Highlights Of October:
Youth Leadership Development:
ค่ายผู้นำล้ำวินัย - Lead by Example Youth Camp
This past week, I had the privilege of joining a youth leadership development camp with the Thai Peace Foundation. Due to my location, I do not have much interaction with the YLD (Youth Leadership Development) program with my organization but for this camp, Natalie, our youth that we have poured into this past year and I were invited to join in! It was categorized as an "Adventure Camp" which meant, extreme team building activities and learning. We had a total of 25 youth, so we separated them into 5 tribes/teams with each team having a female and male leader. I was the leader of team 2 with my Thai partner named Q. The camp objective was to Lead by Example but in a very impacting way. The youth were challenged in extreme ways, they had to make there own meals over a fire, they competed in a relay race, they competed in team building exercise that consisted of physical and mental challenging stations with the objective of trying to teach them that even in their most weakened state, they need to think about others and work together as a team. We also had times of encouragement's, games, music, and fun! It was one of the most extreme and impacting camps I have ever had the privilege of leading. I myself learned so much about denying my own desires and working hard to support my team.
Visiting Sprite's home
I had the honor of visiting my friend Sprites' home in Kamphaeng Phet (located in the lower North part of Thailand) to pray for his grandparents. Both of his grandparents have health issues, especially his grandmother is currently struggling with stage 3 kidney failure. While we were visiting, we were able to help collect ginger roots from their farm, support them by buying needed supplies, make yummy food together, feed monkeys, and pray over them. It was truly an amazing experience for me because I got to understand Sprite a little better and witness the love that he has for his grandparents who raised him. I was very thankful.
Community Highlights
-We finished up the Storying project in my community two weeks ago. It was an amazing project that opened the door to minister to older members of our community. Through the Storying project, we are now beginning a bible study in our home and inviting any community members that desire to learn about Jesus. So far we have four individuals highly interested, three of whom are buddhist.
-Natalie, Tum, and I are still teaching VBS to children and English to youth and adults every Saturday. Things are going very well. We just completed another 8-week session and are starting a new one this upcoming Saturday.
-Five youth from our community joined our foundation at camp. They absolutely loved it and our relationships have become stronger. Natalie and I are continuously trying to pour into these amazing kids. We are truly blessed!
Prayer Requests:
- Pray for new upcoming new transitions in our internship team
- Pray for Sprite's grandparents
- Pray for our relationships with the youth and adults in our community, and community in general
- Pray for health, I have been experiencing some stomach issues this past week
- Pray for Todd and Karen's one-month-old grandson who is experiencing some health issues
- Pray for team dynamics, that we can become more unified through Christ and support one another better
- Pray for my personal walk of healing with Christ
- Two individuals in our community who have shown more interest in Christ have recently become sick and feel very spiritually attacked, pray for their protection