Mae Sai again

I am back in Mae Sai, the town on the border of Thailand and Burma. This time around I will be here for twenty days, preaching and teaching from the word of God. I have been preaching almost every Sunday. Also I have been going to many different houses of the Church members to give devotions. All I can say is that...God is good. Everything has been going great and I love being with these people. They are my family and I love them all. I have learned more here in Thailand over this month and a half then I probably could have in a years time back in the states. I took a leap of faith and my life won't ever be the same again. I have no room to boast in myself though because God is the one who has been working through me and if it wasn't for Jesus I wouldn't be doing any of this. So don't be impressed with me, be impressed with Jesus and how he changes the heart of a man.

My days mainly consist of prepping sermons, prepping for my English class, leading bible devotions, studying Burmese, helping out with the various activities that we hold and of course chillin wit my peeps :) Tomorrow we will be having a thanksgiving celebration. We had to wake up early this morning to go buy food at the market so that we can prepare for the meal tomorrow. Everyone is helping out and although I won't be doing any of the cooking, I make a pretty good potato peeler and dishwasher. It is a joy to live with these people and everyday they bring a smile to my face. They are simple people who work hard and love Jesus. Most of them don't make more than seventy dollars a month, that’s less than three dollars a day. Yet they have an unfading joy given to them by Jesus. This is it...this is life...it is only found in Jesus. Not in money, not in drugs, not in power, only in Jesus do can we die to ourselves and truly live. These people know how to live. 

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” - James 1:17

I've been bad

Ok, it's true...I've been bad. I haven't done a very good job keeping up with my Blog. Hopefully I will be able to step up my game and write more, but honestly it is hard work. My days are busy...getting acclimated with the new surroundings and culture, preaching, meeting new people all the time, leading devotions, observing English classes, traveling to the mountain villages and so much more. Some days are fun, some days are scary, some days are lonely, some days are full of adventure...and some days I want to knock myself out with a five pound sledge. That was a joke, but I will say, it can be very difficult sometimes. Even though I knew this wasn't going to be easy, I find myself being challenged in ways I didn't quite expect, but I am glad for that because these challenges help me to mature and grow in my faith.

With that being said I would have you all know that my preaching in Mae Sai went excellent. The Burmese people there were from many different tribes and they welcomed me with warm hearts and good food...mmmmm. I enjoyed getting to know them and learning about their lives in Mae Sai. These people are hardworking and make very little money, but they are on fire for Jesus and they love to worship him. It was such a privilege to be able to encourage them with the word and worship with them. The night before I left Mae Sai I bought some food items and drinks to enjoy with the people and show them my gratitude for feeding me and giving me a place to stay. I hope to visit Mae Sai a few more times before I leave Thailand, to see the people again and share some more laughs and moments of praise towards God. Since Mae Sai, I have been going to various activities around Chiang Mai, leading devotions and meeting new people. It has been a good week just to get to know some more people make some new friends.

Until next time...hopefully sooner than later...

-Joshua  

Trains, Planes and Motorbikes

I was sitting alone in a cabin on a train in the middle of a foreign country looking out the window as the great city of Bangkok melted away in the distance. A storm was brewing in the east sending streaks of lightning across the sky creating a dreamlike ambiance that could never be fully explained in words but that can only be experienced. Then I was thinking to myself, “Wait a second...I'm sitting in a train, in a foreign country, alone...with my computer, video camera, some clothes, some books, and a pocket full of baht (Thai Currency)...IS THIS REAL!!!”

You see, as a boy I had always dreamed of traveling the world and going on grand adventures. Then as a teenager my dream grew up with me, instead of just traveling for the sake of adventure I wanted to travel to do the most important thing a person can do, that is, share the good news of Jesus. I wanted to be a missionary...and now I'm actually doing it and its all because the grace of God.

Ten days ago is when I arrived in Chiang Mai and met up with James Hla who is the man I'll be working with while in Thailand. He showed me to the place I would be staying and talked with me about my plans. It turns out I'll be teaching English in a small town called Mae Si and also be working with the youth there.

Tomorrow I will go to Mae Si for the first time with a friend of mine who I met about a week ago, his nickname is NaNa...I can't remember what it means. We will go together to preach on Sunday and fellowship with the youth there. So if you want to know what to pray about, pray that God would speak through me on Sunday and allow me to love the youth with the love of Christ.

Rain In Bangkok

Outside you can hear the torrential rain beat down against the city. Everyone who is outside, umbrella or not, is going to be drenched from head to toe. How do I know this you may ask? Well, because just until recently I was outside in it and let me tell you, an umbrella is useless in rain like this. So I didn't use one. Instead I challenged the rain to soak me to the core along with my Pakistani friends Javed and John as we went through the winding streets in the downpour. We were making our way back home from the market place from which we had just purchased a few items to go with the fresh fish which was caught earlier. We walked, jogged and ran through the rain, laughing and smiling as each of us quickly became sopping wet. There was no point in denying the rain its satisfaction, it had won this battle and so we embraced the rain, literally singing songs of praise to God together. These are the moments in life when you feel alive, when you see God's beauty and your heart is filled with joy knowing that God is good. Seeing these brothers of mine share life with each other, laugh with each other (man do they laugh) and sing praises to God is an amazing testimony to the power of Jesus and how he makes people to be full of love and joy. These men, these soldiers, these friends of mine have given their lives to Jesus and have suffered for it in Pakistan where they were persecuted and where they have had family members killed by Muslim terrorists. Yet they praise God and give him glory realizing that suffering for Jesus is worth it and that in the end they will be reunited with their king in a perfect place with no more death or sorrow or crying. Only in Christ can we truly live, and these men know how to live. We made it to the gate of the house, soaked and smiling...we were home, and soon we will have a delicious fish dinner shared with joy knowing that God is provider.

In Bangkok

I am safe and sound in Bangkok Thailand. The trip here went very smooth and there were no problems at all. I was met at the airport in Bangkok by Matthew the brother to Mark AKA Amir, who took me to their home where I will be staying for the next few days. Mark and Matthew are both from Pakistan and living with them are four others all from Pakistan and all of them followers of Jesus. So far my time with them has been extremely encouraging. These men have such a deep love for Jesus and have been very hospitable.

oN mY wAy!

So...in mere hours I will be flying across the world by myself. I will go from St. Louis to Detroit to Tokyo and then finally land in Bangkok and eventually take a train or bus to Chiang-Mai...Am I nervous? HECK NO...okay im lieing I am a little nervous. On a scale of one to ten, ten being the most nervous I  would say i'm a four. But anywho it should be an interesting time...I am VERY excited...Well I've got to get my last few things done and packed so i better get on that. Until next time.

A letter to my Supporters

Dear Supporters,

Greetings to you all I hope this letter finds you well. I usually don't like sending out mass letters because it seems impersonal, but alas I find this will be the quickest and most efficient method as I have over 40 supporters. So although this is being sent to multiple people, I want YOU to know that words cannot truly express just how grateful I am for your support financially and prayerfully. I am so thankful to have people like you in my life who are willing to partner with me in God's mission, because honestly I could never dream of doing this on my own.

I hope to be leaving for Thailand at the end of August. So if you would please pray that God would continue to work on my heart and prepare me for the challenges I will face...I need your prayers...I need your encouragement...you are my brothers and sisters, you are my friends, you are my family. Some of you I know well, others I don't know well, but in Christ we are family and I am forever thankful for your contribution, without your involvement I am weak. So I praise God once again for surrounding me with people like you who can give me strength and who will believe in me.

During my trip in Thailand I will be providing updates on my blog at www.jwpug.blogspot.com

so that you can see what I've been up to and hopefully I will be able to post up videos periodically. I hope each of you is growing everyday in Jesus and that your lives will give him glory.

Until next time,

Your Brother,

Joshua