12 days and counting

Planning a wedding, preparing for a new term and playing travel guide for 3 family member coming in at 3 different times and staying at different places can be quite time consuming. Who knew?

Firstly I would like to address my last post. It was brought to my attention that it came across as very negative/depressed/angry. I am sorry for that. That was not the tone I was trying to convey. My overall goal was to say that my passion is to do my part in seeing Thailand become a nation who knows the one true God, and that in order to do that, I need the financial stability to take care of my family. I need friends and strangers alike to stand in the gap between our lack and our needs.

Also my mom said I should let everyone know that the wedding hasn't happened yet. I am speaking of myself and bride to be as us because that's where we will be in 12 days.

So back to the update!

Praises -

1. I have my work permit and visa and am completely work legal! and for the double praise bonus round I didn't have to go to Laos!! That's right, I got to do it all right here. Many back and forth trips on several different days, but no major extra expenses.

2. Two sets of pre-wedding shots are done. One more left if I can remember to contact him. Praise God for 3 photographers, two from our extended church family in Chiang Mai, volunteering their time, cameras and editing skills.

3. We have a wedding planner! One of the young ladies at our church here has stepped up to help us get our act together.

4. Our church here is a huge blessing, they have stepped up to offer help in decorating, making food and snacks, and took a special offering for us as well. And they are planning a wedding shower for Anne this Saturday.

5. One of my pastors literally just called me while finished writing 4, and said that he may have found a trio to play violins and cello at our wedding. Mind blown!

6. Got to, and get to, meet the incoming freshmen everyday this week, and they are a sharp group. It's gonna be fun getting to know them this year.

Playing River Crossing with the Freshmen

7. Was able to a nearly expense free trip with my fellow professors to develop ourselves, and then go have some fun and get to know many of them better.

8. Two more people have firmly committed to sending us more monthly support. One will fluctuate, but with them that means we are now only $300/month from our goal!



Events -

My dad will be here in 36 hours (give or take). Gonna take him so see the best live guitarists I have ever seen. Saturday is Anne's wedding shower. My mom and her friend Richard will be here Monday morning. Monday evening going to a manly baby celebration (wedding shower for men). Then my brother will be here a week from tomorrow. The wedding is a week from Saturday. Dad heads back the Monday following, Jared Tuesday. My mom and Richard on Friday. Semester starts the Monday after that.

At this point a honeymoon is very much up in the air, mostly because we are deciding on whether we want to spend money on the honeymoon or on things for the house. If we do anything it will probably be the weekend after the wedding for a sanity break before the semester starts at someplace pretty and close and not to expensive. Then take a real one next year (praying it will be to America so we can meet all you people reading this).

We are also kicking around doing a game night at my house. People can bring over things for a potluck dinner, play board games, but it will be night that I will invite my students over too for a no pressure hang out and they can practice English while the Farangs practice Thai and we can all build relationships. Praying that this will be a way to open doors into a bible study.

Prayer Requests -

1. Sanity and a good attitude.

2. Funds to cover everything for the wedding including the food which is the last big thing that needs to be paid for.

3. A few more monthly supporters to get us up to where we need to be. We are oh so close.

4. Getting everything set up so that we can do a live stream of the wedding for everyone back in 'Merica.

5. Engery

See you... probably after the wedding.

Reality

I can't do ministry. Marriage or no, my ministry goals will not be reached this year if things do not change.

As always there are several paths in front of us. More partners, more work hours, different jobs, multilevel marketing, the lottery, etc. Some of them seem wiser than others. The two that I see most likely to happen are these:

1. God lays it on the hearts of people, and those people respond with "Yes!" to partnering with my wife and I as we do outreach here so that we can plant churches, disciple new believers and if my ultimate dream is reached start a life center to help people from all ages and all walks of life develop the skills to succeed in their dream jobs as well as open a camp with a ropes course devoted to developing team work and critical thinking skills.

2. I take on 12 hours of extra teaching per week to get us to where we need to be. I can do that. Hard work has never scared me. But what does scare me is not having any extra time or energy to do the things God has put me here to do. If all I am going to do with my life is work 60 hours a week as a wage earner, then me being in Thailand is a waste of time. I can move back to America and get a job working the same hours, for more return. 

That being said, I know I am here for a purpose. And that purpose is to do discipleship and build genuine relationships with friends and disciple others in how to walk as Jesus did. Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow, because today has enough troubles. Since this past weekend, I have bought one meal for myself because I have no money left. But God is faithful to me and provides for me through friends and my girlfriend's family and they don't even know it. Either of the above paths I above that I take, I will be provided for by the Father, and I will be working my tail off. I like hard work. So I am content.

So I'm asking each person who reads this. Are you going to partner with me? Option 2, I do it alone, just me my God and my wife. Option 1 I walk forward hand in hand with each brother and sister in Christ and as a body we can do like Jude said, and snatch people from the flames of hell. We can do our part in the final commandment of Jesus and make disciples of all nations. But we have to do it. I can't do it as just Zac Whertvine alone. Not even Zac & Anne Whertvine. We need a community of believers around us who will support, pray for, and encourage us as well as keep us accountable.

So will you join with me in seeing the Kingdom grow here on NCU campus and in Hang Dong and through out Thailand?

If you will, my email is zacwhertvine@gmail.com

Thank you

PS - tomorrow I  am going to Immigration to find out if there is any way to avoid having to go to Laos, but if not, I will have to go to Laos early next week as my current visa will expire on the 7th. PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS!!!

Moving along

Greetings and salutations!

It has been a few weeks, so let me catch you up on the moves that have happened.

Praises -

1. House! I was able to secure the house for a five year lease. Meaning Anne and I will have stable shelter for that long at least. I was also able to move all my stuff in without breaking anything or myself, so that's another praise.

2. Three people have stepped up to be monthly partners with Anne and I. Thankful for them.

3. Finished a few different videos. The learning curve is pretty steep so my friend Cal shot and edited the first one to show me how it is done. That was huge because he does this as his profession, so I learned much.

4. Was able to break for a about a week or so for the Northern Thai New Year. Was able to spend time with Anne's family one day, at some good friends houses' another, and still made it down to the moat for a wet'n'wild time. Also got to spend the day hanging with one of my future students, and then a friend of a friend who was visiting from the US paid a big portion of the bill when a group of us went out to eat NY style pizza, so I didn't blow my budget that night and got great pizza.

5. And the little things. My brother introduced me to www.grooveshark.com which actually works here. So I can check out lot's of new bands and old albums that I never got to listen to in their entirety. It's the little things.

Events -

The Laos trip is still up in the air. The school is moving slow on the process of things, mostly because of the holiday earlier this month. I'm not sure, but there is a chance that I won't have to go, that the visa could be changed in country. But I should know for sure on Friday, so please be praying for that.

I am start work on the 1st of May. I am super excited to get back to the university. Gotta figure out what classes exactly I will be teaching and then which ones I have to create the curriculum for.

Other News -

 We have decided on a theme, location and everything for the wedding, but now we are just waiting for the finances. I will be using my first paycheck from the university to pay for it, but there are several things that need to be paid for at least partially before had so that we can keep moving forward. I need to put half down on the location fee, then we can really get down to the details of the ceremony, as well as get invitations out to people.

Right now, my support is just barely covering my bills and food, so I am really looking for more people who are ready to join in with supporting us monthly, or at least willing to help out with the wedding.

Anne and I prayed hard before choosing this date. And this is what we felt. Anne's family still doesn't believe God is capable of doing anything or is even real. If we put off the wedding until we can pay for it all ourselves, then it is a normal thing. I believe God chose this time because He wants the glory for this wedding. It isn't going to happen unless he provides for it, and I have said as much to Anne's family. This puts me in the position of praying like never before. I don't know how, but I believe that God will provide for this day so that we can use it to share about His love, that Anne and I wouldn't ever have met if not for Jesus, and that when we follow Him in obedience, he will provide what we lack.

So please join with us in praying for this and if you are led to give, to support us as we enter into marriage together and into a life of sharing the Good News of Jesus's love, death and resurrection in Thailand.

Prayer Requests -

1. For our finances. That God would provide another $450 in monthly support for our ministry and life here.
2. For our wedding. That it would be a time where we can clearly share the love of the Father with all who attend.
3. For our 6 weeks of planning. That we would be able to get everything done with out freaking out too much.
4. That my family would be able to attend.
5. That I would be able to get my work done in a timely manner.
6. That this job would be in a field ripe for harvest and that the work would bear much fruit.
7. For the hearts of those I will be working with, teachers and students, that the Spirit would be working ahead of me and through me to get the Truth into their lives.

Here is a walk through of the house as well!

Plans of Mice and Men...

So, I won't be coming home this year (unless I get $5,000 in the bank tomorrow). But it'll be OK. Goal this year is to get my budget to a place where I can save and come home next March/April/May-ish.

Praises-

1. Finished TESOL and have my certificate! That was one heavy duty course, but it was worth it. This little piece of paper made all the difference in praise 2.

2. I have a one year contract at North Chiang Mai University. While this doesn't completely bring my month to month up to the level where I can live and do ministry, it's a huge help. It is where I will be able to plant seeds in abundance and praying will reap a harvest as well

3. I may even have found a house I can stay in for a multi-year lease, so no more hopping about from place to place.

4. Got to go on that men's retreat and it was awesome.

5. This past weekend got to go with some friends to help put on a Resurrection celebration the likes of which hadn't ever been done before. It was really cool to see how they live and how they keep smiling in all circumstances.

Events -

1. Last Friday finished my TESOL certification. Had lunch at a great buffet. That's an event.

2. The Easter celebration this past weekend was really cool. We were able to encourage a 26 year young pastor who stepped up to care for his church after the previous pastor passed away. We were also able to walk around the village to pray over many of the members houses, and visited on member who was ill to pray with him.

Events this month:

1. Will be moving again. Need a house with a bit more privacy and working facilities than the one I am in now. Like I said above, I think I found one, just have to go over all the details to make sure we are on the same page. Also will need to come up with the deposit.

2. Will have to travel to Laos on my own dime. The School will pay for all the fees and such related to my visa and work permit, but the travel expenses are on me. I will also during that time find a place to hole up for a few days to take a mental and spiritual break from things, so praying for some extra support for that.

3. Songkhran. This is the Northern Thai New Year celebration. It's a time of great fun, but also a time of spiritual worship and darkness. I'm hoping to join up with a ministry that will take DVDs of a gospel movie that was filmed in Northern Thai and performed by Northern Thai actors out into the middle of the party as gifts. Will also hopefully get to see several former students and maybe spend some time with a few of my future students.

4. Will be using my other free time this month to start planning Anne's and my wedding. Yup. Getting married at the beginning of June. Looking at June 8th. So this month we need to find the space and start really getting going on that.

Other News -

Quick info on the culture I am marrying into. First is, there is supposed to be dowry that I am supposed to pay. Which I don't have. This doesn't so much bother Anne and her mom, but it could cause them to lose some honor from the rest of the family and from the community. This is actually quite a big deal in the culture. Anne and I have prayed and feel it is time for us move forward in marriage so that we can move forward together in our lives and our ministries supporting each other. But I would like to be able to pay that if it is possible.

The other thing is that Anne is the oldest daughter, and she is the highest educated, so it falls to her and as her husband to me to provide for her mother a monthly living expense, and for her to pay for her younger brother to go to school. I could be an American and say they are grown and capable of caring for themselves, but this is not my culture I am marrying into. For us to disregard this responsibility would be tantamount to throwing away her family. And since her family are not believers, it would be another wall between them and the love of Christ.

With my salary and my current support. I can just barely cover this. But anything extra, like another vehicle for Anne so she can pursue the plans God has for her, or appliances for the house, insurance, and my bills from back home, I am still short on. So I am going to need to raise another $500 dollars a month in order to be where I need to be.

In the past I have been shy about asking for more. For more partners, and more support. But God has shown me that when I do that, I am not trusting in Him to provide. He is the one who is going to bring it together, not me. So I am putting my needs out there for all of you to see, and then trusting that the Father will do all that I can not.

Long Term View: This is where I am going by God's grace and direction. I am going to get a 5 year lease for this house. This will keep my rent down, and my base stable. I will continue working at NCU for as long as God tells me to. Which would mean I will be starting my masters next year in order to keep my job, but the school has some scholarships that I can apply for that should mostly, if not completely cover that (PTL). I will be saving my income in order to purchase some land and a house for my family so that after 5 years we will be able to move into said home. Simultaneously, I am looking at starting a center in a province South of Chiang Mai. This will serve as a place of practical learning (English, vocational, and life skills), as well as a base of operations to be able to bring in teams and do community development. My dream is also purchase a large plot of land, where I can build a retreat and camp. A place with a ropes course, pool, living and meeting facilities and such things where churches, schools and businesses can come to take breaks, learn teamwork and more holistic living.

This is where God has me headed. This is what I am committing to. This is what I am praying that more and more people will join with me in making this vision a reality.

Prayer Requests -

1. I learned and didn't work last month, I won't be able to work this month. I need help.
2. $500 for my first month's rent plus two month's deposit
3. $300 for my trip to Laos for my visa
4. $200 to be able to stay in Laos and take a break
5. A dowry I can offer my fiances parents and family (I'm not sure what that amount would be... no one gives me a straight answer)
6. New partners to bring our monthly support up by $500
7. More opportunities to share and spend time with my students
8. The Holy Spirit going before me preparing the hearts of my students to receive the truth of Christ
9. Fruit in planting a church among my students
10. Fruit in raising up leaders who after graduation will go out and share the gospel as they go
11. Sanity as I prepare new courses and for a wedding. 
12. Grace to reach Anne's family with the love of Christ through all of the wedding process
13. That my family will be able to make it here in time for the wedding.

I'm sure that there will be many mini updates coming over the next few weeks. Thank you all for your support. Love you all

zac

It's March again! for the 28th time in my life...

Still got lot's of stuffs going on! Maybe I can keep up this bi-weekly thing? We'll see what happens.

Praises:

1. Finished my contracts well (still have a little grading to turn in). Had good last days at both schools.
2. Made it basically on time for the entire first week of class! 6:30 am is getting slightly, slightly, easier to say high to in the mornings
3. Had some great times of worship the past couple of weekends. God has really been poking at somethings in my heart. Not always the funnest things, but glad to know He is still there working on me.
4. Will be able to go on a men's retreat this coming weekend, and send Anne to the women's retreat that our church is putting on. Really looking forward to it, though it is at a lake, soo, I may not take my phone with me just in case.
5. Two of the students at the CDTS have been going regularly to a temple and have begun a good relationship with one of the monks there and have really been able to share with him in some deep ways. Amazing to get to walk with them in that.

Events:

There hasn't been too much. One of my schools celebrated its 10 year anniversary, so I went to that and said hi to my students.
Ate dinner a couple of nights with friends in the city... Why is that an even you might ask? Because we cooked it all on top of a Korean style hotplate. So tons of meat, with tasty sauces on the rooftop balcony of my friends apartment. That, my friends, is an event.
And school started. More on that in the next section.

Other News:

Well, the big news is that I am a student again. Will be for the coming four weeks. And it is full on. One week in and I feel like we've covered half a semester's worth of material. Super intense. I have already practice taught once, passed a test, help lead devotion once, turned in a good bit of homework, and started to learn how to say four phrases in Japanese. 
Next week I'll be teaching twice, getting my Japanese more down, have 3 tests, and two assignments due.. before Friday. As I said intense. 
I'm considering canceling my other classes (save for the DTS) so that I can survive and do well at this class, and so that I can get more that 5-6 hours of sleep a night. 

Prayer Requests:

1.  ENERGY!!! I needs it badly.
2.  Time to do my fundraising video(s)
3. Good fellowship/Safety for us at the retreats this weekend.
4. That God would really be clear to Anne and I about our next steps.
5. That I can come home this year.

Mid Month

Well, it's only been two weeks or so, but I need to update now or the end of the month will be a novel.

Praises first:
1. I had a donor who has completely covered my fees to extend my visa! More on what that means in a bit.
2. I also had enough come in that I can take a TESOL course! TESOL is a certification for teaching English as a second language. This will open more doors for me, MANY more doors. In addition, I got into a course that is half the price as the original one I was going to take, and is in Chiang Mai.
3. I have been able to get around to a few schools and drop off applications. One has made me an offer, though it's not quite what I'm looking for. So still, praying, looking and praying some more.
4. I talk a lot about how much I don't have, but I need to focus more on those of you who are faithfully, monthly supporting me. You all are amazing, and I am so thankful to have you along side me. Thank you for being faithful and obedient to our Father and sticking with me. And Thank you just as much to all of you who have come through for me in times of crisis, giving one time gifts. All of you saints are blessing to me, and some of my biggest encouragers. Thank God for all of you.

Events:
1. The first weekend of the month I went with the NCU English Club, along with Four of my native English speaking friends, and rode elephants and rafted bamboo rafts down the river. They are a great group of students. Really outgoing. We are hoping to be able to take another trip with them either this coming weekend, or the weekend after, to continue building some relationships.

2. The second weekend we had an English Camp. It was OK, good opportunity but I got sick in the middle of it. Basically a Hay Fever attack.

3. The CDTS group is really growing fast in their evangelism, so God challenged me to challenge them a bit more. They were really taken aback at first, but then they started to catch the dream. This week we will get a bit of a debrief on how they are doing. So really looking forward to see what God did with them


Other news:
I have been sick twice, during the camp and again the day before and of Valentines's, since the beginning of the month. My body is completely worn out. Don't how much longer I will be able to hold up if things don't change. But so many great doors and opportunities are opening, makes it hard to know where to step through!

This week I am finishing two of my teaching contracts. So I creating and testing the students, and saying goodbyes. Full week again. Then next Monday, the 25th, I will start my TESOL course. It will be 8-4 M-F for 3 weeks. Then 8-12 plus supervised teaching in the afternoons for the last two weeks. So still going to be very busy with reading and homework and projects, plus still teaching at ABS, the temple, and the CTDS. The small snag in that is, My contracts finish this month, but I will be learning for a solid month, meaning I am losing $300, half my monthly income in March. So that makes April look quite interesting.

The big thing in my life right now is a struggle with direction. I want to have freedom with my time to do ministry. Right now I don't have it because I have to spend so much of my time to teach to get by. I am leery both of doing half volunteer and of going full time at one place. The first is because I am a half volunteer right now, but I'm need more partners to come along side me monthly so that I can take down my teaching hours and apply them toward relationships and ministry. If I go full time, I will still need support for most of the positions I am looking at, but not nearly as much, in fact, I shouldn't have to raise my support level at all. But then that school has control over my visa and work permit (my life in Thailand), and can use those as leverage to put more and more hours into said school or school project. And that happens constantly here. I am scared to put that much control in the hands of an institution that doesn't share the same long term goals as I do.

Right now I am making some support videos to send out. I need to find more people to come along side me and help carry this load. So if you get these videos, please pass them along to friends of yours as well.

Prayer Requests:
1. Praying that my body will survive the next month, and that I can take a break after this school.
2. Pray that I finish these videos this week so I can get them in the mail before the schoolwork picks up.
3. Pray for people who will com along side me.
4. Pray that I will clearly hear and fully surrender and obey to what God wants me to do. Whether that is a job or that is waiting a bit more and staying with the half and half, part time volunteer and part time employee.


Thank you all and God bless!

What to do? What to do?

This month has gone by super fast, and really slow. Fast because, just fast. Slow because I've got so much going on I'm constantly on the go. Fills up the time.

But feeling it hard. I've been here 4 years! Thanks to God's provision, I've made it this far. I've learned so much about myself and what I want to be doing.

God has made me a teacher, I want to be teaching. I want to be in a stable environment where I can actually get close to the people I am working with without having to leave after 3-4 months. I want to have time to be able to spend with people outside of work. There are three main ways to do this

The first is to be strictly volunteer. I tried that at the beginning of this year, but I wasn't receiving enough support, and it was creating walls between me and the people I was wanting to share with.

The second is to work part time as well as have partners supporting me. That's what I am doing now. And while I think this way could be the best, especially if my funding was a bit higher and then I could do more volunteer teaching to open more doors, it isn't working out that way. Right now I am scrambling month to month trying to find enough funds to get by on.

The third way would be to get a full time job, and then do ministry in whatever time I have left over. While this isn't my preferred direction, it's the direction I am looking into as I apply for jobs now. I am looking for a more stable financial state.

My year end total income that I received: approximately $9,880. I survived another year, and a wreck by the grace of God. To be clear, that is all gifts, monthly donations and teaching.

So I am praying hard. Very hard. There is so much I want to do. But on this budget I can't. Period. I just can't. I can't even get home to see my family. Or anyone who supports me. Or to spread the news about what I am doing to find more supporters. ($1,500 round trip out of that number up there, double that if I want to get married)

So please pray for me for direction. If I don't start on my VISA extension this week, then I have to just apply for a whole new visa, which calls for an unnecessary trip out of country to Laos. I love Laos from the couple times I have already gone, but that's about $500 minimum I'd rather not spend.

I am still applying for new jobs, praying for support and wisdom about what direction to go with. Option 2 or 3. So please pray with me.

Again, you can always send a quick donation through the PayPal link on the right there.

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Address the envelope to:
YWAM Montanna

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