swing swing

Today I took the little boy I babysit for to the park. We went on the swings. I don't remember the last time I swung on a swing, but I loved it! [minus the slight headache that followed] The more & more I pumped, the higher & higher I got...the higher the swing swung, the whiter my knuckles got. I had the tightest grip on those chains. There was no way I could have slipped off that seat.

Why didn't I want to fall off the swing? Because it would hurt, it would be uncomfortable, it MIGHT be fun, and it would definitely involve risk. Okay wow, that's what I want my life to be like! I want to jump off the swing! That's how YOUR life should be! Don't waste your life by holding on to the chains of the swing...let go of the chains that are holding you back & live a risk filled life! Live life full of faith... faith that assures your jump off the swing, will be successful...no matter the outcome! We serve a God that wants us to step forward in faith, it's going to involve jumping off the swing....it starts with me.

"let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and
with the full assurance that faith brings... Let us
hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he
who promised is faithful." hebrews 10:22-23

Chaing Mai

I wrote this update for the YWAM Newie website, while we were in Chaing Mai...

The past four weeks our team has been in Chiang Mai working with a unique ministry called the Centre. The Centre teaches English to university students, their focus is to bring students to Christ through building solid relationships. Thailand is a predominately Buddhist nation, therefore most of our students are not believers. We have been able to spend time getting to know our students in and out of the classroom setting, giving them a sense of value and belonging. Through the relationships we have built, we have had chances to share who Jesus is with our students. Here we have been responsible for getting our students plugged in with the Centre so they can come to know Jesus as their personal Savior, be mentored and discipled.

This type of ministry has taught us how to be faithful in the little. It would be easy for us to get discouraged because we aren’t seeing salvation’s every night. We are constantly reminding ourselves that it is okay to simply be building relationships with the students; by getting dinner with them after class, meeting them for coffee, or doing touristy things with them on the weekends. God commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves and that’s what we are doing.

Being faithful in the little for our team has been things like teaching English enthusiastically, not being shy about telling our students why we are in Thailand, being intentional about praying before meals or just by talking about our God like a Friend. In Luke 16:10 it says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.” Our team knows that God has huge things ahead for each of us because we have been faithful in the little things here in Chiang Mai. Whether it is in our next phase down in Phucket, or when we get home from our DTS, we are choosing to be faithful in little, until God decides to give us more!

Besides teaching English in Chiang Mai, we have had various other ministry opportunities including teaching Sunday school, leading worship, practical work and prayer walks. Our prayer walks are not your average prayer walks, we pray before we walk, while we walk, and after we walk. We take time to hear from God before going out into the westernized-tourist-filled markets. After some time of hearing God, we share back and go do/say whatever God tells us. It is like a “spiritual scavenger hunt”! We seek out people or areas we feel God is leading us to and pray over them or encourage. The other night we were out and a group of us talked to a man for two hours who was selling suits about his life, God and praying in his own language. Another group was able to encourage a nearly full term pregnant vendor, who sits at the market all day trying to sell extravagant-hand-made soap to support herself and her family. The people of Chiang Mai are thirsty for something more out of life and we are stoked to have the opportunity to share some Living Water with them!

Video update from Chaing Mai...

Make Us Ready - Harvest Bashta

neglect.

Bloggie, I'm so sorry for neglecting you over the past month or so. I'm slowly coming back. There is a lot to process. Things need to be processed, before they can be words on a page. Forgive me.

Love,
Courtney

final Thailand video update

Thailand team Finishes and is commissioned from YWAM Newcastle Media on Vimeo.