Phil's Fantastic Voyage from Matt & Erin Francisco on Vimeo.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
First Ministry Day
Today was the first day that we went out on campus. I was a little nervous, but only because I didn't know what to expect. This morning, we met at the church and had our first training meeting. Pi Betsy talked about our role in evangelism on campus. As a CCP team, we are here to be the "bait." We are new and exciting to the Thais so they want to talk to us.
Bo, Laura Ruth, Erin, and I went to the complex which is a cafeteria where most freshmen go for lunch. We went around and asked the students if they were science majors because we had a survey for science majors (our ministry team is just focusing on the science majors). Once we would find a group of girls who were science majors,we would sit down and introduce ourselves. Laura Ruth and I know quite a few phrases in Thai so we would start by asking how they were, what their names are, where they are from, what their major is, etc. After that, any additional questions went through Bo, who is on staff with CO. We would ask questions or say things in English and she would translate to Thai for the students. They would respond and then Bo would translate back into English for us.
Our goal is to meet five girls each day. That seemed really big to me when Bo told us this morning but we met six!
Ministering in this way is extremely exhausting. It is hard to try to speak the very little Thai that we know. It can also be hard to let the conversation just continue between Bo and the students in Thai. During that time, I just sit back and pray for the conversation.
Linda, Rachel, Nil, me, Gad
You may be wondering 'why did they go? CO is very established there.' Pi Betsy told us yesterday how much CCPs mean to the ministry. She knows girls that have been touched by four different CCPs! And they are all believers now! We really are to be the bait this summer, the shiny thing in the water. One girl we met today even said she wanted American friends! We are the fresh new faces going out on campus. The students see the CO staff a lot, so we are someone new to talk to.
The girls at church Sunday
This summer has been challenging in so many ways so far but I am learning to rest in God's sovereignty. One big personal prayer request I have right now is that I stay healthy and don't get sick. The past day has been really rough; I have been getting sick (adjustment stress and the food). Feeling sick can really put a damper on ministry. Please pray for our whole team that we will be healthy for the sake of ministry, but if it is in His will for us to be sick for His glory, by all means, show me the toilet. : )
Thank you for your prayers! Happy Memorial Day to you Americans!
Faan dii ka! (Goodnight!)
In Christ,
Christine ><>
Bo, Laura Ruth, Erin, and I went to the complex which is a cafeteria where most freshmen go for lunch. We went around and asked the students if they were science majors because we had a survey for science majors (our ministry team is just focusing on the science majors). Once we would find a group of girls who were science majors,we would sit down and introduce ourselves. Laura Ruth and I know quite a few phrases in Thai so we would start by asking how they were, what their names are, where they are from, what their major is, etc. After that, any additional questions went through Bo, who is on staff with CO. We would ask questions or say things in English and she would translate to Thai for the students. They would respond and then Bo would translate back into English for us.
Our goal is to meet five girls each day. That seemed really big to me when Bo told us this morning but we met six!
Ministering in this way is extremely exhausting. It is hard to try to speak the very little Thai that we know. It can also be hard to let the conversation just continue between Bo and the students in Thai. During that time, I just sit back and pray for the conversation.
Linda, Rachel, Nil, me, Gad
You may be wondering 'why did they go? CO is very established there.' Pi Betsy told us yesterday how much CCPs mean to the ministry. She knows girls that have been touched by four different CCPs! And they are all believers now! We really are to be the bait this summer, the shiny thing in the water. One girl we met today even said she wanted American friends! We are the fresh new faces going out on campus. The students see the CO staff a lot, so we are someone new to talk to.
The girls at church Sunday
This summer has been challenging in so many ways so far but I am learning to rest in God's sovereignty. One big personal prayer request I have right now is that I stay healthy and don't get sick. The past day has been really rough; I have been getting sick (adjustment stress and the food). Feeling sick can really put a damper on ministry. Please pray for our whole team that we will be healthy for the sake of ministry, but if it is in His will for us to be sick for His glory, by all means, show me the toilet. : )
Thank you for your prayers! Happy Memorial Day to you Americans!
Faan dii ka! (Goodnight!)
In Christ,
Christine ><>
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Revelation 7:9
Today, church was amazing. It was a beautiful, yet small, picture of what heaven is going to be like. The church service was almost completely in Thai. A few worship songs were in English, but only because it was our first Sunday. The rest of the songs were in Thai along with words spoken by staff and prayers. It was so beautiful to hear praises to the Lord in a language that I don't understand. I began to think about how I can't understand but the Lord does. The Thai prayers are sweet to His ears.
"Behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb"
Revelation 7:9
ALL nations will be represented in heaven, including Thais! It was such a beautiful picture so see the Thais and Americans worshiping together! I got chills all down my body.
Please pray for the guests that are brought to church every Sunday. A girl that I met today is Buddhist but she is interested in Christianity. (Praise God!)
Thank you for your prayers!
In Christ,
Christine ><>
"Behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb"
Revelation 7:9
ALL nations will be represented in heaven, including Thais! It was such a beautiful picture so see the Thais and Americans worshiping together! I got chills all down my body.
Please pray for the guests that are brought to church every Sunday. A girl that I met today is Buddhist but she is interested in Christianity. (Praise God!)
Thank you for your prayers!
In Christ,
Christine ><>
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Sa-wat-dii-ka!
Sa-wat-dii-ka! Hello from Thailand, the land of the smiles! We finally arrived here Thursday night (Thailand time) after a 40-hour trip.
Our awesome team in Birmingham
We flew first from Birmingham, AL to Charlotte, NC but that first flight was delayed. We thought maybe that was a sign that we would have difficulties flying but the rest of the trip went very smoothly. We then flew from Charlotte to NYC. I have never been to New York so it was exciting to be there! Of course we didn't get to see the city but I think I saw the skyline when we traveled on the Air Tran (?) to another terminal. We had a six-hour layover there but it didn't seem so bad because we split it up: the first couple of hours we just waited in the concourse to check in. After we checked our luggage we went to eat. By the time we got through security, we only had about 30 more minutes to wait. Rachel and I walked laps in the terminal to get our blood flowing before we got on the 21-hour flight. Then we took off from NYC and headed to Frankfurt, Germany where we would stop to refuel. Within the first 30 minutes of that flight I got sick (luckily in the lavatory). The rest of the flight I was really restless. It was nighttime but I couldn't sleep. By the time we landed in Germany it was the middle of the day for the Germans. Even though we were going to stay on that same flight, we had to get off the plane for about an hour. By then I was pretty tired so I slept over half of the 11-hour flight to Singapore. Oh, in case you want to know, Singapore Airlines is the best airline I have ever flown with. The staff is wonderful, their planes are great, and the food was awesome! After a short layover in Singapore (awesome airport too), we flew to Bangkok. We had a seven-hour layover in Bangkok so we met up with our team leader's friend Jeff who Matt met when we was on CCP in 2007. Jeff took us into the city to eat at the mall food court. We road their version of the subway except that it is above ground. So we were able to see the whole city. Bangkok is huge! And the gap between rich and poor is unbelievable. Slums were literally next to mansions.
Bangkok
After our adventure into the city, we took a small plane to Khon Kaen where we received a very warm welcome from CO Thailand staff, families, and students. It was wonderful! We then took songthaews (trucks with benches in the bed) to our apartment. We settled in and finally took a shower after 2 days!
Yesterday started with breakfast (pork and sticky rice) and orientation meetings. Moe is in charge of our CCP this summer and he is amazing. Then we went to one of the campus cafeterias for lunch. I had cow pot guy which is chicken fried rice and a pineapple smoothie. Their fruit smoothies are so fresh here and naturally sweet. After lunch we took a city tour in songthaews. We went into the heart of Khon Kaen which was big and very modern. Where we live the roads are not as developed and the vendors are in huts, not buildings like the main part of the city. We stopped at the biggest Buddhist temple in the city and also the mall (Central). I walked around and talked to Thai students and staff to get to know them.
songthaew
KKU
After our tour, we went back to our apartments to rest. Then it was time to eat again! We went to another cafeteria (which is basically a bunch of vendors surrounding a central area with picnic tables). I had stir fry and another smoothie. Because we are still experiencing jet lag, we went back to our apartment after dinner to go to sleep. We were so tired!
Today started with more meetings in which we learned some basic Thai and how our summer was going to work. It got me so excited! Then we had lunch with the CO staff, families, and students. After a delicious meal we played games with everyone such as soccer, basketball,and badmitten. It was so fun! Now we're back resting before we go out with our ministry groups. I will be ministering with Bow and Laura Ruth this summer! Bow is Thai and on staff with CO Thailand. She is great!
God has been teaching me so much already! He has really been humbling me and showing me that He is all I need, not the comforts of this world. Our mattresses are made of cardboard so sleeping isn't as comfortable. Not knowing the language is really hard and the heat is really tough. However, God is continually proving His sovereignty and I can't wait to see how He is going to use me for His Kingdom this summer.
Thanks for all of your prayers!
In Christ,
Christine ><>
Our awesome team in Birmingham
We flew first from Birmingham, AL to Charlotte, NC but that first flight was delayed. We thought maybe that was a sign that we would have difficulties flying but the rest of the trip went very smoothly. We then flew from Charlotte to NYC. I have never been to New York so it was exciting to be there! Of course we didn't get to see the city but I think I saw the skyline when we traveled on the Air Tran (?) to another terminal. We had a six-hour layover there but it didn't seem so bad because we split it up: the first couple of hours we just waited in the concourse to check in. After we checked our luggage we went to eat. By the time we got through security, we only had about 30 more minutes to wait. Rachel and I walked laps in the terminal to get our blood flowing before we got on the 21-hour flight. Then we took off from NYC and headed to Frankfurt, Germany where we would stop to refuel. Within the first 30 minutes of that flight I got sick (luckily in the lavatory). The rest of the flight I was really restless. It was nighttime but I couldn't sleep. By the time we landed in Germany it was the middle of the day for the Germans. Even though we were going to stay on that same flight, we had to get off the plane for about an hour. By then I was pretty tired so I slept over half of the 11-hour flight to Singapore. Oh, in case you want to know, Singapore Airlines is the best airline I have ever flown with. The staff is wonderful, their planes are great, and the food was awesome! After a short layover in Singapore (awesome airport too), we flew to Bangkok. We had a seven-hour layover in Bangkok so we met up with our team leader's friend Jeff who Matt met when we was on CCP in 2007. Jeff took us into the city to eat at the mall food court. We road their version of the subway except that it is above ground. So we were able to see the whole city. Bangkok is huge! And the gap between rich and poor is unbelievable. Slums were literally next to mansions.
Bangkok
After our adventure into the city, we took a small plane to Khon Kaen where we received a very warm welcome from CO Thailand staff, families, and students. It was wonderful! We then took songthaews (trucks with benches in the bed) to our apartment. We settled in and finally took a shower after 2 days!
Yesterday started with breakfast (pork and sticky rice) and orientation meetings. Moe is in charge of our CCP this summer and he is amazing. Then we went to one of the campus cafeterias for lunch. I had cow pot guy which is chicken fried rice and a pineapple smoothie. Their fruit smoothies are so fresh here and naturally sweet. After lunch we took a city tour in songthaews. We went into the heart of Khon Kaen which was big and very modern. Where we live the roads are not as developed and the vendors are in huts, not buildings like the main part of the city. We stopped at the biggest Buddhist temple in the city and also the mall (Central). I walked around and talked to Thai students and staff to get to know them.
songthaew
KKU
After our tour, we went back to our apartments to rest. Then it was time to eat again! We went to another cafeteria (which is basically a bunch of vendors surrounding a central area with picnic tables). I had stir fry and another smoothie. Because we are still experiencing jet lag, we went back to our apartment after dinner to go to sleep. We were so tired!
Today started with more meetings in which we learned some basic Thai and how our summer was going to work. It got me so excited! Then we had lunch with the CO staff, families, and students. After a delicious meal we played games with everyone such as soccer, basketball,and badmitten. It was so fun! Now we're back resting before we go out with our ministry groups. I will be ministering with Bow and Laura Ruth this summer! Bow is Thai and on staff with CO Thailand. She is great!
God has been teaching me so much already! He has really been humbling me and showing me that He is all I need, not the comforts of this world. Our mattresses are made of cardboard so sleeping isn't as comfortable. Not knowing the language is really hard and the heat is really tough. However, God is continually proving His sovereignty and I can't wait to see how He is going to use me for His Kingdom this summer.
Thanks for all of your prayers!
In Christ,
Christine ><>
Monday, May 23, 2011
"Have you updated you blog recently?" my dad asked as we whizzed down the highway to Birmingham. Yes, in fact I had blogged lately but not about Thailand.
Now, as I am sitting on my bed in our hotel room, I'm not sure what to write about. Am I nervous about tomorrow? Sure. Am I in complete disbelief that the day has finally come? Sure. But what is really pulling on my heartstrings?
God is truly growing my heart for missions. I am understanding more and more what missions is and our role in it, specifically my role. The discipleship group that I am a part of in Florence just finished reading John Piper's Let the Nations Be Glad. It was a very heavy book but the main point I got from it is this: "Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't." A lot of times we say that we were put on this earth to make God known; to share His gospel to the nations. And that is exactly what we are to do. But first and foremost we are to worship Him. Worship is the chief end of man. Because worship doesn't exist everywhere in the world, missions must happen.
"Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength, ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness." 1 Chronicles 16:28-29
"Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples." Psalm 96:3
"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, O God, may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy...then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him." Psalm 67:1-4a, 6
This is a principle that I will carry with me this summer: 1. worship the Lord; 2. make His glory known..
I pray that you will carry this principle with you, whether at work, school, church, a concert, restaurant, Wal Mart, or at home.
Please be praying for our journey! God has written this part of my life out already and I can't wait to see what happens!
In Christ,
Christine ><>
Friday, May 13, 2011
The Lord Calls Christine
It seems fitting that on the eve of my college graduation, I opened my Bible to 1 Samuel 3, the calling of Samuel. In this chapter, the Lord calls Samuel as a prophet. The Lord calls him three times,each call increasing in intensity; but Samuel thinks it is only his foster father Eli who is calling. Finally the elderly Eli perceives who is calling, and Samuel receives his first communication from the Lord.
As I was reading this chapter, I thought about my own life. I connected with young Samuel when I thought of my own calling. We are all "called" (rather, commanded)to do missions, but my specific call from the Lord is to use my degree and gift of teaching children overseas where the gospel and love of Christ is needed. Just like Samuel, I heard God call but ran to other things, thinking they were calling out to me. Finally, just last year, I embraced this call coming from the Lord and telling me to take my life somewhere else.
Of course telling the family and friends hasn't been easy. In this same chapter in 1 Samuel, Samuel had to tell Eli what God told him: that his house will be punished for their iniquities. But Eli accepted it humbly saying, "It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him" (v. 18). I pray every day that my parents, family, and friends say the same thing when I finally make plans to move overseas. I know it is not their first choice, but it is the Lord's; it is what seems good to Him.
So,to say all this, I am reflecting on the eve of my college graduation on the four years I have spent at UNA. I went from wanting to move back to Huntsville, to teaching in Mississippi, to staying in North Alabama, to moving overseas, to teaching in New Orleans, and now I am set on moving to Asia. I aspire to make not only my family and university proud tomorrow, but my Lord. I hope as I walk across the stage, my parents are thinking how proud they are of me and how wonderful it has been to see me grow; but I also hope that God looks down and says "I'm not finished with you yet." I can't wait to see what else the Lord has in store for me!
Congrats to the UNA class of 2011 and the graduates all over the world! We did it!
Thailand is just over a week away!
In Christ,
Christine ><>
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