Lanna New Year

Alright. Short mid month update and prayer request! Next month we have a team coming to work for two weeks. So we decided to use them to help us get into the local churches to start doing training. Open door idea, we help you, and then ask to let us help you more.

So we wanted to do an event. It was going to be a small showing of a film done in the local dialect. God said that's not big enough. So now we are putting together a district (think county) wide carnival to start celebrating the Lanna (Northern Thai) New Year.

This is a huge opportunity to build community with all of the churches here in Hang Dong where I live. And I mean all. We are inviting them all to build unity and purpose. It will also help with opening doors and building community across traditional walls of differing religion and with the government.

But this won't happen unless God pulls it together. He gave the vision. Now we are following it through. But we need prayer support. So please spend time today and tomorrow (Central Standard Time) because at 10 pm (CST) Monday, we will be going to meet with the Government to get permission and support. After the meeting we will need to raise all the support for the event before Friday. We will need God to open the doors to find sponsorship from area businesses.

This event has potential, beyond just that night, and can eventually open doors all across Northern Thailand for everyone to hear the good news of Jesus. The rest of this post is pictures of the location we want to use. Please be praying for that area as well. I will put an update up on Wednesday.

Prayer Points:
God will open the right doors at the Government
God will open the doors for sponsors
God will prepare the people who will be touched by this event to hear the Truth
Unity in the Church in this district
God will get the Glory for all of this, that people would know the power of the name of Jesus

Checks and Balances

You know that feeling where you take off running and then realize you're on the treadmill backwards. No? Well that's a credit to your intelligence. But metaphorically speaking, I feel like I just did that this past month. Or rather that I have yet again sprinted into a new situation with tons of plans and dreams and God's timing is going a different direction. So after stumbling over my own feet a few times and then settling down to listen. I realized He is still doing preparation both in my life and in my area.

This month has been a test of my discipline and trust, and I while I didn't totally fail, I still have a lot of growing to do. Our strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord right?

But other than learning to move at God's pace, some cool things have been happening. I have been continuing to prayer walk around my village, and have had the opportunity to start to get to know a couple of people. I am now trying to find more opportunities to talk to K. Dang and K. Noi and get to know them better. ('K' stands for Khun which is basically Thai for Mr. or Ms.)

I have realized that God wants me to specifically set aside time to work on my Northern Thai so I am looking for a teacher, and will need to work payment into my budget. It's frustrating to realize that the language I have been working so hard to improve over the past 3 years really won't help me too much in the direction I am heading. It is a great starting point and not in anyway time or effort wasted, but now on to the next step in being able to truly touch the hearts of Norther Thai people.

The past few weeks I have been leading the Create DTS's evangelism outreaches as my partner and his wife have just had their second kid (with no complications, Praise God!). They have really been the bright spot in my week because to get up and teach other how to do what I am doing, I really have to be living it out myself. There have been some really cool stories coming out of the weeks, and getting to watch the students grow in confidence in sharing their life and faith with strangers and relying on the Holy Spirit to lead them and guide them through it has been amazing.

Over the next month I will be continuing the same, preparing and growing myself in Christ so that when God does say, "Now Go." I will be ready to go. I will continue to prayer walk around my village and try to grow my relationships and try to be as much in the community as possible. One big thing that I and my partners are praying will happen is this. In April, the DTS students will be doing their outreach. Over the next Month Ben and I will be putting together the plan for an event which we want to host in my village. The culmination would be the showing of the Northern Thai movie, which shows a family living through faith but in the heart language of the people.

For the even to happen, we need to make a solid plan, and then go to the village head and get him on board with the idea. So please be praying that God will be preparing the way for this event.

Prayer Requests:

• Finances: I $400 dollars of support pledged coming in each month. I am $100 dollars short of covering all my bills (not including language and other ministry expenses). Also my roommates are moving out as it is the end of the school term here, so I won't have any help in that direction either.
• Opportunities to build relationships with both K. Dang and K. Noi, but also with more of my neighbors.
• That God will be opening and preparing the way for us to host and event (and what kind of event) as well as preparing the hearts of the people who will come to receive the word of His love and power.
• That I would stay consistent in my prayer walking and in being available to be in my village. 

Thank you all again, Loves and God bless! See you in a month. For those of you who have promised support, please don't forget!!