Balloon Popping in JaRurat

Back for more in the slums today. I have been meaning to get this photo for along time. This little guy has been coming or hanging around for well over a year now. Notice that he has a string around his waist with a phallic symbol on it. He has had that as long as I have known him. I am guessing his dad placed this on him, in hopes of raising a virile, manly son. Not something you would likely see a young boy wearing to school in the US!

Y'all have not seen Fern for a while. She is doing great. She reported today that she did very well on her English test last week. Ironically, she is struggling in Thai.

Jumbo and Ting lead the music.

The kids blew up balloons and attached them to their ankles with rubber bands.

Then went around trying to stomp each others' balloons. They had a great time.

A Rainy Day in the Slums

We are truly in the rainy season here in Thailand. Almost every day sees a good shower, often two or more. Today, it hit just as we headed to the slums. That kept attendance down, so we just sang a few songs and played some games with the kids who did show... and went home early, a welcome break for the slums team!

Ting is doing a great job leading the games and songs, and the kids have grown to love him much!

The roof in the building where we meet has some leaks, to say the least.

Tinger Takes a New Path

It has been a rough couple of weeks in terms of seeing friends go. This character is Nakarin Chanprasert. Over the past two years he has become one of my very best friends. His nickname is Tingtong, a Thai name meaning "crazy." I call him Tinger. Tinger is incredibly smart, wickedly funny to those who really know him, and just a great guy. We came to the Bangkok office about the same time, and grew to be great friends.

Some time back, Tinger let me know he was applying for another job. I was not very happy about it until I found out WHERE he was applying. For security reasons I can not say where, but it is a fantastic opportunity for him, and will give him the opportunity to travel and maybe open other doors in the future. Well, what choice did I have then, but to support him fully and celebrate when he finally got the job. I'll miss him a lot at work, but there is no doubt we will stay in regular contact.

These photos are from his last day at DST. Tinger once worked at a Japanese restaurant and he has converted me to enjoying Japanese food greatly.

He still has not helped me master chopsticks.

This photo cracks me up. If you had heard how often he complained about having an old cathode ray tube monitor instead of an LCD screen like most of our associates have.

THIS is how I will remember his time at DST.

I have been so blessed to work with a lot of incredible people. Tinger is special, though. Good luck with the new job, buddy. And thanks for the friendship we have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy in the years ahead.

John's Last Night With Young Leaders

John Tessalee is now a Cornhusker, safely arrived in Lincoln, Nebraska, and ready to start his new adventure as a U.S. university student.

But before he left, we had one last evening with him at Young Leaders. John is the definition of a Young Leader, and we are going to miss him terribly. But our loss is NU's gain, and there is no doubt that there are young people in Lincoln who can only be reached by the message of hope that John carries within him.

I gave John the option of a pizza send-off, but he preferred one last gathering at the unofficial headquarters of the Young Leaders, the Athen restaurant (kind of like a truck stop diner, Thai-style.)

I never get tired of these photos.

We had to move up to second floor, and it took us a while to get into the swing of things, but like always, worship was sweet.

It was a holiday here, so Ting didn't have class and was able to join us for the first time in a long time... a double blessing.

Last night with Young Leaders and likely last night for that shirt, too. I suggested he not wear that through the Devaney center at Lincoln.

When young men pray... wow.

John's "band of brothers."

Hard to explain how much John has come to mean to me. He is a rock, and he is going to be a leader for the Kingdom all the days of his life. I am broken hearted to lose him from our group, but so eager to see where God leads him and how He uses him in the days ahead. And there IS hope for him yet... he may become a real football fan up in Big Red country!

Reaching Nut

I don't know how to explain it, but we are just in a season where so much good is happening with Young Leader's Group. Last night, Knot taught for the first time, and did well, with James 4.

The big news, though, was a visitor we had for the first time. There is a lady in my Sunday School class who has a sixteen year old son who has been involved in a drug gang in Bangkok. He finally decided he wanted out and broke off his relationship with the gang, but - as would happen in the U.S. too, the gang was far less than happy with this. They have called and threatened him and have circled slowly around his home. Nut had not left his home for nearly six weeks and was scared to death. When I heard that, the first thing I thought was that this kid needs some friends and a safe place to hang out. What better than with the Young Leaders. I told his mom we'd have someone pick him up and bring him to meet with us and she was ecstatic.

As you might expect, he was a little unsure of what he was getting himself into, and the guys were a little awkward in reaching out to him, but eventually, as the guys started teasing each other, you could see Nut relax a little and even bust up laughing a couple of times. He is gifted musically, and you could see the worship music was touching him. We have a ways to go, but the first tentative steps toward building a relationship were taken last night. Please, pray for Nut, that he will find hope and freedom in Christ Jesus, and real friends in the Young Leaders.

Knot, leading us through James 4.

Nut and Boyd.

Rainny at prayer.

The worship with Young Leaders is always so powerful.

Nut was a little uncomfortable, but also assured me he'd be back next week!

Last Day for PVBC in Thailand - Day 12

Pleasant Valley's last day in Thailand was still memorable. After an afternoon of shopping at MBK mall, Immanuel Church hosted the team at Baiyoke Tower, the tallest building in Bangkok, and their Skyview buffet.

A magician draws Joel into his act.

The view from the top of the tower.

I think they all ate too much at the buffet.

One final group photo. Thank you so much, Pleasant Valley, for sending your best and for helping us reach Thailand with the message of hope and freedom in Christ! See you all again SOON!

Scenes from Bearing - Day 11

The last full day of ministry was Sunday, and the team went to one last slum community, we call Bearing. Here are a few photos from that time...

Some children and adults prayed for the first time to recieve the free gift of a right relationship with God through Jesus.

The kids learn 'finger jousting.'

Our solider man returns to visit

My work with the Young Leaders at Immanuel began through my relationship with the "Three Amigos," Ting, Sontaya, and Eddy. There three have been insuperable friends for years, and all of them helped with the slum ministry, which is how I first got to know them. It was rough at first. Son spoke rough English, Ting much less, and Eddy almost none. And my Thai is not great now, but it was terrible at that time. Still, somehow, God formed a bond between us, and I got great joy from being around these three.

In Thailand, they have a form of military draft, the young men sarcastically call the "lucky draw." Around your 21st birthday, you must return to your hometown and participate in a sort of lottery. You reach in a box and pull out a slip of paper. If it is black, you return to life as normal. If you draw red, you are in the army for two years. In Spring of '09, both Son and Eddy had to go home for the 'lucky draw.' Son drew black, Eddy drew red.

I was so worried. No one in their group was less 'army material than Eddy,' with his long hair and gentle spirit. I was afraid he would not be able to handle the demands of military life. I was also worried about him spiritually. Eddy was still a fairly young and immature believer. He was going to be entering a decidedly non-Christian world, where he might well be the only Christ-follower in his unit. He was to report to the army in early October. In late summer, I approached him and asked him to meet with me once a week to talk about what it REALLY means to be a man of God, hoping to maybe equip him just a little better for the challenges that lay ahead. Eddy asked if he could include Ting and Son. And Young Leaders was born!

At first, the intent was clear... they could invite friends, but the focus was going to be Eddy and his preparation for the army, and the group would meet only until Eddy left for the military. I asked a friend, Greg Brown, a missionary working with Immanuel to help, and he immediately agreed. Well, the group started meeting at my condo and quickly grew to about a dozen regulars. And it became a wonderful time for all of us. When Eddy DID go, the others came to me and said, "We can't just quit now," so we continued meeting... to this day.

This week, Eddy returned for a three day visit. What a great, great surprise. The one bad part was that, due to our inability to reach him after Sontaya's death a month ago, he had not yet learned that one of his closest friends had passed. It was a shock, as you can remember, and I don't think he still has a real grasp.

Anyway, so pics from his recent visit. What a great blessing to see Eddy again! Oh, and he is THRIVING in the military. I am SO proud of him!

Eddy before the army buzz cut. The children in the slum called him "Singto," Thai for "the lion."

Son, Eddy, me, and Ting on our first visit to him, midway through his bootcamp.

Soldier Eddy.

Eddy had moments during his visit of reflection and hurt, as he thought about Son. The rest of us had each other to help us work through the hurt five weeks ago. Eddy will have to do that on his own (with God).

The "two amigos," Eddy and Ting. I can not tell you how good it was to see these two together again.

We had a special meeting of Young Leaders group while Eddy was back, to feast on pizza and to pray for and encourage our young brother. It was a wonderful time! Here, Eddy and Ting pray...

Eddy is standing strong as the only Christ-follower in his unit. Please do pray for him to continue to be strong in body and in spirit.