The Amazing Works of God and Man

 

 

It was an ordinary day at the Bangkla Baptist clinic.   Everyone was in their place. 

 

 

and then, a woman walked in with her 30 year old son. 



                             

"Excuse me" she said.  " I delivered my son here at the Bangkla hospital 30 years ago.  He was born with some serious health problems and the Doctors  prayed for him.  He quickly got better and we were released from the hospital.  I promised God, I would dedicate my son to Him.  It has been on my mind ever since.  I came all the way from Isaan to my son's home and brought him here for you to show us what to do?"

  Our office manager, Oy, share the Gospel with them.  The son gave his life to Christ.  We found out he lives in Ban Pho, the very place we are desperately trying to plant a church.  Please join us in praying for this young man.  He lives very close to the school where we will be doing an English camp in July.  Pray his faith will grow like seeds planted by the rivers of water. 

C to C (Creation to Christ) and Me

 

  It all began about 5 years ago when I attended a conference with many of my missionary co-laborers.  We were taught how to share the Gospel using simply drawn pictures.  It could be done on a napkin, or a scrap piece of paper from my purse or really anything within reach should the opportunity present itself.  We called it, “Drawing C to C”  .

 

  After I learned it well, I taught the Gospel sharing method to my staff at TCT and also the clinic staff.  It became a great tool in our belt for Gospel sharing opportunities we often have and for new Christians it helped them understand the full Gospel message. clearly.   Since that time, we have used this method in many different ways, while talking to our pieceworkers at TCT on our home visits, when the clinic staff has been doing some of the door to door canvasing, when family members of our staff have had questions about Christianity, at our mobile clinics and most recently as a part of our Christmas celebrations. 

  Last year we asked our best artist to draw a progression of pictures from C to C so we could make a flip chart that could be easily used anywhere.  We all liked the fact that we could draw it ourselves, but we wanted to have a more “reverent” depiction of the story we were telling.  ( quite frankly, some of us couldn’t really draw the simplest angel and make it look holy) The chart turned out beautifully.  We also had our new missionaries fresh out of language school learn how to present C to C using our flip chart.   This became a great success and another tool for our Gospel sharing efforts. 

 

 

  Next, I decided I wanted to make a simple English coloring book using the C to C drawing idea to use in our week long English camps that we had scheduled last summer.  I asked my daughter Becky to help me by using her graphic design abilities.  She did an amazing job and again another tool was born. 

 

  This Christmas the wife of our pastor in Bankgla, Khun Wan, decided to take the coloring book, translate it into Thai, and make huge posters with it  teaching the kids at church how to present C to C with the posters at our Christmas programs. 

 

 

It was such a huge success, we decided to use the posters at our TCT Christmas programs and teach C to C with an emphasis on when and why Jesus was born and what Christmas means.  I believe this was the clearest presentation of the Gospel we have had at our Christmas celebrations yet. 

 

  The results….. people are being reached.  In Nan, Bangkla, and Tungmahajaren, we had completely captive audiences while we share the message together. 

 

Never before have we had the responses we have had from this presentation.  In all of those centers, ALL of the hearers said they were interested to understand this story more, and more than 16 said they were ready to pray with our evangelist to make God their Lord and Savior.  We are still following up on all those women.  Just yesterday we saw one whole family changed by the Gospel of Christ as a result of hearing this clear presentation of God's plan for them.   His message will not return void. 

....And that’s the story of C to C and me. 

Merry Christmas Celebration

Bangkla Thai Country Trim

2015 (although celebrated in 2016)

 

 

 

Anticipating the time to share

Teaw leading games

Balloon train

 
Wondering what will happen next!

The perfect evangelism partner.

Mrs. Wan our pastors wife sharing about the beginning of the world

Showing how  and why God made us.

Why God put man on this earth and how sin separated us from fellowship with Him

Then God sent his son to save us.  This is Christmas.  In my family every Christmas we wake up early in the morning, gather around the Christmas tree with all the gifts all around and before we open one present, we read the story of Christmas from the Bible. After I shared the Christmas story I explained that we do this so we can remember the greatest gift ever given. God giving his son Jesus to be a man and to show us the way to be right with God and go to Heaven when we pass from this earth.  .   As an out pouring of our gratitude we prepare gifts to give to each other in celebration of this day. 

Another perfect evangelism partner, Mrs. Nipha sang with me a song I wrote that wraps the whole Christmas story into one song. 

When we finished our presentation, I asked Mrs. Namthan to share what happened to her last year as she sat way in the back row of this same room on this same celebration day and afterword she gave her life to Christ.  She talked about how much God has changed her life and how glad she is to be called a Christian. 

Finally each TCT worker received a gift.  A new jacket with our logo and the words of Jesus, "Come unto me all who are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest." 

 

  It was a great day!  Today in our sharing time, my staff were all amazed that the ladies were so attentive while we shared the Gospel yesterday. Usually in our evangelism time at the center, they are very disruptive and don't really pay much attention.  But on this day, they were silent.  We know of one person who we will be visiting next week who may be ready to choose Christ.  She lives in an area where we are trying to start a church but still have no believers.    May the Lord bless it. 

  Two days before the program, I woke up very sick with a throat infection. I could hardly swallow, I had a fever, and my voice was strained  I was sure I would not be able to speak.  As I tried to find a replacement and all who I asked refused, I felt the Lord say to me.  "Let me take care of it.  Prepare to be there." 

  When I awoke yesterday morning, my voice was fine and my throat pain was minimal.  Glory be to God. 

 

God placed man in a beautiful garden where He provided everything they needed.

 I am so excited!

In just a few days we will be traveling to Isaan one of the poorest parts of Thailand to do mobile clinics and an English camp at the school where our clinics are.  We have been able to find Jr. High and High Schools that will allow us to come and teach English using the Bible.  We have developed some new tools to use that you see in the pictures here.  Please pray with me for the week ahead that the Lord will use this time to draw many to Him.  Our clinics are September 14-18.  I will post updates on my facebook page. 
For details about each day please click the Prayer Partners tab above.   

Jesus died on the cross to make a way for us to be with God when we die.



God created the Heavens and the earth.

This is a reading book to go along with what they will be taught about
creation and the reason we need God. 

 

Then and Now..............


2003

2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2014

 

  I was inspired by a friend’s blog to write a, “Then and Now” blog.  So here it is.  Doug and I arrived on the mission field almost 23 years ago.  What I thought then and what I think now are so different.  So here are a few of my top picks.



1992

Then:  I had 3 kids under the age of 4. I thought that was all I could handle.

1993

Becky's wedding 2014

Now: I have 6 kids (4 ours, 2 in laws), all young adults and 2 precious grandbabies.

 

 

 

 

 

Then:  I thought I would never learn Thai well enough to share my faith or sing as a soloist ever again.



Now: I teach nationals how to share their faith, I disciple women, I teach children’s Sunday school…All in the Thai language.  Additionally, I have not only sung many solos in Thai but have written several Thai songs.  Crazy! 

1998 The first of many evangelistic Christmas events

Bangkla Christmas Choir 2001

One of my first invites to sing at a Thai pastors conference.199???

 

Then:  I did not have an evangelistic heart. 

Sharing Creation to Christ 2014

Now:  Everything I do is centered around evangelism.  All I can think about is how to develop more ways to share the Gospel more readily in all situations.  English camps, Mobile clinics, in the homes our TCT workers.  I think I now have an evangelistic heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas 2012 Heaven Came Down

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then: I thought, I’ll never use the skills I developed as a retail manager, while putting Doug through medical school.

Thai Country Trim's full time staff

Now:  I oversee a national business that makes thousands of products for a distributor in England…..and  shares the Gospel with more than 200 rural women weekly. 

Then: I was afraid my kids would grow up and choose not to follow Christ.

Now:  All my kids have the same heart as their father and I and are striving to share Jesus and make disciples right where they are.

Becky and Josh just a year or two away from going overseas to serve God

Gary , Rez, Karim and Naima working at a local church in Gilbert as youth and young adult minister

Jonathan "Derby"  just finished 2 years on the mission field and is currently attending Southeastern Seminary

Sandi, serving next to her Dad this summer.  Currently is attending CBU nursing school.

 

Right Now:   All I can say is, “Wow, Lord, I never imagined where you would take me, if I was only willing to walk with you where you told me to go.”

Isaiah  55:8 &9

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD.9"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts