definition of the word awesome

love people

this is the overall topic of my blog but i've never really written about it. but this week i am going to be speaking at church in the middle school group about this very topic. loving people. it's what life is all about. as followers of christ it is what we are called to do, love people, and that is really about all we have to do. but it is harder than it sounds. to truly love others is a difficult task. it means putting them before ourselves. and it also means that we first have to accept God's love of us. we have to be able to live our life really knowing and acting like we are loved by God. then we can start to love others as God loves them. just thinking about God loving others changes our view of them.

maybe we can start with that. when you look at people from now on think first...God loves them. it will change your actions and your life.

love people.

Awesome

This is a fantastic commercial. She is my hero just for the way she says "awesome", plus I love cheese.

God's Voice

This last week I went to Hume lake Christian camps with the middle school group from venture. And it had to be one of the most tiring weeks I have ever had. I can't really blame it on jetlag although I had only been back in the country for a week before we left. But I can say that I was not prepared for the week at all, physically or spiritually. So I prayed, a lot, and then some more. Hume is always tiring just because of the tight scheduling they have, but I was also challenged with some students. I love the girls I had but it wasn't easy. By Thursday night in chapel I was completely empty. During the worship that night I felt like I had nothing left to give and so I told God it was up to Him. I knew He was going to do something amazing that week. And I knew by me being done it would be easier for Him to use me.

Well He didn't disappoint. Friday during free time the main girl I was praying for was asking me what to do after you put your trust in God, Which kind of caught me off guard. She was like "oh ya did I tell you that. I'm trusting Him with my life now." I was so suprised but also really excited because this came from the girl who said she would never be able to belive in God. Then later that night she stood up in front of everyone making the commitment to follow God. And when I was talking to her after that she shared this story with me...

That night in chapel she was praying, something she had never done before, for her favorite song to be played during the worship set. It came on last and she was sitting down with her head down. Then she heard a voice in her head saying, " Here I am. Here I am." Over and over again. When I asked her about it she said it sounded like her own voice but it was words she would never say and it was an overwhelming voice that she could not make go away.

I was so amazed that God had talked to her verbally and I when I shared with her that those exact words are in he Bible and that God calls himself I Am she just about freaked out. It was an amazing experience for her and for me just to be able to hear from her and tell her it was God speaking to her.

So none the less it was a difficult week but completely worth it.

God is good.

Ging La? [really?]

ging ging. (ya)

I'm sitting in the airport in Bangkok and I'm sad because in a few hours I will have officially left Thailand.

I knew going into this trip that the first week would go by kind of slow and then when the end came it would feel like everything went by super quick. What I didn't know was how much I would miss everyone the minute I was by myself. Don't get me wrong I can't wait to see everyone at home, I miss them a ton too. But earlier I was sitting in the airport in Chiang Mai, playing cards with three of my friends and I did not want to leave.

It was a really weird feeling to become attached to people so strongly and in a very short amount of time. I know that I have started some lifelong friendships this past month but it's weird to think that these new friends I will probably never see again in person.

God has showed me a lot this month and some of that was just through goofy around with my friends. God can bring people together from all over the world, despite language and time, and make them feel like a family. I talked about this in my english camp post and I've still been thinking about it. Last night was our friday night party at the Centre. So of course we had a fourth of july party. But since it was my last friday night I was luckily chosen to give my testimony.

Giving my testimony was awesome but what was really cool was after that, they had me stay up front and people came and said things to me to encourage me. I had western staff, thai staff, and some students say things to me. And let me tell you if you ever think you don't make a difference that is wrong. People who I barely got to talk to even came up. It was a really awesome time. And as much as I am sarcastic about being so cool I really don't think so until people tell me to my face. It always makes me really humble because I think, "I don't know why people think I'm cool or want to hang out with me, I'm just an ordinary girl." But it's encouraging and I appreciate it more than I can say.

Thanks for reading my blogs while I have been in Thailand. Thank you for supporting me in prayer and financially. This trip really has impacted my life, and I hope I will be able to share with some of you in person.

love.

Ron Cha Dai [it's so hot i will die]

So I just got back from English Camp this weekend. It was so hot I was literally sweating the entire time unless I was in the shower.
Now when I say shower I mean standing in the bathroom and pouring water over my head. Talk about a cultural experience. This is not the way that all shower are here, they do have normal showers, it was just the camp site we were at. But besides the heat the whole weekend was pretty amazing.
The staff had been praying for this weekend for a long time and I got to join in with them in their prayer these few weeks I was here before going to camp. God was so present at this camp it was amazing. Just the way the whole group felt like one big family and all the students that did not know God could just tell that it was a good place to be. They felt comfortable and really were open and honest with the staff about what they thought about God and being a christian.
During the weekend we got paired up with buddies and as a i prayed for my buddy God definitely answered my prayer. I wanted her to just know that God is real and that He loves her and that we love her. It is very difficult for Thai students to accept being a christian because it is a complete lifestyle change for them and everyone they know usually including their family are Buddhist. This makes it very difficult for them. But my prayer was that these students would have such a conviction and just know that God is love and truth, that they would not be able to say no to him and to christianity.
There were a lot of students that asked Jesus into their hearts this weekend but it's still a process for them to realize what it means to be a christian and even be ready to go to church. But the great thing about this camp is that it is through the Centre and so we get to keep up with these relationships and continue to talk to the students about God.
I now only have one more week here in Thailand and it definitely went by way too quickly. But I will be glad to get home and rest a bit before heading out to Hume Lake with the middle schoolers.

Oh, and I do have pictures I'm sorry I haven't added them to my facebook in a while but I will work on that in the next couple days.

Attithan [prayer]

So week one is done. I've completed my first week of classes and first full week at the Centre. It went by so quick. I really love my class, the students are so fun and really nice. Students in Thailand are so much better than students in the states they really respect their teachers and they are helpful. It's so great, the first day in class I opened the windows and turned on the fans because we are in Thailand and it's extremely hot, and the rest of the week I would come into the classroom and the windows were open and the fans on already. I love my students. Haha, and not only that but they turn the fans off and shut the windows when class is over, it's so great.

But with the first week came a lot of prayer. At the centre we have meetings everyday from 1-2, then we hang out and get ready for class from 2-5, from 5-6 I have my class and then from 6-7 I hang out at the coffee level (floor of the house with the coffee shop) and hang out with students and help Krista, our barista if you will.

My class has been going really well although the attendance is spotty. So I have been praying for my students to show up and also to hang around at the Centre after class. The Centre strives to build relationships with the students in order to share about Jesus with them. So I was praying for my students to hang around the Centre after class and that day one of my students said she wanted to stay, so she could practice her english, but I was still so excited.

Also at the Centre they have Cooking Night on Wednesdays and Friday Night Parties. Wednesday was fun we had pesto chicken pasta, Thai style. It was fun being able to just hang out with some of the students in a non-classroom setting. And on friday night the party theme was The Flinstones. For that we played some games and then had one of the staff share her testimony. It was really cool to see all the students focused on what she was saying.

I know a lot of people have been praying for me and I appreciate it so much I can really tell that my trip is going so smoothly because of all your prayer. Thank you so much. Please continue to pray for me and my students, I would love to see them become a part of the Centre more fully and make friends there so when I leave they will stay and hang around.