What a beautiful place this is! It's not quite 4 am, and I'm up and ready to play (thank you Jet Lag)! I'm simply going to sit on the patio and talk with my Dad.Reading a devotion, I stop to wonder. Is God's truth enough for me? Jesus, alone, enough?
I want to shout "YES!" But I know that the way I live my life so much of the time says otherwise.
Change me from the inside, out.
2 Corinthians 4:18
"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Being up before 4 isn't too bad, I'm quite enjoying being awake, enjoying Phuket - and getting to breakfast while it's still warm isn't bad either!
We've now made our way to Phuket Christian Center, to meet Pastor Brian. He's really blessed us in sharing about their ministry, and how they pray blessing everywhere they go. (People love them for it!)
Keep teaching us to pray and pray and pray.
I've loved meeting pastor Zawr's son, Jonah - who rocks a sick mullet. He speaks english, but the only word he's said to me is, upon my asking about the character on his shoes (and tshirt, and mask he was wearing when he came in...) "ULTRAMAN!!" complete with actions and power stance.
I brought some bouncy balls to the church, they're such a blessing in finding a way to connect with Jonah! Each time he throws one, he exclaims "PING!" making me laugh as we play. Bless that darling little boy.
As I take in the beauty of this place, I feel completely at rest. You are GOOD Jesus, and you are holy. Oh that we might know that!
Prayers for transformed hearts, for a team becoming a family.
This evening, we're on to visit the Sea Gypsies, a people living in small coverings built along the beach. I wish I'd brought more for them.
We step out of the van, almost immediatly meeting a beautiful woman by the name of Wallapa.
She Y's, holding her finger tips at eye level, a sign of high respect, and as she does, she has an incredibly beautiful, welcoming, and appreciative smile.
Wallapa leads us through a couple of huts, to the place where our dentist has set up his dentistry equipment, children are already lined around it, ready to have their mouths checked.
A few minutes of deliberation go by, and my half of the team decides to make our way to the water, where we meet a couple kids. Grabbing a couple of smiley face frisbees, I throw to one of the kids. Suddenly there are so many little ones around us! Laughing and playing, we toss frisbees around, until some of the boys decide to start up a soccer match, and the kids know exactly what to do.
Most of you know I'm not exactly David Beckham, and a few minutes into the game, I notice 3 darlings who've started playing frisbee behind where we are. As I walk toward them, all I have to do is smile, and a frisbee is coming toward me.
One girls pants are too big, and between each throw she tries to pull the drawstring tight, so as not to let them fall down. Her friend falls over laughing every time the pants are tightened.
A couple more kids trickle into our frisbee game, and we are again running around - diving, somersaulting, wading into the sea to retrieve those particularly off-centered throws.
We play, and we sing songs, I try to hand out stickers and hair clips which disappear from my hands faster than I can blink. We laugh and play more games, taken aback by the overwhelming sense of joy in this place. A couple of the girls grab another teammate, Heather, and I, and ask us to sing more songs, just as quickly leading us full tilt down the beach. We plunk ourselves down after about a hundred meters, and the small gathering of girls begins to sing..."happy birthday to you." One girl, while singing has been digging about, sculpting with sand. They sing happy birthday again, and this young lady points to her sand-sculture, she's created a birthday cake for me! What a precious moment that will remain in my heart!
Let me never forget those faces...Mumai, Che, Kas, Dawan...
Upon leaving, I miss those beautiful young ladies already. I want so much to be able to play and love them.
They were so easy to play with, so simple to keep entertained, playing frisbee and soccer....singing and doing the limbo - which progressed into jumping hurdle via backflips. These people literally live amongst garbage, some of the littlest ones chewing on it.
And yet, there was the most overwhelming and beautiful joy.
Prayers for dentist Dave's heart seeing those kids teeth, for my roommate Sarah who missed our visit with the Sea Gypsies, she's back at the hotel and so sick. A request that her situation would be used for the Lord's good purpose. Desire for our praise to be sweet smelling incense, and thank for His work in Nicole's life!
I want to shout "YES!" But I know that the way I live my life so much of the time says otherwise.
Change me from the inside, out.
2 Corinthians 4:18
"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
.....
Being up before 4 isn't too bad, I'm quite enjoying being awake, enjoying Phuket - and getting to breakfast while it's still warm isn't bad either!
We've now made our way to Phuket Christian Center, to meet Pastor Brian. He's really blessed us in sharing about their ministry, and how they pray blessing everywhere they go. (People love them for it!)
Keep teaching us to pray and pray and pray.
I've loved meeting pastor Zawr's son, Jonah - who rocks a sick mullet. He speaks english, but the only word he's said to me is, upon my asking about the character on his shoes (and tshirt, and mask he was wearing when he came in...) "ULTRAMAN!!" complete with actions and power stance.
I brought some bouncy balls to the church, they're such a blessing in finding a way to connect with Jonah! Each time he throws one, he exclaims "PING!" making me laugh as we play. Bless that darling little boy.
As I take in the beauty of this place, I feel completely at rest. You are GOOD Jesus, and you are holy. Oh that we might know that!
Prayers for transformed hearts, for a team becoming a family.
This evening, we're on to visit the Sea Gypsies, a people living in small coverings built along the beach. I wish I'd brought more for them.
We step out of the van, almost immediatly meeting a beautiful woman by the name of Wallapa.
She Y's, holding her finger tips at eye level, a sign of high respect, and as she does, she has an incredibly beautiful, welcoming, and appreciative smile.
Wallapa leads us through a couple of huts, to the place where our dentist has set up his dentistry equipment, children are already lined around it, ready to have their mouths checked.
A few minutes of deliberation go by, and my half of the team decides to make our way to the water, where we meet a couple kids. Grabbing a couple of smiley face frisbees, I throw to one of the kids. Suddenly there are so many little ones around us! Laughing and playing, we toss frisbees around, until some of the boys decide to start up a soccer match, and the kids know exactly what to do.
Most of you know I'm not exactly David Beckham, and a few minutes into the game, I notice 3 darlings who've started playing frisbee behind where we are. As I walk toward them, all I have to do is smile, and a frisbee is coming toward me.
One girls pants are too big, and between each throw she tries to pull the drawstring tight, so as not to let them fall down. Her friend falls over laughing every time the pants are tightened.
A couple more kids trickle into our frisbee game, and we are again running around - diving, somersaulting, wading into the sea to retrieve those particularly off-centered throws.
We play, and we sing songs, I try to hand out stickers and hair clips which disappear from my hands faster than I can blink. We laugh and play more games, taken aback by the overwhelming sense of joy in this place. A couple of the girls grab another teammate, Heather, and I, and ask us to sing more songs, just as quickly leading us full tilt down the beach. We plunk ourselves down after about a hundred meters, and the small gathering of girls begins to sing..."happy birthday to you." One girl, while singing has been digging about, sculpting with sand. They sing happy birthday again, and this young lady points to her sand-sculture, she's created a birthday cake for me! What a precious moment that will remain in my heart!
Let me never forget those faces...Mumai, Che, Kas, Dawan...
Upon leaving, I miss those beautiful young ladies already. I want so much to be able to play and love them.
They were so easy to play with, so simple to keep entertained, playing frisbee and soccer....singing and doing the limbo - which progressed into jumping hurdle via backflips. These people literally live amongst garbage, some of the littlest ones chewing on it.
And yet, there was the most overwhelming and beautiful joy.
Prayers for dentist Dave's heart seeing those kids teeth, for my roommate Sarah who missed our visit with the Sea Gypsies, she's back at the hotel and so sick. A request that her situation would be used for the Lord's good purpose. Desire for our praise to be sweet smelling incense, and thank for His work in Nicole's life!
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