Soup for the Soul--Little encouraging stories of my life in Chiang Mai

Wow! God is so amazing, amen?! I don't know how else to start out writing these blogs except to praise God because I keep experiencing His blessings nonstop. It has been absolutely amazing...that...yeah, I'm speechless! :)

Making a Difference through teaching English

Adjusting back to life here has been quite interesting. My first week, I came and stayed with Pastor Bunsoem (Xibfwb Zaam Nug Yaaj) and his family. It was so good to see everyone again, including the church members from Light of Sansai! One of my previous English students came up to me sometime during the week and said, "Teacher, will we start having classes again?" I was quite surprised because I know this kid--he was my neighbor, after all. He doesn't like to learn, has a short attention span, and apparently, from what I hear, does not do well in school. Yet, in my class, he...excelled. He always had a lot of energy, and at times, it was difficult for me to get him to calm down and finish his work. Yet, he retained a good amount of vocabulary and, from observation, I could see that he enjoyed learning in class (well, I do try to make it fun, you know ;) haha). Anyway, I was shocked that he had asked that since it has been over 6 months since our last class. So I asked him, "Do you want to have class again?" "Yes," he answered without hesitation. I thought, Oh man...I wish I could but I don't have the time right now. For some reason, I knew that the Lord wasn't calling me to come back and teach English here. The Lord had His hand on this boy's life and I could only praise God for choosing to work through me. However, after praying for wisdom to know how to prioritize and to go about using my time wisely, I knew what I needed to get done and couldn't go astray from it.

Apart from that, I met up with Lauren Becker, another missionary here who heads up the TLC English center in located behind Chiang Mai University (one of if not the most prestigious university in the area). Many students have been coming for English lessons but unfortunately, there is a shortage of teachers for the moment. So, thinking that if 3 hours of Thai lessons a day isn’t too much, I could commit a short time in teaching as well. It has been about three weeks now and I really like it A LOT (despite the fact that I’ve only committed 2 hours to teaching per week)! The staff and people are great, the students are coming on a regular basis, and I’m just so glad to be given this opportunity to connect with them in a tangible way in hopes that they will see God’s love through it all. TLC’s mission is very encouraging and I definitely consider it an honor to be working/volunteering with them part-time.

Also, I’ve connected with a weekly Bible study here with other missionaries/foreigners in the area. It has been great to be able to relate with these folks, fellowship, and learn God’s Word together. Last week, my birthday landed on their Filipino potluck night and it was amazing! A friend bought me a cake, and I bought one for her (but I was too shy to say it [surprise! It really was for you, Jen! lol]) so everyone sang happy birthday to us and we had a good time. I also played ultimate frisbee the other week and just felt like I learned such a strong spiritual lesson from that. I appreciated people with good sportsmanship so much—it can tell a lot about who we are, if we are going to step on others just to get to the top, about how we work in a team, and if we care more about winning than simply having fun. *Sigh* I definitely need to find time to work out more.

Noisy Neighbors

What’s more, life in my apartment has been interesting. I have very noisy neighbors next door. There seems to be a little boy that whines and cries all the time, every day. At first, I was annoyed and just prayed that he would shut up already (okay, so I didn’t use those words in my prayer—I actually said, ‘Lord, would you PLEASE help make him stop... ;)) but then the Holy Spirit convicted me and said, “Why don’t you offer a prayer for him instead?” So I sighed, shut my eyes tight, silently asked for wisdom in praying for this boy and said:

 “God…please, just love this boy and comfort Him like you did me when I was younger. I don’t know why he’s crying, if he’s having family problems, if he’s just spoiled and didn’t get what he wants…or if it goes even deeper than that. Just reach out to them with Your love, O God, in the way that You know will open their eyes to who You are. I also ask for you to be with the parents, to give them wisdom in knowing how to deal with their kid, and to learn how to love and treat the child the way that You would want them to. May they learn from You, God, as You open their eyes to who You are. Amen.”

I don’t know why I was surprised, but every day when I hear the boy crying, I would pray this prayer…and he would stop right afterwards. Every time. I asked God that if there was a tangible way for me to show them His love—if I could buy the boy candy and tell the parents that I would hear him crying sometimes and hopes that this little gift would cheer him up. Yet, I hesitate because either his parents would get mad at him for disturbing the neighbors and give him a whipping for it or I might encourage his selfishness in being spoiled (if in fact that is what he is). Any thoughts? I need wisdom on this.

Unexpected Witness Opportunity

Also, I’ve been praying that I would be a light to the staff here at my apartment. I just want them to see God in me and perhaps gain an opportunity to share the Gospel to them in Thai (if I ever get to that level). One day, I was really tired and came back just to find that the staff had changed the curtain in my laundry room. I was offended at first, thinking, how dare they come into my room without my permission? This isn’t a serviced apartment, you know! And then I saw the post-it note with a Thai Bible verse on my door and thought, Oh wow, I had just witnessed to them without even knowing it (b/c there’s no way you can pass through to my laundry room without seeing the bright pink note with John 14:6 on it)(and also, I had just prayed the night before for fresh ideas in witnessing to them).

Sharing my testimony

I visited the church at the TLC Center last week and ended up going with the Senior Pastor (King) and his wife, Apple, for coffee after a baptism ceremony with a few of their members. In the car, they had asked to hear my testimony, so I testified about God’s faithfulness during my childhood. Apple must have been impressed because she asked me to share it with other staff members and students after an outing they were going to have. That day came and I, when I shared, it was SO difficult to hold back the tears because I always remember all the pain that I went through, but even more tears come when I realize God’s goodness through it all.

Not only that, but I also had plans to sleepover at Hannah’s place that night (one of my good Hmong Thai friends from Prasalee CMA church here in Chiang Mai). I had told her earlier that day that I would be telling my testimony and needed prayers. That night, she asked me to share it with her as well along with her other two friends who stayed in the same apartment (Zeah [Ntxias], Nah). I love testifying about His miracles and grace in the lives of His children.

Scary Stories

When staying at Hannah’s place that night, I was in Zeah and Nah’s room eating snacks and watching TV with them. I realized that they were watching a horror film (starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, actually) and saw a terrible depiction of a angry ghost out to get her (you know, one of those Asian girls with the messy hair kind of look). Anyway, it surprised me! I confessed to them that I do not watch scary movies and I have my reasons. So they asked…and, at first I told them that I didn’t want to tell it to anyone anymore since people just want to hear them for chilling kicks. Then, I thought I heard the Holy Spirit whisper to me that I have a testimony of God’s faithfulness through all these experiences as well and that I should share them—not for chilling kicks, but for a deeper understanding about spiritual warfare. So before I told them, I prayed that God would guard our hearts and minds, and then I shared. Looking back, I wish I would have ended with more Bible verses on how God promises to be with us, watch over us, and protect us as His children in every situation. Yet, I see now that not many are mature in their faith enough to handle these stories nor are they all born-again Christians to be able to comprehend the depth and truth that is contained in them in supporting God’s Word. I definitely need more discernment in this area.

Visiting Missionaries

I was with missionary, Doua Her, yesterday. She and a couple of us including Pastor Chue Pua Yang, his wife, and mother from the U.S. went to visit two missionaries. The first one was Dorothy Yullich (sp?). She has been working as an independent missionary here in Thailand for 57 years as a nurse. At first, she wanted to work among the Hmong, but seeing as they were unreceptive to the gospel, she worked with the Thai (all the more reason to pray for the Hmong, right?). Anyway, we paid her a visit at the hospital, sang worship songs in Hmong, and Doua encouraged Dorothy with a few words from the Bible (in all 3 languages, mind you). Doua cried as she told her how much this woman had inspired her as she prayed for her and washed her feet, saying, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace” (Romans 10:15). There was not a dry eye in the room that day.

Afterwards, we visited missionary Don Rulingson (sp?) at his current home. He had previously worked a lot with the Hmong in the past. It was a joy to meet his daughter, Annabelle, who was completely fluent in Hmong (I can tell you, it’s waaay better than mine! J). We sang Hmong worship songs and shared the Lord’s supper with him. He was such a sweet, dear, elderly man who still retained some Hmong. I saw him singing the beginning of the Hmong version of “Holy, Holy, Holy.” It was very inspiring!

Afterwards, we had dinner together at Doua’s house, consisting of pla pow (grilled fish). OH my goodness…this is hands-down on my favorite dishes of all time here in Thailand (surprising b/c I’m not very fond of fish). The ruby fish (or whatever it’s called) is coated with salt and grilled over an open fire until its cooked and juicy. Then, you peel back the skin and eat its tender meat with a basil, garlic, chili sauce with a side of lettuce. It’s SO amazing!!! I missed this so much during my time in the States.

Thai Lessons

My Thai lessons at Payap University end this week. It has been such a good experience learning in a classroom setting and speaking Thai straight for 3 hours everyday (well, almost! The teacher has to use English every now and then to explain certain concepts). It has certainly been intensive but definitely a blessing. One thing I want to mention is God's faithfulness through all this. Before I started the class, I prayed that, in all 8 levels they have for one's fluency in Thai, I prayed that if only I would land in Thai 4, I would be happy. The day came when I met with one of the professors, was given a brief test on reading an article in Thai, was questioned about understanding its content, and then was placed in Thai 8--the highest level they offer (is that crazy or what??!!). My jaw dropped and I was like, "HOLY MOLEY!!" Not bad for only two months of previous language learning, eh? God is good indeed...*sigh* I'm still completely in awe because, for one thing, it was difficult for me to come up with the funds in the first place to learn Thai last year, and second, God divinely intervened and answered my prayers in language learning. It has been such a slow and painful process in obtaining a new language. However, whatever God calls us to, He always equips us in.

“For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to will and to act for His good purpose.”

            -Philippians 2:13

What’s next?

My next plans are to visit the Hmong Foundation and to pay a visit to John Kane and his family. It will be such an honor to meet him, a renowned missionary who has worked with our people for approximately 27 years here in Thailand. It will be great to discuss the situation about the Hmong here with him.

Anyway, I have already finished my newsletter about my activities during this past summer. I apologize for it being so late! I’m going to try to post it up here on the blog as soon as I can (it takes a while for all the pics to load). I’ve been so busy, doing homework for my Thai classes, homework for my master’s program, planning and teaching English lessons, planning for what's ahead, and finding time to connect with friends and build relationships.

As it turns out, I am still in need of monthly supporters. I’m not worried, as I know that the Lord will provide for His work. If the Lord puts it on your heart, please prayerfully consider making a financial gift, whether it may be one-time or monthly. I’m trusting in the Lord to lead the way in His will for me here! :) May God’s grace abound towards you!