Stickywrites

Our team had a goodbye party for Melanie on her last night in Thailand.  Usually these are great opportunities to have Thai friends from many different spheres of our lives to come to our church/office and hear the gospel, since they might otherwise not come to our church for other events or worship that we invite them to.  It was a fun time to reunite with some friends I haven’t seen in a long time: my old English students and neighbors, as well as some ladies that used to come to my house for brunch.  

Ming Kwan, one of my old English students (so cute and the cutest pregnant girl I know) and her daughter FanFan (adorable)

One of my old English classes came to wish Melanie goodbye: Tui, Awe, Tuum, Awm, me & Kim

Melanie, always with kids around. We will miss you Melanie!

Some of Thai staff belt out a worshipful goodbye song to Melanie.

On another note, Fao Diao is a Christian expression in Thai that means “Turn inward or have an audience with yourself alone.” Christians use it to mean “devotions”.  I have been trying to do a morning devotion once weekly with the Thai women that work in the craft shop (purse & handbag shop – see previous blog about this).  Every morning, someone from our team goes to teach a quick lesson from the Bible and pray with them, although only one of them is a Christian.  I have been jumping around the Gospels and have introduced them to the Pharisees since so many of the stories include them.  One day I had finished explaining who they were in the ancient world and Phii Nawng said, “I’m like a Pharisee when I drive my motorbike – I am too confident in myself and like to have control.”  I thought this was an interesting insight and have been really impressed how much these women have learned about God, Jesus, and other Bible stories in the last year since this ministry began and our team has been pouring good teaching into them through these morning devotions.  Never underestimate the power of the Word.  Pray for these women that they’d desire to know more about what the Bible teaches, their hearts would continue to be open to the Gospel, and that our team would continually show the love of Christ to them.