Life in Chiang Rai

2008-07-20T10:15:00.001+07:00

2008-07-20T10:08:00.001+07:00

2008-07-19T11:52:00.001+07:00

The other team went to Cambodia and Isaan. They also did a lot of teaching, worked with local ministries and did construction work!

Final outreach..

2008-07-18T15:45:00.001+07:00

Final outreach

2008-07-18T15:42:00.001+07:00

One of our teams worked with Karen people ( most of whom are from Burma ). They did a lot of dramas, teaching, preaching, as well as awesome activities with kids and teaching english...They also worked at a bible college and handycap house with victims of landmines and sickness!
Praise God that they are back safely now and that God used them in mighty ways!!

2008-07-12T18:35:00.001+07:00

My Thai teacher Pi Ploy!!

Ywam Conference Chiang Mai

2008-07-12T18:33:00.000+07:00

We went to the Northern Conference in Chiang Mai! All the different ministries and ywam schools attended!

It was really good to meet so many new people and see what God is doing here in the North....We had lots of good prayer time,worship and sessions with Phil Porter sharing his heart for Thailand.

We had a prayer time where all the different hilltribe groups prayed for the thais because we want to see the thai people raise up.....

We hope to see all thai leaders in the future!!

2008-07-12T18:18:00.001+07:00

This is the only white temple in Thailand.....Wat Rongkhun Chiang Rai....Incredible detail and a huge painting inside illustrating the good and evil in the world!!!

White Temple

2008-07-12T18:10:00.001+07:00

Golden triangle

2008-06-26T11:27:00.001+07:00

I went to the Golden Triangle in Chiang Saen for the first time on monday. Its really beautiful there...You can see Burma, Laos and Thailand!

1 Peter 2: 9+10

2008-06-26T11:07:00.001+07:00

1 Peter 2:9+10
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people.You are a royal priests, a holy nation,Gods very own possession.As a result, you can show others the goodness of God,for he called you out of darkness and into his wonderful light.
Once you had no identity as a people;now you are Gods people.
Once you received no mercy; now you have received Gods mercy...

This is the theme verse for our Discipleship training school. I was asked to draw a picture that will go along with this verse...So i chose Gods people!! Our teams have been on outreach for over two weeks now, they are doing really well and will come back 10 July!
I have been meeting with a prayer counsellor, drawing, studying thai and reading lots of encouraging books..I will also attend a Northern Thai Ywam conference 3-6 July in Chiang Mai.

2008-06-26T10:38:00.001+07:00

Only love remains...

Scenes of you come rushing through,
You are breaking me down...
So break me into pieces that will grow in the ground
I know that i deserve to die for the murder in my heart,so be gentle with me Jesus as you tear me apart...
Please kill the liar, kill the thief in me, you know that i am tired of their cruelty..
Breathe into my spirit, breathe into my veins until only love remains...
You burn away the ropes that bind and hold me to the earth. The fire only leaves behind whatever is of worth.
I begin to see reality for the first time in my life.I know that im a shadow but im dancing in your light...
Teach me to be humble, call me from the grave, show me how to walk with you upon the waves..
Breathe into my spirit, breathe into my veins until only love remains....

JJ Heller

2008-06-04T15:44:00.001+07:00

Good day!

Outreach is coming up and our teams will leave this weekend 7 and 8 June. One team will go to Isaan and Cambodia. The other will go to Mae Sot and further south. Both teams will be teaching english and doing construction work in refugee camps and at a childrens home.

I will not be going on this outreach. I have been struggling for a while with my calling and being here. Many issues from my past have been affecting me and i feel that its better for me and the team if i stay here in Chiang Rai and start working through stuff. I will meet with a counselor every week and she will be praying with me and helping me through this. I will also start with language study once a week and help to take care of things that need to be done at the base!!

Please keep me in your prayers during this time where i will be seeking God and trusting Him for greater freedom within myself.

- IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD, YOU HAVE TO BE CHANGED FIRST-

Thank you for all your support.

                                     -Unfailing love-

                        When the darkness fills my senses
                        When my blindness keeps me from your touch
                                    Jesus come
                        When my burden keeps me doubting
                        When my memories take the place of you
                                   Jesus come
                        and ill follow you there to the place where we meet
                        and ill lay down my pride as you search me again
                        Your unfailing love over me again.......
                                                                                                 Lyrics.

RISE AGAINST.

2008-05-18T13:05:00.001+07:00

Whats the point in knowing?
Whats the use in going on
If all you do is nothing?
What is it you're showing
To all the people looking on?
Leaving us with nothing
Just a voice with no sound
Whats holding you down?
Rise against! Rise up for what is right!
Stand alone
Are you willing to try?
Rise against! Stand up for what is right!
One man alone
Are you willing to die?
Whats the point in living?
Whats the use in moving on
If you keep pretending
like there's nothing wrong?
What is it you're giving
to all of us who wait and hope
for someone we can follow?
If You lead i'll go
But only you know....

Lyrics from P.O.D

2008-05-18T12:33:00.001+07:00

STANDARD EQUIPMENT OF AN EVANGELIST INCLUDE TWO FEET - READY TO GO WHERE EVER GOD TELLS THEM TO GO....

AMAZED

2008-04-30T20:03:00.001+07:00

Father in Heaven

im dancing like a child before You

beauty all around...

at last, im found

this joy within

all i want to do is sing

Youve picked up the pieces

You hold them in Your hand

You are putting them together

You say; i want you forever...

Why do You care so much?

just one touch

and im lost....

found in You

theres nothing i can do,

JESUS IM AMAZED BY YOU.

2008-04-30T19:47:00.001+07:00

Many people, different places

I keep seeing their faces

Who will stop and care?

Turn my back, but who will go there...

We keep walking away

Thinking God will make a way

I will stop.

I will care.

I will go back there.

2008-04-30T19:19:00.001+07:00

2008-04-30T19:04:00.001+07:00

PRAY, LISTEN AND OBEY,PREACH,TEAMWORK,WORSHIP,LOVE,FAITH,STEP OUT.....

Faith Outreach.

2008-04-30T18:43:00.000+07:00

We just got back from our second outreach.This outreach was about hearing Gods voice.Helping students to listen to what they think God is telling them and to step out in FAITH and do it....We travelled 6 hours on a bus to Uttaradit province,no place to stay, no plans and not alot of money....But we were all very excited and God came through once again!!!!!

We went to 3 different Provinces and a village in the mountains...We prayerwalked, shared the gospel on the streets,served people in different ways, spent time with kids and prayed for the sick...

2008-03-10T15:53:00.001+07:00

I took 'Through painted deserts', another awesome book by Donald Miller with me on outreach.
Being in this village and out of my comfort zone...I could relate to everything he said in the book.

" I've learned,too, that i dont really know very much about anything. I mean, I used to have all these theories about life.I thought i had everything figured out,even God, but i dont. I think the woods,being away from all the clingy soot of commercialism, have taught me life is enormous,and i am very tiny in the middle of it.I feel, at times, like a droplet of water in a raging river.I know for a fact that as a grain of sand compares in size to the earth itself, i compare in size to the cosmos. I am that insignificant. And yet the chemicals in my brain that make me feel beauty when i look up at the stars, when i watch the sunset, indicate i must be here for a reason.I think i would sum it up this way: life is not a story about me, but its is being told to me, and i can be glad of that.I think that is the why of life and,in fact, the why of this ancient faith i am caught up in: to enjoy God.
The stars were created to dazzle us,like a love letter, light itself is just a metaphor,something that exists outside of time,made up of what seems like nothing,infinite in its power,something that can be experienced but not understood, like God."

That was exactly what i experienced on outreach....

2008-03-10T15:12:00.000+07:00

We did a kids program and invited all the children in the village...played games, did a drama and had lots of fun...

2008-03-10T14:56:00.001+07:00

We went to visit a different house every evening, shared testimonies, worshiped and prayed for the families.
The Karen people are very friendly and we were given lots of snacks, fruit and thai tea with every visit.
I had a very good time in the village, sleeping on the floor, taking cold bucket showers and adapting to their way of life....

Back from first outreach..

2008-03-10T14:39:00.000+07:00

We took our outreach team to a village called Thoong Praow, its in Maesuay amphur about one hour from Chiang Rai.
The main aim of this outreach was practical service. We built a wall for a church, cleaned the well and made a bamboo fence during our 2 weeks there.

Saviour Father Friend

2008-03-10T14:23:00.001+07:00

This morning i stand in awe of you
the air so fresh, the sky so blue
Its something i feel deep inside,
very hard to put on paper...
How can i describe my wonderful maker?

Saviour, Father, friend...
Can i run this race with you till the end?
My soul cries for something more,
You are all im looking for

You've put everything in its place
im captured by your grace
My God I long to see your face
Let me stay in this place

Saviour, Father, friend
I want to walk with You till the end...

The students and the crazy staff...

2008-02-19T11:59:00.001+07:00

2008-02-10T14:00:00.001+07:00

I just want to thank you all for keeping me in your prayers!! God has been faithfull once again and i received all the money i needed for my trip to Australia...Go God!!!!
" I dont think you can explain how christian faith works. Its a mystery. And i love this about christian spirituality. It cannot be explained, and yet it is beautiful and true. It is something you feel, and it comes from the soul...."

Language of the soul...

2008-02-10T13:12:00.001+07:00

I watched a show and they were interviewing a man about jazz music. He said jazz music was invented by the first generation out of slavery. I thought that was beautiful because, while it is music, it is very hard to put on paper, it is so much more a language of the soul. It is as if the soul is saying something, something about freedom. I think Christian spirituality is like jazz music. I think loving Jesus is something you feel. I think it is something very difficult to get on paper. But it is no less real, no less meaningful, no less beautiful. The first generation out of slavery invented jazz music. It is a music birthed out of freedom. And that is the closest thing i know to Christian spirituality. A music birthed out of freedom. Everybody sings their song the way they feel it, everybody closes their eyes and lifts up their hands...
Donald Miller.
Oh my word, i was just blown away by this...Ive just finished reading Blue like jazz by Donald Miller and im sure ill read it a 100 times more..Its so beautiful the way he speaks about Christian spirituality,the way he shares his life, his song with every reader...During our worship times this week i sensed Gods freedom and when i looked around seeing my friends and fellow staff members lifting their hands to God, i thanked Him for this song, this gift He has given each one of us...

Please keep me in your prayers!!

2008-01-24T17:39:00.001+07:00

Hey i just want to quickly share with you about whats happening with my visa situation right now.I was denied a one year visa before coming back to Thailand last November and have only been able to extend it until 18 March.(Praise God for that!!!)
At this time i will have to leave Thailand and my best option would be to go to Australia, where i am sure to get a one year visa.
I need and ask that you would pray with me as i have yet to see any of the needed funds come in!!!
Please pray with me for this and if you or anyone you know feel led to be involved in answering this prayer, please let me know.
Thank you!!!

PiSukum, DTS cook in her Nelson Mandela cooking gear ha ha!!

2008-01-22T11:05:00.001+07:00

Taking a rest...

2008-01-22T10:55:00.000+07:00

Tired? Just take a rest on the side of the road...

Sanuk!!!

2008-01-22T10:44:00.001+07:00

It was a good time for us as staff to also get to know the students and have fun.....

Camping...

2008-01-22T10:28:00.001+07:00

DTS finally started on friday and we took the students camping for 3 days as part of our orientation week...We have 16 students from all over the globe, India, America, Australia,Singapore,Laos and Thailand...
The camp was alot of fun and a good introduction to our DTS..We had alot of group activities where the students were challenged to work together and get to know each other!!
We slept outside, went on a long hike and cooked our own food (thai style)..For some it was really hard, but we trust that this helped them and will prepare them for outreach and stepping out of their comfort zones...

I just wanted to take all of them home with me....

2008-01-07T15:56:00.000+07:00

Angel

2008-01-07T15:42:00.001+07:00

Let me tell you about Angel. She is 2 months old. Her mother is 19 and after she gave birth she ran away and left Angel with her father...
Angel's father works everyday and cant take care of her, so he asked mercy centre for help...
So now Angel is safe at the mercy centre and they are taking really good care of her! Will her mother come back? Will the father come and take her back when she is older? I dont know....
Please keep all the children at the mercy centre in your prayers...

Mercy centre in Pattaya

2008-01-07T15:34:00.001+07:00

I was very fortunate to spend a day with my friend at the Mercy Centre in Pattaya. Mercy Centre is a home for orphans, children with one or both parents in prison and children who have no where else to go...
There are 21 children now, from 2 months to 13 years!!

Some time in Bangkok...

2008-01-07T15:18:00.001+07:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

2007-12-28T12:27:00.001+07:00

The Bible says that God gives us new mercies every morning (Lam 3.23). The first of those mercies is the new morning itself. Here we are,you and i, making a new start together.A new year. Twelve new months. Fifty-two new weeks. And 365 glorious new days. What might make this one a little different from the others? Im hoping a deliberately Christ centered worldview. This new start is designed to take us all over the globe in prayer and partnership, freeing us from the misery of self-absorption.A world exists far beyond our front yard.
THE OLD HAS PASSED AWAY...BEHOLD,NEW THINGS HAVE COME.... -Beth Moore-

FOOD!!!!!!

2007-12-24T14:06:00.000+07:00

Chiang Rai....

2007-12-24T13:53:00.001+07:00

Merry Christmas...

2007-12-24T13:40:00.001+07:00

Merry Christmas all the way from Chiang Rai...

Second Entry

2007-11-29T16:29:00.000+07:00

Dear friendsI would like 2 keep u up 2 date on whats happening here in Chiang rai.Ive been back for almost 3 weeks and its going 2 take me some time getting use 2 things again...The discipleship training school starts in January 08, so we are having staff training now.Had a 'survivor like" Niko camp last week, the camp mainly focussed on team work, it was really hard, but God carried me through...Im already learning alot about myself and my teammembers.I just praise God for each and everyone of you that made it possible for me 2 come back here!!!Im busy reading the Barbarian way by Erwin Raphael Mc manus and this paragraph just stood out for me, its like i can really relate 2 what he's talking about; " We created a religion using the name of Jesus Christ and convinced ourselves that God's optimal desire for our lives was 2 insulate us in a spiritual bubble where we risk nothing, sacrifice nothing, lose nothing, worry about nothing.Yet Jesus death wasnt 2 free us from dying, but 2 free us from the fear of death. Jesus came 2 liberate us so that we could die up front and then live.

Jesus Christ wants 2 take us 2 places where only dead men and women can go....."Ever since coming back it feels like ive had 2 die to myself more each day!!! Its been so hard for me but everytime i feel like giving up i ask myself the question; Rather than living a long life, am i willing to live a life worth living?I want 2 die more to myself so that God can shape and mould me.....I dont want 2 count the days of my life, instead i want my days 2 count!!!Thanx for all your support and prayers...

Megan

MY FIRST DIARY ENTRY

2007-11-23T03:47:00.000+07:00

Hello everyone, it's strange to be back but so good and i am loving every second of it. I wanted to say thank you again to all who made it possible for me to return to do Gods work. God Bless.

Keep reading this online diary of mine to see how my work unfolds. I'll post entries as often as i can and with special thanks to my dear friend Nic Latouf to help make this blog as exciting and informative as possible.

Miss you all
Megan