Recent Happenings
Ch 1
Yeah, chapter 1. This is going to be a bit of a book. For those of you wondering what’s been happening in my life and all the fun I adventures I have been having recently, sorry, I’ve been struggling a bit with what the heck I am doing here. So Chapter 1 will deal with what all has happened since the English camp at Lampang, and then for those of you who don’t really want to read through all that, I would ask you to skip on to Chapter 2, though you won’t really have all the cool tie ins, but I would like to read about what I am going to be doing now, because I am going to need your help.
So, the second week of October I went to Lampang, and spent a week hanging out with Kathy, Kenny and Rachel. For four days of that we were at a reservoir for a power plant called Igat. We had 25 middle and high school students come and stay with us for an English camp. We are 99% sure that has never happened in Lampang, or in Thailand in general. It was awesome. I will load up some pics to facebook when I get some time on a computer. This is a hastily written letter at BK. But it was awesome. We got to play, and show them what a Farang (white foreigner: in this case American) camp would look like. Lots of activities from morning ‘til night and things they have never really done before (i.e. play in a giant mud pit).
When I got back from the camp I was on an incredible high and had some ideas spinning in my head. And then I got hit. I came down from the high yes, but I also went through a period of about three weeks trying to figure out why I was here. Whether I should still be trying to work here, or if my time for God was fulfilled and I was just clinging on because I wasn’t ready to come back to the states yet.
While I was going through with this, I was trying to get prepared for the next semester, get my visa continued, got a little sick (nothing major, just my usual allergies trying to conquer my chest), did some traveling with BK, and celebrated Loy Krathong with my friends. Well, we went and hung out, celebrated it is a little strong. We enjoyed the activities and parades and time together. Pics of that will be on facebook too. Then it clicked, thank you God, and thank you Mike Chandler for continuing to send those emails.
For the past four months I have been worried and obsessing over how I would be supporting myself, what I am supposed to be doing, how I would legally stay in country, and that I really wanted to move to new place and that was what I needed was a little more money so that I could move and I could start a group to meet at my house.
If you read that and don’t see a problem, here’s a hint, count the number of personal and personal possessive pronouns. I forgot that I didn’t bring myself here, I didn’t provide the money or visa or purpose in the first place… sometimes it is easy to forget that. So I had to sit down again and say ok, I’m done doing my own thing so take me where You want me, Even if that is back to the states. I was a little scared that He would. But He didn’t. Instead I got a call from Rob.
Also school has started back, I am teaching three classes this semester, so that gives me a bit more free time, as well as I have quit my extra teaching. I had to remember, well, believe would be a better word, that my primary purpose and support isn’t teaching English. It is simply a door opener. And other than the crisis of purpose, things have been going good, made new friends who you will meet in Chapter 2. I also got to go camping at the highest point in Thailand, and camping Thai style, danced the Thriller at a friend’s house warming (the video will be on facebook as well), have been to two teachers workshops and got some good resources to help me with my teaching. It’s been busy. But onward, Chapter 2 is ahead.
Ch 2
For those of you skipped the rest, I have backed off and God is opening some doors (abbreviated ver). So over the past few months three new journeygirls have arrived, though I didn’t meet them ‘til last month, and coincidentally enough (I just realized this as I type), met them all on the same day. They are really cool, and are looking for a way to plug in, and we have been searching for one. Also Kathy, Kenny and Rachel are moving to Chiang Mai area, which I found out last Sunday. And next month BK is helping North Chiang Mai throw a Christmas party on campus for an English Culture event. So Rob called me on Tuesday, and we have been talking about the best way to do this for a few months, and said that he and peeps at BK had been praying and wanted to use this Christmas party to kick off a group out in Hang Dong, to reach the college students who go to NCU.
Now, before I go any farther I want to say this. Nothing is firm except that we will be have this Christmas party on December 9th, from 2 pm until 4 pm… which translates to December 9th, from 1am until 3 am Central Standard Time.
And we want to do this right. Right now I am asking you to start praying. Before I even go into what my plans are going to be, because I want this to start at the right place, and that is with God. If He says go, and go this way, then that is where we want to be. If this whole idea starts to be that we are trying to make something happen, it will just be the Christmas event, and we will wait until God does say go. So this is what I would like you to pray for:
- God blessing and free movement
a. That we will be lead, and not lead.
b. That Satan will be bound.
i. We will be attacked before, during and after this. It’s going to happen, we all need to be relying on His strength.
c. And that the people that need to be there will be. - Pray that we will be sensitive to God’s wisdom
a. In the best way to do this event
b. The best way to follow up this event - After the movement, what the next step will be
a. This is a process that is God directed. So it will be a step at a time, based on him. (patience for me would be appreciated too =) )
b. Where we should have future activities - That God would bring us a few Thai students to work with us and be committed to be there.
- Pray for the people that will or won’t be working out in Hang Dong after this event.
That’s where we need to start. This is the first step. Putting ourselves before Christ, and concentrating on doing it how He wants, and being prepared to take the next step, whatever that may be.
As of right now, the next step looks like this. The Christmas party will be our kick-off event, and there is no way we can talk about Christmas as followers of Christ and not say why we celebrate it, so there will be short gospel presentation in the story of how Christmas became what it is. We will also let them know that we will be starting a group where they can come hang out with farangs, have fun, and practice their English. We will be up front in saying that part of that English practice will be games, part will be storytelling and we will be using stories from our lives and the Bible.
The plan as of now is that I will be out there because I work there, and the three journey girls, Mandy, Melanie and Casey, will be out working with me that way there is a good mix, and a chance for us to start building relationships with the students. Also, if they want to, I would like for Kathy, Kenny and Rachel to come help because of the mix of people, I would have another guy to work with, and there would be two people that can speak pretty good Thai, but I don’t want them to feel they have to or for them to decide to do this just because it is there. I want all six of them helping only if it is where God wants them to be (prayer request 5).
The eventual goal would be to start having a group that meets once a week to do activities, play, and hear about the gospel. And then build from there to where we are going on campus at least once a week, and having a center where different activities to reach the surrounding areas can be based out of.
There are many ways this could look, but I’m trying to keep my visions reigned in a little so that I can keep my patience in check and remember to take it a step at a time, and keep my eyes that are looking into the future focused on where Christ is at that point in time. He is going to work this out the way He wants, we just need to be flexible, or following Him and not our ideas of how we want to help Him.
Right now all of this past the prayer request is being planned as firm. So I am also going to start raising some money so we are ready to move when that happens, because when we have this group going, and we have regular attendees, we will be looking to rent a place. Right now, money sent to me will be set apart for this, and to support me. I would like to continue to teach a few classes at North, but the majority of my support needs to come from home so that I can be free to work as little or much as needed. This is being planned as a long term thing. If God wills it, I would like this to be my home for a few years (min), maybe several and I will be raising support so that I can stay.
Right now I am looking for supporters who will commit to $50, $75, and $100 a month. Right now this money will be used for this project, getting a place and furnishing it. I am also starting to raise some support to come home. As of now, my plan will be to come home sometime in the spring (during summer break here), and spend a few weeks, one seeing my family and friends that I have not seen in, well it will be over a year if not more at that point. I will also, again God willing, have more of a business plan to go and show to people and raise support.
If you can start now, please send me an email to zacwhertvine at gmail dot com (it is spelled like this so that I don’t get put on a spam list, if you ever put yours on a publicly readable site, you should do the same). Right now I will have you send money to my parents, who will put it into my account in Oklahoma, which I can access from here and then I will start a new bank account that will be designated for this purpose. Also if you have any questions, send them to me. If you want to talk to me about it, email me and we can set up a phone date.
I am very excited about this, which part of the reason this is so wordy (also because I am typing on a compy and it isn’t and wearisome). If all you can commit to is praying, please put us on it. We need that most right now. I will be updating on this much more often, don’t be surprised to see a new blog and/or facebook group dedicated to this.
It’s too long as it is now, though I could keep going. I love you guys, I will be in touch.
lata
