Ministry in Bangkok

Last weekend, short term missionary teams and individual placements were helping out at OMF's annual conference for their long term missionaries here in Thailand. The purpose of the conference was to encourage, revive, and refresh the missionaries before going back to their ministries. There were over 200 adults and 100 children who came to this event held at a resort in Khao Yai. All the helpers helped out with the day care so their parents could enjoy the conference. There we got the opportunity to hang out with the missionary kids and talk to the missionaries in Thailand. I met this one couple, name Ron and Leng Kue Viergutz. Both work at a Bible college in northern Thailand teaching english and doing what ever that needs to get done. Ron and Leng Kue was explaining to me that everyone who works or attends the college have several jobs that they do. For example, Leng Kue is a english teacher, nurse, cashier, and etc. Ron and Leng Kue explained to me that everyone has chores and help out so it will keep the cost of tuition down. Ron said that the average cost to go there is around $20,000 baht for a whole year, which is about $625. That's a deal! He also said that at their school a lot of Hmong people from Laos go to their Bible college and that they are very hard workers. Praise the Lord that He is doing great things among the Hmong people. :)

Most of the MK's (missionary kids). They were performing a few songs on the last day of the conference.

I was put with helping the teenagers out. These were the girls.

Leng Kue and Ron Viergutz serving in Northern Thailand at a Bible college

On a different note, whoot whoot...we're settled down now and we started our ministry this week. Our team came here not knowing what we were suppose to do or where we will be living. It's amazing to see that God had already prepared everything for us when we arrived to our assignment. Before, the plan was for the 10 of us to live in a 2 bedroom and bathroom house with only one room with air conditioning. We are now staying in a condotel with air conditioning in every room! Yay! The air conditioning is a blessing because here in Thailand it's very hot and humid.

My ministry here in Thailand is working along the local church in Bangkok call Ban Suan Church. Behind the church is one slum out of the many in Bangkok. You guys would be surprise as I was to find out that Ban Suan Church is a C&MA church! It's a daughter church, I don't know where the main church is at, but the church has been here for around 13 years. Amazing right?!

Small world right?!

So, since we have 10 people in our team, Pee Mali (the lady that's looking over us and guiding us) planned out different areas where we would help at. I'm with a group of 4 teaching English on Tuesdays to Saturdays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I would be teaching english to a group of 11 students around the age of 16. Also on Tuesdays our team of 4 will be teaching english in the poor area to a nursery program from 9 till 12. On Wednesdays and Fridays, me and my teammate Katie would be teaching english to high school students or older adults. On Saturday, we would be leading a bible study for the local slum children from 9 till 12 at Ban Suan church. On Sunday, Katie and I would be helping out with the Sunday school children. Monday is our team's day of rest.

This is Pee Mali. She served the Lord in Cambodia for 10 years and has come back to get her masters and take care of her mother.

The nursery in the poor area where 4 of us would be teaching english. This picture was taken when we were touring the area. We happened to come by when it was their nap time.

This week we started our ministry. I've never taught English before and it's very hard trying to come up with a lesson plan when I don't know how well the students spoke english. All we were told was that we were suppose to teach conversational english to different age groups and that was basically the information we were given. Our team started our first day of ministry on Thursday. 11 high school students signed up for english lessons, but only 4 showed up. I've learnt that this is the way of Thai culture. If they want to show up they show up...if they don't to then well, they don't show up. It doesn't matter if they told you ahead of time that they will come or be there, they say yes to you because they don't want to make you look bad. The 4 Thai girls who showed up though was very shy, but yet eager to learn. I had a wonderful time teaching and playing english games with them. I found out that they knew a lot of english words, but they lack the conversational part. Hence, the need for conversational english lessons.

On Friday, me and Katie teamed up to teach english to a group of high school students. We had 3 seventeen year old Thai girls in our class. For this group we also didn't know how well their english was so we just came up with a basic english lesson.

This week I found that I take English for granted. English is a hard language and very difficult to teach when I don't even know where to start. Though it was tough and confusing, God was there encouraging and guiding me along. I've been reading Joshua and in there God kept telling Joshua to not be afraid, nor discouraged for he has already delivered them into Joshua's hand. In the same way that God was with Joshua, He is with me now. Even though things don't go as plan and it seems so unorganized, God is in control and he has a set plan for everything already so I shouldn't be afraid or discouraged.

The first Chinese church in Thailand. This church is in China town

This Chinese church is actually really big. I was told that about 1,000 or so people attend.

One of the temples in China town. Rebecca and I.

Prayer Request

-Ron and Leng Kue with their ministry teaching English and doing all sorts of stuff. Pray that they would be fruitful and help guide the students to Christ.

-My ministry teaching english. Pray for me to have discernment, guidance, obedience to God, humbleness, patience, and love to my students.

-For the gospel to reach the all the ends of Thailand. For Thailand to be a Christ nation. :)

Take Care,

Nuche Vang