It is 10:30pm as I write this. The team has put in another full day. Today was geared towards the cooking night at the Centre. We began the day by visiting Chiang Mai University where we initiated conversations with students and invited them to join us at the Centre this evening for English conversation and a taste of Western foods.
By 7:00pm, the Centre was filled with students. We played a few ice breakers with the students and then moved into the food. Our students prepared three dishes: tacos, poutine and crepes. After all were fed, our students introduced the parable of the Good Samaritan and preformed it for those who were gathered. After, Jonathan Selvalingham and Dorothy Yeung shared their testimonies and the message of the gospel with the Thai students. It was trememndously moving to see our students introducing these Thai students to the person and work of Jesus Christ - some for the very first time.
We have now returned from the Centre and all are settling in for a well deserved rest. Tomorrow will see us visiting a church and helping with some manual work on the premises. Afterward, the youth of the church have invited their friends to come to the church. We will be sharing with these youth. Please pray for clarity and boldness in sharing the gospel.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
A Few Images from Day One
alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578745629205846770" />Here are a few photos from today. The first is a picture of some members of the team enjoying Pad Thai in the outdoor market. The next two were taken at the Buddhist shrine.
A Day of Orientation
The day began officially at 8am, we gathered together to join in prayer for the nation of Thailand and for our team. On our knees, we asked that God would allow the gospel to bear much fruit in Thailand and we asked that God would grant to us a unity of spirit and mind.
We opened the Bible and worked our way through the first chapter of Mark's gospel. We explored why Jesus, who was perfect in every way needed to be baptized. Answering that question helped us to understand more of the fullness of the gospel. Namely, that the gospel is not only the fact that Jesus died for our sins but he also lived for us - fulfilling everything that God requires us to do. He is our substitute not only in his death but also in his life.
Breakfast was eaten the hotel. It was a delicious spread of both Thai and western items. Everyone ate their fill and was sufficiently satisfied!
Rob Moore met us at the hotel after breakfast and we headed to the Centre. Some rode with him, others took the "Song-Taw" - a covered pick up truck - which is the taxi service in Chiang Mai.
At the Centre, we were oriented to both Thai culture and to the ministry of The Centre. It was encouraging to hear of how influential the ministry of the Centre is in the lives of the students in Chiang Mai.
After a traditional Thai lunch, we headed to Doi Suthop. This is one of the holiest sites for Thai Buddhists. It is believed that remains of the original Buddha are found here. To get to the temple, we had to snake our way up a side of a mountain and then climb a 450 - 500 step incline. While observing the Buddhist practices, our team joined in prayer for Chiang Mai and Thailand, asking that God would glorify Jesus in this nation and that He would tear down all strongholds that prevent the Thai people from confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord.
We returned to the Centre after a couple of hours at Doi Suthop and debriefed. From the Centre we walked back to our hotel, stopping in a market for a traditional meal of Pad Thai - fried noodles.
It is 9:00pm as I write this. The students are busily finalizing their lessons for upcoming ministry. Our students will be teaching through some of Jesus' parables. We trust that God's word will not return to Him void. Please pray to this end with us.
All the members of the team are well - tired but well.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Arrived Safely in Chiang Mai, Thailand
We thank God for his provision and grace in granting us safety in our travels. We have arrived safely in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It is now 7:40pm on Sunday evening. We have just finished a delicious dinner in the Chiang Mai Hill Hotel.
Our scheduled visit to the market has been canceled simply because we are far too tired to appreciate the sights and sounds due to jet lag.
The day begins tomorrow morning with a time of Bible study and prayer. We will be working our way through Mark's gospel in the mornings. Feel free to join with us in our reading, if you wish.
Please pray that the members of the team will be able to adjust to the new time zone quickly. Pray that with lack of sleep, we will not become irritable but would bear with one another in Christian love. Pray that we will be focused and on task while in Thailand so that many may hear and respond to the gospel.
Thank you!
Our scheduled visit to the market has been canceled simply because we are far too tired to appreciate the sights and sounds due to jet lag.
The day begins tomorrow morning with a time of Bible study and prayer. We will be working our way through Mark's gospel in the mornings. Feel free to join with us in our reading, if you wish.
Please pray that the members of the team will be able to adjust to the new time zone quickly. Pray that with lack of sleep, we will not become irritable but would bear with one another in Christian love. Pray that we will be focused and on task while in Thailand so that many may hear and respond to the gospel.
Thank you!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
In Hong Kong
After a very very long flight, we have arrived safely in Hong Kong. We fly out of Hong Kong in a little over an hour. Right now, students are checking into the final leg of our journey. Although most are tired, we are all well. Please continue to pray for a fruitful ministry in Thailand. Pray that the gospel will be faithfully communicated and that it will bear much fruit and that this fruit will last.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Sa Wat Dee!
Writing to let you know that we are waiting for departure. Everyone is happy, indulging in snacks, playing games and napping while we wait. We board in an hour, will fly for 17 hours to Hong Kong, where we will wait for three hours for our two hour flight to Bangkok. In Bangkok we have a two hour lay over for our flight to Chiang Mai. We will arrive at 2pm Chiang Mai time. A total of 24 hours of traveling! Thanks to all who came to see us off at the airport!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Evangelism Reflections
On December 3rd and January 21st, each of our PCA students were partnered up with a Campus for Christ university student and they went out to approach other students on the University of Toronto campus with the purpose of starting conversations about spiritual things. Here is some of the feedback from our students about the experience:
Dorothy
My partner was Fae, and together we went into several buildings to find people to chat with. We had an opportunity to talk to twin sisters who were polar opposites in spiritual/religious beliefs. However, they had common ground in believing that there is a God, but it is impossible to have a personal relationship with Him. We did not get a chance to dig deeper and to actually share the message of Christ, but I believe that it is a start and that seeds were planted in their hearts that day.
When Fae and I sat down to debrief about our conversation with the twins, we mentioned how we wanted to share the gospel but didn't get a chance to. But, we came to a conclusion that it is God's perfect timing and that it isn't our job to share this news with them but rather, to plant a seed. Fae shared with me a scale that shows how each time someone evangelizes to a person, they shift from left to right, one number at a time. When they reach zero, it means that the person has accepted Christ, and each number after that is their growth and walk with the Lord. It was encouraging for me to remember that God is working even here at home and that He gave me an amazing partner that I learned a lot from.
Ivan
I was paired up with a student named Sath. He was extremely helpful and a really great example to learn from. We struck up a conversation with a guy eating his lunch. Sath opened by asking him if we could spend some time talking about his thoughts on God. The man said yes, and Sath began by asking him several questions such as, “What is your background in terms of faith?” and “What are your views of God?” Sath listened to his reply without interruption and when he spoke, he made an effort not to contradict anything the man said. Instead, he showed understanding and then merely presented his own views based on the same subjects. Unfortunately, the man was on a schedule and had to leave, but we quickly found another student willing to talk to us. We spoke with him for a while and found out that he was agnostic. However, he also believed that all religions were true to some extent, so he was in contradiction, but Sath didn’t point that out. Instead, he presented the Gospel as rational and logical religion which he himself accepted after thorough research. I learned a lot about evangelism from Sath and I am very grateful for his time spent with me.
Candice
I usually feel uncomfortable with having conversations with people I don't know and just start to talk to them about my faith. But it was interesting how Khevna, my partner, started the conversation. She explained that we were from C4C and we just wanted to see what people at the campus thought of or realized the pessimism of Christianity with the professors (or something like that). As the conversation went on, the girl we approached was really cool and was open to talk about what she believed in and her faith. She was a Sikh who wasn't really religious but on a relationship level in her faith. It was just amazing how she was so truthful and open about talking about what she believed in. Later on, her friend joined us. He was a Hindu by birth and didn't really seem to know much about his religion. It was like he was confused about what truth really was and seemed to be seeking. I gave him a "Jesus book", which they called it, but he refused. I really admired how Khevna told her story and relationship with them like they were old friends. She was really natural and genuine and everything just flowed. She was really bold and wasn't at all shy about sharing her faith. I've never evangelized like this before but it was really cool and I think I will continue something like this when I go to university.
Dorothy
My partner was Fae, and together we went into several buildings to find people to chat with. We had an opportunity to talk to twin sisters who were polar opposites in spiritual/religious beliefs. However, they had common ground in believing that there is a God, but it is impossible to have a personal relationship with Him. We did not get a chance to dig deeper and to actually share the message of Christ, but I believe that it is a start and that seeds were planted in their hearts that day.
When Fae and I sat down to debrief about our conversation with the twins, we mentioned how we wanted to share the gospel but didn't get a chance to. But, we came to a conclusion that it is God's perfect timing and that it isn't our job to share this news with them but rather, to plant a seed. Fae shared with me a scale that shows how each time someone evangelizes to a person, they shift from left to right, one number at a time. When they reach zero, it means that the person has accepted Christ, and each number after that is their growth and walk with the Lord. It was encouraging for me to remember that God is working even here at home and that He gave me an amazing partner that I learned a lot from.
Ivan
I was paired up with a student named Sath. He was extremely helpful and a really great example to learn from. We struck up a conversation with a guy eating his lunch. Sath opened by asking him if we could spend some time talking about his thoughts on God. The man said yes, and Sath began by asking him several questions such as, “What is your background in terms of faith?” and “What are your views of God?” Sath listened to his reply without interruption and when he spoke, he made an effort not to contradict anything the man said. Instead, he showed understanding and then merely presented his own views based on the same subjects. Unfortunately, the man was on a schedule and had to leave, but we quickly found another student willing to talk to us. We spoke with him for a while and found out that he was agnostic. However, he also believed that all religions were true to some extent, so he was in contradiction, but Sath didn’t point that out. Instead, he presented the Gospel as rational and logical religion which he himself accepted after thorough research. I learned a lot about evangelism from Sath and I am very grateful for his time spent with me.
Candice
I usually feel uncomfortable with having conversations with people I don't know and just start to talk to them about my faith. But it was interesting how Khevna, my partner, started the conversation. She explained that we were from C4C and we just wanted to see what people at the campus thought of or realized the pessimism of Christianity with the professors (or something like that). As the conversation went on, the girl we approached was really cool and was open to talk about what she believed in and her faith. She was a Sikh who wasn't really religious but on a relationship level in her faith. It was just amazing how she was so truthful and open about talking about what she believed in. Later on, her friend joined us. He was a Hindu by birth and didn't really seem to know much about his religion. It was like he was confused about what truth really was and seemed to be seeking. I gave him a "Jesus book", which they called it, but he refused. I really admired how Khevna told her story and relationship with them like they were old friends. She was really natural and genuine and everything just flowed. She was really bold and wasn't at all shy about sharing her faith. I've never evangelized like this before but it was really cool and I think I will continue something like this when I go to university.
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