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| Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 |
We are taking a short break from our "People Series" to give you some info about our day to day activities, but we will continue our series shortly. So be sure to keep your eyes out for some more amazing testimonies.
We have now been working in the Northeast for an entire year now, and we have seen God do some amazing things. But we are also eager to see God continue to move and do even more in our final year here (before returning stateside for our year furlough)
A lot of times, people don't actually know what missionaries do from day to day, so we wanted to take this space to share with you what we do each day. Here's our snapshot:
Sunday
Each Sunday looks a little different. We rotate between serving at the church in the city and in the village.
The first Sunday of the month Keith preaches at the church in Si Songkhram. And I teach the children a lesson during the Sunday school time before the service.The second Sunday of the month we are at the Sakon Nakhon city church. Keith also preaches here and we co-lead the youth Sunday school time.
The third Sunday, we travel to various churches in the region and Keith preaches and encourages the believers (many of the rural churches do not have a pastor)
The final Sunday, we are back at the church in Sakon Nakhon. Keith leads worship and we again co-lead the youth Sunday school hour. In the afternoons on this week, Keith travels to a neighboring province to preach at a new English speaking church group that has started up.
Monday
This is typically our Sabbath day. We take time to relax and spend time together after the busy week.
However, Keith typically goes to the local university on Monday evenings and plays basketball to build kingdom relationships and outreach.
Tuesday
Each Tuesday morning, there is a prayer meeting in Sakon Nakhon for all the pastors from the churches throughout the city. It is a great time to encourage one another and pray for the various ministries going on in this city.
Tuesday afternoons are typically a prep time for the upcoming week.
Then at 4:30pm we hold a free kids club at the church. We do some English teaching, we sing, play games, and share a Bible story. We have only had a few children come, (last week we had about 5) but we are praying and trusting that God would grow this ministry.
Wednesday
After arriving here last year, the headmaster at the local junior high/high school in Si Songkhram asked Keith to teach English. Keith responded by saying that he was not an English teacher, but that he was a Bible teacher and would be willing to teach English by teaching about Jesus. The headmaster was happy to agree and Keith has been able to share the about Jesus every week for the past several months. What an amazing Gospel opportunity! So each Wednesday, Keith teaches a total of six classes, which means he has the opportunity to pour into the lives of over 200 students. Thursday
Thursday mornings we gather with the Kues (the other C&MA missionary couple in the area) to pray for the various ministries in both Sakon Nakhon city and in Si Songkhram.
Friday
Most Friday mornings, Keith goes out and does street evangelism, usually with the local pastor.
This involves simply walking around from shop to shop, or house to house and handing out tracts and trying to share the Gospel with people.
In the evenings, he eats at the restaurant owned by the pastor and his family, out front of the Sakon Nakhon city church. There is a group of high school students who come each week to practice English and have open conversations about God.
Saturday
Keith teaches an English course in Si Songkhram at the church. There are typically about 10 people who come to study. He teaches basic English conversation and shares a Bible verse and its meaning each week.
After teaching English, Keith tries to connect with a new believer in a neighboring village to do discipleship.
Each night of the week, we take time to pray over these ministries. Please join us in laying these before the Lord. We would ask you to pray that God would open people's hearts and that there would be an outpouring of His Spirit over this place. So that many would glorify His name and come into a relationship with the King of kings.
Additional Ministries
Medical Clinics. Every three months we run a medical clinic in the village on a Sunday after church. It is a very basic outreach, mostly consisting of checking blood pressure, giving out some vitamins and offering prayer for healing.
Youth Baking Night. Every couple of months we host youth baking nights. There is a group of youth who come over and learn to bake something new (cookies, brownies, cupcakes, etc...) Then we play games, hangout and enjoy our fresh baked goodies. This has been a great time for some of the Christian youth to invite their friends and make it an evangelistic outreach as well.
Large Outreaches. We try to be a part of large evangelistic outreaches as well. For example, there have been multiple times where the church in Si Songkhram has gone out to neighboring villages and offered free hair cuts. While people are getting their hair trimmed or are waiting in line, we give a Gospel presentation. Also, we recently did a big outreach at the park where we had live music, free medical check up, and did evangelism.
Parties. We also host quarterly gatherings for young adults. This is just a time where we host a large party with food and games and have a casual time of connecting (for both Christians and non-Christians) and building relationships. Hospitality Ministry. We usually try to have someone over for a meal at our home once a week to help build relationships and deepen connections, as well.
Prison Ministry. God has just recently opened the door for Keith and some local pastors to run a church service in the local prison twice a month.
Field Leadership. Keith is on the Leadership Board for the C&MA Missionaries of Thailand. He has various planning meetings, and responsibilities associated with Field Leadership.
District Activities. We attend various district leadership gatherings. We also try to help out various district churches and participate in other evangelistic or leadership development opportunities.
If you have gotten this far into our long post, we thank you! Thanks for taking the time to read this snapshot into our lives and for praying with us for what we are a part of here in Northeast Thailand.