While Monday was an amazing day in the school working with the kids, Tuesday was the best part of this trip. It's why I went. On Tuesday we had the opportunity to be a part of some really special ministry to women in the nearby community of Sa Kaeo.
Sa Kaeo is about a three hour drive from the town of Nong Nae where we had been staying and working. On the way to Sa Kaeo, we stopped at this little outdoor cafe for a "Breakfast" of fried rice and noodles and gravy (which I would eat both for lunch or dinner in the states). It was tasty and we also were able to get these tasty drinks to take with us for the rest of the drive.
In the town of Sa Kaeo, the church of Nong Nae has started having outreach and church planting efforts to reach the people in this community. On this day, it was the first event planned and it was a smashing hit. The church in Nong Nae used this event to launch their own women's ministry (how cool is that?! As a women's ministry their first act was outreach?!).
About 30 women from the community came to this event, and as far as we know, none of them were believers. But they all came curious about what was going on. We started the morning with worship, singing about God's love. My mom and Gift and Dui welcomed everyone and then I had the opportunity to speak to the group. I shared with them the beautiful truth of the Gospel, that God is enough for us and that we don't have to be enough. I talked to them about how much God loves us, like a father loves his children, even more than I love my own children. I don't speak Thai, so Gift translated for me. The response seemed to be really well received.
After that, we did a craft with everyone. Because what women don't love to craft? It was a chance to be a little more informal and have some fun together. We painted wooden signs. Afterward, we heard that one of the women said she had never laughed like that in her life. I love this so much. Joy and love cross all kinds of barriers, the least of which is cultural and language barriers. Such a great day.
After a very full and fulfilling day, we left Sa Kaeo to head back to Nong Nae. We stopped for a late lunch at an Italian Restaurant and I think I speak for everyone when I say we were all pretty excited about this pizza. Hit the spot!
We went back to the hotel to rest for a while and to shower before going to the weekly prayer service at the church. Before the service we ate dinner at the church that some of the women had prepared for us (such love the way they fed us this week!!).
The prayer service was really wonderful. Cassie spoke and challenged and encouraged this church to continue on in the mission God has called them to. And then we broke into groups to pray through some very specific things that Dui felt the Lord has laid on his heart and for the church.
I'm not going to lie. By the end of this day, I was WIPED OUT. It was a long full day, but so worth every bit of it. We have already seen so much fruit from this day of ministry. Kyle (who is in Thailand right now) just told me today that they are having weekly gatherings as a new church plant in Sa Kaeo every Tuesday, that all started by that first Tuesday meeting that we got to be a part of! I am so so thankful for this opportunity.
This trip to Thailand was with Lifevesting International. LVI is a missions organization committed to helping National pastors move the Gospel forward all over the world by resourcing them with discipleship training, boots on the ground ministry and short term trips, and relationship building. We would love for you to be a part of it with us! To join our monthly email list, email me at wileyadventures@gmail.com. To find out more information about how you can partner with us and support this ministry, you can email me or visit the website at http://lifevesting.org/.
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