Who will influence the children of the next generation?
Is it possible that while the Christian community quietly relaxes in a comfortable recliner reading the latest article on how to "Be a Christian and not Create Waves", the Islam community is aggressively establishing Muslim prayer rooms in our favorite Department Stores?
Don't be fooled. There are millions of Muslims willing to go after those "unreached people" all around the world, including Thailand! There are billions of Buddhist who still have no clear understanding of who Jesus is, or that they were created by the loving and powerful God of the universe. These unreached people aren't going to magically hear about Jesus Christ if the Christian community remains silent or cloistered away from them. Have we become too concerned with being proper, non-intrusive, or politically correct to be of any significant impact on the world around us?
How does one become compelled, to reach out, to embrace people with the Good News and love of Jesus? If we aren't concerned about such things, don't worry, our bold Muslim neighbors are willing to fill in the gap...and if they don't, the Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses are also out in full force! They aren't just visiting your local neighborhoods, or setting up shop at the corner market, they are sending their people to other lands to stake a claim. They are finding creative ways to build relationships and establish themselves in new communities. Wake up people.
The view from our front door. Across the street the crowds are beginning to gather for a Songkran water fight!
No one is safe from the water and powder "blessing", but we did have a slight advantage over our neighbors.....we put our garden hose to good work from our roof top. Look out below!
I am drenched from head to toe, but luckly I wrapped my computer in plastic before leaving the house.
Right in the middle of heated RED Shirt demonstrations, killings and blood curses against the government....the Thai people take a three day "time-out" to celebrate Songkran.
For the next three days most of the waring in the Kingdom will come to a halt. It's such an odd thing. The atmosphere has shifted from angry fighting mobs with knives and guns...to laughter, dancing and water fights in the streets with giant plastic guns.
Maybe EVERY WARING NATION should consider such a "time-out". They should consider taking out their aggressions with giant orange and green plastic, semi-automatic water guns. It's hard to stay angry at each other when you're being chased down the street by someone in miss-matched flip-flops, a flower printed shirt and a hot pink wig!
This little guy is getting an early start to the Songkran Festival. Songkran is some what like our New Year’s Celebration in the US. Songkran is celebrated from April 13-15th. It's a three day, Kingdom-wide block party, water fight! Lots of celebrating, dancing and usually excessive drinking- not water!
Although the origin of the Songkran festival is embedded in layers of ancestor and idol worship; there are some redemptive analogies to observed in this culture. This Songkran, may the people of Thailand draw their attentions to the One, True God, who washed away all our sins and made us clean through Jesus. May they hunger and thrist for truth and come to know what it means to drink of the Living Water.
The Songkran is a time for Thai people to honor those who are older. A blessing of appreciation is given to them by pouring fragrant water over their hands and feet.
Our girls at the ministry center prepare for Songkran by gathering water, consecrating it by means of prayer and then adding some fragrant flowers. Next, it's time to gather all the "older" people- yes, as you can see by the picture below, I qualified.
The pouring of water begins. As we sit in a long row of chairs outside, all the younger women come through on their knees (one by one) and pour water on us and speak a short blessing.
Towards the end of this ceremony the water then gets poured everywhere else- Oh, accidentally down your back, on your head or with ice water etc. It is expected and all in goods fun! This is the subtle que that the water fight is about to begin! In a few minutes EVERYONE IS GOING TO GET DRENCHED.
For the next three days, anyone, anywhere is a target. If you step out of your house, chances are you will get very wet. After you're soaking wet, someone might come by and throw powder on you. Then you look like a ghost! Sorry, no Songkran photos of myself in this lovely condition as my camera is not water proof! So enjoy these photos of others getting soaked.
Young, old, native Thai or Foriegners- everyone is in on the action. School and most major businesses are closed. which is good because you can't get to work without getting totally wet!
In the North of Thailand, even the elephants get in on the Songkran action!
Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery. Victims of human trafficking are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor. Victims can be very young children, teenagers, women or men!
After drug dealing, human trafficking is tied with the illegal arms industry as the second largest criminal industry in the world today.
Sex Trafficking: the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act , in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person forced to perform such an act.
Labor Trafficking: the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, debt bondage or slavery.
Trafficking Victims Approximately 600,000 to 800,000 victims annually are trafficked across international borders worldwide, according to the U.S. Department of State. Victims are generally trafficked into the U.S. from Asia, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe. Many victims trafficked into the United States do not speak or understand English and are therefore isolated, unable to communicate with service providers, law enforcement and others who might be able to help them.
How Victims Are Trafficked Victims can be exploited for purposes of commercial sex, including prostitution, stripping, pornography and live-sex shows. However, trafficking also takes place as labor exploitation, such as domestic servitude, sweatshop factories, or migrant agricultural work. Traffickers use force, fraud and coercion to compel women, men and children to engage in these activities.
Force involves the use of rape, beatings and confinement to control victims. Forceful violence is used especially during the early stages of victimization, known as the ‘seasoning process’, which is used to break victim’s resistance to make them easier to control.
Fraud often involves false offers that induce people into trafficking situations. For example, women and children will reply to advertisements promising jobs as waitresses, maids and dancers in other countries and are then trafficked for purposes of prostitution once they arrive at their destinations.
Coercion involves threats of serious harm to, or physical restraint of, any person; any scheme, plan or pattern intended to cause a person to believe that failure to perform an act would result in serious harm to or physical restraint against any person; or the abuse or threatened abuse of the legal process.
Victims of trafficking are often subjected to debt-bondage, usually in the context of paying off transportation fees into the destination countries. Traffickers often threaten victims with injury or death, or the safety of the victims’ family back home. Traffickers commonly take away the victims’ travel documents and isolate them to make escape more difficult.
In many cases, the victims are trapped into a cycle of debt because they have to pay for all living expenses in addition to the initial transportation expenses. Not meeting daily quotas of service or “bad” behavior alsoincreases their debt. Many victims do not realize that it is illegal and blame themselves. Even if the victims sense that debt-bondage is unjust, it is difficult for them to find help because of language, fear, shame and physical barriers that keep them from obtaining help.
Help for Victims of Trafficking
If you think you have come in contact with a victim of human trafficking, call 1.888.3737.888. Victims of human trafficking who are not U.S. citizens are eligible for a special visa and can receive benefits and services through the TVPA to the same extent as refugees.
I have always had a passion for the arts. Recently, I have been meeting with a few of my friends (there they are) to do something called prophetic art. This is an idea I was introduced to about two years ago at Bethel Church in Redding California. I guess some are curious why it is referred to as prophetic? It's not very complicated, we meet together to worship God by using our artwork. Prophetic art is just another form of communion with the Creator of all things! We use art not only as a means of worship, but also intercession. We simply capture on paper, with images and colors, what others are more comfortable recording with words. Sometimes our paintings are specific declarations, such as a hope of healing for our community. Other times the art takes on an abstract, impressionistic look.
We try to gather for a few hours every other week, always preparing our spirit with prayer and sometimes singing. Then we begin. We come to our easels and ask God, "What is on your heart?" Since God is real and not some distant figment of our imagination. we fully expect to hear from Him. God desires relationship with His people!
The Spirit of God reveals much to those who are willing to listen. I'm always in need of practicing my listening skill! I find the arts to be a powerful and intimate way to express what God is stirring inside of me. Sometimes there are no words to express what we sense in our spirit. Prophetic art is not about drawing the perfect masterpiece; it about having the freedom to express yourself to the Most High God.
"Thus says God the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring...who gives breath to all the people...I am the Lord, that is My name....I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to a graven images"
One of the best and also one of the most difficult courses I have ever been through, was a recent TESOL Course. The BEST part of my adventure will be the focus of this short entry.
Living on campus with hundreds of other followers of Jesus was so inspiring. Students and adults from all over the world were there to be discipled and equipped for ministry to the nations. While I lived there, multple teams were sent out to do short term missions all over the world. I met people there whom I hope will remain friends forever.
The YWAM base in Tyler Texas is a tremendous location if you are considering training. There are many schools, evangelism, media training and missions are only a few. I's a huge sending base located on hundreds of open acres that are dotted with lakes and trees. At one time this land was home to David Wilkerson ministries (Author of The Cross and the Switch Blade) Other near by ministry centers include Teen Mania and Mercy Ships.
The culture of the YWAM community is that of worship and servanthood. It is an obvious value of all who serve there. From the time I was picked up at the airport until when I was dropped off, generosity and kindness prevailed. It was an honor to meet so any passionate young people, who plan to serve where ever God should lead them. What a great experience to be part of the community for those few months.
How many languages can you speak? It is possible to learn many languages, but the one language we should all become fluent in, is the language of LOVE.
요한복음 3 (Korean Bible) 요한복음 3 16하나님이 세상을 이처럼 사랑하사 독생자를 주셨으니 이는 저를 믿는 자마다 멸망치 않고 영생을 얻게 하려 하심이니라 17하나님이 그 아들을 세상에 보내신 것은 세상을 심판하려 하심이 아니요 저로 말미암아 세상이 구원을 받게하려 하심이라
Jóhannesarguðspjall 3 (Icelandic Bible) Jóhannesarguðspjall 3 16Því svo elskaði Guð heiminn, að hann gaf son sinn eingetinn, til þess að hver sem á hann trúir glatist ekki, heldur hafi eilíft líf. 17Guð sendi ekki soninn í heiminn til að dæma heiminn, heldur að heimurinn skyldi frelsast fyrir hann.
I have heard some Christians say, "Evangelism and Missions are really not my thing". That's an interesting statement, especially since the God of the Bible is all about those two subjects! As Christians, we have a mandate to love people and to worship God. Evangelism and Missions are simply the heartbeat of such love. We need to shift our thinking. Evangelism and Missions were never expected to be the work of a select few, but an invitation to all who call themselves followers of Jesus. It is not optional. Christians are to demonstrate love in tangible ways to our neighbors across the street as well as across cultural, ethnic barriers. We are called to love others with the irresistible, supernatural love of the Heavenly Father!
"Where is fellowship? Where is community? Young people everywhere are searching for authentic relationships of love. And the one place where they ought to be infallibly certain of finding them (the Christian church) is the one place they often don't even bother to look for them, so certain are they that they will not find them there. But if the church is ever to draw people to itself and so to Christ, it will do so only by the almost irresistible magnetism of a fellowship of love."John Stott
URBANA 09 is a massive missions conference hosted by InterVarsity. The conference, which has been held every three years since 1946 on the University campus in Urbana Illinois was moved to St. Louis for the first time in 2006. For generations, college students have come to this conference from all over the world to hear about cutting edge issues on global missions.
My first URBANA was in 2000 and then again in 2003. It was there that I was challenged to understand more about God's heart for the nations! It was an intensive five days that totally set me on fire for missions. Although the conference is aimed at mobilizing college age students for the Kingdom, there were many adults like myself who attended.
This was a conference unlike any one I had ever attended. We participated in corporate multicultural worship, attended workshops, seminars on favorite topics and met people from all over the world. Messages were presented through drama, dynamic speakers, music and prayer. And if that didn't keep you busy enough, there were opportunities to interact with representatives from more than 300 mission agencies and educational institutions!
To be immersed in a community of THOUSANDS who were hungry for God was exhilarating! One night during worship, I remember glancing all around the arena. Behind me I could see a group of Chinese people, to my right a Filipino looking woman and a young man from Australia, and to my left knelt a cluster of students from Europe. Directly in front of me stood a young man with Down-Syndrome who joyfully sang to the Lord and clapped his hands. For a moment I felt like I was in Heaven ... every tongue, tribe and nation gathered to worship the King of Kings. If you've never attended an URBANA conference, maybe it's time
Like most Holidays, Valentines Day arrives packed with memories and emotions that can easily cause me to become too melancholy. So I decided to use the Holiday to celebrate God's heart for the Nations. I invited some friends to my home for a special evening, we decorate Valentines Day cookies! Actually, it was just a wonderful excuse to gather some amazing women together for the purpose of building relationships! It turned out to be quite an international event.
My guests were varied in ages from 23 to 60 years and had differing economic backgrounds, ancestors, cultures and languages. Most of them had never met each other until that night. One of the women just arrived in the USA three months ago and is still learning English. What a great joy to see these beautiful women from Buddhist,Muslim, Orthodox, Christian and non-Christian worldviews, interacting together as if they had known each other for years.
Valentines Day is all about LOVE. This year I was blessed to have Syrian, Armenian, Burmese,Assyrian, Jewish, European and American women all laughing and sharing stories together in my kitchen! What a great opportunity to love people with the love of Jesus. Building friendships and creating fun memories turned out to be a perfect way to celebrate Valentines Day. God’s heart is for all the Nations and lucky for us, He continues to place plenty of internationals right on our doorsteps! These are people who God cares about and He expects us to be kind and gracious to them. Will they know we are Christians by our love? As followers of Jesus, we are called to LOVE people with the supernatural, irresistible love of our Heavenly Father!
"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."
On my last trip to Southeast Asia a villager was asked "Have you ever heard of Jesus?" The man responded with hesitance, "I haven't seem him today, maybe he is visiting the next village?"
Today there is an estimated 6.64 billion people on planet Earth. Of those, approximately 2.68 billion have never heard of Jesus. They have never had anyone explain the Gospel to them in their own language, in the context of their culture. They have limited information, or none at all as to "The Savior... Christ the Lord." Many of those 2.68 billion "unreached or least reached" people live in an area referred to as the 10/40 Window.
"The core of the unreached people of our world live in a rectangular-shaped window Often called The Resistant Belt, the window extends from West Africa to East Asia, from ten degrees north to forty degrees north of the equator. If we are serious about providing a valid opportunity for every person to experience the truth and saving power of Jesus Christ, we cannot ignore the compelling reality of The 10/40 Window regions and its billions of impoverished souls." Luis Bush, International Director of the AD2000
10/40 Window designated by the red area on map.
I'm always asked, "Why go to Thailand or Myanmar, or any country in Southeast Asia when there is so much to be done here?" My response to that question is usually, why are so many staying here, when there are thousands who are perishing daily without eternal hope or knowledge of the One True God who created them?
Man's beautiful treasures...
Decorations gathered together to celebrate Christmas!
God's beautiful treasures... Villagers from Myanmar gathered together to hear the true story behind the celebration of Christmas for the first time!
Singapore - No room at the Inn?
Myanmar-No Inn with a room!
Holiday decorations in Singapore
Holiday decorations in Myanmar
Elegant vs Simple
The gift of Christmas is Salvation through Jesus Christ. It is offered to ALL mankind, wealthy and sophisticated, poor or uneducated. That is the beauty of Christmas!
To hear or read more about the ultimate Christmas Gift, check this link http://www.jesus2020.com/jesus.html or scroll up to the column on the right, Kathy's Lost and Found. Merry Christmas and much love to you all. Many blessings, Kathy
We affirm that Christ sends his redeemed people into the world as the Father sent him, and that this calls for a similar deep and costly penetration of the world.We need to break out of our ecclesiastical ghettos and permeate non-Christian society. In the Church's mission of sacrificial service evangelism is primary. World evangelization requires the whole Church to take the whole gospel to the whole world. The Church is at the very centre of God's cosmic purpose and is his appointed means of spreading the gospel. But a church which preaches the cross must itself be marked by the cross. It becomes a stumbling block to evangelism when it betrays the gospel or lacks a living faith in God, a genuine love for people, or scrupulous honesty in all things including promotion and finance. The church is the community of God's people rather than an institution, and must not be identified with any particular culture, social or political system, or human ideology.
We believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Father sent his Spirit to bear witness to his Son; without his witness ours is futile. Conviction of sin, faith in Christ, new birth and Christian growth are all his work. Further, the Holy Spirit is a missionary spirit; thus evangelism should arise spontaneously from a Spirit-filled church. A church that is not a missionary church is contradicting itself and quenching the Spirit. Worldwide evangelization will become a realistic possibility only when the Spirit renews the Church in truth and wisdom, faith, holiness, love and power. We therefore call upon all Christians to pray for such a visitation of the sovereign Spirit of God that all his fruit may appear in all his people and that all his giftsmay enrich the body of Christ. Only then will the whole church become a fit instrument in his hands, that the whole earth may hear his voice.
(I Cor. 2:4; John 15:26;27; 16:8-11; I Cor. 12:3; John 3:6-8; II Cor. 3:18; John 7:37-39; I Thess. 5:19; Acts 1:8; Psa. 85:4-7; 67:1-3; Gal. 5:22,23; I Cor. 12:4-31; Rom. 12:3-8)
Those are powerful, and convicting words!
How many Christian leaders would be willing to sign their names to such documents today, as they did at the Lausanne conference back in 1974? The original conference brought together 150 Christian leaders from around the world to Lausanne Switzerland. The committee was headed byBilly Graham. The drafting committee for the document was chaired by John Stott. It was during this gathering that the Lausanne Covenant was writte and adopted by 2,300 evangelicals. The Covenant consists of an Introduction, 15 points and a Conclusion which can be read in it's entirety by going to this link.
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