“They follow the Lamb where ever He goes..”

-Revelation 14:4 

My time at IHOP and Thailand—I don’t know how to avoid this cliche—changed my life forever. Seeing the absence of the knowledge of God, I surrendered to the Lord to take me wherever He wanted me in the world. While there, God put a cry in me for Lee students to come with me to the mission field. What I saw in my last semester far exceeded my dreams as God marked my friends at Lee for the lost and unreached peoples of the world. A significant moment was when my ACTS family came to Lee late March and put on a prayer and missions conference to mobilize another Student Volunteer Movement. (!) Our community truly started to catch the heart of God to the point where we now we cannot go a single day without sharing the Gospel both on and off campus. 

While at ACTS, I told God that rather than finding my own way as usual, I would wait on Him to tell me what to do this next season. And sure enough, He gave me several dreams and prophetic words which, to my surprise, pointed me back to my heart since high school: ministering to refugees in the U.S. This dream started in high school when I became close friends with a woman named Diko, a refugee from Sudan living in Nashville. Knowing her has affected me deeply and moved me to minister to refugees. The Lord specifically pointed me to Clarkston, GA, a town in Northeast Atlanta that has been a key city for resettling refugees. A refugee is someone who seeks refuge in another country because they cannot live in their country due to of war, genocide, or natural disaster. Clarkston is the most diverse square mile in the US, with over 750 ethnic groups! Immigrants come from Somalia, Eritrea, Iraq, Bosnia, Bhutan, Congo, and Burma, to name a few. These countries are places which are Creative Access Nations- in other words, it’s very difficult for Christians to get in. It’s so strategic for the Lord to bring them to America, where the Church can welcome them and share with them the redemptive, healing love of Christ! 

I will be working with an organization called Global Frontier Missions, whose mission is to equip the church to minister to unreached people groups. So, this summer I will be working with 17 other interns. We will be hosting mission teams, teaching English, preparing refugees for citizenship, and strategizing in the community. Then from August to December I will be completing a Master’s in Ministry in Intercultural Studies through Covenant Theological Seminary in NC. I am extremely excited, to say the least. After all, the Lord shares His heart as such: “to share your food with the hungry and to provide the *poor wanderer* with shelter… and not to turn away from *your own flesh and blood*?” Isaiah 58:7. Continue to stay tuned on this blog. Holler if you want to receive my email prayer updates! Your support is vital, especially in prayer for fruitful work among the Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist populations! 

salvation

While in a department store one day Amy, Abi, and I met a girl named Mon who is a “tom”- a girl who is essentially a boy in sexual preferences, the way she talks, etc. We gave her Gospel literature and there was a kind of excitement in her demeanor. Amy and I got to share testimonies of Jesus with her, how He’s saved us from darkness. I told her she is important to God. She responded that her mom died in childbirth and people blamed it on her. So she grew up as an orphan and has never felt important to anyone. She was very interested to keep reading about Jesus. I just had to meet with her again because I knew she was going to get saved! But she got a new job and had no free time to meet. I kept asking God to let me see her again. We were about to leave, so I finally called her and she was free that very afternoon! Jazzy, my Thai teammate, and I met with her. We found out it was her birthday. We talked about Jesus and answered her questions for 1 1/2 hours. After an hour she was thrilled to follow Jesus. She had nothing to lose. For her birthday God sent us and granted her salvation! Now she’s following Jesus and experiencing love and life she’s never felt before. She is no longer praying to Buddha but trusting her heavenly Father for her needs. Mon will be part of my heavenly reward and crown when I finally meet Jesus. She will be worshipping beside us on that sea of glass with all the nations. Hallelujah.

a comical miracle

On Friday 11/18/11, a few thousand Christians gathered in the Tapei Gate square to pray for Chiang Mai and Thailand. It is called Bless Chiang Mai and happens every year. Walking in the square I immediately started crying- this is a glimpse of what it would look like for our prayers to be answered, for God’s glory to come to Thailand. In the middle of bars and nightclubs we lifted up Jesus’ name. I prayed, God, let people be saved as they walk by this event. Many people stopped by out of curiosity. One such man sat behind our team. Bill is an older Australian man who comes to Chiang Mai to “get drunk and have a good time” (uh oh). He was wearing a Buddha charm on his neck. He screamed, “I’m an Aussie! I love Americans! High five!” “What is this?!” “It’s to worship Jesus!” we replied. He could hardly hear us. “Sorry, I’m hard of hearing! My wife is dying!” Finally he understood us asking him if we could pray for his and his wife’s medical conditions. Eric put his hand on Bill’s right ear. After we prayed, Bill took out one hearing aid and said, “I can hear beautifully! Now the other one!” Really? Eric and I looked at each other puzzled. Eric lay his hand on Bill’s other ear. Bill got up, took out his other hearing aid, and rejoiced, “I can hear beautifully! This is wonderful! I must take a picture!” and wandered away. After a few minutes Eric and I wondered if he would come back! Alas, he returned. We said, “Jesus did that for you! He is real!” Bill said, “What religion are you? Are you Jehovah’s Witness?” “No, we just love Jesus! We’re Christians!” Then Bill wandered away again and did not come back. The whole instance was just so hilarious! In all seriousness, though, please pray with us that Bill starts a relationship with the God who loves and heals him!

irreconcilable differences

One faith does not concern itself with a God. 

Another faith only exists because of a God who is the center of all things and who demands all worship.  

One faith holds that man is the center of all things. 

Another teaches that man is has no meaning apart from God, is sinful and destined to wrath.

One faith holds that if men do “good things” they can gain personal happiness. 

Another teaches that everything humans do is futile and meaningless, wrought with desire for personal gain; therefore no amount of good things can secure salvation. But for those who know God it teaches men to die to themselves and give their lives to God and one another. They are to do this expecting nothing in return, including personal happiness. 

As you can see, these two lines of thought are not the same. The first is Thai Buddhism in practice. I do not claim it is what Buddha taught, but it is what from many conversations I’ve surmised is the practical faith of most Thai people, which is a syncretism of many religions. It is actually very similar to the practical faith of much of the Western world- moral deism. My point is not to belittle Buddha, etc, but to differentiate Jesus from the universalism that waters Him down here in Southeast Asia. Somehow the rules of logic are tossed out the window in order to make the assertion, “All religions are the same.” It is obvious from this example that all religions are not the same, if we maintain the definition of “same.” It is not logically possible for both faiths to be true, as they rest on mutually exclusive principles. 

First, Jesus did not come to earth to teach people to do good things. Jesus came to earth to save humanity from their sins and restore them into relationship with God. “Good things” is so incredibly vague that it could mean anything to anyone- opening a door or saving a dying cat. Jesus did not simply do “good things”- He did miracles, defied all the laws of science to raise the dead to life, heal the sick, cast out demons, and feed thousands with a few loaves of bread. He did not do good things- He gave His life for humanity. 

In the Bible EVERY move God makes He acts to destroy idols and cause His name alone to be glorified and Him to be loved. And because He is all-good and loves us, this is good news. The idea that all religions lead to heaven used to sound like a good idea to me. Yet now I’ve found that narrow is not a bad thing. Jesus is LIFE and a light yoke for those who follow Him. 

they believe they can release their sins through lighting these lanterns. we came to the festival to tell them of our final sacrifice for sins, Jesus Chris the Risen Lamb. two young men gave their lives to Him during the three days we were there. sunsern Pra Jao (praise God). 

open doors

[This blog is mostly for Daddy & Mom. ;) I miss ya’ll]. A theme lately has been “open doors.” The first time we waited on the Lord to give us direction about outreach, God gave me a picture of a huge black door closing but a foot aggressively stopping it, leaving a crack for more light to come in. My impression was that we would create a crack in a closed door to allow more missionaries, more prayer, more light in dark places. It’s occurring to me that we’ve seen a lot of these doors not only cracked but wide open. It’s amazing to me the places that where anyone is free to share the Gospel. 

Our second week here we went to a juvenile detention center. The Buddhist government allows them to go there every week to teach about Jesus and the government has even given them a room/ chapel. Wednesday we met with the principal of a govt. school to plan an English camp- later in November we’ll get to share the Gospel with about 400 students. Soon we’ll be making our third trip to the Lampang prison to continue to pour into the men who gave their lives to Jesus the first time we were there. Then Thursday we went to a monastery to talk with the head priest. It amazed me how open they are to talking. We gave him Bibles and literature to read. Then we started handing out Bible literature to some children at the monastery school and ended up giving them to hundreds of kids. They were so excited that they were bringing their friends and getting extra for friends. Then we got to teach two different groups of twenty or so about Jesus. I was amazed that no one seemed to care that we were there preaching Jesus. God spoke to Dr. Buakab, the director of EHC Thailand, and asked her why she was ignoring the monks. When I think of all these open doors I am thrilled at the potential for the Gospel to spread here in Thailand. We are eagerly anticipating revival prophesied about Chiang Mai to the extent of what’s happening in Korea and China. 

God has also started to do beautiful things through our team in the “red light” district of Chiang Mai. Every Sunday night we go to a street lined with shops that on the outside are hostels, massage parlors, bars, etc, but everyone knows trafficking and prostitution actually happens there. We go to pray and share God’s pure love with everyone involved in the industry- the prostitutes, lady boys, lonely men. We’ve bought roses and handed them to people telling them the truth that God sees them as beautiful. Relationships are starting to form. We are so excited about what God is doing. We also have another open door to travel to Pattaya, a city built around sex trafficking. We’ll be going there, praying and working with a church, at the very last of our outreach. 

One time a reporter found Mother Theresa in a leper colony and asked her what she was doing there. She replied, I was just following Jesus. The hardest and darkest places? That’s where you’d find Jesus. 

dreams&visions

Just this past Saturday (10/8), the team went to the Revival House of Prayer in Chiang Mai to join Jazzy, the Thai founder of it. During the prayer meeting we were intrigued to hear a woman fervently thanking God for sending the team. It must be us, we thought, but we wondered why she was so thankful ! 


Afterwards we met her, Sunny, and she told us an incredible story! One year ago she was a missionary in India and had a dream that she says was the most vivid and real dream she has ever had, and she hardly dreams. In the dream she was in a land that was so dry, and she was crying out to God. Then a team of ten came, and she said they carried God’s presence powerfully, and brought revival with them. She could feel the presence of God in her dream more powerfully than she has ever felt, and she was crying. The next day she had a dream of a flood coming up to mountains. For the past year she has been asking God, “Where is the team of ten??” She got discouraged and was tempted to forget about it, but God told her to treasure it. At that time she had no inclination she would be in Thailand now, but because of visa problems she ended up here. Her friend Summer was in the dream too; neither did they have any idea Summer would be here in Thailand too. When she arrived in Thailand she felt so dry, like she was going to die. Then she heard there was a team coming to Thailand. She met us and was ecstatic to tell us God had finally sent us as the fulfillment of both dreams (we arrived right after a historic flood in Thailand).


While at ACTS George Verwer told us a story of God giving a Masai man a dream of a white man who would come and bring the truth 90 years before a certain missionary came to fulfill the dream by sharing the Gospel with the man. The Lord has also put us in others’ dreams as He has prepared Thailand to receive us!! 

Now for a prayer you can join us in- God, let us be that team!! Let us carry revival and the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit!! 

inheritance

I wanted to share a song God gave me. Please read it and revel in His love for you. We have been singing this all over Thailand and every time I feel His presence and His desire for them and us. One day I’ll post a video or audio clip ;) 

We are Your inheritance 

We are Your heritage 

You will not forsake the people of Your pasture

You will not forsake the work of Your hands  

We are the prize 

set before Your eyes 

The pearl of great price 

That made You leave Your Father’s side 

We are Your bride

So precious in Your sight 

that you would come and die, 

to win her you would come and die

Creative Access

Our team just returned from a week long trip first to Lampang province and then to a “Creative Access Country” (CAC for short- I don’t yet know how much I’m allowed to say ). The trip to Lampang was great. There are a lot more temples and a lot fewer Christians there, and the city had a darker atmosphere. First we ministered at a prison, and about twenty prisoners said they wanted to follow Jesus. Amazing! Then we went home-to-home. One group asked a woman if they could pray for her and she responded, “How do I get rid of sin?” She had been going to temple but felt tormented in her soul. Even Wiwat, a seasoned church planter in Thailand, was shocked at how God had prepared her. They shared the Gospel with her and she gave her life to Jesus that day. 

After Lampang we made the long, gorgeous mountainous trek to CAC (creative access country). It is a small communist nation that is in the top ten for persecuting Christians. Our purpose there was to pray. We also trusted the Lord for divine appointments. It is illegal to share the Gospel there, and if we did we could get a lot of underground church leaders thrown in prison. We did several prayer walks, walking around government buildings and temples and worshipping Jesus. The Lord promised Brian that like in Joshua’s day, He would give the ACTS school every place our feet touch. That may look like God sending more laborers there as we pray for God to send laborers (Matt 9). At first I was falling under the oppression of the land, feeling like my prayers did nothing. But He changed my heart as He showed me my high stance before Him. As He is a priest, I am a priestess. There is no way He cannot hear and answer my prayer, as my prayers ascend to the throne, where He is. I can claim the land for Him as His ambassador. 

In less than three days there God did many other things in my heart. That place was much different than Thailand. It was my first time in a nation hostile to Christianity as well as my first contact with the underground Church. The overall feeling of the place was a lack of hope. But in my hotel room I would open the Word and it was like drinking from a cold fountain in the desert. The stark contrast of light and darkness was epitomized when we got to join some Christian students for fellowship. They have given up so much to follow Jesus. Some have been cut off from their parents, a few have served prison sentences for sharing the Gospel. Yet they run all the harder, and pray for hours each day and disciple several people each. My heart was so tender to those students as God showed me how precious and honored they are to Him (Isaiah 43:4). That nation won my heart. I ask that you, too, continue to pray with me for the Gospel to run throughout that nation, and for Jesus to have His inheritance there (Psalm 2). 

The Lord’s moving

Until I get the chance to write, read amazing new stories at acts2011.blogspot.com!

it is all worth it

Thursday morning (yesterday) we began our daily prayer meetings. Already we have experienced being outnumbered by Thai believers in these meetings. One of our main objectives here is to strengthen the small Thai church, helping them to realize Jesus’ love for them and raising up a praying church out of love for Jesus. We are very excited at how the particular church we’re working with has already jumped into praying for their nation. It’s a powerful union. We are confident that before we leave these believers will take ownership of prayer and worship. I am burning to see Thai believers take seriously their calling as faithful witnesses in this nation, those who will proclaim the glory of God no matter what persecution they face. 

Yesterday we did our first evangelism trip, to the Thai-Leu people. First we went to the only church in the area, a church of 30-40 in an area of 10,000 people. This is encouraging the church, I thought, as we prayed over the pastor of that church and gave him words from the Lord. Spiritual warfare also made more sense as we prayed for the witch doctor in the village, who keeps many bound to satan, to be saved. Then we broke up in groups of 3 and went home-to-home. The first home we went to was a couple who I guess were about 40-50 years old. Yui, our dear friend, asked if they had heard about Yesu (Jesus), and the woman said she had never heard His name.

I told the Lord, this trip would be all worth it if we stopped here. If only we could feel the joy with which all of heaven erupts when ONE person comes into the kingdom! And the heartquake when ONE sheep is separated from Him! Lord, let us feel what You feel. Looking in her face, a fire was set in me to give my life to peoples who have never heard about Jesus, and to push and mobilize the Church to do the same. Seeing her face I felt incredibly grieved that the Church had not reached her yet. We have so much power yet our desire for comfort and our fear allows people like her to perish.

The religion here is is confusing as it’s “Folk Buddhism,” a mix between Hinduism, animism, and Buddhism. Most people here have faith that Jesus could heal them, for example, but they would only follow Him if He did something for them. Many are afraid of what the demons would do to them if they followed Jesus rather than appeasing the demons. Come, Lord Jesus, Come. Shed Light on Your lost ones. 

It’s amazing how much the Lord has done in my three months at IHOP, and how much can change in three months. I came to IHOP not thinking about anywhere except East Africa, but the Lord has expanded my scope. Come June I could be anywhere in the world. 

arrived in Thailand

When I get more time I’ll write more in depth, but I just wanted to tell you guys we finally arrived in Chiang Mai Tuesday morning (yesterday). Every Home for Christ met us with necklaces of jasmine. We went over the schedule and prayed together and ate yum yums food. Today we went to a Christian school and sang songs with the kids and told testimonies. I had deja vu from Uganda last summer so much! Then we visited a Buddhist temple. There were huge fake gold statues of reincarnated Buddhas- people they believe have become Buddhas through reaching nothingness, or nirvana. We saw people bowing down and burning incense to these. It is overwhelming for me to know that every person I see does not know Jesus. The Bible is clear that all lie in darkness before Jesus brings them into His kingdom (Read Ephesians 2:1-3). Imagine seeing a person walking down the street on fire. No one else even glances. It’s normal. But they’re dying. Someone, help them! This is the only way I can liken the feeling I feel here and felt in the temple especially. I want to shake them and say, see Jesus! He is glorious, real, and altogether good! Altogether different from any god you can fashion with your human hands! ((Read Isaiah 44:9-23.)) 

"To see oneself as an instrument in God’s now 4,000 year old purpose to impart blessing to all peoples is to jettison at once all feelings of insignificance, indecision, and purposelessness."

- Eternity in Their Hearts (a MUST-READ) 

the Bridegroom’s heart for Thailand

Sunday Dad and I had a Bible study together (first time ever btw, so cool). He said he wanted to know about being a husband. I felt the Lord leading us to Hosea. As we read through it we saw God’s heart as both a Bridegroom and Judge so clearly displayed. The next day the Holy Spirit showed me, this book is for Thailand. 

In God’s marital covenant, He calls idolatry adultery. In Thailand the interplay of the two concepts is evident, as idol worship and trafficking abound together. Hosea is the righteous man who approaches a prostitute on the street, with so much love that he won’t let her go back to her lovers who abuse her. God wants to hedge in His Bride, keeping her from the idols who do only harm to her.  And so God says to Israel, “6 Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. 7 She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them” (ch. 1). 

Thus, in judgement, God’s purposes are to destroy everything that hinders love. 

The Lord has been allowing us to feel the intensity of His heart for Thailand. Though she , like Gomer and Israel, continues to forsake Him, He pursues her all the more. I listened to Brooke Fraser’s song “Hosea’s Wife” and the Lord caused me to start crying, especially with the following lines: 

There is truth in little corners of our lives/ There are hints of it in songs and children’s eyes/ It’s familiar, like an ancient lullaby: “What do I live for?”/// If we’ve eyes to see/ If we’ve ears to hear/ To find it in our hearts and mouths/ The word that saves is near/ Shed that shallow skin/ Come and live again/ Leave all you were before/ To believe is to begin

Jesus is alluring Thailand, inviting her to give up her idols and accept His love.  14 “Therefore I am now going to allure her…and speak tenderly to her. 15 There I will…make the Valley of Achor (trouble) a door of hope. 16 “In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call me ‘My Husband’; you will no longer call me ‘My Master (Baal).” (Hosea 2). 

There will be a day when many Thai people will no longer be bound in slavery in fear of their gods or their pimps/ masters. They will see Jesus for who He is, their beautiful Bridegroom, Love Himself.