Sorry that we haven't been posting regularly, but the past couple days have been very busy. The village that we went to went well, and we'll talk it about more in our next post. After we came back, we had an all day activity day with the Jasper Kids, which was a lot of fun, the NLF team had a lot of resources for the activity day, so props to them. Today, we visited the silk factory, and umbrella factory, and the night bazaar because Esther and one of the families from the NLF team were leaving Thailand. It was definitely interesting and fun to have some down time, but it was exhausting doing all that touristy stuff. Anyways, currently, we just got back from sending off Esther as she goes to Korea for the English Camp. Please pray for her safe travels, and that God will use her in Korea. So now its me, Daniel, and Young Kwang here for another week. We'll be staying in Chiang Mai until Sunday, and we don't know what we'll be doing ministry wise, so please pray that our hearts will be prepared for whatever is before us. Sorry for no pictures, I promise to post pictures and our trip to the village tomorrow.
- Thai Missions '08 (Frank)
Friday, July 18, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Chillin
Since our last blog there really hasn't been any new activities. We came back from the second village on Thursday, and on Friday the only activity that we were responsible for was to teach English to the Jasper Kids and to the local town kids. We had to be on our toes a little bit because the missionaries who run the English lessons went back to Chiang Mai because there children were sick, so we had to think up curriculum for that evening. All in all the lessons went well. Yesterday (Saturday, there was nothing planned because Pastor JJ had to go pick up the new mission team from New Life Fellowship of Houston. So essentially from morning until 4 PM, us four hung out with the Jasper Kids. Young Kwang taught guitar, Daniel was taking pictures and chilling with the kids, and me and Esther taught body worship to some of the girls. Afterward, Daniel, Young Kwang, and I went into the boys' room and we found them all lying on the floor just sprawled out and chilling, and so we did the same. I could say we had some good male bonding even with the language barrier. Later in the day, we got to met the NLF team it was led by a guy named Tony and the other members of the team was a family of four. They seem to be cool people.
Sunday was more of the same. We had worship at the Jasper Kids, and let me say, I could see the love of God in their hearts when the worship, and its just very awesome to see. After worship, again we chilled with the kids. We threw around the football, some played badminton, soccer, etc. Again more time building relationships with the Jasper Kids.
Tomorrow, we'll be heading out to a village to do some VBS, but mostly teaching. Since the new team has come, our role has changed. We're no longer responsible for ministry, so now we are here to support the new team with their ministry, so whatever they ask we do. It'll be a little different, but I'm looking forward to working with fellow believers.
Please pray that we will continue to be submissive to God's will, to Pastor JJ, and also to the NLF team. Please pray for the village that we are going to, that God will open opportunities for Him to be known, and that we will be a blessing to Pastor JJ and Junya's ministry rather than a burden. Also pray for tomorrow's ministry, that everyone will be prepared b/c I don't think the NLF team knew that there was an emphasis on teaching English instead of doing VBS. Please pray for continued team unity.
I know the post was long, but thanks for enduring it. Sorry no new pictures, I guess I'll post some pics after we come back from tomorrow's ministry. O and also, we're getting eaten up by the mosquitos and fleas in Thailand. Man they're vicious...
-Thailand Missions '08 (Frank)
Sunday was more of the same. We had worship at the Jasper Kids, and let me say, I could see the love of God in their hearts when the worship, and its just very awesome to see. After worship, again we chilled with the kids. We threw around the football, some played badminton, soccer, etc. Again more time building relationships with the Jasper Kids.
Tomorrow, we'll be heading out to a village to do some VBS, but mostly teaching. Since the new team has come, our role has changed. We're no longer responsible for ministry, so now we are here to support the new team with their ministry, so whatever they ask we do. It'll be a little different, but I'm looking forward to working with fellow believers.
Please pray that we will continue to be submissive to God's will, to Pastor JJ, and also to the NLF team. Please pray for the village that we are going to, that God will open opportunities for Him to be known, and that we will be a blessing to Pastor JJ and Junya's ministry rather than a burden. Also pray for tomorrow's ministry, that everyone will be prepared b/c I don't think the NLF team knew that there was an emphasis on teaching English instead of doing VBS. Please pray for continued team unity.
I know the post was long, but thanks for enduring it. Sorry no new pictures, I guess I'll post some pics after we come back from tomorrow's ministry. O and also, we're getting eaten up by the mosquitos and fleas in Thailand. Man they're vicious...
-Thailand Missions '08 (Frank)
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Catch up
I apologize for our inability to update this silly thing. As the blog stands, it doesn't seem like we've done much, but I'll try to convince you guys otherwise.
Last Saturday, we went to a village about an hour away from the Jasper Kids Home with a small church--the first church plant by the missionaries here.
The church building was small, and the congregation only had a few families, but a good amount of kids came out to our VBS. A total of about 25 kids came out and we held our first VBS. The kids had a good time with the two skits, and the bible story of the Good Shepherd. We had some time of games, and ended with our three crafts. We had a great time with the kids, and we were grateful that they all came out. Our efforts were reaffirmed when the kids told Junya that they all had fun. We then visited the only devote Christian family in the whole village, and were encouraged to see him standing strong, despite persecution and a village rule that now limited the four Christian families to be the only Christians allowed.
Then on Sunday, we had service at the Jasper Kids Home, where Frank gave his moving sermon on Peter. He also said the phrase "you know..." at least 75 times (Daniel started tallying late), 16 of which were in the last prayer.
Monday, the two missionary families took us to do some sight seeing, and then took us across the border to Myanmar. First, we visited some villages in Chiang Rai, where the long-necked Karen live. It was pretty interesting... definitely a good tourist experience.
Then we went to the golden triangle, the area where the three countries--Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos meet. This is an area where a lot of drug trafficking, specifically opium, takes place. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Triangle_(Southeast_Asia)
Here's a picture of the team
The "highlight" of the trip was Mae Sai, the northernmost city in Thailand. We came there to cross over into Myanmar. After paying a small fee, and entrusting our passports to the guards, we crossed over. I was the only one of the group who was reluctant to go, and I was tense the entire time. I don't know anyone else who can say they've entered Myanmar, so I was pretty terrified of going. The missionaries couldn't leave the country, so the four of us went by ourselves, without any real guidance, expectations, plans, or ideas of what we were going to see. The moment we crossed over, people came up to us with pictures of landmarks, telling us that they'd take us with their taxis. The buildings were run down, the streets were filthy, and the people looked so bleak. We walked around for a little, and took shelter at a small mart, where we purchased a few umbrellas. Daniel said, "Who else do you know that can say that they've purchased an umbrella in Burma?" Good point. We visited the market area, and were instantly pressured by beggars for some money. Little boys and old ladies would come by, poking at us asking for "please, one Baht." It was so sad and frustrating--Frank put it best when he said, "Ugh, I wish I could just speak to them and share the Gospel like Peter and John did in Acts. Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you." We only spent an hour and half there, but the experience will linger with me forever. Please, pray for Myanmar.
The Gate at Mae Sai
At the border, just behind the gate
Crossing over to Myanmar
It was so hard to smile in this picture. :/
This is what separates Myanmar and Thailand, oppression and hope, poverty and wealth.
We spent the night in Chiang Rai, and then headed home the next day. On the way back, we stopped by the only white Buddhist temple in the world. It was beautiful, but very ominous and haunting. The entrance features pools of hands reaching up, which represent hell. I'm not quite sure what that really means in Buddhist culture, but it was really haunting.
Yesterday, we went to the village of Ajan Somsuk, the original staff teacher and the now new director of the Jasper Kids Home. The road was windy, but we made it there safely. The second we got off the truck, we were absolutely amazed by the view.
We were so close to the mountain, and we were so high up that the clouds were trapped in.
We held a short hour and half VBS for the kids there, and our expected 40 kids actually turned out to be over 60 kids. It was encouraging to see such a church thriving in the village. The praise time was great, and we could see the Spirit working in the church. We did our body worship and one skit, and then did crafts. Meanwhile, the adults were outside, trying on reading glasses and sunglasses, and that was a great success. Although we were unprepared for the number of kids, it was truly a blessing. The kids had a great time, and the villagers were really grateful that we came.
We spent the night at a BALLER house (for village standards), which had an indoor bathroom, electricity, running water, two stories, and full furnishing. We slept very well that night in our mosquito nets.
The next morning, we visited the local kindergarten, which had about 40 kids. We taught them english, did some coloring, same some songs, and did crafts. It was a lot of fun, and although it was hard teaching English to 3-5 year olds, it was a blessing. Some of the kids were at the VBS the night before, so we hope that we made at least a small impact on them.
On the way back home, it started raining like crazy, but by the grace of God, we made it back safely.
Well, I hope that entry made up for the lack of all the previous ones :) We'll keep you updated on what else is coming up as well. The ministry portion of our trip will most likely end here, as another team from Texas will be coming for the next week. We will partner with them, and assist them in whatever ways are necessary. Thanks again for keeping us in your prayers
-Thai Missions '08 (Young Kwang)
Last Saturday, we went to a village about an hour away from the Jasper Kids Home with a small church--the first church plant by the missionaries here.
The church building was small, and the congregation only had a few families, but a good amount of kids came out to our VBS. A total of about 25 kids came out and we held our first VBS. The kids had a good time with the two skits, and the bible story of the Good Shepherd. We had some time of games, and ended with our three crafts. We had a great time with the kids, and we were grateful that they all came out. Our efforts were reaffirmed when the kids told Junya that they all had fun. We then visited the only devote Christian family in the whole village, and were encouraged to see him standing strong, despite persecution and a village rule that now limited the four Christian families to be the only Christians allowed.
Then on Sunday, we had service at the Jasper Kids Home, where Frank gave his moving sermon on Peter. He also said the phrase "you know..." at least 75 times (Daniel started tallying late), 16 of which were in the last prayer.
Monday, the two missionary families took us to do some sight seeing, and then took us across the border to Myanmar. First, we visited some villages in Chiang Rai, where the long-necked Karen live. It was pretty interesting... definitely a good tourist experience.
Then we went to the golden triangle, the area where the three countries--Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos meet. This is an area where a lot of drug trafficking, specifically opium, takes place. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Triangle_(Southeast_Asia)
Here's a picture of the team
The "highlight" of the trip was Mae Sai, the northernmost city in Thailand. We came there to cross over into Myanmar. After paying a small fee, and entrusting our passports to the guards, we crossed over. I was the only one of the group who was reluctant to go, and I was tense the entire time. I don't know anyone else who can say they've entered Myanmar, so I was pretty terrified of going. The missionaries couldn't leave the country, so the four of us went by ourselves, without any real guidance, expectations, plans, or ideas of what we were going to see. The moment we crossed over, people came up to us with pictures of landmarks, telling us that they'd take us with their taxis. The buildings were run down, the streets were filthy, and the people looked so bleak. We walked around for a little, and took shelter at a small mart, where we purchased a few umbrellas. Daniel said, "Who else do you know that can say that they've purchased an umbrella in Burma?" Good point. We visited the market area, and were instantly pressured by beggars for some money. Little boys and old ladies would come by, poking at us asking for "please, one Baht." It was so sad and frustrating--Frank put it best when he said, "Ugh, I wish I could just speak to them and share the Gospel like Peter and John did in Acts. Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you." We only spent an hour and half there, but the experience will linger with me forever. Please, pray for Myanmar.
The Gate at Mae Sai
At the border, just behind the gate
Crossing over to Myanmar
It was so hard to smile in this picture. :/
This is what separates Myanmar and Thailand, oppression and hope, poverty and wealth.
We spent the night in Chiang Rai, and then headed home the next day. On the way back, we stopped by the only white Buddhist temple in the world. It was beautiful, but very ominous and haunting. The entrance features pools of hands reaching up, which represent hell. I'm not quite sure what that really means in Buddhist culture, but it was really haunting.
Yesterday, we went to the village of Ajan Somsuk, the original staff teacher and the now new director of the Jasper Kids Home. The road was windy, but we made it there safely. The second we got off the truck, we were absolutely amazed by the view.
We were so close to the mountain, and we were so high up that the clouds were trapped in.
We held a short hour and half VBS for the kids there, and our expected 40 kids actually turned out to be over 60 kids. It was encouraging to see such a church thriving in the village. The praise time was great, and we could see the Spirit working in the church. We did our body worship and one skit, and then did crafts. Meanwhile, the adults were outside, trying on reading glasses and sunglasses, and that was a great success. Although we were unprepared for the number of kids, it was truly a blessing. The kids had a great time, and the villagers were really grateful that we came.
We spent the night at a BALLER house (for village standards), which had an indoor bathroom, electricity, running water, two stories, and full furnishing. We slept very well that night in our mosquito nets.
The next morning, we visited the local kindergarten, which had about 40 kids. We taught them english, did some coloring, same some songs, and did crafts. It was a lot of fun, and although it was hard teaching English to 3-5 year olds, it was a blessing. Some of the kids were at the VBS the night before, so we hope that we made at least a small impact on them.
On the way back home, it started raining like crazy, but by the grace of God, we made it back safely.
Well, I hope that entry made up for the lack of all the previous ones :) We'll keep you updated on what else is coming up as well. The ministry portion of our trip will most likely end here, as another team from Texas will be coming for the next week. We will partner with them, and assist them in whatever ways are necessary. Thanks again for keeping us in your prayers
-Thai Missions '08 (Young Kwang)
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Village Visit
Today we will be heading to a village that is 2 hrs west of the Jasper Kids House. We'll be doing VBS in the evening, observing an evening worship, and spending the night at the village. Tomorrow we will teach English at a local village to Kindergartners. Please pray for us that we will be obedient to God, that our hearts will be joyful, and that we will remain humble. Please also play for the villagers that God may soften their hearts to the Gospel message. Also this being our last official ministry that we are responsible for, please pray that we will give it our all, and that God will be exalted through this.
- Thai Missions '08
- Thai Missions '08
Sunday, July 6, 2008
First Week
It's almost been a week since we first arrived in Thailand, and there have been a lot going on since the last time the team has posted. Where do we begin??? I guess I'll just take it day by day. In our first three days at the Jasper Kids Foundation, we went to work building the new staff unit that is under construction. On the first day, we filled the floor with dirt before cement would be laid out. I remember it being really hot and humid that day, but it was good to get in some manual labor, plus the thai iced tea afterward helped a lot. The 2nd day of construction, we didn't do too much labor because it rained all day. I guess it rains frequently here in Thailand at this time of the year. Once the rain subsided, we dug holes next to the building for septic tanks, and man, we put in some hard work. At one point, we were using hoes to break down rock, and I didn't realize how hard it was until I did it. We all worked until sun down which was 8 o'clock and the team was pretty exhausted afterward. On the third day, we laid down the cement for the floors and installed the septic tanks. That was all we had to for construction, because Pastor JJ and the Jasper Kids are waiting for more funding for the project. Oh and each night, after dinner we helped the Jasper Kids with their homework, and I've really enjoyed these moments because it gives us time to bond with the kids. Although our team didn't go out to the villages, and do our planned ministries, it still has been rewarding because by spending time at the Jasper Kids home, we got a chance to build our relationship with Pastor JJ and Junya and their family as well as getting to know the Jasper Kids. It's getting late in Thailand, so we'll finish giving our update on what we did the past week, tomorrow, and we'll go in depth on how we are doing spiritually and what we need prayer for...
- Thai Missions '08 (Frank)
- Thai Missions '08 (Frank)
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
2nd time around
The second time around is much easier. Praise God.
I will try to write as humbly as I can, but I guess it's pretty easy to sound the opposite.
I spent the past year reflecting at my experience in Thailand, almost idealizing the short two week trip. Now that I'm back here, things are different.
Sure, I'm extremely grateful that the strange feeling of nervousness from meeting the Jasper Kids for the first time has subsided; that my body got used to the humidity and heat much faster; that the JK Home feels almost like a second home to me; that I already know where things are and the idiosyncrasies of the place; that the initially cold Jasper kids warmed up instantly; and that the missionary's kids were already climbing me like a tree from the moment I met them.
But the fact that we're already doing manual labor on our second day here, in the ridiculous humidity and scorching sun, instantly shattered my idealizations.
Still, it's absolutely wonderful to be here. I was going to post up some pictures, but the second pair of trucks came with the dirt, so we have to get back to work.
Keep us in your prayers,
- Thai Missions '08 (Young Kwang)
I will try to write as humbly as I can, but I guess it's pretty easy to sound the opposite.
I spent the past year reflecting at my experience in Thailand, almost idealizing the short two week trip. Now that I'm back here, things are different.
Sure, I'm extremely grateful that the strange feeling of nervousness from meeting the Jasper Kids for the first time has subsided; that my body got used to the humidity and heat much faster; that the JK Home feels almost like a second home to me; that I already know where things are and the idiosyncrasies of the place; that the initially cold Jasper kids warmed up instantly; and that the missionary's kids were already climbing me like a tree from the moment I met them.
But the fact that we're already doing manual labor on our second day here, in the ridiculous humidity and scorching sun, instantly shattered my idealizations.
Still, it's absolutely wonderful to be here. I was going to post up some pictures, but the second pair of trucks came with the dirt, so we have to get back to work.
Keep us in your prayers,
- Thai Missions '08 (Young Kwang)
First Day
We arrived into Thailand safely and have spent the day adjusting to the conditions. It's very much hot and humid, but we are managing. Please pray that we will not get sick especially with the unpredictable temperature changes and from our body still being jet lagged. Today we spent the day relaxing, having an orientation meeting with Pastor JJ, finalizing our schedule, and getting to know the Jasper Kids. Even though we didn't do much today, it was still very tiring because our bodies aren't used to the time difference and weather yet. At the same time, we are very excited to begin our ministry in Thailand, and see what God has in store for us. Tomorrow we begin three days of manual labor by helping to build the new staff residence building, so please pray we won't over exert ourselves. Tomorrow we'll have the picture of the team posted up, I know we have been lagging, but it will be up!
Sorry for the short and boring post, when things start to pick up we will definitely share our "God moments"
- Thai Missions '08 (Frank)
Sorry for the short and boring post, when things start to pick up we will definitely share our "God moments"
- Thai Missions '08 (Frank)
Monday, June 30, 2008
Travels
Hi Everyone,
We left for Thailand from SFO at 1:20 PM and now we're currently in Incheon, Korea waiting for our connection flight to Chiang Mai, Thailand. It's currently 7:15 PM in Korea, and we're killing time until we board at 8:30 PM. We should arrive in Chiang Mai by midnight, and once we do, we'll update the blog again. For now please pray for everyone's health, we all feel tired from the time difference, hopefully our internal body clock won't be too messed up when we get to Thailand. Until then God Bless
- Thailand Team '08 (Frank)
We left for Thailand from SFO at 1:20 PM and now we're currently in Incheon, Korea waiting for our connection flight to Chiang Mai, Thailand. It's currently 7:15 PM in Korea, and we're killing time until we board at 8:30 PM. We should arrive in Chiang Mai by midnight, and once we do, we'll update the blog again. For now please pray for everyone's health, we all feel tired from the time difference, hopefully our internal body clock won't be too messed up when we get to Thailand. Until then God Bless
- Thailand Team '08 (Frank)
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Introduction
Hi Everyone
This is our first posting for San Jose New Hope Thailand Missions 2008. I guess we'll start off with an introduction. This year the team will be sending four of its church members to Thailand: Daniel Lee, Young Kwang Ju, Esther Chung, and Franklin Kim. All four are recent college graduates, who will be serving under Missionary JJ Hwang and Junya and their ministry the Jasper Kids, which you can look up for more information here.
We're all very excited to go out and serve our Lord, Jesus Christ, and we want to thank our church and individual supporters for your prayers and financial contributions, and your continued support in prayer. We hope that as we update this blog periodically throughout our mission trip, that you all will be blessed and informed as to how God is working in Thailand.
For immediate prayer requests, please pray for traveling mercies as we will leave for Thailand tomorrow, June 29th. God Bless.
- SJNH Thailand Missions '08 (Frank)
This is our first posting for San Jose New Hope Thailand Missions 2008. I guess we'll start off with an introduction. This year the team will be sending four of its church members to Thailand: Daniel Lee, Young Kwang Ju, Esther Chung, and Franklin Kim. All four are recent college graduates, who will be serving under Missionary JJ Hwang and Junya and their ministry the Jasper Kids, which you can look up for more information here.
We're all very excited to go out and serve our Lord, Jesus Christ, and we want to thank our church and individual supporters for your prayers and financial contributions, and your continued support in prayer. We hope that as we update this blog periodically throughout our mission trip, that you all will be blessed and informed as to how God is working in Thailand.
For immediate prayer requests, please pray for traveling mercies as we will leave for Thailand tomorrow, June 29th. God Bless.
- SJNH Thailand Missions '08 (Frank)
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