Home Sweet Home (?)

Well, it has been almost two whole weeks since debrief ended and I came back to Coquitlam, finishing ten months away with the TREK program.

Debrief was amazing. It was great to reconnect with the other TREK teams, hear and share stories, and encourage one another. It was a good time of closure with my team. We also got some talks on how to come home and apply what we learned this year lovingly and productively.

The end of debrief for me looked a little different than I had planned however. I woke up Friday morning (the last day of debrief), with a pretty nasty case of the chicken pox, and ended up leaving early. I then spent a week essentially quarantined in my house, trying not to scratch, but I made it through, and am on the road to recovery, but if you haven't seen me around, this is probably why.

So, now that I'm home I'm looking forward to reconnecting with you all, going back to work (praise God for providing me with an incredible summer job), reconnecting at church and returning to Simon Fraser University in the fall.

I wanted to thank you all one final time for your faithfulness in supporting me. Your prayers made our time in Thailand effective, and surrounded our ministry. Your encouragement got me through the hard (and easy) days. I love you all, and really can't even begin to express my gratitude to you for partnering with me this year!

Sincerely,
Jillian

End of a phase...

Well, today marks my last day in Thailand. Tomorrow my team and I get on a plane and fly for more than 24 hours, back to Vancouver, B.C. for two weeks of debrief. As I sort through the mess of emotions I am feeling currently, and anticipate the approaching jet lag, I would appreciate your prayers one more time.
We said our goodbyes last night to TLC, Team 2000 and the community we have been a part of for the last seven months. It was hard, leaving these people, not knowing if we would ever see them again. Pray that God will continue to move in that incredible place, and our friends would keep growing in their relationships with him. Pray for my friend Wow, probably my closest Thai friend, that as our team leaves, she would find friends to provide her with the support she needs, despite very difficult family circumstances.
We begin debrief phase the next morning after our flight. Pray that despite rather intense jet lage we will be able to process this experience, and learn to apply all the ways God has shaped us here at home.
Pray for safety as we and all the other TREKers (Panama, Germany, Mexico and Burkina Faso) fly home from our various locations.
Praise God for the way that our team has had closure in this last week, and for all the ways that we have learned and been shaped this year.
I look foreward to seeing all of you as I return to Canada.
Thanks for your prayer and support.

I should be sleeping...

Well, it's about midnight here, and I'm just finishing up some prep work for a church camp our team leaves for tomorrow morning. Our team has had one week to plan a complete children's program for the kids of 4 churches in our area, who do not speak our language...and as I pull together the last details before I join my team in sleep, I was suddenly inspired to write here.

I've come to this point in my TREK experience, that I thought I would never reach, and yet has come far too quickly...the end. In two weeks I will board a plane and leave life as I have known it for the last seven months. I will re-enter my own culture, reacquaint myself with friends and family, and "get back to real life." That prospect both scares and thrills me. I'm not sure how I'll say goodbye to this incredible place, full of people I have come to know and love and look up to, how I'll take everything God has taught me and started to shape in me, and learn to apply it at home, how I'll even process this whole experience.

I would like to ask as our team ends our time here, that you will intercede for us, that we will end well.

The next two weeks will be busy. As I already said church camp begins tomorrow morning, and runs for the weekend. We will be doing the children's program, and our theme is the persecuted church, because we realized believers in all the countries surrounding Thailand experience persecution (not to mention some in Thailand). One lesson I am teaching is about praying for believer's around the world. I feel especially passionate about this lesson. Please pray that the kids will know the impact of their prayers around the world. Pray that as these children begin to intercede for the nations around them, that God will move powerfully, and that their faith will grow. Pray that as many, non Christians (including a few friends of mine, and our one student from English class and her family) come to church camp they will meet Jesus, and know the freedom that comes from relationship with him. Pray that this camp will have an eternal impact, and that it will be fun!

After we get back from church camp we will begin to plan a children's program for the MBMSI Thailand missionary retreat. All the MBMSI missionaries will be meeting for a four day retreat, and we are up for childcare. Pray that this will be a time of refreshment for the adults, and a time of fun for the kids. Pray that our team will have time to say our good byes to friends admist the planning.

And that brings us to our last week here- packing, wrapping up ministries, and final good byes (and probably a lot of tears). I appreciate so much your prayers for our team, as we go through this final stage of TREK.

Well, it seems like one of those times that an update is in order.
Yesterday was my hardest day in Thailand so far. My team mate, room mate, friend and ministry partner Fauna returned to America. Because of complications with her Father's health she discerned it was best for her to be with her family at this time. It was an incredibly hard good bye. Please pray for Fauna and her family as they walk through this incredibly difficult time.

(to the left: a picture of Fauna's farewell at TLC)

After dropping Fauna off at the airport the reality of what her leaving meant for our team hit me. Our team has been functioning almost as 2 teams within a team. Fauna and I doing our main ministry in Bang Saen and Diana and Michelle focusing on ministry in Ang Sila. Therefore, I've spent pretty much 24 hours a day with Fauna for the last 6.5 months. Her leaving means essentially every part of my life will change. Our team had a meeting about what ministry would look like for me now that I am alone. Please pray for our team as we continue to seek God about what our last month of ministry will look like one team member short.
Another major change that happened yesterday was that my entire life was packed up into suitcases, bins and garbage bags and dumped at the church. We decided it wasn't good for me to live in my apartment alone, and to get my deposit back, I had to move out immediately. So, with the help of my team, Carmen (one of our missionary hosts) and 2 Thai friends we cleared out in less than an hour.

So, I will end with a request for prayer. Our whole team is in a time of transition, but any change that occurs will directly effect me. Please pray that as we decide on living arrangements, ministry roles and as we relearn how to function as a team, God will give us clarity about what to do, and that we will have an abundance of grace for one another.
As always, thank you so much for your continual support and prayers! I am so grateful.

Wow, April is coming to a close, and I realized it has been over a month since I last updated my blog. Our team recently came back from a visa run to Cambodia, where things went far more smoothly than the last time we renewed. We were in and out of Cambodia in an hour, and because we left early in the morning were able to be back to Chonburi in time for a full day of ministry. On the drive home however, I started thinking about all the things I should catch my incredible supporters (you) up on.
So, the day after my last blog post, I was sleeping over in AngSila, the fishing village where 2 of my team mates live, to film a video clip for MBMSI, and unfortunately had a little accident, where the ceiling fan and my head became well acquainted. It resulted in a quick trip to the hospital, some of my hair shaved and eighteen stitches. Don't worry too much though, it's healing very well, my hairs growing back in quickly, and after two days of rest I was ready to be back to ministry.
On the my first day back up and around my team, and our good friend Uh-Oh traveled into Bangkok where we met a team from Mennonite Educational Institute in Abbotsford, that we were going to help host in their time here. With them we traveled to the Khumu villages in Northern Thailand. We ran kids programs, and traveled around the area, praying for the churches and for the Laotian church, which was just across the Mekong River. We lived in Bamboo huts, and it was incredible. For a long time the Khumu people have had no rights, they have been a people in slavery, not belonging to any nation, not being allowed to own land, and being mistreated. While we were in the North, an MBMSI foundation that has been in the making for years was finally passed, and through that foundation the Khumu people finally are able to own land. They are officially a people. In our time there I was reflecting on 1 Peter 2:9+ 10 and it became so much more impactful for me. As I saw a people group go from being nobody in the government's eyes, to having freedom, I understood in a new way the freedom that God has given us in relationship with him. God has made us a people through Jesus, we have received mercy.
After a week in the North, the MEI team came with us back to Bang Saen, where we ran a kids club at our churchs: TLC and AngSila Friendship Centre. It was cool to see a bunch of new kids come out, as well as some that had attended our English classes throughout the year. We had a great time, and had the oppertunity to share about Jesus, to many children. Please pray for all the children that heard about Jesus in these two weeks and were connected to the church. Pray that they will come back, and we will be able to introduce them to a relationship with Jesus.
At the end of the week MEI flew home, we said our goodbyes, and packed our bags again. We were off to Phanat Nicom, the province next to Chonburi (where I live), to help out Ajaan (Pastor) Somchai and his wife P' Aun with their church plant and English centre. I have to be honest, before we left I was pretty wiped out. I was dreading another week away from home jam packed full of ministry. But, in our team's time in Phanat Nicom, God met me. It was an incredible week of mutual encouragement. We spent our days from morning until evening teaching English, and building bridges to the church, and after that we spent a lot of time with Ajaan Somchai and P' Aun hearing their story, and how God called them to this incredibly difficult city. The church there has grown slowly. There is a lot of people that are set against the church, but they have been faithful and God is using them to touch lives. I was so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of what they were doing, and God gave me a deep burden to pray for the city, as well as direction about how to pray, as he showed me the darkness and religious confusion go deep. Despite our busyness I was refreshed in my personal devotional times, and in our times of fellowship. I came back feeling rested, despite a hectic week. Please pray for Ajaan Somchai and P' Aun, pray that they will continue to have perseverance in Phanat Nicom, pray that God will touch lives through them, pray that people will see the truth and turn to him!
When we came back there was a youth camp going on at TLC, a three day lock in, where everybody had a great time; from playing volleyball with water balloons to learning about spiritual gifts. Our team was not incredibly involved in the weekend, but it was exciting to be around the church, and connect with some of the youth. On the last night of the camp, they shared the gospel, and all of the students who were not already Christians except for 2 accepted Christ! How amazing! One of the boys that accepted Christ was one of my youth English students. It's been so exciting to see this young man- Taay- go from shyly attending class to someone who knows Jesus, and is excited to spend all his free time at the church, connecting to what is going on here. Pray that his relationship with Jesus will deepen, and he will connect with the boys his age at the church.
The following week our team spent prepping for an intense three week English class we were going to teach to raise money for the Pastor of the church- Ajaan Buratat, who's wife recently gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Ajaan Buratat is an incredible leader in the church, and we were hoping to bless him, by raising enough money through this English course to purchase his family a car, as currently they only have a motorcycle for their family of 4. Unfortunately when this week arrived, and it was time to start the English class we only had one student register. As a team we were incredibly disappointed, because we put a lot of work into this class, but more importantly because we were not able to give our friend and Pastor any money, as we had hoped. But, God is the ultimate provider, and so we are trusting him to provide for Ajaan Buratat.
After a week of intense prep, we were ready for something lighter. That came with the arrival of Song Kraan. I've never seen anything quite like it in my life. It was five days of a national water fight, where the streets are packed. It seems like everyone has a truck, with the back full of people and garbage cans full of ice cold water all throwing it at each other (see picture to the right). And to top it all off, everybody is dressed in brightly coloured flowered shirts. It was a great opportunity to finish our prep, and also spend time with our friends, who all had the time of work (it's Thai New Years, so everything shuts down). As we threw water on everyone we saw, we also got to connect with the people around us! The holiday also began with a ceremony to bless the elders in the community, and we were able to walk around AngSila and pray for all the elders in the village, including two ladies in a Chinese temple! (The picture to the left is a, b ceremony to bless some of the elders at TLC.)
Well, as soon as Song Kraan ended I had some very special guests fly in...my family. For the last week, well still going about ministry, I was blessed so much to get to show my Mom and Dad and sister exactly what it is I do. I was so encouraged, and reminded what a gift it is to have a family like mine, who love Jesus, and are excited right along with me about what God is doing in Thailand.
I just want to finish with one fairly urgent prayer request. Yesterday, after I said good bye to my family, I went and rejoined my room mate and team mate Fauna. She had just gotten off the phone with her family, and had found out some rather hard news about her Father's health. Then this morning she got news from home that her Dad was in the hospital. Please pray for Fauna as she processes this. Pray for wisdom for her as she decides how to move forward. Pray for peace and for comfort for her, as she is far away from her family in this time. Pray for our team, that we will be able to come around her and support her, and we will know how to be an encouragement to her.
As always, thank you so much for your prayers, support and encouragement. I am so deeply grateful. May God bless you all.

Confirmation of a Miracle

Well, yesterday my blood tests came back, and praise God, they were all normal!  What a great God, Jehovah Rapha- the God who heals.

Please pray for me, as I continue to share the story of how God has worked in my life.  As I  begin to share with the Thai people around me, pray God will bring himself glory, and that lives will be touched.

Next door to TLC there is an Internet cafe, that is owned by a lady that attended one of my adult English classes.  For the last few months Fauna (my room mate) and I have really purposed to build a relationship with her, stopping to chat with her every day.  Yesterday Fauna had the opportunity to tell her about my blood tests, and about the God who healed me.  She was very open to the conversation, and was asking what it is that TLC does.  Please pray that we will be able to continue to foster this relationship, and that eventually this lady will come to faith in Jesus.  Also, please pray for more opportunities like this one, to share the gospel with the people around us.

Here on the Storm...

For the last month or so Mark 4:35-41 has been a significant passage for our team. We came across it in a team time, and it became a real encouragement for us, and something we felt strongly about sharing with the people of Angsila. Recently, it became a bit more personal for me. Read it...

Mark 4:35-41

As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's cross to the other side of the lake." He was already in the boat, so they started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm arose. High waves began to break into the boat until it was nearly full of water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. Frantically they woke him up, shouting, "Teacher, don't you even care that we are going to drown?" When he woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the water, "Quiet down!" Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. And he asked them, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still not have faith in me?" And they were filled with awe and said among themselves, "Who is this man, that even the wind and waves obey him?"

For a long time I wondered at Jesus' rebuke of the disciples, why after they almost died is he asking them why they were afraid? Don't they have a right to be afraid? I didn't really understand how it was a matter of faith.

About a week ago, I went to Pattaya for a worship night. It was a great time, there were lots of Thai bands as well as bands visiting from Canada and the States. It was a great encouragement to see something so glorifying to God happen in a city where so much sin and darkness occurs with such frequency.

At one point two men from Canada played, and after, before they left the stage, one of them started prophesying. He stated specific three incredibly specific medical conditions, and proceeded to say that people with those conditions were present and God wanted to heal those people. I don't know if all of you know this, but in the last couple years I have had some medical issues with no resolution, and since being in Thailand, they have caused me a significant amount of pain and fatigue. Anyhow, one of the medical conditions he talked about was wijth out a doubt mine.

My team leader Diana was sitting next to me and she leaned over and said "Jill, that's you." I knew it was me of course, but this medical issue has been something that has caused me a lot of confusion, I've been prayed for before, and God has chosen not to heal me. I wasn't sure I wanted prayer, I wasn't sure I could handle the disappointment of God not healing me. I believed God could heal me, but I lacked faith that he would. So I stayed in my seat, and didn't go up for prayer. Shortly after though, my Thai language teacher went up for prayer, and my team member Fauna and I ended up going over and praying for him. Then Fauna leaned over and said "Jill, you know that blood condition, the person he was talking about, that's you." At that point I was feeling pretty convicted about my lack of faith, so with some encouragement from Fauna and Diana, I went up to the man that had been prophesying and told him that I thought I was one of the sick people he was talking about.

He and another girl proceeded to anoint me with oil and pray for me. Like I said, people have prayed for me before, and nothing has changed, but this time I can't really explain it, but I felt different. There was no way to tell immediately if God healed me, but somehow in my heart I knew he did.

But I am a doubter. And, I've never wanted to look like a fool, so I was hesitant to tell anybody. What if God didn't heal me, what if it didn't work? I would look stupid. I decided I needed blood tests to absolutely confirm that I was healed, so the next day I talked to Carmen, one of the missionaries we work with here, and asked her if she would take me, and she gladly agreed, already giving God praise for this miracle. Then I called my family, and told them about the night. After that came an influx of emails, praising God for his ability to heal. All these people just accepted it. I felt really convicted. I realized I was more concerned with how I might look than with giving God glory for the work he did.

So while I still went for blood tests for confirmation, from that point forward I've been trusting God that he did heal me, and praising him for that, looking back at the storm that was just calmed, in awe, saying of Jesus "Who is this man, that even the wind and waves obey him?"