Saturday, January 23, 2010

Peter & his wife
Sacrifice of praise on site of Pastor Joe's new church
Pastor Joe's current church and steep steps
Mimee and Leonie with their new shoes
Paul and Penny
Dinner on night off
Farewell Mae Sot
With Melissa
Peter preaching
Burmese family's house

With Niell and Diana
Oasis
At the waterfall
New Years Eve!
Lunch with Mimee's church member
At the Burmese rally
Phillip & wife Mary
With Niell & Diana
Pastor John
Roselyn at the Blessing Centre

The Blessing Centre
Arrival dinner

Leonie preaching

Apologies in the delay in getting photos up. They will be here tomorrow (well today-just when i get up-Saturday!)

In the mean time- be praying for Leonie- She's preaching this Sunday at Mimee's church, and would appreciate the prayer... stay tuned...

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Split ways...Mae Sot, Bangkok, Melbourne

Well, its with sadness that Chris and Peter arrived back in Melbourne 1 hour ago, as they've left many friends back in Thailand.

Thanks so much for your support over the last few days as well. A brief rundown:
Wednesday:
After leaving the Thai girls with each other, the Melbournites regrouped themselves and spent some time seeking out God's will for the next few days, and it was an encouraging time of seeing God working in even the small ways (subtle answers to prayer- always great). That afternoon Peter and Chris spent a good chunk of time speaking to LanChing and Vincent, and it was obvious that people were praying as the Spirit led that discussion into the depths of their hearts where we were able to encourage and help them in their questions.
Thursday:
We left KL to head back to Bangkok, and despite an early morning, the time in KL was looked upon fondly! It was encouraging to hear how the Thai girls found it going into a culture where they didn't understand the language, so they could get a glimpse of what it's like for all the farangs (foreigners) who come and do mission work in their home towns! Thursday arvo Chris caught up with Chris MacCartney while the rest of the team thought about some of the debrief questions. It was a really great time with Chris, and able to speak heart to heart even if only for an hour or two while supervising Chris's kids at a birthday party!
Friday:
Debrief day. No one knew what this day would hold. It had the potential to be great or simply ordinary, but once again it was great to see the way that God constructed it, even in the organising of the day. A highlight would have to be that fact that the 2 Thai girls while with us, both realised that they didn't need us around to do what we do. As in, they don't need foreign missionaries to come over to Thaliand and do kids ministry stuff in villages or boarding places or churches. They have the skills and can do it themselves. What was really encouraging was that they were the ones that said that to us, and we didn't have to say 'have you thought about this'. Other highlights were simply understanding how God had used each one of us in his own individual unique ways. On paper, it wouldn't look like any one person did an aweful lot, but in reality it was obvious that in the team of only 5 people God used each of us, in our areas of strength to achieve his purposes while away. Thanks heaps God!!!! It was also great to hear the future visions of each of the team members and where they thought God was leading.
Saturday:
Peter and Chris left at 530 in the morning to get to the airport, waved off by Mimee and Chuilian (as Leonie slept-and rightly so after such a big day the day before!). They arrived home at 9 and cleared customs by 1030. Meanwhile back in Bangkok, Mimee, Leonie and potentially Chuilian (not sure) spent the day touring the city and even doing ice-skating. At last contact Mimee and Leonie were heard to be at Bangkok bus station ready for the windy overnight 9 hour bus ride back to Mae Sot for Mimee's church service tomorrow morning.

Once again thanks for all your prayers and blessings, and if you want to find out any more of the goings on, please come and speak to me, as i'll be more than happy to talk. If you want a short report of the trip as well let me know as I may be putting something together this week too (if I get a chance). and if I get a chance I may put some photos up here too!

Thanks once again, and most importantly thanks God for being willing to use us, your humble servants to achieve the unachievable in your strength.

Chris

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

In KL...

In a motel in KL, looking at the schedule for only 3 days left and yet so much to do. Its a humbling task, as we believe that God's got so much more in store, and we've only got 3 days. Please be praying for us. After 2.5 weeks for Peter and Chris and 5 weeks for Leonie, its getting tough to stay with it. We've been sucessful in being able to help those who we are ministering to as a team who we visit. And we've still got a couple of days to go and maybe 2 other people to catch up with like Lanching and Vincent tomorrow night (Wed). But as well as prayer for that we'd really appreciate prayer for team unity, for God's Spirit to just be ministering to each of us, and that any breakthroughs in relationships with our Thai team members can just be Spirit led and directed, even now as I write this.

Praise:
1.that we were able to come to KL and that luggage could get through, and that we were able to catch up with LanChing and leave Mimee and Chuilian with her. She's the only female at the drug rehab place where her husband works, so its such an encouragement to her to see her friends come and to be able to speak her tribal dialect with Chuilian, so we're praying that is a really blessed time.
2. that while the Thai girls were catching up Leonie was able to find a physio in KL to have some work done, was cool the way God directed us to the right person, and it didn't cost a fortune! Pray that her back and neck can now hold up for the rest of the time she's over here.
Prayer: as above, and thanks so much for your faithfulness in supporting us. Its getting to crunch time, so we'd really appreciate them especially over the next 3 days!

Thanks again!

Monday, January 11, 2010

End of the hill tribes...onto KL...

In an internet cafe and not sure how long the connection will last so...
Its been amazing the way God worked while in the hill tribes.
The first night we got there we were hoping for a bit of relaxingness, unfortunatly they'd planned for us to do a service with the kids that night so we did a bit of planning. But through it all it was great to see God working in our weakness. Youth came along who the missionaries in the village hadn't seen before in the church. After the service we decided to ask if any boys from the village would like to be in a drama that we were doing in different villages over the next few days. Luckily the drama was on Ephesians 6 and the armour of God so it involved fighting, and once again we/God were able to get the boys who were not even regular church goers to volunteer to participate. Which meant they would sit through a further 2 church services as the gospel was shared as well as getting them involved in Christian stuff which was actually fun. It was a great time as we took them with us and included them. It was a funny sight, riding in the ute behind them seeing them in the ute in front smoking then coughing then throwing up from motion sickness (it was very windey) and laughing about it all!!! We bought them ice creams on the way back from the service today and they loved that too- all 10 of the locals!!!

Other God moments: Chuilian got talking to one of them in the back of the ute who didn't go to church and shared about how life has its problems but God provides purpose, and he listened and asked questions about it too!!!

One of the boys his grandparents are the local witchdoctors but he was still willing to come along and see what the God thing was all about and have fun

Just the way God worked in our weakness.

Yesterday Leonie and Chris had a half day off which was great, although since Leonie started to slow down a little, its all catching up to her a bit so she's a bit under the weather with a cold now, which when combined with really hard beds and still not 100percent sleep, its a bummer.

So most of the team's still pretty tired (I'm fine at the moment- Thanks God) and its starting to show in the interactions within the team, so please pray for grace, wisdom, and an understanding of how we can all work together best. It was great doing kids ministry cause we each found we had a specific purpose, but now as we move to KL, pray that we can also understand what God wants to do with us there. Pray also that we can understand where each other is at, so we can encourage accordingly.

Still confirming if we'll catch up with the MacCartneys, it may just be me, just praying that we can do it the best way to not be a burden to them.

Getting to the tough end of the trip, so prayers are especially appreciated.
Chris

Friday, January 8, 2010

Hill Tribes and Kids Ministry

Hi All,

Update from Thailand. The team are quite tired and would still really value you prayers for strength as they still have a week to go. The next few days they will be going to a Youth hostel with about 60 children. Please pray for them as they travel and that they will be led as to what activities to do with the children.
Peter (dad) is preaching again on Sunday so please keep him in your prayers.

Chris mentioned the prayer points and verses on the prayer calendar are proving to be particularly relevent each day so keep following along on it. (If you don't a copy, scroll down the blog and you can view the prayer calendar yourself).

As they are currently in the hill tribe areas, they have limited communications so I'll try and keep this up to date as much as possible through any phone conversations I have with them.

Regards,

Mike

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Thursday 7 Jan- Half way- still half to go!!!

Wow, so much has happened since Sunday!
Sunday: Caught up with Melissa Crouch and had a great time with her encouraging each other and meeting her neighbours too. We spend a couple of hours with each other
Monday: Travelled from Mae Sot to Chiang Mai and said farewell to all our friends from there. In Chiang Mai we went to the Bible Society and had a relaxing evening
Tuesday: Travelled from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, as soon as we got in we went off to a shopping centre Big C then as soon as we got back Paul Wilcox was there at our motel waiting for us so Peter and Chris caught up with him while the girls went shopping. It was an amazing time catching up with the Wilcox's, God's hand was definatly in it as so much was discussed in so much detail in the 4 hours we had with them, it was great. (Meanwhile the girls picked up Mimee's first pair of shoes since highschool and she may have just worn them to bed that night!) We had a great devotion and most of us got some more direction as to what God would want us to be doing over the coming days.
Wednesday: The verse of the day was about offering a sacrifice of praise and the the prayer was that we can be an encouragement to all we meet.
Well We offered a sacrifice of praise on the site of the new church that Pastor Joe is looking to build as well as spending most of the day with him. At night we went to have our customary once a trip ice-cream splurge at Swensens, and on the way we met a translator named Peter from our trips in 2003/4, following the ice-cream we took one step outside and met the pastor we'd stayed at on the 2003 & 2004 trips as well. He was on a prayer walk for the city and just happended to think he should be walking past the ice-cream shop tonight. So after a few words and a bible exchanging hands, we left for home with happy hearts!

The versese of the day have really been spot on along with the prayers. Once again thanks for all your prayers. Its been increasingly obvious, especially over the last fwe days when we've all beeen pretty tired (getting up round 640ish each day).

Today we leave for the hill tribes and we'll wait to see what God's got in store up there. Maybe including the locals in the drama presentations to make it more meaningful, maybe doing something different. We've got no idea yet, but we'll see what we've got when we get there!!! (Sorry for no photos)- bit of a rush this time and haven't even had a chance to download them!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Sunday..the last of Mae Sot

New years eve celebrations
Dad preaching

Chuilian giving her gifts to the Burmese school kids

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Ok so the day off didn't really end up being a day off. We were kind of tired after going to be at 1am but New Years day was slightly slower which was nice. While dad had an in depth discussion with some American missionaries, Leonie, Chuilian, Mimee, Chris and the Filipino missionaries went to a waterfall. It was good but after a long night we were all pretty tired.

Yesterday after a bit more sleep, we visited some Burmese kids which Leonie had seen at the church/Elpis prior to our arrival and gave them some Chrismas presents. They were a needy family so it was great to be able to bless them. This was Chuilian's idea.

Today we had church at Mimee's church and dad preached going through 2 translators. Tonight we're meeting up with Melissa Crouch and then leaving Mae Sot on the 8am bus tomorrow to hopefully get some R&R in Chiang Mai for the rest of the day.

God has been great this whole week, and its still been amazing how we've been able to catch up with everyone just at the right time. Its great that the last day or 2 has been a bit slower as that has allowed Leonie (who was doing crazy hours with the locals before we got here) to catch up a little on sleep. Prayer points: that over the next few days we can be perceptive to the needs of those we meet and on the team. That we can get the necessary rest, and also that we can stay in step with the Spirit as we serve the people over here. Thanks heaps again!

Friday, January 1, 2010

NEW YEARS EVE!!!!

Our first team shot!

The Filipino ladies who are missionaries over here, who we took out to lunch tonight. Very pricey restaurant- cost $3.50/person!!! Some of these missionaries have been here for 10years, we've been able to have some great chats with them, and its been cool to see the way God's working there!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We're going out in 5 mins for NYE celebrations at the Filipinos house for more food! And probably a day off (I say that now!) tomorrow.


31 Dec...

Philip & Mary- at Burmese 'Christmas Celebration' the first time he's done some thing like this in the area. A few hundred people turned up to hear the gospel message in a way that was relevant to them. (Dad also gave a short 5 min greeting). They wanted some foreigners to come along as that meant they could say to the Burmese factory workers we've got special guest speakers!


For lunch we went to a ladies place we met last trip and who Leonie had been to her house to carol last week. We ended up talking and after a while we asked if she'd like prayer to which she was SO appreciative of! She became a Christian just last year and we were able to pray for her family with her. She'll be at church on Sunday when dad's preaching too.



Wednesday, December 30, 2009

So much so soon!!!

So much has been happening just at the right time, that it appears to be no coincidence!!! (not that we thought it was anyway!).

On Monday, we went to have a look at a bakery that the Filipino missionaries had started up, and its a good thing we went then because it was closing the next day for the rest of the time we're in Mae Sot and we wouldn't have been able to see it.

On Tuesday we were able to have lunch with the local pastor-Pastor John, and encourage him and pray with him, he said he could only spend an hour with us but after 1.5 hours and making his wife wait 30mins we finally convinced him to leave. He's doing an amazing work. The combined churches of Thailand have finally decided to work together (after stacks of disunity) and have a joint vision to reach every household in Thailand. They've divided Thailand up into quarters and Pastor John in organising a conference for the pastors in his quarter for March and was asking us if we knew of any speakers who could come. To which we were able to suggest one. And pray about it with him. We'll see where the Lord leads with that.

At night we were able to have dinner with Niell and Diana and have a great chat with them regarding where they are at, where they would like to go and what God is doing in their hearts and lives right now. It was a blessed time and God was able to speak to both us and them through the conversation. Thanks God!!!

Today (Wed) we were able to catch up with Philip Tin Aung, and after giving him some letters from Australian friends yesterday he was very appreciative of that. Today we had lunch with him and four of his pastors that are leading a Christmas celebration tomorrow morning. We're invited to that and dad will give a '5 min encouragment' tomorrow, before the guest speaker. He's expecting 1000-3000 Burmese factory workers so it'll be exciting to see how that goes.

The team is fairing well. Mimee's brother arrived today so she is spending some family time with him and her niece as well. She's still working long hours though. We're having daily devotions and looking at how God uses people in prayer and what kind of blessings he gives out. Thanks for your prayers and support. We couldn't be doing what we're doing without it!

Monday, December 28, 2009

Made it!!!

So, after a day of travel we were finally all able to meet up together. We left home at 8pm 26th and arrived here at 7pm on 27th. We were met at the bus station by Leonie, Chuilian and Mimee along with some Filipino missionaries. We were pretty tired so after taking them all out for dinner we had a good sleep. Dad even slept for 10hours- a new record for him!!!!
This morning we met together as a team and we're praying through what we should be doing this week for the program in Mae Sot. It looks like there a fair bit of eating that we're going to be doing, taking a number of different missionary groups out for dinner, as well as maybe going to a Burmese rally on Wednesday night. Other than that, its pretty open at the moment. Mimee's still pretty busy trying to get things done before we head off to the rest of the country. Thanks for all your support, and we'll keep you updated when we next have internet!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

And we're off...

So the day has arrived when we depart so in 1.5hours Dad and I will depart and embark on 24hrs of transit to meet Leonie, Chuilian and Mimee in Mae Sot. Thanks for all your prayers already. I'm really excited about this trip and about what God's going to do while over there. I get the feeling there's going to be a lot of stuff happening. So stay tuned...

Sunday, December 20, 2009

The engine room...


Here's a copy of this years prayer calendar.
Hot off the press...

The Team...

This year's team is made up of 5 people. Smaller than usual but perfect size for what God's got in mind...



Peter . Chris . Chuilian . Leonie. Mimee

Profiles:
Peter works in Australia and has been over to Thailand many times before previously assisting on Short Term trips in leadership capacities. In Melbourne, he is an engineer, married to Marilyn and father of Michael and Chris

Chris is currently on placement and studing in Wangaratta and will be on placement up there until July, however he's on a 2 month break so living back at home with his parents. He's been to Thailand many times before, and has assisted in the planning of a number of such trips. He and Peter are co-leaders on this trip

Chuilian is a valuable member of the team and resides in Thailand. She has participated in every Short Term trip since 2003 and has been a faithful translator for each of these. She can speak at least 5 languages including Thai, Ahka, Chinese, Lahu and English

Leonie is a student and involved in a number of activities at Mitcham Baptist. This will be her third trip back to Thailand. She is currently over in Thailand already and will be staying there a number of weeks after Peter and Chris have returned to Australia.

Mimee is a school teacher and pastor in Mae Sot. She works at Elpis school during the week as a teacher for Burmese Refugees and on the weekends (as well as during the week) she pastors the local Chinese church congregation. She is also a valuable member of the team and has been on many Short term trips before. She is fluent in Thai, Burmese, Chinese, English, Karen, Tagalog, and other languages which she finds interesting.

THAILAND 2009/10... is fast approaching

And so we are here again... In the preparation stages for another trip to Thailand. This year we are going out under the name of Mitcham Baptist again and are visiting a number of people all over Thailand. We'll be starting off in Mae Sot and then moving up to Chiang Rai area where we'll be heading into the hilltribes to assist with the local pastors there, probably doing some more kids ministry stuff! After this we'll be heading down to Kuala Lumpur (in Malaysia) for a few days to visit some other Christian workers down there, then finishing up by heading back up to Bangkok.
Stay tuned for more details...