Firstly, sorry about the lack of communication!
Our last 2 weeks in the Village our internet source broke, so I planned on a full re-cap when we got to the city. However, the entire first 1.5 weeks here in Chiang Mai Luke and I were very ill. Finally, I can now sit down, think and write. Seriously, I am praising God for even those seemingly basic functions.
The last 2 weeks in Nahong, where to start? I will just write down a few of the highlights for you.
The Temple: A good friend back in the US wrote me while we were in the village. She said she had a vision of the temple in Nahong during her prayer time that Morning. In the picture, the Temple gates had been closed and locked. The people of the village were crawling to it. Some bruised and bloody. They were calling for help and to open the gates, but no one answered them. She felt it was a vision of the Spiritual condition of the people. This made me giddy! Because I hadn’t told anyone yet, but this year the doors of the temple have been closed and no one was allowed in. A few days later, they padlocked the gates. This friend had no clue that what she had seen was actually happening in the physical. It really fired us up, knowing that God has prepared the fields for us. The harvest is finally here!
This lead to many, many God-encounters with people in the village. A couple of our Students committed to walking and praying by the temple constantly. We felt a real shift in the atmosphere this trip. Satan’s grip is weak.
Friendships opening:
We had several encounters with the Teachers and other Friends where we were able to pray over them in Jesus’ name. They welcomed it and prayed with us in a very genuine way that I haven’t seen before. We were able to share some scripture with one of the Kru’s as well. Lamode’s parents were incredibly welcoming (per usual). The cool thing was this time, when we first came over, they had houseguests from out of town and Lamode wasn’t home (she spends weeks in another town where her highschool is). So we figured, “Aw, this will just be a quick hello visit. Bummer”. Nope. They invited us in, fed us food, and introduced us to all of their friends. When they introduced us it sparked a conversation with their friends about who we were and how we new the Family. It was great to hear Lamode’s Mother explaining our God and Lamode’s decision to become a follower of God to her friends. Pray for Lamode’s parents (Gail Dee & Boon Mee).
Justin had the opportunity to share the Gospel with one of the Teachers. We hosted a final Children’s party, where we shared Jesus’ power over death. We went to our dear Friend P’ Lie’s home for Dinner (or rather, a feast!) where SHE asked us to pray over her and her Family. She said “your God answers your prayers. He has power”. Amen. I look forward to going back and talking more with her. A new friend Mr. joy received a Bible and had dinner with us a few times. Pray for him. And Jonny really connected with a young man named Dong, who at the end of the trip he gave a BIble. Dong loved it. I see a real hunger in him to know more.
Needless to say, we saw so much fruit in such a short time! This is really not typical for Missions in Thailand. God is so good to us. Our Translator May just kept telling me “Wow. God really must love Nahong. They are different.”
So, Luke and I sit here feeling completely blessed to be a part of this work.
It is stupid hard sometimes. But we see that it’s worth it.
Last week we finished “de-brief” time with our DTS Students in the City. They had a good time to remember, rest, worship & recoup after a rough several weeks in the Mountains. Luke & I were able to connect with them and really see where God has changed their hearts. It’s beautiful. God uses to the broken to do His work. We sent them off and now they are Graduating Discipleship Training School next week. We’re proud of them and hope to Skype into the ceremony.
Continue to pray for Luke and I, we have had the most difficult year physically. We are still battling Parasite infections. It’s not as violent as it was initially. our first week on de-brief we hardly left our bathroom and got really de-hydrated. Honestly, I was worried at that point. Luke dropped 10lbs in 2 weeks. But God is good and we were able to re-hydrate and keep things down before going to the Pharmacist and getting medication. It seems to be working so far. Our time has mostly consisted of resting the last few days. The Medication side-effects have taken a toll on me. My system seems to be much weaker than Luke’s. So, I’m hoping we can be done with it soon. We’ve also been battling sinus infections. Which is a real pain when it’s 105 degrees. All in all. The pain hasn’t been able to get to our Spirits, and we remain hopeful. Some days are harder than others. But just remembering and re-focusing on why we are here helps. I know I couldn’t do this without Luke. His heart of worship brings us into good times with the Lord. I’ve been reading a lot in Daniel, “Only be strong and very courageous” sticks with me.
Thank you all for your prayers! We will be heading back to Nahong this weekend. It was definitely a God thing that we got some extra rest days here. But we are feeling ready to go back. In the meantime, we are here at Zion, helping where we can, resting, and catching vision for what’s next.
Love you all!
Cheyenne (and Lucas).
