Tree Training

Team training is behind us, the world ahead.

Team Thailand just wrapped up a whole 2 weeks of training at Avant HQ in Kansas City, MO, and now we know everything there ever was to know about how to plant churches where they don’t exist in the country of Thailand.  Seriously.  When it comes to the know-how of being a good teammate to knowing the number of flush toilets vs. molded bucket latrines are present in the country to developing intercultural effectiveness to taking JUST THE RIGHT visa photo to communicating like a pro to expecting reality to pegging you on the Thinker-Feeler-Doer Triad to mastering exactlyhow our taxes are going to work to knowing whatever the heck tactical advantagemeans… *BIG GASP*… we’ve nailed it for sure.

Alright, for real, now.  We did learn a lot of useful stuff.  We went through the book of Acts and studied the “missionary methods” of Paul and his buddies.  We discussed how suffering for Jesus is actually a real thing and how, really, planting churches has nothing to do with how awesome we are, but with the power of the Holy Spirit.

One of our assignments as a team was to cast a vision for what we want Thailand to look like as a result of us being there.  Being good Christians and average creative geniuses, we took the entire two weeks to define our roles and create a visual image of the thriving church of Thailand. 

We pictured a tree.  Because a tree speaks of life and growth and something that starts small but becomes big and keeps getting bigger.

A tree, as we know, begins with a seed.  This tree will begin with the seed of the story and life and Good News of Jesus, the Light in the darkness.  We will be carrying that seed with us – we, Team Thailand, the shell.

Seeds don’t grow in dirt that is hard and dry, but in soft, broken up soil.  In the same way, the Gospel will not thrive among people with hard hearts, but with broken ones, recognizing their desperation for something beyond themselves.

Watered by the refreshing, life-giving rain of the Holy Spirit, the seed springs up, growing into the trunk of a mighty tree that is the Church.

As the tree continues to grow, it bears branches, then, leaves, the fruit of a maturing church, a national Thai church that reaches beyond itself to the broken world outside:  to break the chains of false religion, to fulfill the physical needs of its own people, tomeet together to talk about Jesus when we’re not there, to fight for social justice.

That’s our vision for Thailand.  And not that we want to tell God what to do, as if He looks at our plans and goes, Yeah, that idea is actually a lot better than Mine, let’s go with that instead.  But if it’s really God’s desire for all people to be saved, we hope and pray it’s a lot like the plan He already has for His people there.   

NEWS:

• The team has set an official date to arrive in Thailand:  January 8, 2015.  Yay!
• It looks like the way I've been reporting my financial support has been an little janky.  Right now, I have raised 74% of my necessary monthly support (not including one-time gifts, which will go directly to one-time costs like language school, my plane ticket to Thailand, etc.).  I'm so excited to be nearing the 100% mark (which I have to reach before I can board the plane)!  If you would like to be a part of our ministry through monthly or one-time financial gifts, please click the Help Send Me to Thailand! button below.  

PRAYER:

• Please pray for me and my team as we prepare to go:  that we will complete the "tasky" things that need to get done, but especially that we will be able to invest well in our relationships with people.
• Please continue to pray for the people of Thailand:  that God will empower Thai Christians and missionaries already there to share the Gospel boldly with others, and that He will draw even more Thai unbelievers to His Son.

Kòp kun mâak!

Help Send Me to Thailand!