AUGUST UPDATE
God has been speaking to me about my prayer life these last weeks. I've realized that I miss out on so much joy when I don't stop to notice that what I am seeing in our day-to-day is often an answered prayer. I find that I forget or don't even think to acknowledge that the things God is currently doing are the exact things we have been praying and asking him for (sometimes for years).
We spent so much of the year of 2021 praying for the people of Thailand. Partly because that's all we could do, with everything locked down most of the year. We prayed that we would see a movement of Thai people coming to know Jesus and being discipled. Stuck inside our apartment, there were moments that I wondered if we would ever actually see anything, any lives changed or hearts healed.
Now, as we see God move in greater ways than we could have hoped for or imagined in this season, God has been teaching me to stop and acknowledge that He is moving and answering those prayers. We let the answered prayers build our faith so that next time we are contending for Him to act and move we pray with more faith and greater boldness.
Maybe intentionally taking the time to acknowledge God's movement in response to our hearts (Matthew 7:7, James 5:16, Matthew 21:22, John 15:7) would help us to make prayer a first reaction rather than something we offhandedly mention "we should probably do". (I'll be the first to admit my guilt on this one.) In fact, I don't think it's a stretch to say that intentionally and frequently acknowledging where God is moving in our lives is crucial for the health and sustainability of our prayer life.
Those of you who have have been praying with us, let this be your sign. God is hearing you and answering your prayers. Let these few stories we share next encourage you and spur you on in your prayer life.
James 5:16 "The prayer of a righteous man is effective and powerful."
Hosting a small group for the Evangelism School. Each week we host one group of the students where we disciple and teach them about how to read the Bible and hear God's voice.
Gospel Truck Korat
Adam and Lucas served on the prayer team at the first ever Gospel Truck Thailand event in Korat, a city about 4 hours north of Bangkok. It was held in a large field and a few thousand people attended. Hundreds came up to receive Jesus as their savior and receive prayer for healing. During the time for healing prayer a young man and his mother came up to Adam. The young man's mother shared that her son was full of spirits that were tormenting him.
Adam asked the young man if he believed in Jesus and had been saved. He responded that yes he was saved, and since he had been saved the torment had not been as bad, but that they were still bothering him in his head.
Adam and his teammate (a student with the Evangelism School), began praying. As they prayed Adam felt the young man's head get very hot and there was a crackling sensation. He continued to pray that the spirit would leave in Jesus name and that the young man would be filled with the Holy Spirit. The young man fell to his knees and threw up a small amount of blood. After that, the young man stood back up and was totally full of peace and joy. His face had drastically changed- from being full of fear and torment to overwhelming peace and restfulness. He said he felt completely free and was so grateful that he was free from the spirits.
We as Christians know that he spirit realm is very real. We know that there is a real enemy that wants to steal kill and destroy. Often, living in the West, it is easy to forget about or ignore that reality and the power we have to fight against it. Here in South East Asia, interaction and awareness of the spirit realm is everyday life. Every day Thai people place drinks, meals and flowers on alters to appease spirits so they don't cause them trouble. The enemy loves to torment but Jesus is the King and He loves to set people free.
School of Evangelism
This month we started as staff for an Evangelism school put on by Spirit of Revival Ministries and Bright Romance Church. We are helping to oversee worship, inner healing/deliverance and discipleship. It is incredible to watch more than 60 Thai people from ages 18-60+, mostly new followers of Jesus, hungry for all they can learn and experience about Jesus. It's humbling to witness their passion and boldness as they leave their culture and families to pursue Him, sharing their newfound faith with anyone who will listen.
The first day of school we saw a young man, who had been experiencing horrific spiritual torment since he was twelve years old, set completely free.
Every week we are hosting groups of the students--discipling and teaching them about how to read the Bible and hear God's voice. We are using a simple and very effective method that I encourage you to try if you haven't before. (Inspired by Ben Atkinson's Texting God)
Start with a verse (we used Hebrews 11:6) Read the verse a few times and see if anythings stands out. Then, with pen and paper, write and ask God "What does this verse show me about who you are God?" Wait and write down any impressions or answers. Then ask, "What does this verse show me about what you think about me God?" Again wait, and write down any impressions or answers. Then ask, "How do you want me to pray for my neighbor?" Wait and write.
So simple yet profound because we are hearing God speak to us, in our hearts through His Word.
After walking our small group through this activity many students were crying and obviously being touched by God. One woman shared that she had never read her Bible because she wasn't sure how, and now she was so excited to know how to study the Bible.
When we started, I asked at the beginning who felt they struggled to hear God's voice. All raised their hands, and at then end I asked them to raise their hands if they felt they had heard God speaking to them during the activity. 8 of 10 raised their hands. One man shared that he had never heard God's voice in that way, only through the pastor or other teachings, he was amazed at how God was speaking to him and teaching him directly through his word.
There is absolutely nothing like hearing God speak to your heart, nothing more impactful or powerful. It is such a privilege to be used by God to help his Children learn to hear His voice.
We had the privilege of hosting our friends Junior and Melissa and their two girls for a week. They are also missionaries serving with Iris. Hosting them was such a refreshing and fun time of fellowship. It is always encouraging to hear how God is moving in different parts of Thailand. They currently live 7 hours north of Bangkok in an area called Mahasarakham.
Family Time! We are so thankful, our home is only five minutes from one of the biggest parks in Bangkok. This was 2 weeks ago having a picnic and enjoying the "cooler" weather.
Prayer Requests:
Pray for the students of the Evangelism School, that they would get everything the Lord has for them over the next 10 weeks.
Pray for us in this season of being very busy (in a good way!) that we would be able to find rest and balance.
Pray for the next Gospel Truck Crusades-- September 9th and 10th. Kayla and Jubilee will be attending this time!
Pray for wisdom and clarity as we seek the Lord on our next steps.
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