Two Weeks’ Notice

We have just completed THE most fantastic two weeks!

• We went with a small team on outreach to the province of Phetchabun, where we helped college students with their English finals and accompanied them on their weekly trek to a local women’s prison.Oh, the questions we answered! These college students were curious about America and Jesus! Since my Thai is far from conversational, it was nice to be able to communicate with them in English. I was honored to give my testimony and hopefully plant a seed or two in the hearts of these young men and women. They were an inspiration, and I now have about a half a dozen new Facebook friends!To sum up our time in Phetchabun, I think Jaynee posted it best on her Facebook page: “just got back from a prison ministry. it was really fun. more fun than i thought it would be. with a bunch of people from chiang rai. really really fun outreach.” (It was really, really hard not to correct the capitalization and grammar here, but I managed to resist … because I’m trying to be a cool mom.)
• Last week I took the form of a minion – at least that’s what my co-staff member called me all week. 🙂 I helped her put a Spanish version of a training book she wrote into book form. I spent all week working in my favorite program – InDesign – reading my favorite language – Spanish. Heaven! I will continue helping to put more manuals into book form until our staff training for the upcoming discipleship training school begins. I love my work here more and more every day and can envision the fruit God is producing through the many projects in action.
• I joined a new ministry focused on anti-trafficking in Chiang Mai. God put sex-trafficked victims on my heart early in 2012 during my discipleship training school, and I have wanted to get directly involved somehow ever since. Those of you who have been following our ministries know I campaign for Agape International Missions in Cambodia, but I have been unable to get directly involved with that organization because God called us to Thailand – not Cambodia. So, just recently a fellow YWAMer introduced the beginning of an anti-trafficking ministry right here in Chiang Mai. My heart leapt! So far, we are in the prayer stages and just beginning to ask God what his plans are, but I am so motivated by God’s love for the women affected by the sex-trafficking industry. God loves them so much, and so do I. Please join us in prayer to see what’s on God’s heart for these women.
• We have little feet scurrying around our house for a couple weeks. A couple from Mae Sot, on the Burma/Thailand border is staying with us as they await the birth of their third daughter. The husband, Goo Goo, is Karen (Northern Thai/Southern Burmese hilltribe), who was born in Burma and raised on the Thai border in a refugee camp. His wife, Maria, is from Norway. Their sweet, adorable daughters are 3 and 2 years old. Already they speak Norwegian and the Karen language and are learning English! It is incredible to hear all the different dialects coming from our kitchen. Please pray for a safe delivery of their new baby and swift acclimation for their growing family.
• We have a “loaner car” with an opportunity to buy! Our friend, who loaned us the same car several months ago, was blessed with a new car this month and has offered to let us drive her old car until she can sell it. However, she did ask if we would like to buy it and offered us first choice. I told her I would pray about it because right now we don’t have the finances to buy a car. I figure God has provided for us beyond our wildest imagination, and if he wants us to have this car, he will make a way. I admit, it is such a blessing to have a car to drive. Loading all three of us on the motorbike to get to school and other places is just not practical, especially in rainy season. So, we often either don’t go places or pay to take public transportation. That requires about a three-quarter of a mile-long walk and extra cash, so we don’t do that a lot either. We will need to raise about $3,500 to buy the car, so after praying about it, if you feel you should support us in this purchase, we would be honored. You can visit our Sponsor Us page and deposit your donation in one of the ways listed there. Thank you so much in advance.

Our teams from Southern Thailand and Nepal will return soon. We will be so happy to see them and hear all their incredible stories and testimonies. Please pray for their safe return and for an abundance of God’s love to grow the seeds planted during the past few weeks.

Thank you so much for your love and support. Our hearts are overflowing.

Korina, Jaynee, Justine

Serving homemade coconut ice cream at the women’s prison.

The girls helped freshmen students make these lovely Chinese desserts – sweet dough stuffed with red bean – to serve to the ladies at the local prison.

The girls helped freshmen students make treats to take to the women’s prison, and one student braided Justine’s hair.

The hot dogs we served at the cultural exchange were gone within an hour!

We celebrated with the students during a cultural night. We served a typical American barbecue meal of hot dogs, chips, and Coke. I wish I knew what the girls were talking about. Check out Jaynee’s face!

My new friend Lyn, a senior English major at Phetchabun Rajabhat University.

Praying over our host, Mae, who teaches at the university and runs a coffee shop where she ministers to local students.

The girls made friends and found a puppy on campus.