Learning as We Go

We learned about some worldwide mission movements while we were in Thailand. It is exciting to learn from missionaries in the field about what is going on around the world. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the activities we are involved in that we lose sight of the big picture that God is painting around the world.

Chinese House Churches Have a Vision

The Back to Jerusalem vision is something that thousands of Chinese Christians are willing to die for. Why? When many people first hear about “Back to Jerusalem” they misinterpret from the name of the movement that the Chinese Church wants to evangelize Jerusalem. The first thing to understand was that ‘Back to Jerusalem’ does not at all mean the Chinese want to rush to Jerusalem with the Gospel. The vision is much larger than that. The BTJ vision is a passion for the house churches of China. We pray about it daily, dream about it, and talk about it over breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Back to Jerusalem vision is not some small trivial matter for us, but the driving force of our lives and ministries. Many feel it is God’s ultimate call and destiny for the Chinese Church, the very reason they exist! Back to Jerusalem is not some kind of end times theory. We have no plans to rush to Israel. Rather, BTJ refers to a call from God for the Chinese Church to preach the Gospel and establish fellowships of believers in all the countries, cities, towns, and ethnic groups between China and Jerusalem. This vision is no small task, for within those nations lay the three largest spiritual strongholds in the world today that have yet to be conquered by the Gospel: the giants of Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

Reaching the World Through the 10/40 Window

The 10/40 Window is an area of the world that contains the largest population of non-Christians in the world. The area extends from 10 degrees to 40 degrees North of the equator, and stretches from North Africa across to China.

There is so much for us to learn about God's work around the world. We have barely scratched the surface. We have seen just enough to know there is a whole bunch more out there.

Learning to be Content

11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13

We visited three different slum areas. This was a tough portion of our trip as we were confronted with just how much we have and how much more we want. The saddest part of this was watching the kids and learning that it is virtually impossible for kids born in this situation to ever get out.

We need more people who know the motions to "I'm Trading My Sorrows".

Kevin was very popular as the candy distributor.

Dawn, Kevin and Cade did their best to wear out these kids. A soccer ball soon appeared and it became apparent that kids are kids all around the world.

Lezlie passing out vitamins for the kids in the slums.


It is easy to talk about being content until you are faced with such extreme poverty. The residents of the first slum brought us sodas. As we all calculated the cost to them, we realized the deep sacrifice they had made to give us a gift. There were many moments that day when all the easy answers faded away and we were faced with the difficulties of life.

At the end of the day, we return to the life we know and continue to think of them. The children we met stay with us. Especially one little girl about 5 years old who was in charge of her little brother. He might have been 2 or 3. When he got his candy and didn't bow in thanks, she sharply rebuked him and made sure he got it right.

This trip brought home many realities. People need the salvation of Christ everyday all around the world. People are dying everyday and going to hell, having never even heard of Him. These people we met will live in this situation and conditions everyday. And they need the same Jesus who died for us. The easy answers just fall away.

Finally, A Few Pictures

If a picture is worth a thousand words, this is a very wordy post. Hope you enjoy getting to see some views from our trip.

The Partains in a tuk-tuk. These vehicles look so peaceful when they are parked. Kind of like our kids when they are asleep. Just imagine if they let golf carts drive up and down Cooper or Pioneer Parkway.

This altar was outside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. There were people praying and offering oil and incense there.

This is our group as we began the trip with some sight seeing in Bangkok. We had wonderful tour guides, Nat, a former UTA student and her brother Neil. They lead us on a whirlwind tour of Bangkok. We visited a couple of temples and a large mall. They were fun to be with and gave us some insight into Bangkok and the culture. We were able to learn a little about Buddhism as well as share about what Jesus has done for us. Nat was introduced to the Partains by Roy Yabuki and the International Students Ministry at UTA. It was neat to get to visit her in Bangkok and let her show us around.

I will be working on adding some more pictures soon. Some have to be worked on before we can post them.

We're Back and the Work Goes On

The work goes on in our own lives as well as in Thailand. Another group is there carrying on the work of reaching the Chinese people with the Word of God. It is great to think of all that God accomplished while we were there, but even more awesome to think of all that He is doing week in and week out. To further think that this is only one particular ministry and that there are so many others. I have set up a new email to handle blog questions and such, jodyandsteph@sbcglobal.net. I am going to continue posting info that may be of interest related to our first trip to Thailand as well as future trips. This blog is certainly a work in progress so we'll see where it goes. I have commited to lead a men's team in May 2009. I am even more excited about the next one since we kinda know what we are getting into.

Most of all I want to thank the people who were praying for our team and the work we were doing. God showed me the power and importance of prayer in His work during this trip. Every distribution required that half of our manpower was dedicated to prayer. Some prayer walked the area, some prayed while holding signs informing the Chinese of our gifts for them, some prated for God to restrict the cult members nearby. During one of the heavy distributions, it was very difficult to remain on the side praying, but God showed me that praying wasn't the sideline job.

I said at the top that the work goes on in us and that is certainly exciting to me as I seek to see what God is doing all around me. I am more actively looking for what He would have me doing.

Thanks to everyone who has been interested in this trip and I hope that your interest will continue beyond this trip as well.

The Finish LIne is Beginning to Look Like a Mile Marker

As we are near the end of this trip, we are coming to realize that this is merely a step on the journey that God has for us. We don't know what God has for us as we return. We wish to take with us the lessons that He has taught us here. We gave away a total of 1,860 Bibles during this trip. That number represents over 18,000 people touched once they make their way into China. The Chinese people have a wonderful way of sharing new stuff with friends, co-workers and relatives. We had an awesome night on the pier last night. There was a couple of groups that attacked the boxes of Bibles like a feeding frenzy. They were so hungry for Bibles. God was so amazing. It was such a privelege to be used by Him in this ministry and to see Him at work.
Today we went to a beautiful garden and elephant park. We got to ride elephants, get picked up by elephants with their trunks, take a picture sitting with a tiger, and prayer walk through beautiful gardens that are visited by thousands of Chinese tourists a day. We are joining in prayer that this venue would allow Bibles to be distributed there as well.
We leave tomorrow morning at 4:30 to head to Bangkok for our 8:00 am flight to Japan and then back home. We are quite worn out and excited all at once at what God has done in and through us this week. We are ready to see the boys and tell them all that we have been able to do. We cannot wait to share photos and stories from this trip with anyone who will sit still for a moment. We are already planning our next one for May 2009. Thanks for your continued prayers as we wrap this up. We will see our small group Sunday morning ready to celebrate the Lord and worship with y'all again.

My, That's Hot

Yesterday was my birthday and as such I got to eat at the place of my choice. Stephanie told the missionaries wife that I wanted good Thai food. I ordered pepper curry wild boar. She said it was quite spicy. The waitress double checked that I wanted spicy when I ordered. I was full speed ahead. It was the hottest food that ever crossed my lips. I made a dent in the plate and was full, but there was no stuffing myself. The rice was so soaked in the juices that it felt like needles on my tongue. Robby took a bite of the meat and it hurt his ears. Kevin took two bites of meat and it was ok. He sure was drinking a lot of water. We followed that up wih ice cream cake from Swensons. It was a great birthday in Thailand. I loved the experience. Some on the group felt that I had immersed myself so much into the Thai culture that I needed a Thai nickname. So GangPhet(gang pet) was born. It means spicy soup. Seems fitting.
We spent the morning at a worship service of members of different ministries around the city. It was both in English and in Thai. There was lots of translation going in both directions. It was very interesting to see how people from different faith groups are all working in the same area to reach different people for Christ. The pastor from the slums was there, a trainer working with Thai boxing fighters, which is his secular job, and he tries to minister with them also, a man who goes out into the villages in the jungles to reach people, our project that reaches out to Chinese with the Bible. All different types and faiths of people working to reach people for Jesus in different ways and places. After the service, we toured the Tamar Center. It is a ministry reaching out to prostitutes and bar girls here. They go out into the bars 3 days a week in the morning and order cokes to talk to them. They offer English classes to them as a way to gain interest. They build relationships with the girls as they go. Once a year, they hold a 3 month training course for girls who are ready to leave that life. They train them in spiritual discipline and vocational training. They spend time learning cosmetology and baking. As they are learnign their skills, the center ensures their wages are at least equal to what they have left behind. As they develop their skills, they begin to make their own living. If they show an interest and skill they can go for advanced training to learn more. After they complete the 3 month course, they are welcome to live there as long as they want. Really. They can stay and work in the different shops the center has. There is a card shop where they make beautiful cards. You can see and buy them at www.tamarcards.com to help support them. There is a bakery and coffee shop where they learn both the baking and store selling side of it. There is a salon located in the night market next to the coffee shop where they cut hair. A company called Issan Inspirations has them make silk bed covers and other silk items. They support the ministry as well as give the girls the oppportunity to make a living producing these items. These can be seen at www.iisilk.com. For more info on the Tamar Center, visit www.projlife.com and look under projects for the Tamar Center link. Once I am back home, I will learn how to put the links on the side so that they will easier to find. I think this is a tremendous ministry trying to do an incredibly tough work here. The bar girls and prostitutes don't just work for the nights wages, they are working in the hope that a rich foreign man will take them away from all of this and take care of them. It happens just often enough for them think it could happen to them also.
And we gave out Bibles to another 260 Chinese or so. We had a good night of distributing, however many were returning for dinner on a different dinner boat and said they already had one. I placed myself at the end of the line for one of my shifts of prayer so that I could see them as they went through and after. There were people who held their Bibles up in thankfulness, there was a man who held his up to his tour group and said loudly some Chinese words that included Bible in there somewhere. I saw people clinging to them, hugging them tightly. I saw many who were already beginning to read as they were walking, some nearly run over by the zooming scooter and vehicles nearby. It was so cool to see them so ready for the word.

Another Great Night of Giving Away Bibles

Wow, this never gets old. Another 440 Bibles were given away last to the Chinese tourists. That brings our total to around 1,180 so far. Given that each copy is read by 10 people, we look forward to that being almost 12,000 people reached by the word of God in a couple of days' time. During my shifts to pray during the distribution. I am praying for the people to take the Bibles, but also for the people who will influence their workplaces. For the ones who will start a church in their home. For the parents who will influence their children. For the young people who could become strong for Christ. We met a young man last night whose grandmother and great-grandmother were Christian and feels good about Christianity. He thinks he is close to becoming a Christian also, but he is not ready yet. We prayed for him, that he will take the steps of faith towards Jesus. We had a great first group, during which we gave out over half of our Bibles for last night. Then the rain began. By rain I mean hurricane. We moved 20 boxes of Bibles into a pavilion and re-set up shop. This dampened the distribution a little, but we could still see God at work.
Fun note of the day. Almost the entire group ate meat on sticks from a vendor cart. Even Bill. Pork and chicken were the flavor of our day. In fact we wiped out her supply of pork. Delicious. The meat sticks are great. You choose your sticks and they grill them while you wait.
Today we will worship with Christian ministers from various ministries around town. So fun to meet so many brothers and sisters in Christ. We will have another distribution tonight. Please pray for dry weather. Please pray for the efforts of our group as we are growing in Chinese and in boldness. Pray that God will use us to reach the people he desires to bring to himself.

We are so Blessed

We went to minister to some people living in slums today around the city. We went with a pastor who has a church that is working with them. We went to three different areas and sang songs with them, shared testimonies about our salvation and what God has done in our lives, and passed out food packets. We sang some songs that they were familiar with, so we had a mixed English/ Thai choir going. The Pastor translated the testimonies for them. The people were very thankful and outgoing. We enjoyed our time with them. There was a mixture of both believers and non-believers in each group. We had an opportunity to pray with them. We also were there as a man gave his life to Christ and became a new brother. Very exciting.
Now to the obvious, the poverty level was quite extreme. It caused me to feel grateful for anything that God has allowed us to have. We think of the rich people who live in massive homes as being rich, but I discovered how extravagant my own apartment is. The children were so cute, but in this system, the Pastor says that they will remain in it. It is so sad to know that there is very little opportunity for these precious little ones to escape the poverty that surrounds them. Of course we wanted to load them all up and bring them to our world.
Tonight we will have another Bible distribution for the Chinese people. We will begin around 6:30 tonight, 6:30 am in the central daylight time zone. Please pray for the Chinese people that we are trying to reach. Please pray for the energy of our group as we had a late night and early morning today. The Bible distribution is time and energy consuming, but it is so great to see the Lord at work.

Wow

It will be difficult to describe what we went through last night. We spent 6-7 hours distibuting Bible and waiting to distribute Bibles last night. The Chinese tourists come by in waves every hour and a half. So we franticlly get the boxes of Bibles and packets lined up and give them out as quickly as they walk by. All in all we gave out over 650 Bibles and packets. God used us to plant the seed of His word with over 650 people last night. We are told that each one will share it with 10 people on average. It is amazing to imagine that a 7 hour period has an opportunity to impact 6500 people with the Word of God. We witnessed the power of the tour guide in a positive way last night. As one guide ordered his tour to take the Bibles and packets, they all quickly ran over to take them. There were still some tours that were clearly influenced to not take them, but the power of the Lord to overcome was evident. We had a young man who was speaking in English to Bill for awhile. Turns out he is from a Christian family in China. After a brief discussion, he asked if he could help pass out Bibles also. He stayed for a few minutes before he had to rejoin his group. For a few minutes he was able to openly share the Word of God with his countrymen in a way that he probably couldn't at home and in ways that we don't in our home. It was a cool thing. The missions team said they have Chinese Christians talk to them, but these two had not seen someone want to pass out Bibles also. God is clearly at work in the hearts of the Chinese people. We left the pier around 12:30 am. Got to bed around 1:30am after winding down. Like I started with it is difficult to describe this and my efforts do not do justice to what God has done.
Today we are off to minister with a Thai pastor in the slums and then another late night giving away Bibles. This is an opportunity to help a pastor with his ongoing ministry here. Thank you for your prayers. God is answering them.

Worship - House Church Style

We spent the morning worshipping with the missionary team in their office/warehouse. Surrounded by boxes full of materials to be packaged and distributed, we sat on plastic lawn chairs and shared, praised and sang to the Lord. There was no order or program and we stayed for nearly an hour and a half. The verse that they use a lot has been

John 3:8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

This has come to mean a lot to me as we move from a world where everything goes as it should and as we plan to a world where we have no control. The phrase for the week has been to be fluid rather than flexible. Flexible will bend until it breaks whereas fluid will slosh around the cup but it is still the same fluid. Being fluid to allow the Lord to have control over our lives and what we do and how we react to the things around us. This has been a deeply moving trip already. It feels much longer than the 6 days or so that we have actually been here. We feel like we have compacted much more into that time. We are still so excited about the opportunity we had last night to distribute Bibles to the Chinese. We are even more excited about it tomorrow. We will spend the morning building packets for teams to distribute at various locales. We will then head to the beach area and distribute packets and Bibles to the Chinese tourists there. It is so exciting when we see them take the gift of scripture knowing that for them it is there first chance to have one. We feel so spoiled to think of the number of Bibles on our shelves at home that we never touch or that we neglect to spend time in it daily.

On a lighter note, lunch today was at a Texas style Rib restaraunt. That's right we ate BBQ, Hot Wings, Baked Potatoes, Nachos, Potato Salad, Ranch Style Beans and Corn on the Cob. Sounds just like an after church meal to me.

Please pray that tomorrows distibution will go well. Pray for the Chinese people who are receiving these Bibles that they may come to know Christ. Pray for the churches in China that will be adding new believers to their numbers.

Finally

Finally we got to do some work. This is what we came so far for. We spent two hours or so handing out Bibles to Chinese tourists as they left a restaraunt. We took shifts prayer walking and passing out Bibles. It was an awesome experience to pray while fellow team members were passing them out. To watch as a group approached out setup, and then wait with anticipation to see whether anyone would accept them. The key to a group seems to be the leadership of their tour guide. If the tour guide told them it was safe or good, nearly the whole group took one. One group had obviously been warned about us, as every person walked by with an unpleasant look on their face. Overall we passed out 80 Bibles tonight and the expected reach is 800 people will read those Bibles. This was an awesome night to see God at work and to be excited about this ministry.
Finally we got a group eating some Thai food in Thailand. Shamed by Melody and the Cheeks dining on Thai in Arlington, the Wrights, the Partains and the Goben went to a Thai eatery and all ate Thai. Even Bill ate Chicken and Fried Rice and is considering moving into some actual Thai food eating on our next outing. We are working on him. Peer pressure does work.
We will go to church tomorrow with the missions team of Southern Cross project. We are very excited to worship with our missionary team. These people love what they do and have a heart for the Lord in reaching the lost people here, particularly the Chinese.

First Half Day on Mission Field

We spent a good chunk of the day traveling to the coastal region. Two vans jostled us from Bangkok to here over the course of 3 hours. We took a break at the service center that consisted of many American style restaraunts. We went to a 7-11 and a Mcdonalds. We sampled the Thai Big Mac and Chicken McNuggets. Not real different. Just cheaper. We got checked into our hotel. A few differences we have already noticed. They do not air condition the hallways and lobbys. Our rooms were not air conditioned before we got there. There was much sweating. The humidity here is significantly higher than Bangkok. Sweltering is a good term.There was a group from Virginia leaving tonight as we were getting in. They were bowled over by what God had done during the week. We expect the same for us.
We have orientation tomorrow and a distribution at the a restaraunt tomorrow night. This will our first opportunity to interact with the Chinese tourists that we are seeking to minister to. So far we have done a lot of shopping and sightseeing, now the work begins and we are ready for that.
Our distribution should be finished about 8:30 tomorrow night, but the pier nights will be much later. Please pray for our group as many eyelids are getting droopy between 8 and 9.
On a personal note Bill bought Melody a

It's A-baht Time

The Baht jokes were flying today as we thought of every possible way to work Thai money - Baht - into a line.

• Get your baht over here
• Sitting on your baht
• The pay toilets cost 1 baht leading to "bottie pottie" or "1 baht allows you to sit on your baht"
• You just love me for my baht.

You get the gist. We were in great spirits and corniness as we toured Bangkok with Nat and her brother Neil. They were wonderful hosts and tour guides as we visited a couple of Temples and the Grand Palace complex. We ended the day by visiting an eight story mall. The food court included whole ducks and chickens minus feathers ready for consumption. Think of the Christmas Day dinner scene in "A Christmas Story." So we opted for pizza. Not too many adventuresome eaters in this bunch. I did eat boiled rice with spicy salad in it. Thanks again to the Cheeks for showing me what some of that is.

The highlight of the day was the ride from the Grand Palace to the Golden Mount Temple in Tuk-Tuk's. These 3-wheeled golf cart like vehicles driven by descendants of kamikaze pilots careened their way through the city. Traffic laws appear to be based on the premise that if you can nose your way through, hit the gas and go. At every stop light motorcycles and scooters zip by between the rows of cars and line up at the front of the intersection ready to take off. Driving is pure chaos, but thrilling nonetheless. Six Flags should come up with a ride like it.

Now for the real reasons that we came 12,000 or so miles around the world. We leave tomorrow afternoon for a coastal city. We will have a couple of vans making the 90 minute trek. And so begins our work seeking to spread the Word to Chinese tourists. We will have orientation and begin getting involved with the ministry there. This trip has been a great time of camaraderie and fun, but we are all here to see what God will do in and through us. In my quiet time today I was reading about when God called Samuel and Eli told him to tell God "Speak, Lord for your servant is listening." God told Samuel that what he would tell him would make everyone's ears tingle. We are tingling with excitement over what God is about to lead us into. We can't wait to get there.

Good Morning Bangkok!!

It is 7:45 in the morning and most of the group is likely sleeping off our late arrival. We will meet Nat around noon for lunch and some sight seeing around town and a little shopping. This trip has been so awesome just getting here. I love flying. The views were spectacular. I hope to be able to post some pictures, although the blog website automatically comes up with an Asian language link. I can remember the couple of buttons to get this posted, but I can't read much else. The world that God created is an amazing thing to see.

It is a little odd to actually be here after all the planning and discussing that it took to make this happen. I am so awed that we will have the opportunities to be God's light so far away. I can't wait to see what happens next.

I'll try and post again tonight when we get back from our day and hopefully get some pics up for y'all to share in this with us.

We're in Japan

We have arrived in Japan. It is 4:15 in the afternoon here. Thats 2:15 in the morning back home. We are hanging out in the airport for a couple of hours waiting for our connecting flight to Bangkok.

The first leg of our trip was 13 hours from DFW to Japan. The flight was very smooth and everyone is in good spirits enjoying the airports. Cade is a big fan of airport trains and trams.