Leah: 

It rained the entire day which made things interesting. We would drive to a location and wait for the rain to let up, hop out and take a few shots, and run back to the truck to avoid the downpour coming our way. Fortunately we had a good twenty minutes on the beach before running for cover. It kept things interesting…

Dton (a pastor in Phangnga) and Dim, will be getting married in July.

Posted: 3/26/2012

Zac:

They’ve sent us up north to stay with the Khmu Tribes in the Chang Khong region. We’ve had a chance to get to know many of the MB missionaries and pastors. Some of the stories we’ve been hearing from the Lao believers echo Hebrews 11:35-38

“Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated — the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.”

In the face of such opposition God is doing amazing things and the church is growing. There are 198 unregistered house churches in Laos and over 32,000  Lao believers. To call yourself a Christian in this country is to literally give your life to Jesus Christ. Believers know the consequences. I heard a story from a man who lost his family, and everything he owned. They threw him in a hole in the ground; a hole too narrow to sit down but too short to stand up. They told him to renounce his love for Jesus, he said “you’ve already taken everything else, kill me, I don’t care.” Today God is using him here in northern Thailand as a leader in efforts to equip Lao believers with training and education to lead churches and spread the gospel throughout Laos.

If you’d like, you can see more photos in my Facebook Album.

We had a lot of fun painting in the Phuket Life Centre last week. Everyone chipped in to get it done before our midterm retreat to Chang Mai. Words that make up the tree include the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22). Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, etc…

Design Info: Mural was conceptualized with pencil, taken into Adobe Illustrator for text, projected onto the wall, and painted.

Posted 3/8/2012

We celebrated Zac’s birthday early with a date to Pizza Co. and Starbucks. On the way there Zac surprised me with a gift, a beautiful necklace!

Becky and Zac are birthday twins. We all went out to eat Mexican food, a rare find in Thailand.

That evening we all went to watch Zac’s soccer game, then enjoyed Jan’s famous Kansas Dirt Cake. So delicious!

Posted: 12/21/12

Leah:

Ecclesiastes 3:1 “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”

Last week I found out that our family dog, Penny, has cancer. She doesn’t have much longer to live. As I’ve been thinking about this, I was reminded that God gives good gifts. When he gave us Penny he gave a great gift. He gave her to us at just the right time in our lives, and now the time is over. It is definitely unexpected, and something I didn’t think would happen while I was gone, but it is happening…and I have to trust that God knows what he’s doing. I know that God created animals and can speak through them. He has taught our family about his constant presence and faithfulness through this dog! This verse also applies to my season in Thailand (which is a very hot one!) God sent me here for a specific time and season. This knowledge motivates me to labor hard for the Lord.

Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.”

Some seasons in our lives are long and some are short. Despite the length, I want to be a good steward of the time that I’m given. Thank you God for this season in my life!

Posted: 1/24/2012

Leah:

Last week some of our English students came to our center for an evening of fun. We taught them how to make pizza, which none of them had ever done. They had tons of fun constructing their own personal pizza. In exchange, they taught us to make a Thai dessert called Bua Loy- a green rice flour ball in warm coconut milk. We also played a fun twist to Uno and watched a movie. This week they are going to teach us how to make sushi, something I have never tried before! We interact with these students at least 3 times a week. Whether it’s over lunch, dinner, teaching English, or fun activities, we want them to know the love of Jesus. They are truly becoming our friends.

1/12/2012

“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.”

Paul wrote these words to the church in Philippians, and they describe perfectly what we feel for you all. Every time we think of you we give thanks to God with joy. We feel extremely blessed to be supported by our family and friends at home. During this adventure God has been teaching us the importance and power of prayer. We want you to know that your prayers are fighting for us, as well as comforting us. Also, we can now confidently say that all our financial support has been pledged! Through this financial journey we have learned the provision and faithfulness of God, as well as the affirmation from those who believe in what God is doing, and believe that God wants us to be a part of it in Thailand. Words cannot fully describe the joy and thankfulness in our hearts for you all. We’re looking forward to sharing stories when we return. May the grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with you all.

Zac & Leah

12/26/2011

Leah:

There are 66 million people in Thailand. Only one percent are Christian. Many Thai’s are curious about Christmas. This gives us a great opportunity to plan events and tell them about God’s gift to us…Jesus! Since arriving in Phuket our team has been busy planning and participating in various Christmas outreaches for friends, neighbors, and the city. I will give you a brief description of each event.

• Phuket Christmas Outreach- an event led by Phuket churches for the city which included a program where the Bible was preached. Our responsibility was to help in the kid’s room, so we built a DinoLand and painted faces.
• Wichit Songkraum School- our team presented the Christmas story to over 400 students from kindergarten to grade 12 through songs, a skit, and a story.
• Soccer Kid’s Ministry- every Tuesday evening we play soccer with some kids from a small village. For Christmas we had a party!
• Hospital Carolling- sang Christmas songs and prayed with hospital patients.
• Phuket Life Center (PLC) Missionary Team Christmas- celebrated with lasagna and a white elephant gift exchange. We were visited by over 50 Thai Christian carolers.
• Our Trek team- ate out for dinner, opened presents, and watched Home Alone.
• Christmas Morning- spent with my husband, God, skyping family, and TimTam slams.
• PLC Christmas- hosted a Christmas party out of our center for neighbors and friends. Over 50 people attended. Nine of our English students came and we had the opportunity to explain the history and meaning of Christmas!

Thanks for all your prayers during this Christmas season!

This so amazing to me, so symbolic. God is THE great literary genius, the author of our Faith…and he is still writing his story today…

Quote by Steve Matheson teaching from from Matthew 2