First Update Video from the Field!

Encountering Push-back

"Keep Thailand Buddhist and leave your God in the good old USA :("

That is the comment that was posted not even 24 hours after uploading our update video onto Vimeo.  As we send out our first update video, we have also become increasingly aware of the resistance the Gospel will receive (and consequently, we will also receive).  

Satan knows that Jesus is pouring out His Spirit, and Satan will do all he can to hinder that work.  Please pray fervently for the Lord's work to prosper in this country.  

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So, we had fun filming some shots from our everyday life here... we thought we'd share with you our first video update from the field!

Bookhamer Update Video Feb 2013 from Phil & Kate Bookhamer on Vimeo.

The Testimony of a Lifetime

Some people just have incredible testimonies.  I always wished that mine was more exciting, but I guess there are blessings in having a boring testimony, too.  

Long bus trips apparently bring out the best in us...

Worship at Singburi Market Church

 Phil and I started going to a small church in Singburi, a town that is 15 miles away from our town.  Although 15 miles doesn't seem like much by American standards, it still takes us an hour to get there by bus.  Even though the Market Church, as it is commonly called, is fairly small, it's got a lot of passion; even charisma!  

But this post isn't about the church itself, it's about the man who came to speak last Sunday.  He looks white on the outside, but he is perhaps just as Thai as the nationals.  He doesn't speak much English, so some of the "hows" and "whys" and "whens" are a bit foggy.  But here are the snapshots of his testimony that we know...

His mother passed away when he was young, and he was abandoned by his father into a Thai orphanage where he was raised.  

Some time later, he discovered a mass on his throat.  I'm not sure if it was cancerous or not, but we know it was serious.  This medical issue took him to a hospital where he was treated by a doctor who was also a missionary.  

This man has now lived a fruitful life as a missionary among the Thais, bringing the message of healing and salvation to the people he loves.  

Isn't it amazing that the Lord used a very serious health issue to bring this man to salvation?  And that the Lord is still redeeming what must be one of the most painful experiences of this man's life, being abandoned by his own father.  Had he not been raised in Thailand, he would not have such insight into the culture, nor would he have the linguistic fluency of a native Thai speaker.  

Praise the Lord that He is a God of healing and transformation.  Please pray for this man to continue being a living testimony of the Lord's redemptive work.  

A Time of Suffering

       We enjoy sending photos and stories about the good times, but this post has taken me a long time to write.  I have tried to write again and again.  It seems so discouraging sometimes that I have had to ask Kate to do most of the writing.  To be honest, if it were not for the Lord and Kate, I think I would have left Thailand a few weeks ago.
       I anticipated that suffering would come as we moved to Thailand, but I imagined it in different ways.  I thought it would be mainly physical.  The reality has been physical, spiritual, emotional, and psychological attacks.  These have pushed me to the point of saying, "Lets go home.  It's not worth it.  It is not worth loosing sanity, friends, health, our lives, or our marriage."  Times like these are when we are really tried and we have to reach the conclusion that the gospel of Christ is worth it all.  When we give our all, he alone will sustain us.  He will keep our sanity, lives, marriages, friends, health and everything else in the palm of his hand.

       Through all this I will say that I rejoice that this past month has been rough because it has truly strengthened my walk in Jesus, my love for God, and my love for Kate.  When Scripture says that suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope (Romans 5:3), it is deeper truth than we can realize.  Although spiritual attacks have come, Jesus has been using them as a refining process in my life.  In part, I wish it would have come in a different way, but I am thankful because it has caused me to really cling to Christ.  I have learned, more than ever, that we have victory in Christ Jesus alone.  Jesus has given us the victory in him over sin, death, and everything else that tries to pull us away from him.
       I have gained new insights into his word and what it is to be free in Jesus.  The Lord has shown me grace and mercy, and his word has been more active and alive in my life than I can ever recall.  I rejoice and praise the Lord that he allows us to suffer for a short time that we may see his glory and know that he is truly the way, the truth, and the life.
       God is good.  Seeing Christ through Kate has given me a better understanding of the grace and mercy of our Lord.  So, to end this somber post, times are tough and it is tough to rejoice, but we will because God is faithful always.  We will fight with all we have for our lives and the lives of others, for the gospel and salvation that is in Jesus Christ.  He is worth it all.  Persevere in the faith.

Slaves to Christ,
Phil and Kate