SouthEast Asia Update (day 6)

Day 6 - yesterday finished extremely well with great conversations with the three university students with whom we had scheduled to meet.  Conversations were finally turned to spiritual discussions and two of the three eagerly accepted Books.

Plans were also made to have them connect with a small group gathering of young people the following Sunday.  One of the local M's will also follow-up with them.

Praise the Father for His favor on these meetings.  Please pray for our three meetings scheduled for today and the 10 hour train ride to our next destination.  Pray for good connections with the Unreached/Unengaged people group that our church has adopted and for the advancement of the Good News!

We may not have very good Internet service for the next five days but will try to update to the best of our ability.  Thank you prayer warriors!!!!

SouthEast Asia Updates (days 1 - 5)

Day 1 - arrived late afternoon today (4/18) but had time to do some pr walking and attempted to connect with some key personnel for this region.  Unfortunately, our attempts failed for this meeting but will attempt another day.  Now after a long trip, we hope to get some rest for the next steps in our journey.

                                                                 

Day 2 - a necessary part of our schedule must be sightseeing excursions so our morning included a very important museum, a prison with a long and memorable history, and a significant university.

The afternoon was spent in preparation for our evening coffee house meeting with university students.  It seems as if the enemy continues to present obstacles as we have just found out that this weekend is an important holiday and students are out of school and offices are closed as well.

Day 3- last evening was one of those moments when you wonder if you listened and followed the will of God.  The day was filled with one student after another notifying us that they would be unable to attend the coffee house talk.

Several continued saying they would attend but we spent the evening with one of our M's and two shop workers.

Not always sure how the Father is working but we know, of course, He is always at work.  We have to trust in His sovereignty and make ourselves available for our small part.  Perhaps our mission was to encourage the M and these two student workers.

Day 4 - many of the students who cancelled on Friday evening indicated they would be attending the Saturday coffee talk.  It was still the holiday weekend so we were not sure how many would show up. 

During the day, we had one-on-one meetings with two key members of our "group," here in this city.  They both are new members and we have been training them for the past three years and two years, respectively.  We were very pleased to see and hear how one, in particular, is growing in her walk.  Both are highly-skilled professionals and can have a significant impact in their hometowns and provinces.

There were only seven students who came this evening but the advantage was that we could spend quality time with each one.  Plans will be developed to connect with most of these during the coming week for individual time in hopes of having more meaningful discussions.

Day 5 - last member of our team arrived late last evening safe but tired.  She was, however, up early to start the day's activities.

Plans have been made to meet three of the students from last evening during the day today.  These meetings will be interspersed with a meeting with another of our M's as well as a team of volunteers from our home area!  What a pleasant surprise to find they are staying in the same hotel.

 Visited another museum this morning and anyone who knows me, knows how much I REALLY enjoy spending time in museums, ha.  It is a necessary part of our plans.  Attempted to visit another museum complex but it looked like the line was hours long because of the holiday.  Saved by the lines!

SOUTHEAST ASIA Update (Days 8 & 9)

Day 8 - the group spent its first day out in a minority tribe's village and it was a day well spent. Met wonderful people, ate great food (and lots of it!, and even had the opportunity to share the Story with a local family in their home! Our plans were to stay overnight but we decided to return to town today and stay over tomorrow now that we understand the environment a little better. Accommodations might not be as primitive as initially thought since it appears the doors might close at night, which will be a tremendous blessing. Tomorrow's plans (Sunday) are for us to also participate in two services of another minority tribe. Our challenge for them will be to take up the responsibility of sharing the Story cross-culturally with other tribes in the area. We had, and will continue to travel with a guide who is a member of our "family" and has such a wonderful spirit about her. It has already been a joy to spend the first day with her and hearing her story as well. Next two days are extremely important so please ask Father for His favor! We'll be out of touch for the next couple of days but will update again once we return to the town nearby.
S.E. Asia Team

Days 8 & 9 - the past two days have been spent in the villages enjoying the company of many members of our "family." They have been most gracious to our group and we have indeed felt like family. It has been beautiful to see the countryside as well as the colorful dress of the minority tribes. We have actually interacted with three tribes and each have provided memorable experiences! We had lunch on day 8 at the house of our guide's cousin. It was a great meal, as all have been, but we were also welcomed by a family relative from Minnesota! She was able to speak the tribal language and she was a great help in interpreting for us. We visited a local church but the pastor was away at the time. This was a divine appointment in that we were able to share The Story with our guide's cousin. She expressed a desire to join our "family" but was very concerned at the cost it would have in terms of her biological family. On day 9, we were blessed to visit and participate in two worship services - one in a conventional church building and another in a house church. They were both wonderful services and we were welcomed with open arms. It was bittersweet to leave the villages. We will have people and experiences etched in our minds forever and hope we will have other opportunities to visit them. We look forward to returning and sharing much more than we can in these reports. We travel the 9 hours back to the Capitol city today and then have one more day there before returning to the States. Please pray for the last meetings we have that they will be productive and pleasing to the Father.
S.E. Asia Team

SOUTHEAST ASIA Updates (Day 4 - Day 7)

Day 4 - left a southern city and traveled to the Capitol city in the north of the country last evening.    We experienced about a 45 degree drop in temperature and felt like we were back home in Virginia!  Unable to get into our hotel due to construction issues so had to stay in a minus 1 star hotel - just kidding but it was significantly less quality than normal.  Couldn't get the heat to work properly so we were quite cold all night.

Day 5 - we finally were able to get into the original hotel about mid-day and were treated to lunch by the general manager of the hotel chain as well as the first night room charges free. Having lunch with the GM and her staff helped continue the relationship building that has been taking place for several years.  It has been a great relationship for our groups during these years.

This was New Year's Eve so we had the opportunity to celebrate with a businessman and many of his friends.  They were most gracious and it was a wonderful evening as we strengthened older relationships and started new ones!  In this country, one of our primary ministry opportunities is through relational evangelism.

Days 6 and 7 - as "tourists" we have to intentionally plan for some tourism activities.  Each of these mornings and early afternoons were engaged in these activities.  We were also able to make time to meet with two of our American "workers."  This was very helpful in our strategic planning for not only this city but for time we were going to be spending connecting with the identified unreached/unengaged people group in the extreme north.

Each of these evenings were centered on connecting with university students we have met on previous trips as well as ones who are new this year.  These are wonderful times for our group to connect on a much more personal level with conversations ALWAYS moving to spiritual conversations.

One, new, student made a decision to become a "member of our club" on the first night!  Several other significant conversations took place and even continued late in the evening through e-mails and Facebook.  Two of our students, medical students in their final year of med school, were unable to join us due to commitments at their respective hospitals.  We will be back in this city the last night of our trip and hope we can meet them before we leave.  They became "members" previously and we wanted to spend some mentoring time with them.

Day 7- we travelled 9 hours even farther north on this day.  It was high in the mountains so it was very slow getting to our destination.  We were greeted by a local "guide" who helped us get settled in at our hotel where there was no heat in the building!  Was curious how we were going to stay warm during the evening so we inquired as to what our options were (it was raining and about 40 degrees).  Was told there were additional blankets in each room or we could rent a space-heater for about another dollar a day - well that didn't take long to decide, ha.  Heater didn't heat the rooms very well so we went to bed fully clothed and wool hats on.

Well this was probably better than we are going to experience tomorrow.  We will backpack another 5 1/2 hours deeper into the mountains to reach the village where this minority people live.  We will stay in a guest home where there will not be any source of heat and may not be completely enclosed.

Despite these challenges, our group is so excited to finally be able to reach this remote village and begin what could be an amazing partnership between our local body and this people group that so desperately needs to hear the Good News we have to share!  Please be in communication with our Father for the work that only He can do.

Other than nagging colds, we remain in pretty good health and great spirits!  We miss all of you but can't wait to share this wonderful adventure with you in the days ahead.

Southeast Asia Team

SOUTHEAST ASIA - UPDATE (Day 1 - Day 3)

Day 1 - we started our first day with key meetings with potential partners for future work.  Both meetings went well and we look forward to seeing how God uses these connections for kingdom growth both here and back home with this people group.

We used the late afternoon and evening to rest after our long journey over.  We know that we will need to be rested to be productive for the balance of this mission.

Day 2 - most of this morning was spent meeting with a local church pastor and his family.  The pastor is a medical doctor and his wife is a dentist.  We were most impressed with their hearts for evangelism and to hear how they have been engaged in church planting.  We made arrangements to attend their worship service tomorrow.

The balance of day 2 was directed at connecting with one of our team member's family with the hope of engaging in spiritual conversations.  We were hosted by four different families and were treated to amazing hospitality at each stop!

We also visited with the sister of our team member who had just been hospitalized the night before.  She had recently suffered a stroke and was not doing well.  We prayed for her and with other family members.  These are special opportunities to connect with those who are suffering.

Day 3- left early to make the long drive for Sunday worship service but it was definitely worth it.  These times just remind us that though our countries are so far apart, in miles and culture, we are strongly bonded as Christian brothers and sisters in Christ!

The church provided lunch for everyone and we had a wonderful time of fellowship.  We were also able to tour the building next door that is used by the church to provide free medical and dental care to their poor neighbors.  This pastor and this local church are making a significant impact in their community!

We are now waiting to make the trip to our next city, the Capitol of the country.  We will be there for the next four days before we travel to a remote part of the country.  Please continue to pray for safety and good health for our team as well as divine opportunities to share Jesus with the unsaved with whom we continue to meet.

SOUTHEAST ASIA - Update

      The team arrived safely and on time. Everyone is doing well and excited about beginning work here in Asia.

     A local, house church pastor and his wife met us at the airport (11:30 p.m. locally) and we stopped by a restaurant for noodle soup and conversation about their ministry. Excited to hear how God is using this church to impact it's community.

    As exciting as this news was, our hearts are heavy as we received e-mails detailing severe persecution in another part of the country. Many were beaten, leader was jailed, and much damage was done to their meeting place. Please pray for these brothers and sisters as they strive to do the will of the Father!

   Also, please pray for our meetings over the next couple of days as well as our times of worship. Pray that these times of worship will be sweet and an encouragement to all of us.

To God Be The Glory!
Team Asia