March 22, 2004

Dear Friends and Family,

I want to tell each of you thank you and bless you. The Lord has honored your prayers. It was so very evident that your answered prayers kept us safe. We avoided near calamity several times, including when the “2-ton”  water buffalo almost charged the car while we were traveling at about 65 MPH, no seatbelts in the vehicle.   Or when two team members ate something that had immediate consequences (vomiting) and yet suddenly and miraculously stopped within 10 minutes. Or when they changed our return flight because of technical difficulties with the aircraft. The coverage was apparent and excellent.  It was also evident that your prayers broke barriers and strongholds that stood between us and those who needed the ministry of the Lord. We were received in an unprecedented way, and the “vine” has grown stronger because of your obedience and help. Thank you.

Before I left for Thailand one of our prayer partners sent this to me:

“As I was in prayer on Saturday, February 28th the following messages came across loud and clear:  The one scripture that kept coming up was Ezekiel 37:1 14 - Vision of the Dry Bones and Vision Explained.

I saw the people of Thailand hopeless because of being cut off from the rest of their land.  Then I saw people like you going into their land and blessing them by breathing life into their dry bones.  As verse 14 states "I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land.  Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it, declares the Lord."

As you and the team take this journey I will pray that all of you come in contact with those that need to have new life breathed into the very depths of their souls.  I pray for your strength and protection as you travel and as you minister.  May the entire team be stronger and more "faith filled" because people are praying for them.  May all these women you are ministering to see how beautiful they are in God's eyes…..”

As we arrived in Thailand I did not know exactly what to expect in terms of ministry and mission, but had done my homework and was ready for whatever the Lord placed before us. Our team of seven had two women’s conferences scheduled, and we had five ministry days available before the conferences began.  The Bangkok conference was one day and the conference near the Laos-Thai border in the town of Nonprasert was three days. In an unbelievable way the Lord truly did use us to bring life to the dried bones of these precious sisters in Christ, and also a breath of life-air to the unsaved.  In confirmation of the above vision from Ezekiel, one of our team members, a nurse, felt led in her spirit to teach about the healing of bones and couldn’t remember the scripture passage (we had no concordance). The next day another team member found Proverbs 15:30 “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; and good news gives health to the bones”. It is awesome to see how God cares for each of us enough to send His refreshing life to the ends of the earth.

I was overwhelmed with the grace of God and how much He loves each individual person in His world. One morning there were sparrows everywhere as Lindy and I walked to get coffee in Bangkok and it came to mind again about how God watches over the sparrow, a bird which is found everywhere you go...Mexico, Brazil, France, Thailand, etc.  Just as He watches the sparrow, how much more He watches over His children and His creation worldwide!

One of the first mornings we visited with Patricia Greene of Rahab Ministries, which is located in the middle of Patpong, the sex center of SE Asia, in which many of the females from the Thai hill tribes are "working" in the context of sexual slavery. As we prayer-walked the streets, I came to an alleyway that had an archway over it that read "The King's Pleasure Palace" and it immediately drew an image of the sign placed above Christ's head at His crucifixion "The King of the Jews". The mocking has never ceased. In prayer I began to sing out loud the song “Amazing Love, how can it be, that You my King would die for me? Amazing Love I know its true, and it's my joy to honor You, in all I do, I honor You. YOU are my KING.”   We reminded the enemy that his time is limited, he is a defeated foe, and it is Jesus Christ Who is King, including being the KING of that street. All I personally could do was sing praises out loud during the entire walk. All eyes were on us as every spirit of darkness knew we were there. There was even occasional hissing. It was a clear picture of how the enemy works. During the day it is a normal looking street yet at night there are over 4000 prostitutes at any given time doing business. To mask the sin and the enemy’s destruction of human beings in action, the entire street is transformed from a traffic street to a shopping mall in less than 90 minutes. It was uncanny to watch. Innocent tourists can shop, while the enemy does his true destructive work.

In the afternoon we headed to Sawadiraska Community, which is officially called The Slums. Kids playing, skinny groups of chickens running around, those pariah dogs, the mingled odors of garlic, cooking smoke and jasmine...A worker from World Vision gained permission for us from the "Committee" to access the interior and hold a meeting for primarily women.  This apparently was the first time any foreigners have gotten that far into the inner walls. About 40 people came to talk about health issues and then the discussion turned to stories about their lives, their hopes and dreams. It was a great time and dancing broke out as an 80-year-old beautiful Grandma stood and began to dance in the middle of the circle. We sang “Jesus Loves Me” and they sang "Loy Krathong".  As we were leaving a very old man took me by the shoulders and placed his nose on the back of my neck and breathed in, smelling me all the way to the front of my face. He repeated it on the other side. They said we had a smell and he wanted to breathe it in.  As we entered the exterior sidewalk a small hand shot out from in between iron security bars which were across an opening. It was a young woman who took my hand and asked "Why you come here?”. I got to tell her we were Christians and Jesus loves her. It was again a real picture of the prison they, like all the unsaved, are in.

I had been given a phone number for the Burma Issues office, which deals with the Karen refugee situation. My Christian taxi driver, Nop, made the call to set up a meeting with the director. They really grilled him out of their suspicion but Nop passed the test and he took me over. We turned into a residential type area and entered a vine-covered walkway. The director, a woman named Lek, took us a third floor room where we could talk privately. It was there I got to speak words to her about the vision God had shown me about the future of the Karen Christians in their own country, in Asia and their role in evangelism there. I told her we were praying for them and trying to also help in practical ways via education and politics. Lek gave me a prayer guide to share with you.

When I returned to the guesthouse there was a message from Hsa Ku Shee Zan, a Karen student from Noh Bo Academy. She had arrived in Bangkok from the refugee camp after making the very risky trip to see me.  I was blessed to see her again. God is miraculously putting things together and I'm excited to see Him move mountains in Thailand. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­The next day I met with Hsa Ku Shee and her cousin August Moon. This is her first time in Bangkok and her first ride on the Skytrain. We went to a bookstore and I bought them each three books they needed to learn English and Thai. We talked about her school, her life, and her family.  Then we went together to the Burma Issues office where they were introduced to friendly faces, some who spoke their language. I bought them each a new T-shirt and several books written in their own language about the history of the conflict in their country, and peaceful plans and prayer guides to help plan the future. The Mennonite Church is a big supporter of the Burma Issues office. Later we took the train to meet up with my ministry team, we had a meal together and then we prayed over these two small Karen girls, Hsa Ku Shee and August Moon. After loading them up with healthy snacks and drinks, I sent them safely “home” escorted by my Thai Christian cab driver.  By the end of the week Hsa Ku Shee was back up near the Burmese border.

Conference time!  Over 160 Thai Christian women attended the Bangkok conference, and about 50 of those attended our (my and Ann Marie’s) workshop on Parenting. The Lord had given me a specific teaching and I faithfully presented it. We asked the women to write down the names of all children in their families that needed prayer, and then collected and prayed over them with the group. I told them I would be taking the names to my home church prayer group in America, who would also pray over them. We ministered to a woman who stayed afterwards. These women have extreme difficulties, and being Christians in a Buddhist world they are very alone. I was able to share that although I was with them in person there were about 60 Godly people in the USA who helped me get there through both finances and prayers.  This touched them deeply in their hearts, and some cried that we prayed for their children. We rightly planted seeds of hope, as we serve the God of all hope!

In the general session the ladies were taught an inductive Bible study method, which is critical to their growth, as supplies are widely unavailable.  This is a method that uses only the Bible to learn the teachings of God’s Word; they got it!  Pastor Pituak and his wife Gik of Streams of Blessing Baptist Church arranged the conference. He was a refugee child orphan who had been rescued and ultimately educated as a pastor. The Lord gave him a church in Bangkok where he has a small local congregation, and also ministers to the Karen refugees.  Another missionary I met there was a Filipino street orphan who was adopted by an American who came on a mission trip, and was then educated in the US. He has now returned to Asia and is being commissioned to China as a missionary. 

The second conference was located at the other end of the country, in the NE section near the Laotian border in the town of Nonprasert. The Mekong Evangelical Mission was founded by Chansomone, a Laotian man whose family was moved, with the help of a Christian, to the USA where he was educated. God then returned him to NE Thailand over 10 years ago with a vision in mind.  Chansomone realized that in this culture it is the women who raise the children, hold families together, and communicate quickly village-to-village.  They are also very strong due to the bondages they have been in. The Lord told him to focus his ministry on women because it would be they who evangelized this section of Asia.

The conference ran Tuesday through Thursday. Over 110 women signed up as guests, coming from the entire region, some from 6 hours away. My turn was to be on Wednesday afternoon. The Lord began to change my teaching completely. I was to leave out most of the parenting teaching, and switch to the idea of how the enemy uses condemnation to freeze us from going forward in the Lord. It was focused in particular on condemnation that comes from people we love...our kids, our husbands and family members.  These women live in circumstances so far beyond what we can imagine and many of their self-images are non-existent. The overall theme of our conference was Isaiah 61-Beauty from Ashes, and it was so appropriate.  After much prayer, I completely rewrote the teaching as the Holy Spirit led. I prayed the Lord would do it because I was such an inadequate tool. In the flesh I was a bit worried because I wanted to be sure I was in the Lord’s will. After the ladies arrived and were seated I announced that the Lord had changed the session, and it was especially for those seated in the room.  We first talked about rebellious children, and offered up prayers for all their children-those in prison, those who are just disrespectful and disobedient, and those who are victims of slavery. Then I transitioned into teaching on the difference between identity and self-image. Identity being who in fact we are: a new creation in Christ, and self-image being who we “think” we are. They had never thought of such a thing before, and it was good. Using much scripture, I could see the Holy Spirit penetrating their hearts as this truth entered in.  The idea of a truly receiving a completely new birth was amazing.  Not just cleaned...but NEW! And inheriting a NEW FAMILY! It seemed to be a “Wow” moment. Then they each wrote down on paper every nasty thing kids, husbands and family members have said about them...the kind of condemning speech that will not go away, the kind that keeps trying to define who you are.  I went into the audience and carried a bucket of water with me. I instructed each to take that sheet of paper and rip it into tiny pieces and throw it into the water as I stirred them up. After going around the room the bucket was full of wet paper. I sat the bucket on the stage and said we’d come back to that later.

I then proceeded with a synopsis of the Purpose Driven Life...we are not accidents, we are beautiful, God loves and knows each of us, and He has five purposes for our life. I taught through the purposes with scripture- they are made for His pleasure-to make Him smile, they were formed to be members of God’s big family, they are made to become like Christ, they were put on earth to make a contribution, and lastly they were made for an assignment-a mission-to evangelize unbelievers. I told them that the Lord wants them freed up so they can grow, learn and become the key women who will evangelize Thailand. It was awesome. Later that evening I took that bucket of paper mash back to my room, and created one large paper mache bowl with scalloped edges. After it dried overnight I decorated it with lavender silk rosebuds on the outside. Inside I placed an arrangement of fresh green ferns and filled the bowl with fresh red rose petals.  That night at the closing service, I held up the bowl and showed them the visual example of how the Lord takes the ashes of our lives and exchanges them for beauty. Every day He sprinkles “rose petals” of blessing into our lives. He creates a new thing out of our old hurts, and He frees us from the snare of our enemy. Amen. They received it with many tears. 

That night we heard fresh testimonies from women who had just been let out of prison in Laos after several weeks for being Christians, and when released came to the conference to seek prayer from their sisters and brothers in Christ. What strong faith this is. How joy abounds in their hearts. As one Laotian woman knelt with her face to the ground, tears and sobs being released, I was privileged to lay hands on her and beseech God for her protection and healing.

This was the second conference EVER held in the area. It was the first time most of the women discovered they had sisters and brothers in Christ. Many are the only Christian in their village. It was so uplifting, encouraging and strengthening for them. Praise God!

The last task we had was to inspect several micro-enterprise projects.  The Mekong Evangelical Mission is biblical and diligent in how this program is administered. There was a handbag manufacturing operation, a motorcycle repair shop, a village beauty shop, and a fabric weaving (on a hand loom!) business. It takes one full month of fabric weaving day in and day out to produce one piece of handmade Thai fabric. The profit from the sale of the one piece is 1300 baht, or $34. They needed one more loom to make enough money to support themselves in rural Thailand.

The motorcycle shop was also funded by a micro loan. The husband had been forced to live part time in Bangkok, about 8 hours away, to make a living for his wife and two children. Through this loan he was able to live at home. He goes out each day to make on-site motorcycle repairs. His home is built up on stilts and as you walk underneath you see a neat bamboo rack with Valvoline oils and transmission fluids. Hanging in order from hooks in the overhead bamboo are various new motorcycle and bicycle tires. He takes throwaway motorcycles and rebuilds them for sale as well.

At the beauty shop I notice there are still many Buddhist relics and items everywhere. A spirit house sits in the middle of the shop. The wife is not a Christian, but I am moved to offer her our prayers. She was thankful because she explained she had a terrible stomach pain. We prayed healing over her in the name of JESUS in front of several villagers. I know the Lord will heal her of her stomach condition and she will be saved.

Before we left for home our team gave enough money to start 4 more micro-enterprises. There is a waiting list of approved families and the mission will decide who receives the loans. We also left designated funds for the additional loom. May the Lord bless these businesses.

God is doing a mighty work within the Thai culture behind the scenes. I felt the Lord showing me that Thailand is so closed to the gospel spiritually because the Thais have not been oppressed and persecuted like almost every other country bordering them. They have not been hungry. The name Thailand in fact means “Land of the Free”. The lack of painful existence as a nation has closed the spirit, much like here in the USA. It makes for very hard hearts. But the benefit is that it’s located right in the middle of Asia and much Christian work is based out of the country. The Lord showed me that on every border of Thailand there are refugees coming in that are strong Christians who have been through the fire, and when released will flood Thailand with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The task of training and equipping these Christians is a real privilege and an urgent need. Thank you for being a part of this work. May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you richly.

Lastly, a challenge...Would you pray about going back with me?

In His Love and mine,

Lynn