A few days ago, Sunday, in Pattaya Thailand. Breakfast of French toast and syrup with mangos and bananas. Isn’t that wonderful? As I eat the fresh-fresh-fresh! Fruit here I have this feeling that I will never get tired of fruit. The Southeast Asia team: Nelson, Anna, Sara, Noelle, Rachel, me, and for this part of our journey Mawn. Mawn is a smart, beautiful Thai woman who is our translator. She is super petite, 34 and I hope I age half as well as she is aging! Yesterday, Sunday, we went to the Royal Thai hotel, on the second floor for church service. The worship music was upbeat, like at home, except they sang in Thai. If I knew the words? I sang them in English. And if I didn’t? I just sort of ad-libbed. Before the sermon began we played a Thai relay race game—you ran to and fro from person to person collecting: a hard boiled egg, a brownie, and finally a cucumber. Once you had all the items? Each 3 person team had to eat them all—the first team done was the winner. One team ATE THE ENTIRE HARD BOILED EGG! My team wasn’t very competitive, and we took turns eating each thing. In the middle of a U-shaped chair set up, a young Thai woman spoke. She had cat eye glasses, dark brown hair cascading past her waist, and was wearing cute brown shoes. She didn’t look much older than 20 years. She opened with prayer in Thai and another woman translated her words in English.
church, outreach, and family night in Pattaya
When she was young she worked at a bar in Pattaya. She gave her testimony about how she had also worked as a prostitute before she knew God. Her message was about king David and his affair with Bathsheba. She herself had committed adultery. Where we focus our eyes our thoughts and actions follow. This woman, after coming to know God had been given a new life with new hope and a future. As she told about her past it was as if she were speaking about someone else. I realized that she represents the women we visit twice a week at the bars in Pattaya near the beach. As we tell them about the Tamar center, free English classes, Jesus, and hope. New focus with new actions.
I am having a lot of fun helping teach the English classes. We have learned about prepositions and opposites so far. Words I would use to describe my teaching? Animated, lively, loud, enthusiastic, impromptu, fun! After the lesson we sing worship songs, share testimonies, and pray together. On Thursday, our last class, we prayed over the women and I felt my heart grow for them: Tim, Noy, Pok, Li.
Once a week we have a family night. Last night Rachel and I were in charge. We recruited Mawn and made fried ice cream at home. We scooped the ice cream, rolled it into bread crumbs, then scrambled eggs, then bread crumbs again and into hot oil. WOW! This was SO good! On the last ice cream ball we ran out of bread crumbs and the egg and ice cream went all over the oil and the pan (the last one wasn’t very tasty). Rachel and I had composed questions to answer to get to know one another better. These questions were quite varied (ex: what was your best Halloween costume ever? And what was the most difficult thing you have done out of obedience to God).
Our team is reading through the New Testament throughout Outreach. We read aloud four chapters a day and we just finished Matthew. I LOVE the Great Commission: Matthew 28:18 Go out and make disciples in all the nations baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we read in our living room, at coffee shops, or on the beach. Hearing the word out loud is life changing. God’s words change lives, and I know that God is continuing to change my heart.
Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your encouragement, and thank you for your support.
Love and blessings to you all!
:o)
Carla