Akha Village

As promised, here is an update!

As with most of the outreaches I've been a part of, our hosts really started to see our hearts toward the end and now they want to utilize us as much as they can before we leave. So... we've had the opportunity to teach several seminars to church staff and pastors, and we just went for 3 days in the Akha Hill Tribes.

We stayed in a village that was breathtaking and beautiful (caves, streams, houses like Samoan Fales), but the landscape was not nearly as beautiful as the people. I know that sounds cliche, but God just connected our hearts with theirs. I had the opportunity to teach Colossians finally, and though we had double translation (from English to Thai to Akha, and the reverse for response) I think it went well.

Something that was really neat and I think is why I connected so much to the family there was some not so neat things we hold in common. Our Akha translator and host, Dao, lost her brother 3 years ago, just like me. His family's house burnt down and he didn't make it out. She shared that she still couldn't believe that he really died, and I could definitely relate. I was able to pray for her and the rest of her family (most of the church is all part of the same extended family) and I was also just encouraged to see how real they were. They didn't pretend like it didn't still hurt them with the pat "God is good," but at the same time, the way they lived, served, and smiled, it was easy to see that they still believed this to be true. In Thai culture there is this thing of "saving face" which is very important, so I have not seen much real emotion here - anger, rediculous joy, sadness, etc. So being among the Akha was a blessing because they were very genuine and not held back by the culture of saving face.

Now, we are back in Chiang Rai and this weekend we will be teaching the staff of the Dormitory where we are staying (about 30 staff who are in their late teens or early 20s.) We are doing a theme of Identity, so first Emily is sharing an overview of the entire Bible, then Jeremy and Ange are teaching Genesis and Exodus - the birth of a nation and it's identity as God's people (Israel) and the next day Mike and I will be sharing Ephesians - the identity of individual believers in Christ. Our host, Pastor Suphot, has seen what we've been teaching and wants more of it! He says his people know the basic concepts of the New Testament, the Gospel and Salvation... but they don't know the Old Testament and how it all fits into this ONE STORY. Soooo... its pretty cool that we get to teach this weekend!

And after that, its DEBRIEF for 3 days and back to the US of A!!!

Love to all,

Jillian

a non-update-ish post

So... I've been a bit melancholy lately. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving Thailand and definitely believe God is using our team to bring His Word here.

But I've had some mixed emotions lately. I got online a few nights ago at Wawee Coffee (our internet connection of choice) and my friend, Vikki, had posted photos of their family vacations this summer - just the four of them... Their son Luke is with Jesus and being so far removed from the situation, I almost forget that he's not with us anymore - in the literal sense of the phrase. So I was reminded with these photos and it just made me cry and cry, even though I know its so good God is giving them special times with their other kids, Tori and Jake. It just was a dose of reality.

Then, add a layer of missing my brother too. He would have LOVED Thailand. I've been thinking a lot about him lately, so I decided to watch a movie we both enjoyed and could quote most of... Monty Python's "And now for something completely different." I laughed and could imagine my brother quoting the same lines of the "How NOT to be seen" sketch or the "How to defend yourself against a man armed with a piece of fresh fruit" sketch. We had it on VHS when we were in middle/high school and would fast forward to and replay all our favorite sketches!!! But... I couldn't quite hear his laugh, anymore. And, my teammates who were so kind to watch the movie with me didn't laugh at most of it... Monty Python takes a rather twisted and odd sense of humor I suppose.

I miss my brother. And though the following stuff is just that: stuff... I feel like I'm losing him more and more. I lost my phone, and my parents were planning on canceling their family plan anyway. My mom tells me that AT&T said I might not be able to have my old phone number, which was actually my brother's old phone number. Its just a phone number, why is it such a big deal, right? Then my friend in Hawaii emails me telling me she's received all my scuba stuff (also formerly my brother's) but that the BCD is bust. She took it into the shop and the guy said it was getting old, so the inside bladder had burst and it was not worth repairing. So I have to get a new BCD... and while it is just stuff.... I kind of liked that my gear was too big on me and it still had a hint of stale salt water and cigarette smoke... it reminded me of him... more specifically, it reminded me of him enjoying life doing something he loved.

One of the questions for the English Camp students to practice was "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" And sometimes they would ask me the question back. With their limited English I didn't know how much to say. Sometimes I just said, "Yes, I have one brother." Sometimes I ventured to say "I had a brother but he passed away." But euphemisms we find so comforting in English don't do well with Thai students struggling to learn English... I would have to repeat, "He died" or "He's dead." As their sweet little Thai faces would finally express their understanding, it was all I could do to keep my smile and move to the next question.

Yesterday, one of my teammates, Mike, gave a message on Jeremiah 29:11 and the context of it... that though it is one of the most quoted verses, it is often taken out of context, and most people don't realize that these were God's words to his people in EXILE. Mike gave a brief overview of the Old Testament, and basically tied it into this: Even in exile, even in hard times, God has good plans for his people... he did for Judah, and he does for us.

While I feel I should somehow be "over" missing my brother by now - its been over 3 years... I know I will never "get over it." But I do know that God has good plans and I do know that I can and must trust him in hard times.

So... Anyway... I do realize this was a very ME-centered update... but I thought I should share a bit more about how I'm really doing than just give a play-by-play of the ministry we have been involved in here. If you would rather the non-personal play-by-play updates... Facebook is good for that! (But seriously, sometimes you just don't have time to read a novel!!!)

Love to all, and I will be sure to post one of those play-by-play updates soon. We leave on Wednesday for an Akha Hill Tribe, so I will be out of touch for at least 3 days, but don't fear, I shall return to civilization and the wonders of the internet!

short post - English Camp Update

We've been involved with teaching English to 19-21 year old students from Chiang Rai Vocational College for the past week. During the day, it is non-stop English teaching, and I am learning lots of... um... patience. Yeah. I think all the non-English countries I've been in in the past have still had plenty of young people who spoke English. Here, though they've been studying it for a few years (these are in their 5th year of vocational college) and still they have very little understanding. I mean, we are asking questions like, "What time do you eat dinner?" and getting responses like, "Yes." Or... "Vegetable." But, nonetheless, after they participate in the 2-day camp, they usually have a much greater understanding and ability to communicate in English.

Okay, so the nights have been an opportunity for us to share about what we believe as Christians, so we have shared stories from the Bible that have been real big hits with them (for learning English, learning stories that are acted out seems to be a good tool.) And we have also shared testimonies, stories from our own lives of how God has changed us.

We are more of a seed-planting team, if you like. If kids want to know more about what we believe, or if they want to believe in Jesus and accept him, or if they just have questions about life, they give the local guys here their contact info so that there is follow up (watering in the analogy!) We aren't forcing anything on them, just sharing the joy we have found in knowing Jesus and offering the same to them, if they are dissatisfied with their lives, their religion, etc. What is awesome is that we've already seen one girl VERY interested and asking all sorts of questions... "Can I believe in Jesus if I am Buddhist? Do I have to give up Buddhism to follow Jesus?" Tough questions from a genuine seeker. Pray for this girl and many others who may not be bold enough to ask the questions yet. Many young people in Thailand are questioning religion and are coming to faith in Jesus, and in doing so, they are influencing their entire families.

Okay... I've got to run, we're leaving the internet connection spot!!!

Thanks for your prayers and support, photos to come soon!

Love,

Jillian

A side street in Bangkok... its about 100 degrees here and Rains Daily. NICE.

Thanks everyone for praying for Ange, she is feeling much better! Unfortunately, myself and another guy, Mike, on the team are having some cold or possibly allergy symptoms, so please keep us in prayer... we need our health so we can keep doing what we're doing!!!

Our team is settling in great, and everyone LOVES baby Emily. She's like a piece of food thrown into a fish pond... the Thai people swarm around her!!! The Thai girls are also very fond of Jeremy, our Korean heartthrob... hehe... so are the ladyboys. (If you don't know what a ladyboy is... well... google it. It's a sad, but true reality here steeped in the striving for merit found in

Buddhism.)

The Reclining Buddha

We are staying in boarding houses that probably host 100 children from ages 5-18ish... These kids are from the Hill Tribes mostly, though some are Thai. Very few speak any English, but they are a lot of fun and once we get past the shyness, they are very friendly and outgoing! They live here at the dorms during the school year so they can attend school in Chiang Rai, as their villages don't have schools.

Our team has a translator named Mon, she is staying in our girls' room and is like one of the team. She did her DTS (Discipleship Training School) in Montana and has been translating for YWAM teams for a few years now (she does this through YWAM Bangkok, which is where we met her and picked her up.) Our outreach coordinator is Bobby Bo, an guy from Chicago who came to Thailand on his DTS outreach 3 years ago and loved it so much he moved here. He's a great go-between for us with our host, Pastor Suphot, and you can tell he really loves the people and cares for them... Thai is a hard language and he's got it pretty much down, so I've gotta give him props!

Emily, Mon, & I in Bangkok

This week we are teaching English at Chiang Rai Vocational College (yes, we're using the Bible as our lesson material!) And in the evenings we are having chapel-type services for the children in the dorms. Our host, Pastor Suphot has asked us to focus on a theme of "Obedience."

Next week we will be hosting an English Camp for students from the college (Three 2-day camps in a row).

Our third week, we will be teaching pastors in the Akha Tribe in Northern Thailand on the Burmese border. We will also be teaching the staff of the Dorms where we are staying.

Then we have 3 Days in Chiang Mai before heading back to Bangkok to fly to LA. So... its going to go fast, I have a feeling!

Before, I had mentioned we would be going to Mae Sot, but I guess that didn't work out logistically, so we're going to spend the whole outreach here, focusing on teaching here in Chiang Rai. I'm okay with that. We traveled 17 hours on planes to get to Bangkok and another 12 hours overnight on the bus up to Chiang Rai. I'm okay with staying here for a while!!!

Well... that's all for now... I have to get cracking on some prep work for my lesson plans!