praying for guidance and for doors to be shut or opened as God directs out steps. Thank you all for your support.
Fun Fact: For the most part in Thailand the police work a nine to five schedule. So most days after five o'clock there are only one or two police in the station and everyone else is at home. At least this is how it works in Chiang Rai. I am sure that in larger cities they are more of a presence.
Fun Picture
I love Ice cream!!
As for things that have been going on these past two weeks, we went to the Universities graduation ceremony. Actually we went to take pictures with friends before the ceremony because no one is allowed in the auditorium except students, professors, staff, and special guests. The student body has outgrown the auditorium where the graduation takes place so no one gets in that does not have to be there. It was as much fun as a guy who dislikes taking posed pictures in front of hundreds of people can have doing just that. I am very proud of my friend Naamwaan though, who received first honors and the gold coin for being top in her class. Here is a picture of us just before the ceremony started.
This is Bum, Ngor (Pronounced Ng and then /a/ as in call), Naamwaan, and me. This is at about 7:30 in the AM and is not one of the posed pictures I was complaining about. I may put one of them up at a later date when I am feeling like embarrassing myself.
In other news. We went to the hospital to visit Fah's (one of the girls Bum is dicipling) mother. She is there waiting for her third chemo treatment. I am pretty sure that we were some of the only visitors outside of family that went to see here and I think the visit meant a lot to her and to Fah. Me, Bum, Pbet, and Aew (Pbet is the music minister at our church and Aew is his wife) all went to see her and took her some milk. She said the smell of anything else makes her sick. We also had time to pray for her while we were there. As far as i know this is the first time that Fah's mother has had anyone pray for her while she was there.
That is about all for now. If you would please be prating as Bum and I are making some pretty big decisions right now and want to know that what we are doing is what we need to be doing. I am a firm believer in doing something and then letting God show you as you are going where exactly you should go, or even if you should stop and turn around. So we are walking and praying for guidance and for doors to be shut or opened as God directs out steps. Thank you all for your support.
Fun Fact: For the most part in Thailand the police work a nine to five schedule. So most days after five o'clock there are only one or two police in the station and everyone else is at home. At least this is how it works in Chiang Rai. I am sure that in larger cities they are more of a presence.
Fun Picture
I love Ice cream!!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
February 7, 09: Worm Free is the Way to Be
So my stomach has been acting a little funnier that usual for past few months. I couldn't figure out why this was. Surely it had nothing to do with the market and her food that was left out uncovered and at ambient temperatures from morning until whenever the sellers decided to close shop. Neither could it have been due to the fact that washing the dishes sometimes means (at least I have seen this as several small shops) dipping the plates, cups, utensils, and bowls into one big bucket of water wiping them off with your hand or the rag that has been soaking in the bucket and then shaking the excess water off; job done. Needless to say I was pretty sure that there was something that had taken up residence in my guts. So, Bum recently went to the pharmacy and bought some worm medicine for the two of us. I have heard that doctors recommend taking worm medicine 2-3 times a year. This was my first time and Bum said it has been maybe 10 years. You can all rest easily knowing that this medicine killed whatever was in my stomach. I know this because about 2 hours after taking the pills serious nausea and stomach bubbles erupted from deep withing my bowels. (THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS POTTY TALK IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED PLEASE SKIP AHEAD) I am guessing that whatever it was did not like what was going on and wanted to get out before it died. It did not. Everything stayed down and the following morning came out (almost before I was ready). Bum made it to the bathroom first and I paced back and forth in the den waiting and thanking God for killing the vile gut demons and asking him to extend his grace until I could make it to the designated drop off point. (POTTY TALK OVER) So now all is normal in my innards and I think I am the only crated thing using my body. Here are some pictures of the stuff I took.
Monday, February 2, 2009
February 3, 09: Becoming nothing for the sake of others
Happy Birthday Jordan. It is Jordan's (my little brother) birthday today and just I just wanted to take the time to say happy birthday. I have been thinking a lot lately about relationships and my interactions with people. I think the main thing that has popped out at me as I have been thinking and meditating on this topic is that they all depend on me. The Bible never puts the emphasis on the second party with regards to the health or well being of the relationship (unless I have missed something). It all comes down to us and how much we are willing to put into the relationship and take out of our selves. If we look at Philippians 2:1-8 we can see that we are to be radically other centered. Two weeks ago I was sharing on this passage in a small group and I was saying that we are called to count others as more important than ourselves, to put others before us, and consider ourselves as less for the sake of others. An objection was raised to this on the grounds that in a book this person was reading (I am guessing by a Christian author) it said that we are all equal. They seemed to be getting upset because I said that they need to think of themselves as less important and of others as more. I did not really understand how this person could read what we were reading and question the fact that Paul is telling us to let go of the equal standing we have with others and become their servants. Paul tells us verses 3-4 and then grounds this with verse 5 and expounds 5 with 6-8 how can you say "I deserve to be treated the same as others and should not think that anyone is more important than me but that we are all equal and deserve the same." Christ gave up his glorious equality with God and "made himself nothing(vs 7)" and then once he was nothing (i.e. a servant in the form of man) "he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."(vs 8) Here we see dual humility by becoming nothing and then becoming an accursed nothing (cursed is any man who hangs on a tree). How can anyone say that we deserve to think of ourselves as equals when Paul gives this example of how we are to think of ourselves as Christ thought of himself. We must be willing to let go of our "rights" and our "entitlements". Once this is done and we are no longer holding to anything that we feel we deserve we will be free to love as Christ loved. Only if we become nothing will we be able to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. I say let us become nothing with Him. Let us become the servants of all. As the writer of Hebrews said "let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured."(vs 13:13)
Sorry for that rant but I am growing weary of people being so seeker sensitive that they candy coat the Bible to the point that you can't get to the meat of scripture for thick candy shell of worldly wisdom and man centered application. (In with the good air... out with the bad.)
Bum and I are doing well and thank you for your prayers. I went and discussed the terms of my upcoming position at NES Language School. God has provided this position for me to meet the financial needs that Bum and I will have. She will be leaving her position at the church at the end of March which will make me the sole bread winner of the house. My financial support has gone from a small group of people and a small church to two people and a small church (I thank God for your steadfast devotion and support for what I am doing and your willingness to give, even when you did not really have it to give.). This new job will give us more money than our previous incomes combined. God is so good to us. I will be teaching 20 hours a week to children and adults. Odds are that all of the studnets I will come in contact with will be unsaved, unchurched, and unenterested. Pray that my life will be witness and example of Gods love and that doors will be opened for me to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. I already have good relationships with most of the staff at the school and have been able to talk in depth about what I believe with one of the ladies (her name is Nid) in the office. She has told me several times that if she had the time she would like to come to church with Bum and I. I hope to be able to start studying the Bible with her after I start working there.
Please continue to pray for us and the work we are doing. I will finish my internship on Feb. 27th and will start working at NES on either the 9th or the 16th. Bum will be oficially unemployed at the end of March and has about 100 different things she has been thinking about doing. Pray for guidence for us both as we are starting new chapters in our lives.
As soon as I remember to hook up the camera I will have some pictures of the last few weeks for you. Maybe this will happen later in the week.
He must increase, but we must decrease.
Glynn and Bum
P.S. Sorry for spelling and grammar mistakes that I am sure are all through this post. The spell check is not working and we all know I am not a speller.
Sorry for that rant but I am growing weary of people being so seeker sensitive that they candy coat the Bible to the point that you can't get to the meat of scripture for thick candy shell of worldly wisdom and man centered application. (In with the good air... out with the bad.)
Bum and I are doing well and thank you for your prayers. I went and discussed the terms of my upcoming position at NES Language School. God has provided this position for me to meet the financial needs that Bum and I will have. She will be leaving her position at the church at the end of March which will make me the sole bread winner of the house. My financial support has gone from a small group of people and a small church to two people and a small church (I thank God for your steadfast devotion and support for what I am doing and your willingness to give, even when you did not really have it to give.). This new job will give us more money than our previous incomes combined. God is so good to us. I will be teaching 20 hours a week to children and adults. Odds are that all of the studnets I will come in contact with will be unsaved, unchurched, and unenterested. Pray that my life will be witness and example of Gods love and that doors will be opened for me to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. I already have good relationships with most of the staff at the school and have been able to talk in depth about what I believe with one of the ladies (her name is Nid) in the office. She has told me several times that if she had the time she would like to come to church with Bum and I. I hope to be able to start studying the Bible with her after I start working there.
Please continue to pray for us and the work we are doing. I will finish my internship on Feb. 27th and will start working at NES on either the 9th or the 16th. Bum will be oficially unemployed at the end of March and has about 100 different things she has been thinking about doing. Pray for guidence for us both as we are starting new chapters in our lives.
As soon as I remember to hook up the camera I will have some pictures of the last few weeks for you. Maybe this will happen later in the week.
He must increase, but we must decrease.
Glynn and Bum
P.S. Sorry for spelling and grammar mistakes that I am sure are all through this post. The spell check is not working and we all know I am not a speller.
Monday, January 26, 2009
January 26, 2009: The University
Hello everyone. I have just finished doing a little yard work and Bum is in the kitchen making a birthday cake for one of the girls she is mentoring. We have had a wonderful day off today and I thank God for the days of rest that He gives us.
Not too much has happened this week, at least not that I was personally involved in. I got a call on Tuesday from a friend of mine who is also doing her internship and she told me that the first draft of our internship report paper was due Sunday the 25th. I had not even started thinking about the paper let alone typing it. Needless to say I have spent most of my non-teaching time writing the report. I turned it in via email on Sunday night still very much unfinished, primarily due to the fact that so is my internship. I have to send in the final draft by the 25th of February and then go to the university and give a presentation involving what all I have had to do during the internship. Then I got another call from the university on Friday morning telling me that a professor will be coming to see me about how my internship was going and to talk with Michael about the same. This was not a problem however I rather enjoyed being able to talk with the professor and she seemed quite happy with the report that Michael and myself gave her.
Sunday was a pretty busy day at the church. I had my Sunday school class as always. This Sundays lesson was on "The Joy, Power, and Wisdom of Jesus the Man". Last week was about "The Joy, Power, and Wisdom of Christ in salvation" And next week we will look at "The Joy, Power, and Wisdom of Jesus in Eternity". This is all part of a study we are doing based on a book by John Piper called "Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ". After the service was over the staff and a few volunteers went and picked up a number of needy children from the neighborhood and brought them back to the church and had a late Christmas celebration with them. The reason for this was that the church had thirty-six Samaritan's Purse boxes for children and wanted to give them to the kids that lived near the church. They brought the kids in,i watched the Christmas story, sang songs and played games with them, and then gave them the boxes. It was a good time for everyone.
I am beginning the work for my online TEFL certification course. Please pray that I will stay diligent and finish the course well. This certification will help me to get a teaching job here after my internship is over. Pray also that God will direct me in exactly where it is he wants me to be after I finish with all of my internship requirements.
Bum is teaching through Genesis right now in her Sunday School class. She is doing this with two new believers, Nong Aoo (Sounds like Oh) and Nong Fa (Nong before a name means that the person is younger than you). Both of these girls are high school students and have a lot of uestions as they are studying. Pray for Bum that God would give her wisdom and insight into his teaching and help her through the Holy Spirit to know what to answer the questions raised in class and after. Bum has also come to me with question concerning some of the things the girls have asked her. Pray that I too will receive wisdom to answer questions brought to me.
That is about it for this week. I forgot the camera at the church office so no pictures right now but I will try to upload some soon. Here is an album for you while you wait.
I am also going to start back doing Thai Fun Facts each week (I used to do these in my news letter and some are fun others are just facts and some are serious but that is kind of a long title).
Fun Fact #1: Thailand is the Number one producer of rice in the world. Vietnam is 2nd and the US is 3rd.
Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We love you all.
Not too much has happened this week, at least not that I was personally involved in. I got a call on Tuesday from a friend of mine who is also doing her internship and she told me that the first draft of our internship report paper was due Sunday the 25th. I had not even started thinking about the paper let alone typing it. Needless to say I have spent most of my non-teaching time writing the report. I turned it in via email on Sunday night still very much unfinished, primarily due to the fact that so is my internship. I have to send in the final draft by the 25th of February and then go to the university and give a presentation involving what all I have had to do during the internship. Then I got another call from the university on Friday morning telling me that a professor will be coming to see me about how my internship was going and to talk with Michael about the same. This was not a problem however I rather enjoyed being able to talk with the professor and she seemed quite happy with the report that Michael and myself gave her.
Sunday was a pretty busy day at the church. I had my Sunday school class as always. This Sundays lesson was on "The Joy, Power, and Wisdom of Jesus the Man". Last week was about "The Joy, Power, and Wisdom of Christ in salvation" And next week we will look at "The Joy, Power, and Wisdom of Jesus in Eternity". This is all part of a study we are doing based on a book by John Piper called "Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ". After the service was over the staff and a few volunteers went and picked up a number of needy children from the neighborhood and brought them back to the church and had a late Christmas celebration with them. The reason for this was that the church had thirty-six Samaritan's Purse boxes for children and wanted to give them to the kids that lived near the church. They brought the kids in,i watched the Christmas story, sang songs and played games with them, and then gave them the boxes. It was a good time for everyone.
I am beginning the work for my online TEFL certification course. Please pray that I will stay diligent and finish the course well. This certification will help me to get a teaching job here after my internship is over. Pray also that God will direct me in exactly where it is he wants me to be after I finish with all of my internship requirements.
Bum is teaching through Genesis right now in her Sunday School class. She is doing this with two new believers, Nong Aoo (Sounds like Oh) and Nong Fa (Nong before a name means that the person is younger than you). Both of these girls are high school students and have a lot of uestions as they are studying. Pray for Bum that God would give her wisdom and insight into his teaching and help her through the Holy Spirit to know what to answer the questions raised in class and after. Bum has also come to me with question concerning some of the things the girls have asked her. Pray that I too will receive wisdom to answer questions brought to me.
That is about it for this week. I forgot the camera at the church office so no pictures right now but I will try to upload some soon. Here is an album for you while you wait.
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| Adventures with the Family: October 2008 |
Fun Fact #1: Thailand is the Number one producer of rice in the world. Vietnam is 2nd and the US is 3rd.
Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We love you all.
Monday, January 19, 2009
January 19, 2009: Pictures
Bum and I on our one year anniversary
Me in front of the I Berry ice cream shop in Chiang Mai. It is owned by a comedian/artist and this is one of his sculptures. you can't really tell but that thing is about 20 feet tall.
The family at Bums Great Uncles house
Bum and I at the bridge to Laos near her relatives house.
Another picture from our anniversary.
Me and our new dog Cookie. her name was going to Beatrice but Bum didn't like that name.
Bum and cookie.
Me, Bum, and Kim in Sukhothai. This is the ancient city that was the first capitol of Thailand (then known as Siam)
Me and Naam waan MCing for the Mae Fah Luang Christian Club Christmas celebration. God has worked in me a lot concerning my fear of being in front of people.
A group of us from the church made a small road trip up to Mah Salong. This is a mountain where they grow a lot of tea. I have been here many times but it was a first for some and the first time most of them had been here on the motorcycles.
At a tea plantation a few Kilometers away from the shop in the above picture.
Bum and I in a tea field.
After coming down off the mountain. We stopped to stretch and wait for some of the people to catch up. Our bike is the blue one. This was my primary means of transportation for over three years.
This is just a picture of me and Bum that I like.
This is Bum's Dad and I cutting bananas from the stalks. He and some friends had been out all day harvesting and when they got home I got to help cut.
At Bell's (Bum's younger sister) baptism.
Bum and I in Nakhonsawan with some of her old friends. Bum is the only Christian these girls know on a personal level and probably at all (other than me now).
I hope you have enjoyed these pictures and i am planning on including pictures in most of my upcoming posts. I am going to try not to do this too often because it takes for ever to upload these and then to arrange and label them.
Grace and peace
Glynn and Bum
Saturday, January 17, 2009
January 18, 2009: Annoyed for the Glory of God
It is Sunday afternoon and I am sitting in the Grace Language School office under the front stairway of the church. Kids are running around and playing. One of them who has decided evidently that he does not want to play has been screaming for no apparent reason for about 5 minutes now. I am not sure if this screaming is bothering anyone else the way it is me but thoughts of the child falling down or being knocked over by one of the larger kids, or even someone going to the child to comfort or discipline him fill me mind (the wheels begin to turn). Why do things bother me the way that they do? Why am I so irritated by little things like the faint screaming of a child or the rattle of a car window slightly ajar? Did Jesus ever get annoyed by little things like this? And if he did how did he use it to glorify God and bring him honor?
The answer I think has to do with perspective. What am I focused on when I am feeling annoyed? Usually, as with most situations in my life, my focus is on me and how the given situation/annoyance is affecting my happiness or peace. I am usually so absorbed and preoccupied with myself that it only serves to draw me deeper into me. Were my perspective to shift towards how this thing can be used in drawing out of myself and towards fellowship with God and glorifying Christ through my thoughts and actions then these troubling things would be seen as agents of God for spiritual growth instead of agents of Satan for disharmony and inner strife.
So how can I do this? First I will decide to use the annoyance as a stimulant. I am making a conscious decision to think of God and how to glorify him when something annoys me. I think that I will begin to look at annoying situations more as blessings than annoyances as I continue to pray for God to use them to work through me to glorify himself. Next I will act on the annoyance (blessing) to be an agent of change in the situation in a way that honors and glorifies God. In the case of the screaming kid I mentioned earlier I can see several possible pointers to glorifying God:
This was just a reflection I had and wanted to share with you guys. Bum is upstairs at a Sunday School Teacher training workshop and I am still sitting in the office writing this blog. Last night we had a small dinner at the house with a few of the girls from the church to celebrate Lek's graduation from an online Bachelors degree program. We will not be able to go to the actual graduation so we did this just a way to be able to fellowship with her give thanks to God for His helping her accomplish second university degree. I got to make spaghetti for diner and this was the first time i have ever made the sauce completely from scratch. i think it turned out alright and we all had a great time.
Friday night I put on the second English Coffee House for Grace Language School. Coffee House is a way for us to bet together with students outside of class and build relationships that go beyond those of the teacher student classroom relationships. I feel as though this coffee house did not go nearly as well as the first one did. The first coffee house was a Thanksgiving/Halloween themed night where we spent most of the time playing games and talking about the two holidays. The picture here is of me dressed (rather last minute) as Kung Fu Panda. Please pray for God to help me as I begin planning for the next coffee house. It will be food themed and I will be playing the fear factor all your favorite foods in a blender and drink them game (reference Gregg Key, a happy meal, and nausea). Also pray for me to become a better leader and planner. I think I lack skills in delegating responsibility and time management. Most of you know that it is my goal to be a preacher/teacher one day and to plant churches in unchurched regions of the country. I think that I lack many skills that will be useful in accomplishing these goals and ask that you would pray for me as I work towards becoming all that God would have me to be in Christ Jesus. I ask for this in regards to both spiritual and practical ways as I try to walk, and work, and minister to the world that I we are in and not of.
My teaching load has gone from one class two times a week to two classes three times a week plus the original one class twice a week. All the classes are after lunch so I am pretty busy in the afternoons. I have been able to share the gospel in two of the three classes naturally due to the fact that we talk about Christmas and Resurrection Sunday (Easter) in those classes. Pray that God will open doors for the gospel to be proclaimed more often in natural and effective ways. Also pray that God would draw people to himself and "shine in [their] hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in Christ Jesus."(2 Cor 4:6)
Bum and the rest of the church staff along with Michael's family and the Webb family (Our friends and members of the church) went yesterday to Open Arms to minister to Burmese and Thai street children living near the Thai Burmese border. Open Arms in a ministry of a member of our church named Frank. The staff and others go to his building near the boarder to help play with feed and bless the children in various ways. Saturday they took about 30 boxes from Samaritan's Purse to give out to the kids. Bum said they had a great time and I think that she was probably blessed just as much as the kids were in her service to them. For any of you who may not have met Bum she is in the front of the picture wearing the pink shirt, pink scarf, and huge smile. I think that you would agree that God has blessed me much more than I deserve. As for Bum, perhaps God is using me to punished her for some great unconfessed sin. Poor Bum.
That is about it for this week (I'm sure its not, but I can't think of the rest right now). I will try this evening when we get home to post some pictures of what all has been going on along with some other pictures of general Glynn and Bum day to day living. Also in closing if you have any questions about anything that Bum and I do or are involved in or are just curious about Thailand and the people that we are ministering to please feel free to ask here or send it to me in an email at life_nchrist@yahoo.com.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
For the glory of His name
Glynn and Bum
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
The answer I think has to do with perspective. What am I focused on when I am feeling annoyed? Usually, as with most situations in my life, my focus is on me and how the given situation/annoyance is affecting my happiness or peace. I am usually so absorbed and preoccupied with myself that it only serves to draw me deeper into me. Were my perspective to shift towards how this thing can be used in drawing out of myself and towards fellowship with God and glorifying Christ through my thoughts and actions then these troubling things would be seen as agents of God for spiritual growth instead of agents of Satan for disharmony and inner strife.
So how can I do this? First I will decide to use the annoyance as a stimulant. I am making a conscious decision to think of God and how to glorify him when something annoys me. I think that I will begin to look at annoying situations more as blessings than annoyances as I continue to pray for God to use them to work through me to glorify himself. Next I will act on the annoyance (blessing) to be an agent of change in the situation in a way that honors and glorifies God. In the case of the screaming kid I mentioned earlier I can see several possible pointers to glorifying God:
- Go to the child and do all that I can to bring peace to him. Whatever you do to the least of these you have done to me.
- 12.6 % of the worlds total population is undernourished according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Most of these are Children (33% of the worlds children are undernourished), that is a lot of crying children. I commit myself to pray for the worlds hungry children every time I hear a child scream. (UNFAO 2006)
- According to estimates from the UNAIDS 2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic, around 30.8 million adults and 2 million children were living with HIV at the end of 2007. That is a lot of children that will probably die as children. Again, pray.
- I know of many children that need prayer, a big brother to love them, a friend to play with them...I can actively seek them out and fill what ever need I find them to be in at that time.
This was just a reflection I had and wanted to share with you guys. Bum is upstairs at a Sunday School Teacher training workshop and I am still sitting in the office writing this blog. Last night we had a small dinner at the house with a few of the girls from the church to celebrate Lek's graduation from an online Bachelors degree program. We will not be able to go to the actual graduation so we did this just a way to be able to fellowship with her give thanks to God for His helping her accomplish second university degree. I got to make spaghetti for diner and this was the first time i have ever made the sauce completely from scratch. i think it turned out alright and we all had a great time.
Friday night I put on the second English Coffee House for Grace Language School. Coffee House is a way for us to bet together with students outside of class and build relationships that go beyond those of the teacher student classroom relationships. I feel as though this coffee house did not go nearly as well as the first one did. The first coffee house was a Thanksgiving/Halloween themed night where we spent most of the time playing games and talking about the two holidays. The picture here is of me dressed (rather last minute) as Kung Fu Panda. Please pray for God to help me as I begin planning for the next coffee house. It will be food themed and I will be playing the fear factor all your favorite foods in a blender and drink them game (reference Gregg Key, a happy meal, and nausea). Also pray for me to become a better leader and planner. I think I lack skills in delegating responsibility and time management. Most of you know that it is my goal to be a preacher/teacher one day and to plant churches in unchurched regions of the country. I think that I lack many skills that will be useful in accomplishing these goals and ask that you would pray for me as I work towards becoming all that God would have me to be in Christ Jesus. I ask for this in regards to both spiritual and practical ways as I try to walk, and work, and minister to the world that I we are in and not of.
My teaching load has gone from one class two times a week to two classes three times a week plus the original one class twice a week. All the classes are after lunch so I am pretty busy in the afternoons. I have been able to share the gospel in two of the three classes naturally due to the fact that we talk about Christmas and Resurrection Sunday (Easter) in those classes. Pray that God will open doors for the gospel to be proclaimed more often in natural and effective ways. Also pray that God would draw people to himself and "shine in [their] hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in Christ Jesus."(2 Cor 4:6)
Bum and the rest of the church staff along with Michael's family and the Webb family (Our friends and members of the church) went yesterday to Open Arms to minister to Burmese and Thai street children living near the Thai Burmese border. Open Arms in a ministry of a member of our church named Frank. The staff and others go to his building near the boarder to help play with feed and bless the children in various ways. Saturday they took about 30 boxes from Samaritan's Purse to give out to the kids. Bum said they had a great time and I think that she was probably blessed just as much as the kids were in her service to them. For any of you who may not have met Bum she is in the front of the picture wearing the pink shirt, pink scarf, and huge smile. I think that you would agree that God has blessed me much more than I deserve. As for Bum, perhaps God is using me to punished her for some great unconfessed sin. Poor Bum.
That is about it for this week (I'm sure its not, but I can't think of the rest right now). I will try this evening when we get home to post some pictures of what all has been going on along with some other pictures of general Glynn and Bum day to day living. Also in closing if you have any questions about anything that Bum and I do or are involved in or are just curious about Thailand and the people that we are ministering to please feel free to ask here or send it to me in an email at life_nchrist@yahoo.com.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
For the glory of His name
Glynn and Bum
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
New Year, New Blog
It is January 7th and I am sitting at the office thinking of how little I tell people about what is going on in my life. So I am going to start posting and updating this blog as often as I possibly can. I think this will be easier for me than trying to write emails, I am not really sure why that is but we will see.
Here is a very general sweep of what is going on in my life right now and what will be happening, God willing, in the near future.
I have now been married for one year and nine days and it has been a very sweat year. As Bum and I grow in our marriage relationship I am also growing in my understanding of my relationship with Christ as his bride. I thank God for the gift that he has given me in Bum and in the lives of other married people as examples and inspirations for Bum and I to emulate. I am going through John Piper's book This Momentary Marriage and am enjoying seeing marriage filtered through the lens of scripture in stead of contaminated by modern culture and the worship of self for the sake of I.
I am working at Grace Language School (GLS) as an intern for my second semester of my last year at Mae Fah Luang University. GLS is an outreach of Baan Atithaan Church to both benefit the community and open doors to spread the gospel. I work as a teacher and recruiter for GLS and do anything else that pretty much anybody asks me to do. As recruiter I would like to take a second to say if any of you are or know of any recent college graduates that would like to come to Thailand for 1-2 years as volunteers for GLS please contact me so that I can help them get here or give them more information. So far in my internship I have taught over 50 hours, planed Friday night activities for the students, helped arrange a three day English camp, and various other things around the church and school. My internship will end at the end of February and then I will begin working full time for a school that I have been teaching at on Saturdays for the past three years.
Bum and I are planing to come to the States some time next year to stay for 2-3 years. I hope to go to seminary while we are there but that will largely depend on how much financial support I am able to raise before and while we are there. After our time in the states is over we will move back to Thailand and settle in a city called Nakonsawan. This is an almost totally unreached area consisting primarily of ethnic Thai peoples (almost 1 million as of 2006 census). Bum has a lot of friends who live in this city and they all tell her that she is the only Christian that they know. We hope to move there start a small business/teach English and begin a house church. Please pray that God would establish our plans and lead our steps.
That's about it for my first post. Please keep Bum and I in your prayers and know that we will be praying for you.
Philippians 2:3-5
Here is a very general sweep of what is going on in my life right now and what will be happening, God willing, in the near future.
I have now been married for one year and nine days and it has been a very sweat year. As Bum and I grow in our marriage relationship I am also growing in my understanding of my relationship with Christ as his bride. I thank God for the gift that he has given me in Bum and in the lives of other married people as examples and inspirations for Bum and I to emulate. I am going through John Piper's book This Momentary Marriage and am enjoying seeing marriage filtered through the lens of scripture in stead of contaminated by modern culture and the worship of self for the sake of I.
I am working at Grace Language School (GLS) as an intern for my second semester of my last year at Mae Fah Luang University. GLS is an outreach of Baan Atithaan Church to both benefit the community and open doors to spread the gospel. I work as a teacher and recruiter for GLS and do anything else that pretty much anybody asks me to do. As recruiter I would like to take a second to say if any of you are or know of any recent college graduates that would like to come to Thailand for 1-2 years as volunteers for GLS please contact me so that I can help them get here or give them more information. So far in my internship I have taught over 50 hours, planed Friday night activities for the students, helped arrange a three day English camp, and various other things around the church and school. My internship will end at the end of February and then I will begin working full time for a school that I have been teaching at on Saturdays for the past three years.
Bum and I are planing to come to the States some time next year to stay for 2-3 years. I hope to go to seminary while we are there but that will largely depend on how much financial support I am able to raise before and while we are there. After our time in the states is over we will move back to Thailand and settle in a city called Nakonsawan. This is an almost totally unreached area consisting primarily of ethnic Thai peoples (almost 1 million as of 2006 census). Bum has a lot of friends who live in this city and they all tell her that she is the only Christian that they know. We hope to move there start a small business/teach English and begin a house church. Please pray that God would establish our plans and lead our steps.
That's about it for my first post. Please keep Bum and I in your prayers and know that we will be praying for you.
Philippians 2:3-5
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