Why Traditions

Sometimes I wonder why we do things the way we do. Don't you? Being in Thailand we ask that question a lot, but this time it's why do they do the things they do. We still have a lot to learn about the Thai culture and customs. One thing we have figured out is that the younger Thai generation do things out of traditions and don't even know why. Not to say that the kids in the US know why they do things the way they do either. But I think in order to reach the youth of Thailand we have to ask them WHY? If they worship Buddha just because their parents and grand parents did I believe it is up to us to ask them WHY? When we ask that question it makes them search for the answer and we are at the same time able to share our beliefs. Hopefully in the end we will be able to pray together for the right answers to be reviled in their lives. Please continue to pray for us as we serve here in Thailand. As always you can send your gift to our ministry at http://www.cten.org/. God bless you and your family.

Victory at Cornerstone

Victory Bible College students lent a helping hand to help build a children center at Cornerstone Church. We were bless with their hard work and talents. We even took a day off of the construction to minister to four local schools. It was such an honor for us to work side by side with the Victory team to do God's will.

Corner Stone Church Hua-Hin

This is a church in Hua-Hin where Flora and I feel God has called us to serve. Corner Stone Church (no relation with the Corner Stone Church in the US) has been here for 10 years. They have about 40 members and 15 children attending each Sunday. The main building was constructed just over 3 years ago and they are in the process of building a children center. We are praying that Venture maybe apart of this building project.

The pastor is a native Thai and went to bible college in Bangkok. He has no staff and has to do everything on his own including the maintenance of the building and grounds. Please pray for God's direction for us and how he would like us to serve his people at Corner Stone Church.

In His service!

Doing laundry on the bus!

What an adventure we had in Phuket! It was a 9 hour ride from Hua Hin to Phuket in a mini van and an 11 hour bus ride back to Hua Hin the next morning. Before we left we prayed that God would give us confirmation about serving here in Hua Hin. Boy, did he ever! God has shown us that Hua Hin is where he wants us to serve him.

Once we got off our mini van in the north end of the island of Phuket we knew right away that this was not the place for us. There were Tsunami warning signs posted every where. We were all scared and could not even sleep that night. We caught the first "tour" bus back the next morning. That bus ride was an experience we will never forget. There were laundry hanging to dry and the air conditioning unit was leaking water on to the seat. The worst part was the motion sickness of riding in the back of a cramp bus with zigzag roads through the mountains. Eve through up 3 times and we all try to sleep as much as possible so we would not get sick.

If you want to experience how the locals travel then I would recommend this bus ride other wise hire a personal mini van.

Fist week in Thailand

We made it! Praise God we are now in Thailand. It was a smooth 20 hour travel time from LAX to Bangkok International Airport. We spent the first few days in Bangkok at my aunt's house. We visited ECB (Evangelical Church of Bangkok), it's a mega church here and has hundreds of members. We also went to New Song Church. This is the church were Santosh ministered when he was in Thailand.

Our first week was filled with mixed emotions as we get adjusted to the time change and jet lag. We are now in Hua Hin. Most of my family live here and we will most likely plant and settle here. We meet with a Corner Stone Church (no relation to the US Corner Stone) pastor and we feel that this is where God wants us to serve. I will give more details on this later on.

Tomorrow we are headed down to Phuket (an 8 hour drive from Hua Hin). We are going to see Calvary Chapel at the Bridges. They have a ministry there for the tsunami victims.

Please pray for our sponsorship. We are not fully funded yet, but I know God will provide the right people to come along side us. Pray for us to get adjusted to the Thai culture and custom. And pray for God's direction and protection for us as we travel to visit the many different ministries here in Thailand.

In His service!

Religion or Relationship

As our time in the US draws near I find myself diving deeper and deeper into God's word. It is all I have to comfort and direct me. I still ask "are we doing the right thing"? Is going to Thailand how God wants me and my family to serve Him?
Our good friend Jill gave my wife and I a study book, Experiencing God by Henry and Richard Blackaby and Claude King. This study not only reinforced the things that we know about God but has also kindle our hearts to seek more after God's heart. We don't want to be religious about our daily activities with Him, we want to be all about relationship. Most people get turned off to religion because it's based on customs and traditions of the past. When we share that Christianity is not about religious ceremonies but a relationship with God, people often are more curious. I pray that you are seeking a honest relationship with God and that you are searching for His will to be done in your life.
Luke 9:23-24 "Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it."

Give and you will recieve...

I think people take Luke 6:38 to literate, it states "Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full, press down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap." Yes, it's true that it is better to give then to receive. Giving gives you a since of peace and fills your spirit up with joy. But what is our motive for giving, is it to receive something back? Then is that really "GIVING".
I'm not saying to give and see what you will get back. I think we should all give with a cheerful heart (2 Corinthians 9:7 ...God loves a cheerful giver). And at the same time check our motives.
I've experience this personally with giving and I can tell you every time I give with the right motives (by God's instructions) the return is multiplied many folds.
So, go out and bless someone today but make sure you do it with the right motive!
God bless you.