Pleasant Valley Partners with Immanuel

I am not real sure how to recap a full week of non stop action with the Pleasant Valley Youth Mission team here in Thailand. Here are a handful of photos and comments...

Tiger, one of the orphans, seemed to be left out by most of the others. I threw a nerf football around with him and he latched onto me for dear life.

Joel, the youngest team member, has been just wonderful the whole trip. I hope he is one of the student leaders the next time PVBC sends a team here.

Seth.

Adam, during the drama. Obviously, the kids love this part.

Brad teaches a little one to thumb wrestle. She spends the rest of the week challenging everyone.

Doing the drama at Immanuel.

Touring Bangkok their first full day.

Young Leaders meet the guys on the team.

Engaging with students at Kasetsart University (K.U.)

The kids on the team were so willing to jump right in and initiate conversations. It was amazing.

Jorge - Before and After

One of the highlights of the trip to Chiang Mai was the chance to visit with Jorge. I posted about Jorge back in October of last year. He was 18 and an orphan at Imjai House. Because the kids attend public school, they have ample opportunity to fall in with the wrong crowd. Jorge did this, and began sneaking out at night to join up with his friends on the streets. Finally, one night he stole a motorcycle from the orphanage and went into town, where he had a bad wreck. He nearly died and required multiple surgeries. That day, I spoke with him earnestly and bluntly about the choice he had been making and about his future. Later, when I returned to Bangkok, each member of Young Leaders wrote him a letter, and I attached their photos to each. It had a real impact. Today, Jorge is working and living at a home for disabled people... helping the patients there with their day to day tasks. He hopes to go to nursing school, but says even if he does, he wants to continue working there.

Jorge when I first met him.

Jorge today!

PVBC in Thailand - Day 1

Well day one is in the books. We took the team on a tour of the city to give them a feel for where we are and what makes this place unique. I remember when I first came here, how overpowering all the sights and sounds are. I am sure it was a little overwhelming, but everyone had a good time.

We started with a boat ride down the kliong (canal).

Visited Wat Po and the famous reclining Buddha.

To give you a sense of its size, check the feet!

Smile!

David and Claudia Johnson, who have been missionaries here for some twenty years, with PVBC Youth Pastor Brad Daniel.

PVBC and the Young Leaders

Last night, the PVBC team finished their first full day with an evening with the Young Leaders group. The girls all met with a group of young ladies from Immanuel at the same time. (Sorry... no pics of that.) It was a great way to finish the evening, with Thank leading us in a study of James 1.

Joel, Isra, Greg, and Aaron.

Bat leads us in a great time of worship together.

When men of God gather to worship and pray, it is very, very special.

Mix shared his story, being very open and honest. It was terrific! Afterward, Adam from PVBC also shared his story, a powerful story of grace and transformation.

Praying an end to a great day.

Last Day in the Slums Before PVBC Arrives

The team from Pleasant Valley will be here next week. Today, we talked about Moses and studied English words for family members.

Save and one of his buddies.
My partner, Ohm!

Fun and games.

Ting leads music. The kids adore him...

Another week done. Next up, PVBC youth team!

My Brother Son

Most of you may already know that my beloved friend and brother in Christ, Sontaya, went home to be with Jesus last Monday after being involved in motorcycle accident while driving to see a customer. It has been one of the most difficult weeks of my life.

Son was one of the first people I grew close to at Immanuel Baptist. Only twenty three years old, he had the biggest servant heart I have ever seen. He was always at the church quietly doing whatever needed done. He was something of a designated driver for the church and he went on countless trips to pick people up at the airport and to take them back.

He was instrumental in the formation of the Young Leaders Group, and a constant source of encouragement to me. He loved the Lord with all of his heart and was in the Word daily.

Thai funerals are usually multi-day affairs and Son's was held on two evenings. I was asked to preach at the second service. It was one of the toughest things I have ever done, but one of the great honors of my life. Over two hundred fifty people showed up for each of the services and nearly a hundred went to the burial, even though it was held two hours away and on a work day. Son was loved.

My friend, Sontaya

Speaking at the funeral.

Thank you Pleasant Valley for the flowers you and the youth mission team provided.

Son, Ting, and Eddy... the Three Amigos.

As I will always picture him.

When J came to visit, he immediately bonded with Son and they became very close. Here is J, Vee, and Son on the beach near Khao Lak in southern Thailand. J was crushed to be unable to be with us this past week, but he will see Son again.

Son with Ting, his best friend and roommate. This week has been so very hard for Ting, who is also one of my dearest friends in Thailand.

Ting and Son on a recent retreat. It's as if Son is saying, "Up to you now, buddy!"

opening doors and bowling

For a long, long time now, I have been anxious to make some kind of connection with the older kids in the Ja Rurat slum community. What we do each Sunday with our English and Bible lessons is aimed at too young an audience to have much interest for young teens. I have kind of envisioned a sort of Big Brother/Big Sister kind of program with some of the guys from our Young Leaders group and the young ladies from church. Giving the teens of Ja Rurat a sort of mentor... someone a little older, but that they can still relate to. These teens are at the age where they will be tempted to start using "yaabaa" (meth) and making all the other bad choices which will leave them trapped right there in that community for life. If they had a mentor in their life to talk through those choices with, and to show them there is a better way... wow.

I have already made connections with a couple of them, a fifteen year old girl named Fern (seen elsewhere in this blog) and her buddy Toey. Some time ago, I asked if they would be interested in going bowling with me and a couple of guys from Young Leaders. They said they would. We planned a date three times and each time, something legitimate came up that caused us to postpone. FINALLY, we got it done this weekend, and it was a blast!

John, Seth, Pai, Mix, and Boyd from Young Leaders were joined by John's sister Kara, and Ah Jan Vee's wife, Mewi and we hopped in the van and went to Ja Rurat to pick up Fern and Toey. Last week, Fern asked about taking another friend, Noon. When we got to Ja Rurat, they were very intimidated and not sure they really wanted to go through with this. Finally they came out and joined us (I thought it was interesting they were wearing their very best clothes.) As we walked to the van, Toey asked about taking one more friend, a younger boy named Ja, so we had him tag along, too.

Below are the sights from a great day together.

Gotta have energy, so first stop was the food court at the bottom level of Siam Paragon.

"All right ladies, let's show these guys how it's done!"


Pai, ready to knock 'em down.

Mix doing... well, I am not sure WHAT he is doing.

Seth, doing something stranger than Mix was doing...

John... this is more normal. But then John IS more normal.

Toey checking scores...

Fern... having fun. And that was the point. You know what? She is also learning that Christians CAN have fun. Strangest concept, I know...

Highest score for the day.

Toey is the Champion!

The kids... Fern, Toey, Noon, and Ja, had a fantastic time. They laughed and smiled and interacted (a little) with the guys from church, and I know they left with a whole different feeling about these people from Immanuel Baptist. Doors were opened. My prayer is that this is a turning point that could lead to something that will make all the difference for these kids' lives. And who knows? Maybe for the lives of other teens in that community. Oh, and I think the Immanuel gang had a good time, too.

New Opportunities

Saturday night, we had our first ever English language service at Immanuel Baptist. It was great. The band was wonderful and my buddy Note did a terrific job with worship. Seth sang "When God Ran," which moved some to tears. We are focusing on grace the first four weeks, so I spoke a simple message on that subject. We had about fifty there, which was a fine start, I think.

We have formed four teams, or 'families,' which will share responsibility for putting together the weekly service on a rotating basis. My group gets to enjoy what the others put together for a few weeks now.

Kind of a double header this weekend, as I also preached at the main service Sunday. There, I spoke on Ephesians 4 and Paul's command that we be angry, but not sin. This was in light of the events of the past weeks here. It seemed to be very well received.

On the walk to church, I came across what I assume was a peace march, led by a group of monks and then Buddhist nuns...

After church, of course, back to the slums. I was pleased to see that some parents had helped their children post some of their coloring pages from the previous week. Little victories add up!

The last Sunday of the month is a little party, with extra games and snacks. Party day today!

This is the Bangkok I love!

The view this evening from my balcony. Rain coming on. Sure is nicer than the view my balcony has had the past week or so. And the cross atop the Church of Christ Thailand building across the street serves as a reminder that God loves this country and these people...