Today We Grieve | Counting the Cost

Today we grieve with some of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Two families have lost loved ones on the Thai mission field this week.  Two car accidents, three lives claimed.  We do not personally know these families, but our hearts are close as we have been called to minister to the same nation.  

One family lost two children in a car accident.  The other family was hosting the wife's parents, and a separate car accident claimed the life of the wife's mother.  

We cannot begin to comprehend the depth of their grief, but we are in awe of their strength.  This is a link to the most recent prayer letter of the family who lost two children... it is powerful to read.  


Please lift these families up in prayer in order that we may bear some of the burden of their grief (Galatians 6:2).  


I am not as strong as they are.  After two days in a row of hearing stories of missionaries who have lost loved ones, I asked Phil if this was worth it.  I find myself counting the cost and, sometimes, not sure if I am willing to give it all.  It can be so easy to say, "Yes, Lord!  I surrender all to you!  Take my life!"  But when life gets tough, when you watch people giving everything, and it hurts, sometimes you question.  

As Phil and I were praying for these families today, the Lord gave me a new perspective on sacrifice in my earthly life.  The Lord showed me again why the Gospel is worth my all.  

The message of salvation in Christ is worth everything I have to offer and more, because an earthly life in exchange for an eternal life is like ashes for a crown of beauty (Isaiah 61:3).  It is an unfair trade is the most glorious way.  I have been given life and salvation freely, and I choose to give my life back to the Lord to be used in whatever way brings the most glory to His name.  Amen.  

In Psalm 39, David says, 

“Show me, Lord, my life’s end

    and the number of my days;
    let me know how fleeting my life is.  You have made my days a mere handbreadth;    the span of my years is as nothing before you.Everyone is but a breath,    even those who seem secure."

Death seems to put life into perspective.  Let's live with the realization of how fragile life is, and let that knowledge change how we spend the precious days we are given.  

 

Thanking God for Ants...

Phil thanked God for ants tonight... 

I definitely didn't see that one coming.  

I wasn't feeling very thankful for them myself.  They entered our house by the thousands when it rained the other day, and then decided to make themselves at home.  Before I am able to shower each morning I have to wash hundreds of them down the drain!  They are constantly on our kitchen table and on our bed.  Whenever you sit on the couch you find at least 3 or 4 crawling on you.  Not my idea of a praise report.

The shock effect of Phil's prayer got me thinking though.  It's very easy for me to pick out the nice things in life and thank the Lord for those.  And if I think positively enough then it makes all the other, not-so-nice, things more bearable.

But maybe that's not the right attitude.  

Perhaps the Lord is trying to teach me to be truly thankful for those things that are hard, uncomfortable, and inconvenient.  This concept doesn't make sense from a human perspective, but Paul understood it,

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  ...That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:9-10

 When I go through difficult situations, it reminds me of my own human frailty and causes me to rely on the Lord more fully.  In light of this new perspective...

here is my list of praise reports from the field:

I'm thankful for... 

• Toilets that have to be flushed with a bucket of water
• Cold showers
• Diarrhea 
• The latch that falls off our door every time we open it
• Language barriers
• The curtains in our home (they're really ugly)

All of these things, although uncomfortable or inconvenient, remind me where my strength is from and in whom to place my hope.  

And, most of all, 

I'm thankful for a husband who thanks Jesus for the ants.  

Loi Krathong | "Festival of Lights"

It's amazing how beautiful the darkness can appear when light is added.  The moon illuminates the night sky with it's pale reflections of the sun's light.  Manmade fireworks are a brilliant display of colorful brightness.

Tonight we attended a Thai festival called Loi Krathong, which translates to "Festival of Lights".  Always celebrated on a full moon, this is a time for people to make offerings to the spirit of the river, asking forgiveness for polluting it's waters.  Small boats are made out of banana wood or bread and elaborately decorated with live flowers.  A candle and incense are lit on each one and they are sent, floating down the river, as a sacrifice.

Reflections of Light
How amazing that even amid the blackest darkness there can be a ray of light!  Pale reflections of the Truth finding their way in among the lies of this world.  The Thai people who participated in the festival tonight recognized a need for forgiveness in their lives.

God is gracious to love each of us while we are yet sinners (Romans 5:8).  Although we are thankful that the people tonight know that they have sinned, we are also sad that they seek forgiveness from one without power to forgive.  Christ alone has that power (Mark 2:6-12).

Perhaps this is a good starting point for ministry - finding some truths within their culture and introducing Christ from there.  Beginning with the light that is reflected into their lives and showing them the source of that light...  Jesus, the Light of the world (John 8:12).

Please Pray

• That the Lord would bless us with relationships in which we can be salt and light;
• For Thai Buddhists to come to recognize Jesus as the true Light of the world... 
• ... that they would find true forgiveness in Him!  

p.r.a.y.i.n.g...c.r.e.a.t.i.v.e.l.y.

Last Monday was a day of hard work, and we have nothing tangible to show for that work... for now. Oswald Chambers once said, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work." On Monday, that is exactly what we did, but it may not have looked as you might expect.

To be honest, when I saw that the entire day on Monday was set aside for prayer, I had to mentally prepare for a loooong day.  What a pleasant surprise it was to find out that no one had the intention of sitting around in a circle praying through a bullet-point list.  Not only did we spend hours praying together, but we were also creative, artistic, and laughed quite a bit!

Worship started and concluded the day.  Throughout the day four people shared reflections from Matthew 4, the temptation of Jesus.  Each of these reflections was followed by a unique time of prayer.  (See photos below)

There was time to visit each of the prayer stations and pray silently.  In another room there were tables set up with paper flames to write out prayers for whatever country or issue was on our hearts.  These flames were then displayed together to show the power of prayer.  

The white board made up the Thailand prayer station with photos, a map, and prayer points--
all things that symbolize the Thai culture and needs in society.
The Philippines prayer station is the table on the left.  

The Indonesia prayer station, again with photos and
items symbolizing the Indonesian culture.  

Prayer station for South Korea and Japan

The next prayer activity that I participated in was modeling our prayers with clay.  This could be depicted in abstract or concrete designs.  Below are some of the prayers that resulted from our group...

A prayer for those in Islamic nations to experience the presence of the Lord and be freed from Islam.

Person praying, connected by a chain of prayer to the Bible.
Depicting confidence in the Word of God, and the desire to be
more faithful in prayer.

Coin in open hands with dual meaning...
1. Everything we have we give back to the Lord
2. Our hands are open to our Father who meets all our needs and provides for us

A prayer to flourish in whatever place and situation
the Lord places us in.  

A prayer for the various denominations in a specific country
to be unified through the Holy Spirit, calling out with one
heart in prayer, growing and reaching out to those around
them, with roots growing deep into Christ.

M&M prayers - take a small pack of M&Ms and pull them out one at a time.
Each color corresponds with a bowl filled with prayer requests.  Take a
request to pray through and then either place the M&M on the paper or eat it!  :)  

As much fun as this day was, I believe that there are some important take-aways.  

Relationships in our day-to-day lives are often filled with fun.  We do all kinds of fun things with our kids, friends and family members, but we are not usually creative in our interactions with God, the Creator of fun.  These photos are very exciting to me... I truly believe that our relationships with Jesus could be richer if we spent fun and creative time with Him.

I love the verse in Exodus 35 when Moses is explaining how the LORD has filled and gifted Bezalel,

"Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel... and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts."  (Exodus 35:30-33)

This is a great illustration of how much our God values creativity.  I'd like to encourage you to go out on a limb and revamp your time with Him - especially if you're feeling spiritually dry. 

Being creative in time spent with the Lord takes work for me.  I have to really think of activities that would enrich me spiritually.  But I want to encourage you... "Longdoo!"  That's the Thai word for "try"... try being creative with the LORD sometime, and let Him surprise you by how He moves.

The Colors of Singapore

We've now been overseas for more than a week without updating you.  Yes, we're alive!  Here's a glimpse into our lives at the moment.  


**If you're going to skim, don't miss the "Humorous Highlights" throughout and the photos at the end**

Kate's Take: 

It's official: I love the tropics!  

Singapore is very hot, humid, and tropical (see photos below).  Little geckos run along the walls and small ants claim the floors.  There are beautiful botanical gardens across the street from where we are staying.  The plants seem bigger than life; we even came across some large lizards (3 feet in length) in the gardens!  

This sums it up well.

Being that this the rainy season here, we've had rain most days.  Usually not lasting more than a couple hours, the rain is often accompanied by thunder and lightening.  

Humorous Highlight: We were given a lesson in "Lightening Safety" in one of our courses because Singapore gets more lightening than almost anywhere else in the world.  

Back in Class

Our time here with OMF has been a time of transition, fellowship, and education.  Every morning begins with candidates and staff gathering together in worship and prayer for various fields, departments, and individuals.  Sharing testimonies is highly valued as well.  

We gave our testimonies Tuesday morning in front of candidates and staff. We are the only missionaries in the current Orientation Course that are headed to Thailand, so our testimonies were met with much enthusiasm.  Many staff members, who used to be missionaries in Thailand, came up to us with encouragement, stories of their time on the field, and helpful insights.   

Humorous Highlight: In one of our medical sessions we learned that we will be required to go through a "de-worming" process every six months while on the field.  No worries though, visitors are free of this obligation!  

Singapore... is that a city or a country?  

Singapore is a very modern city (city-state to be exact) and is fairly westernized in many ways.  English seems to be the most common language, which is nice for us as we explore.  There are lots of fun things to do and see.  

Humorous Highlight: We have gotten lost numerous times now simply trying to cross the road.  Some streets do not allow pedestrians to cross at street-level, forcing them into a maze of underground tunnels which lead to any number of places (i.e. shopping malls, subways, and other streets).    

Lessons in Culture

We have had many cross-cultural experiences that are fun enough to mention.  We are joined at OC (Orientation Course) by many from the UK and Australia.  Apparently, American English and UK English are considerably different.  There's been quite a bit of laughter as we discover each others' home cultures and get a taste of the culture here...

• Tea Time: Every day at 10:40 AM we have tea time (which I love).  We've been introduced to "Milo," a powdery substance much like hot cocoa mix.  Add some cream and sugar and it's a fantastic tea time drink (or "cuppa" if you're an Aussie).  
• Roti: There is a small Roti-Prata cafe' within walking distance of OMF HQ.  Roti is an Indian dish that can be served as a meal or a dessert.  It is one of Phil's favorite desserts from his time in Thailand.  We've been frequenting this cafe'.  
• China Town: We got the chance to explore China Town with some other "OMF-ers" as we are called (see photo below).  We all had a good time ordering at the food vendor carts.  Thankfully, someone pointed out to us the sanitation ratings on the front of each cart (we were only supposed to order from "A" and "B" rated carts).  
• Dessert was very interesting... multi-flavored, shaved ice on a bed of jelly cubes and red beans.  I'm still not sure what I think.  

Humorous Highlight: Those from the UK and Australia do not know what a baby stroller is; they refer to them as a "pram" or a "buggy."   

Also: pants are "trousers"; flip flops are "thongs"; and a woman's slip is a "petticoat" (which will made someone blush if you bring it up in conversation).  

Photos

Although the weather has been quite grey and rainy, we did manage to get out to snap a few photos for you.  

In-Culturating

We had dinner in China Town (which is close to Little India) during the Indian Deepavali festival.  

Phil thought this was funny because it said "No Tooting."
Turns out, it says, "No Touting," which is equivalent to "No Soliciting."
Sorry Phil. 

Botanical Garden

The Botanical Gardens across the street from us.  

Miles and miles of gorgeous flowers and various tropical plants.

We need to invest in a tropical plant identifier :)

There are many orchids in this part of the world, I think they are a favorite of mine.

Congrats if you made it all the way to the end of this blog post!  I know, it's a long one.  Hopefully you enjoyed a brief taste of Asia.  We love you all in Christ, and really appreciate your support!  

In Him,

Kate

... and we're off!

Thanks for all your prayers and support during these beginning stages of our missions journey!  We're finally on our way to Asia!  

This verse seems incredibly fitting to share with you: 

"And I’m going to keep that celebration going because I know how it’s going to turn out. Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done." Philippians 1:18-19 (MSG)

Below is a short, fun "Good-bye" video that we had filmed and sent to our partnering churches to play Sunday morning, October 28, as we are airborne and bound for the mission field.  

Thanks for continued prayers!  

Outside the Box and Inside the Suitcase: Kate's Departing Reflections

Fun... Practical... Sentimental - what warrants a place in the next three years of our lives? 

As the date of our departure approaches, we are creatively seeking closure in our hearts as well as our suitcases.  

In prioritizing our earthly possessions we are attempting to select those things that are meaningful enough to make the packing list.  So many questions to consider...

How important is it to me?  How much do I use it?  Does it fit in the suitcase?  How much does this hat make me stand out as a foreigner in Thailand?  

Meanwhile, we are going through the challenging process of saying, "goodbye," to many dear friends and family members.  Goodbyes are bittersweet; they can be so hard and so beautiful at the same time.  


I recently experienced a powerful moment during a tear-filled farewell with a close friend - at the very moment that I felt the most sorrow, I was overwhelmed with thanksgiving.  

I am often filled with gratitude and a spirit of praise for the rich relationships with which I've been blessed.  At the same time I am grieving the loss of many hugs, snuggles and giggles with nieces and nephews; many game nights, fun outings, and coffee dates.  I could easily focus on what I will be missing or giving up, but the Lord continues to show me that He will bless us abundantly for our faithfulness to follow His call.  

We are confident that The Lord will be faithful in His promises.  Anything the Lord calls us to do is worth the cost.  This verse from Mark 10 has had an impact on the condition of my heart lately: 

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life." {Mark 10:29-30}

As we attempt to think outside the box about packing and, more importantly, saying meaningful goodbyes, we are accompanied by an awareness of the struggles that may lie ahead.  Yet, in so many ways we feel that the promise in Mark 10 has already been fulfilled in our lives as we are lifted up in prayer and encouraged by so many brothers and sisters in Christ.  

Fun... Practical... Sentimental - The Lord has already begun to show us what warrants a place in the next three years of our lives.  I pray that this next phase of life will be as rich as the one that is concluding.  It will look and feel different as many close relationships will be separated by half a world.  But, as we each grow in the Lord, sharing testimonies of His faithfulness, we will grow closer in spirit.  I have been given a glimpse of the beauty of the body of Christ in all its mystery.  

Preparing for Life... Thai-Style

FUN PREP FOR THE THAI ADVENTURE | some highlights

Rather than writing about preparing for our adventure overseas, I thought I'd simply show you.  Here are a few pictures of what we've been up to lately:

Making Thai Spring Rolls

Oh the joys of packing... 

Practicing for Thailand's rainy season?

Preaching at and visiting our partnering churches

Kate & her Mom got their motorcycle licenses!  

Quality time w/ nieces & nephews
(Phil's on the bottom of that pile!)

PLEASE KEEP PRAYING FOR THAILAND | a couple prayer points from prayerpowerlines


Phil and I continue praying for revival in Thailand.  Please join us in praying for the powerful movement of the Holy Spirit.  Pray for the Thai church to "stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose..." (Philippians 1:27-28).

22.  EXCHANGE PROGRAM.  Eight Chinese students are coming to Chiang Mai University in Thailand for a three-year exchange program. As two Christian workers help teach them during this time, pray for many gospel-sharing opportunities.

23.  SEMINARY GRADUATES.  Pray for the three graduates of the Chiang Mai Theological Seminary (CTS) in Thailand who are now serving as local church pastors and church planters. Praise God that they are now molded and equipped for this important work!

25.  CHURCH GROWTH.  A church plant in Northern Thailand has had an indigenous pastor for the past three years. As OMF International pulls back financially to allow self-sustained growth, the church is becoming resentful. Pray that church leadership would trust in God's ability to sustain them.

Here's a video with some more ways to pray for the Holy Spirit to move among the Thai: 


9 Blessing for Thailand from OMF Media on Vimeo.

Look out Thailand... Here we come!

That's right, we hit 100% of our support goal!  Thank you, Jesus!  

Thank you for your prayers, support, and encouragement; we wouldn’t be here without your faithfulness to the Lord.  Let the journey continue as we move on to this new exciting phase of ministry!  

We plan to leave in mid-October, stopping along the way to visit missionary friends serving  in Japan.  Then we'll be landing in Singapore for three weeks of training with OMF International.  After our training we will be arriving in Lopburi, Thailand, which will be our home for the first year of our term.  

About Our Town | Lopburi - City of Monkeys

Since this is where we will be living for the upcoming year, we thought it would be nice to tell you a little about it.  

From thailandtriptour.com

During our first year, while doing language school and cultural learning, we will be located in Lopburi.  This small city is in central Thailand, about two and a half hours North of Bangkok, the capitol city.  Lopburi is known for its Old Town ruins, sugar cane crops (which Phil is very excited for), sunflower fields, and, of course, the massive infestation of monkeys!  Here's a link to a mildly humorous article written by someone who is not so happy about the monkey population.  

From travelerspoint.com

Lopburi has approximately 26,000 people living in it.  We have been told there are not too many foreigners living there, thus it will be a good place for us to be immersed in the Thai language.  We have also been told that there is not much entertainment there... nothing to distract us from our studies :).  There are more interesting facts about Lopburi on WikiTravel.org.

Although there may not be as much to do in this small city, we are excited that we will be able to dedicate our time to learning the language and making new friends.  We will update you more on the city, etc. once we get there and have some pictures to share!  

**If you are not receiving our update letters and would like to be, please sign up at omf.org/us/partner.  

A Weekend of Event-ful Fun!

Just finished a busy, but very fun weekend!  Thought we'd share a couple of the highlights...

On The Big Screen

Kate's home church showed a missions video featuring the two of us this past weekend.  Here it is for your viewing pleasure :)

Chick-"Phil"-A Event!

What a fun and successful event we had Monday night at Chick-fil-A in Erie!  Hundreds of friends, families, and brothers and sisters in Christ showed up to support us!  




We were prayed over this weekend, encouraged by countless individuals, and had many commit to partnering with us in missions.  We are feeling thankful and blessed!  The Lord is so faithful.  

Eat Mor Chikin to Support World Mission!

This is the moment you've been waiting for... Help send us to Thailand by eating at Chick-Fil-A!

Eat at Chick-Fil-A (in Erie, PA)

on July 23, 2012

between 5:00-7:30 PM

**bring this flier with you**

Please invite your friends, family and anyone else who... 

1. Wants to support world missions
2. Likes to eat chicken

A creative way to partner with us!  

15% of the sales between 5-7:30 PM will go toward our ministry if people bring in the flyer!

Stateside Until November

We had a bittersweet response on Monday when we found out that we did not make the clearance deadline to leave for Thailand in July.  It was difficult because, for the last 5 months, we have been working hard toward that end.  On the other hand, it was paradoxically sweet as our family and friends rejoiced at the news that they would have us around until November.  

Thanks to the partnership of so many, we are already up to 70% supported!  We feel encouraged by this, and are very hopeful that we will meet the next clearance deadline in September.  

Other Fun News...

• Phil and I just had a huge garage sale this past weekend.  We have been the recipients of unspeakable generosity as family and friends have donated items for the sale and worked along side us to make this sale a reality. The proceeds from this weekend will go toward our mission work... talk about being blessed!  
• Phil and I will be celebrating 3 years of marriage this week (May 22), the best three years of my life!
• We've been experimenting with cooking Thai food recently.  It's been a blast hosting people and giving them a taste of what is to become a major part of our lives.  

Praying for Thailand...

If you're interested in a creative way to be praying for Thailand, try visiting http://www.bangkokpost.com/ and reading an article or headline that stands out to you and praying over the relevant issues.  

Praying for us...

Thank you for your continued prayers!  One prayer request from our end is for renewed strength and motivation for partnership development and that the Lord would use our time here in the states fruitfully for His Kingdom.

Photo...

We also had a great time in New York a couple weekends ago with Kate's side of the family!  

A Time of Waiting

We all find ourselves doing a lot waiting... waiting for the weekend; waiting for another semester of school to end; waiting for the weather to get nicer; waiting for your roommate/spouse/kids to get out of the bathroom.  You know the feeling.  


Some people are waiting on more urgent matters... waiting on a paycheck in order to pay that bill;  waiting for a loved one to come home from deployment; waiting on test results from the doctor.  Many of us have been in these situations too.  

In these times of waiting, the Lord often does a refining work in our lives.  
Psalm 27:13-14 (NIV) says, 

"I remain confident of this:

  I will see the goodness of the LORD

  in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD;

  be strong and take heart

  and wait for the LORD."

During a difficult point in my life, the Lord used these words to adjust my perspective.  I shouldn’t be waiting for others to come through for me, I needed to be waiting on the Lord.  The Lord told me that waiting on Him was not an easy place to be, but a wonderful place, all the same.  When we are waiting on Him, we are in His will and at His mercy, what a beautiful place to be.  

Phil and I are finding ourselves in a time of waiting right now.  As our May 14th clearance deadline* approaches, we are awaiting word from a number of individuals and churches regarding support numbers.  We do not know whether our support will come in on time, but we are being refined as we wait on the Lord.  

Please pray for us to learn patience and to walk in peace as we wait.  

“...be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait on the LORD!”

{Psalm 27:14 ESV}

*Date by which we must have 100% of our financial support pledged in order to leave for the field in July 2012.