"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

 

I was blessed to be able to attend the Wellspring retreat in Chiang Mai at The Horizon Resort.  It was a time to be renewed, refreshed, rest, relax, be recharged, and receive from God,  I confess that I have spent very little time over the last 3 years just spending time listening to God, and that's what we did for an entire week at the retreat.  This blog will be different from previous blog posts in that I want to share with you a few of the things that God spoke to my heart during that week in the hopes that it will encourage you to press on further with our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to seek Him in the quiet and stillness of your soul.  

 

 

When we are still, God gets the glory.  When we're still, we let God be God.  When we're NOT still we bring dishonor to His Name. When we're NOT still, we're trying to wrest control of our lives from God.

God lets us drink from His rivers of delight. .  Psalm 36:8

 

My spiritual life needs recharging like a fountain that keeps spewing water.  God will continue to pour into me so that I can continue to pour into others.  But when we're not still and silent before God, there's a plug somewhere in that fountain and the water (the Holy Spirit) doesn't pour out.

 

I am like this plant, bearing some beautiful fruit, some bare branches, but many times not bearing as much fruit as I could because I don't remain in the vine.  God is constantly at work pruning me so that I bear even more fruit. 

 

God is faithful and will lead me beside still waters.  He is my oasis in the desert. He restores my soul.

 

He hides me in the cleft of the rock.

He shows me the path I should walk.  He hems me in on the right and left.  There is safety here on the path.  "But for those who are righteous, the path is not steep and rough.  You are a God of justice and you smooth out the road ahead of them."  Isaiah 26:7

There are many twists and turns in our paths, and we don't always know the right way to take, and can't see ahead, but we trust in Him who has known us from the foundation of the world and for whom 1 day is like 1,000 years and 1,000 years are like 1 day. 

 

Ecclesiastes says there is a time for everything under the sun.  There is a time for planting and a time for uprooting.  We like it very much when God plants us, but when He uproots something in us or, it seems, everything in our lives, it's extremely painful.  But God uproots to plant something new and even more beautiful.  He is always at work in our lives.  Let us rest in whatever He is doing in our lives at this moment. 

Do you see the heart?  God shows us His love in many small ways each day.  Are we really seeing His love in these very tangible ways or are we so wrapped up in our own agenda that we forget how great the Father's love is for us. 

 

Just as the roots go down deep in these rocks, our roots need to be buried in Christ and then we will stand firm no matter what happens around us. 

 

God is the rock of my salvation.  I will NOT be moved.  It is a conscious decision to trust in God and to NOT be moved. 

This is just the cutest thing!  We all need someone to come alongside us and give us hugs and I experienced that in a big way with my fellow sisters at the retreat. 

God is the fountain of life.  Psalm 36:9

Where is our focus?  Is it inward or is it on the God who loves us and gave us life?  Is it on our problems or on God, who is the solution to everything? 

This is so precious to me because I've never seen a manger before in life, just imagined one, and as I saw this, 2 things came to mind:  1) The deer is resting, not striving.  2) Jesus humbled Himself and was born in a manger.  How can I NOT humble myself before Him?

Lighting lanterns the last night of the retreat

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."  James 1:17

 

 

 

May we all learn to rest our souls in God alone. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Naam

Nuay

Nai

Pa

Keam

Peace

Duangjai

Cinnee

See

Creme

Newt

Sai

 

 

This school year, May 2013 - March 2014,  we have a total of 12 girls, all pictured above.  Two are new - Pa and Cinnee.  Pa is from a more remote village.  She comes from a very poor, non-believing family.  She will be starting 10th grade.  Cinnee's father died when she was very young, and now that she is getting older (she will be starting 7th grade this year), we're concerned about the problems she would face living in a Hmong village with no father to protect her.  Her family aren't believers either, so we have a great opportunity to reach out to both families.  We were saddened that Mone decided to leave this year (she has one more year before she graduates), but she's been slowly drifting away for a while now.  We hope that by living on her own, she will understand more about "real life" and come back to the Lord. God knows her heart, while we don't.  There had been many issues over the last 2 years that needed discipline, but she's a good kid.  Newt, Crème, Sai, Nuay and See recommitted their lives to Christ this month!  Peace and Keam continue to grow in Christ.  Naam, Nai and Duangjai are still very complacent in their walks with Christ.  Pa and Cinnee are new and know virtually nothing about the Lord.  Please pray for us as we start the school year together! 

See's parents

 

Yes, she is Hmong.

 

Chiang Mai is a favorite vacation/get away spot for me.  It just also happens to be the home of Doi Inthonon, the highest mountain peak in Thailand, located at the bottom of the Himalayan Mountain range.  April 26-29, I and the girls embarked on an excursion there.  We left early Friday morning for the 7 hour drive.  We arrived hot, tired and thirsty, but in good spirits.  We were met by See’s parents (no, not See’s candy).  See is one of the 11 returning girls at the girls’ house.  She lives in a Hmong village on Doi Inthonon.  Late Friday afternoon, we wandered around the Queen’s garden and went to a waterfall.  The cool water felt very refreshing after the long, hot drive, as April is the hottest month in Thailand.

 Early Saturday morning, See’s parents took us on a tour of Doi Inthonon.  First we went to the very top of the mountain and looked around.  Then we went on a 3 KM hike.  For me, this was the highlight of the entire trip.  The first half of the hike was shrouded in forest. After slightly over a 1 KM walk, all of a sudden, with no warning, the trail opened up onto the side of a mountain ridge, and we were just out in the open.  It felt like we were the only people on the face of the earth.  The scenery was breathtaking.  One minute we were in the forest, and the next on the side of a mountain.  Two very different kinds of terrain right next to each other.  The trail meandered around the mountain and then back into the forest.  We stopped at one point very near the end of the trail and there was a sign in both English and Thai that talked about taking a few minutes to enjoy the quiet.  As we were sitting on the benches provided, I felt this overwhelming desire to hear God speak. I asked God to speak to me and to not let us go until I had heard His voice.  A few of the girls thought that I was crazy, but I didn’t care.  I just wanted to hear God speak.  A few minutes later, God gave me Psalm 46:10 which says:  “be still and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the earth.”  How many times do we (I)  worry and fret about this and that?  How much are we really trusting God?  I had to answer truthfully that there are many times I think about something from every possible angle, but I don’t pray about it.  How much more time could be devoted to sharing Christ if we weren’t so wrapped up in these little things that we so enjoy fretting about??  “BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.”  I want to challenge every one of you to spend a few minutes in silent contemplation and ask God to speak to your heart whatever He would speak to you right now, right at this moment.  He is faithful and He is longing for us to come to Him, just as we are and listen.

Later that afternoon, we went to another waterfall, but there wasn’t any swimming allowed there due to dangerous conditions.  So, See’s parents took us to a spot down the river where we could play in the water.  La, our Bible student intern said that for her, that was best part of the entire trip.  I think she had more fun swimming and playing than half of the girls. 

See’s parents welcomed us warmly and treated us like like part of the family. We ate every meal at See’s parents house.  The girls helped cook and did the dishes.  We gave them money for food, but if we had eaten every meal at a restaurant, we would have spent a lot more on food.  Because there were a total of 13 of us, 14, if you include See, we couldn’t all fit at See’s house, so we stayed at the church. We slept on the floor of one of the Sunday School rooms.  The bathroom was outside, with running water, but no hot water. I discovered the most amazing thing!  Medicine for car sickness works really well as a sleeping pill. I don’t recommend that everyone rush out to try that, but it helped that first night.  I was so blessed to be at this church.  The pastor is Hmong, and his wife is Thai.  This is the first time since I’ve been in Thailand that I have seen a husband/wife team of differing ethnic backgrounds working together to serve the Lord.  Saturday evening we went to a prayer meeting at the church.  This was the first Hmong church I had ever been in where any of the church members came to a prayer meeting.   They actually had a Sunday School hour (common in Thai churches, but not in Hmong churches), for different age groups.  During our time there, we witnessed confession of sin by someone in a previous leadership position, a vital time of worship, solid Biblical teaching and a small, core group of prayers.  That’s not to say that this church is without problems.  Problems exist, but this is a very dynamic church which blessed me beyond measure.

I thought I had everything down.  I was growing as an English teacher here in Thailand.  I was learning different teaching techniques to make English fun, an absolute MUST here in Thailand.  I was teaching everyone from primary school on up through adults.  I was teaching in all sorts of places from church to schools to government offices.  I was meeting and getting to know many different people.  I shared the gospel or at least some encouragement from the Word for 5 minutes for every class hour that I taught.  (At least that was my goal.  I met that goal about 75% of the time.)  Children from Tung Ngiew School were coming to Sunday School at church on Sundays. Many days I ast after class at Tung Ngiew School sharing Christ with students and teachers.  A missionary's dream!!!  And, it was my life. 

Then, wouldn't you know it, God threw me a wrench.  The Bible student intern that was here working with the girls at the girls house left after only 1 term.  The new staff member that we contacted to come help us called me the day before she was supposed to come to say she wasn't coming after all.  What was I to do?  What did God want me to do?  What on earth was God doing?  Didn't God know I had my nice little ministry that I really enjoyed all set up?? But God, what about the girls?  God what about the relationships and the teaching that I've been doing?  I'm only one person and I can't do it all! I knew there was only one thing to do - move back in with the girls and give up most of my teaching.  I confess that it was a struggle.  I love the girls, I really do.  But God was asking me to give up what to me was a very fruitful ministry of teaching English and sharing the gospel to going back and dealing with the hormones of 12 teenage girls.  It meant getting up at 5 AM. (Can I be totally honest here and tell you how much I DETEST mornings??)  Dieing to self - there's simply no time to do what I want to do (emphasis on the "I".)  Within 2 weeks, there were major problems with 2 of the girls that I had to deal with.  Praise God it was me instead of the Bible student intern who was here last term because she couldn't have dealt with these issues.  I'm still teaching 2 hours a day 5 days a week at Tung Ngiew School and also teaching the boys and girls at the boys who live with us here.  It's a full time job with many hats and doing the best I can to meet the needs of all 12 girls that God has given to me at this time. 
All I can say is this:  God's grace is indeed sufficient.  Paul prayed 3 times that God would remove his thorn in the flesh.  I've prayed more than 3 times for a staff member to work with the girls.  And for this term (which ends the beginning of March), it's me.  Jaelyn, one the girls we're sending to Bible college, called me and said "Susan, for right now, you're the best staff member to work with the girls.  If you weren't, God would have brought someone else by now."  God's grace is sufficient.  Even when we think it's not.  Even when I'm driving to school and all I'm thinking is how tired I am and how I just want to sleep, but I get to school and miracle of miracles, I have the energy to teach and can easily smile because of the joy that God has given me in what I do.  And, at night when I'm tired and ready to drop, and one of the girls has some pressing issue that to me is really nothing at all, God gives me the grace to deal with her like He deals with me in all my "pressing" issues.

My precious friends and family, as we go into this busy holiday season, I just want to leave you with one thought:  GOD'S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOUR EVERY NEED.

We have 12 girls this year. Duangjai and Nuay are new this year. The other 10 girls are returning from last year. Please choose one girl to pray for each day throughout the year. Ask God to bless her, pour out His Spirit upon her, give her strength and courage and wisdom beyond what she has. Thank you for your prayers and support. God bless you.

Creme

Nuay

Newt

Mone

Duangjai

See

Preaw

Keam

Peace

Naam

Nai

Sai

Name: Keam Seayang
From: Payapipak Village
Age: 17 years old
11^th grade Birthday: 25 September
I have 4 brothers and 3 sisters. In the future I want to be an evangelist My parents are Christians. Her family is extremely poor. She is a hard worker.
Name: Nam Saeli
From: Phanaswaan Village
Age: 14 years old; 9th grade Birthday: 30 May

I have 2 brothers and 1 sister. In the future I want to be a high school English teacher. Father was selling drugs and was arrested over 2 years ago. He committed suicide in prison. Mother is a new Christian, but not walking with the Lord. Naam has NOT accepted the Lord.

Name: Sai Saeyang

From: Thanthong Village
Age: 13 years old; 8th grade
Birthday: 1 December

I have 2 brothers and 4 sisters. In the future I want to be an elementary school teacher. Parents are Christians.

Name: Peace Sae Syong From: Mairunthawi Village

Age: 15 years old; 10th grade Birthday: 25 August

I have 1 brother and 2 sisters. In the future I want to be a tour guide or a flight attendant or a missionary or a boxer. Mother is a Christian but not walking with the Lord, and no else in the family is a believer. Her father wanted to send her to a Buddhist temple to study before she came here. Peace’s parents are now working in south Thailand.

Name: Newt Seafa
From: Saithong Village Age: 15 years old; 10th grade Birthday: 30 July

I have 1 brother and 3 sisters. In the future I want to be an artist or a marine biologist. Parents are divorced. Mother remarried, lives in the same village and refuses to speak to her daughters. Her older sister, Mone lives here as well. She lives with her father in the village. There are a myriad of family problems. Newt just committed her life to Christ during our summer camp.

Name: Mone Saefa From: Saithong village
Age: 17 years old; 11th grade Birthday: 27 December
I have 1 brother and 3 sisters. In the future I want to be a nurse or a policeman. Parents are divorced. Mother remarried, lives in the same village and refuses to speak to her daughters.

Name: Crème SeaSyong From: Mairungtawi Village
Age: 15 years old; 10th grade Birthday: 31 July

I have 3 brothers and 3 sisters. In the future I want to be a nurse. Parents aren’t Christians. She lived in a Buddhist temple one year before coming to live here.

Name: See Saeli From: Khunkan Village in Chiang Mai

Age: 17 years old; 11th grade Birthday: 26 March

I have 1 brother and 2 sisters. In the future I want to be a nurse. Parents are Christians. Father is an elder in the church.

Name: Nai Seayang From: Pong Nok village
Age: 14 years old; 9th grade Birthday: 1 November
I have 1 brother and 2 sisters. In the future I want to be an astronaut. (In reality she’s not sure what she wants to do.) Parents are divorced and she has no contact with her father whatsoever. She has NOT accepted the Lord.
Name: Praew Saehur From: Thaisamakhi village
Age: 19 years old; 12th grade Birthday: 8 September


I have 1 brother and 2 sisters. I want to go to Bible College and serve God full time, but I’m praying about what God wants me to do. Parents are divorced. Both parents have remarried and neither parent wants the children. They have been living on their own in the village before Praew came here last year. She has many struggles.

Name: Duang Jai (Heart) Seayang From: Payapipak Village

Age: 15 years old; 10th grade Birthday: November 29

I have 7 brothers and sisters. In the future I want to be a Chinese teacher. Her sister Keam lives here with us also. She is new this year. Her parents are believers, but are extremely poor.

Name: Nuay Sealau From: Kiewkan Village

Age: 12 years old; 7th grade Birthday: November 8

I have 4 brothers and sisters. In the future I want to be a doctor.
She has family members selling drugs and we’re concerned about her future.