End of the Year Wrap-Up

What a year.  Kiki and I finally had our Christmas date last night (we've been insanely busy until yesterday...I think we had 6 Christmas parties).  On our Christmas date, we usually have written down 24 of our favorite memories from the year each (one for each day of December leading up to Christmas).  Last night, we just talked through them, because this year has been so eventful and packed with special and life-changing memories.  So, here are a few:
- Graduation from Seminary for both of us
- A month of living and training in NYC
- Ordination as into Gospel ministry in the Presbyterian Church of America
- A month of rest and restoration in Chile, South America, part of that with very dear friends, Mike and Edie Dunn
- I was diagnosed with IgA Nephropathy (a kidney disease)
- moving to Bangkok to serve with Mission to the World among the Thai people

These are just a few...we were amazed at God's faithfulness and providence as we revisited the year.  We want to thank all of our supporters who have prayed us and supported us through this year and we ask you continue with us. 

Also, we pray that you will experience the love and grace of God in new and powerful ways in the coming year.  May the Lord bless you and keep you, The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

Christmas Party at New City Fellowship (our church)

Pics from the Flood clean-up

This past Saturday, several different churches around the city gathered north of Bangkok to one of the areas most affected by the floods and helped clean up.  This was a great opportunity to share the Gospel in both word and deed.  Here are a few pics from the event:

Help for National Church Leaders

Our goal as a mission organization (MTW Thailand), is that we would eventually see a self-sustaining, self-propagating church that is full of mature and growing Christians who share the Gospel with other Thais and disciple them in the faith.  That said...we still have a ways to go.  The Thai Church (in general) is small, and any church-planting at this point still depends on people from other places with more Christians (like the USA).  There is more of a need this year than many others because the transition that has occurred on our American team and because of the floods that have devastated parts of Thailand. Here are some ways that you can help:

Pray...
-for our Thai staff (Pramote, Pat, Kieow, Chai, Pawn, Yu, and Naamfon) as they labor to see Thais come to know Christ
-for our team as a whole, both Americans and Thais, that we would be wise as we plan and minister
-for the Thai Church (with a 'big C'...I mean all of the believers in Thailand), that there will be unity and revival, as well as a compulsion to take the Gospel to their fellow Thais

Give...
As I mentioned above, our Thai church has a need for some financial help as well.  Our church is made up of college students, the poor from the area, and new believers who are still learning how to give...not to mention that less than 1% of the population of Thailand knows Christ, so there is just very little financial support in the country period.  If you are interested in supporting Thai staff, you can give monthly or one-time amounts HERE (make sure that you give to "Thailand New Community Foundation - 95726") or you can send a check made out to "Mission to the World" with the account number "95726" on the memo line and send the check to this address:
Mission to the World

P.O. Box 116284

Atlanta, GA 30368-6284

 

Thanks to all who pray for us and for the work here in Bangkok.  Keep holding the rope!

Not sure about this...

This place is on our street, but I'm not quite sure what they do.

Life in Bangkok...so far

We are beginning to settle into a routine here...up for a walk and devotions, eat breakfast in the market, take the bus for language school, come back to eat lunch at the market, hang out with Thais, study Thai, read some CS Lewis together, then go to bed.  This is the cycle.  Fortunately, we've also been able to experience 2 long weekends this month due to Thai holidays, and we have a whole week of rest just after Christmas! 

So far, we've had an extremely easy time transitioning.  We have so many great friends here that we have not had to do much by ourselves, which we are very thankful for...as we didn't look forward to contacting landlords, internet providers, cell phone companies, and the power company in Bangkok with limited Thai.  We've also received lots of free furniture and appliances, which greatly cuts down our expenditures as we settle in to our new place.  Continue to pray as we learn to live in a Thai community and minister in a Thai context.

Oh...almost forgot...I also got a new pet.  I've named him 'Sean Adams', after my little brother.

Their Charlie the Tuna

Paul the Squid winked at me as the bus passed by.  It was a magical moment.

The King's Birthday

Last night, near the royal palace, many of the churches in Bangkok gathered to pray for the king of Thailand and to worship together on the eve of his birthday.  I can't really do justice to this experience...I've never really seen anything like Bangkok dressed up for the birthday of her King, and I was floored by the festivities last night. 

Pray that Bangkok and all of Thailand would celebrate and long for the coming of the eternal King of Glory.

Thanksgiving

One of the hardest things about being a missionary for most is that you leave family behind, and with that, you leave beloved traditions and celebrations that just aren't the same anywhere else.  However, although we have missed our family, this Thanksgiving truly was special for us as we celebrated God's goodness and mercy with Thais, Americans, and a couple from the UK.  Here are a few pics:

The King's Park

More pics later, but until we move into our house, we're staying at a friend and teammate's house while they are in the US preparing to return, and we usually go to the King's Park to walk in the mornings...here's a scene from yesterday:

Moving Day

I'm sipping one more cup of coffee for the road (name that song and artist for a prize) and just about to get ready to go the airport.  It's been a long road.  See y'all in Bangkok!

The theme of our Detour

No, its not fishing, it has been waiting on the Lord...and not just in prayer, but I mean really waiting on Him to bring us to Bangkok.  About 6-7 weeks ago, we sent out an email saying that we were leaving on the 5th for 3 years in Thailand, and we're still here.  In the midst of all the waiting and frustration and doctor's appointments, I've been meditating on James 4:13-16,

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"--yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.  What is your life?  For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.  Instead you ought to sa, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."  As it is, you boast in your arrogance.  All such boasting is evil.

Now, as we look back on these weeks of planning to go, buying and canceling tickets, then buying and canceling tickets again, and now buying tickets again...I realize more than ever that God is absolutely sovereign and that we will go in His timing, not ours.  For this reason alone (not to mention being able to see family and go fishing), this time has been extremely valuable in breaking down some of my idolatry.  I pray that He'll keep on doing this...I'd just rather He do it in Thailand!  Pray with me.

Uh-oh...

Gosh, I miss this place

Latest Update

Alright. New update. My doctors have recommended that we stay one more month to get this thing (whatever it is) worked out. I am giving them 2 weeks, and then they can talk to me in Bangkok.

Health update: everything still looks pretty good, they are a little concerned about my kidneys, but still think that everything is benign. They will do a biopsy of my kidneys next wednesday, then I'll have a follow up appointment the next week, and on the 18th (Lord willing) finally fly to Bangkok.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers, please keep it up.

In other news...I caught this big catfish Thursday night:

Very Important Prayer Request...

View of the main road in our neighborhood.

I received this from one of our teammates, Mary Randolph, yesterday:

 Our team is working so hard to provide food for the victims in other areas that they are exhausted.  Today will be the third day they will cook all day and deliver it in the late afternoon.  They will take a break Sat and Sun then assess the need all next week.  Our neighbors are building walls anticipating the waters will hit our side of town next week when the tides rise.  Pray for wisdom that we will know how to prepare for this.  We praise the Lord that this crisis has brought many neighbors who have never stepped foot in our doors to come and help prepare food.  Pray that they will return to learn about the love of God.

Please be in prayer for the nation of Thailand, the Church in Thailand, and our team as the floods continue there.

Catching up

So...the last post I made was on the day that we were supposed to fly out for Bangkok.  We've spent the last couple of weeks seeing doctors and visiting my (Trey's) family in south Georgia.  Therefore, its time to catch up on the ol' blog.  Here's the news...

Health:  We've had two really encouraging appointments with a kidney specialist, and he is convinced that the abnormalities are, 1.  not very serious or dangerous at all and, 2.  probably the result of some extreme exercise (p90x) that I had been doing for a few weeks before.  At this point, he doesn't see any reason why we can't leave by the 4th or 5th of November. 

Goings on:  Since we were supposed to be in Bangkok with our team right now, learning Thai, finding a place to live, and eating lots of rice, we don't have much on our plates.  At this point we're just visiting with loved ones, reading, praying, and resting.  Here are a few pics from our unplanned sabbatical.

My mom's house in Snipesville, GA, which has the greatest porch known to man.

After a couple hours of fishing, I had a big catfish, 3-4 perch, and 6-8 big bluegill.  Delicious.

Kiki making coleslaw at mama's house.

Mama's house at night.

A nice little bass from my old home-place.  Fishing really is the theme of my month off.

A small detour.

Dear Rope-holders,
As of 8am this morning, we were heading to Bangkok tomorrow, but we've had a slight change of plans. Yesterday we went to our doctor for a check-up and physical and to finish up our vaccinations for Bangkok. This morning, my doctor called me (Trey) early to tell me to cancel our flight and to postpone our departure for one month. In my blood work, he found something that conc...erned him and he very strongly advised us to change our flight to early November. Though the doctor doesn't believe that it is life-threatening or that it will immediately affect me, he wants to run a few more tests on my kidneys and will need a few weeks to do so.

So here is what we need...your prayers. We are very disappointed that we aren't boarding a plane to be with our team tomorrow. Pray that God will use this time to give us sweet time with Him, to minister to those around us, and to be ministered to while we wait. Pray that my kidneys will be healthy and that the doctors will be quick and thorough in their diagnosis and treatment. Pray for our team as they continue to labor without us. And lastly, pray that we will know Him better because of this month of waiting and praying.

Clinging to Him (Deut. 13:4)

Trey and Kiki

En route...

No, not us.  We don't leave til Wednesday at about 1pm.  Our teammate, Lisa Repair, is now en route to Bangkok, but as she was about to leave, they had to deplane and now they're trying to figure out another way to get her to Thailand.  Pray that this works out...it appears that she might have to spend up to another day in transit, which is never pleasant.

Update

From the 19th floor...a scene from downtown Bangkok

This Wednesday we'll be boarding a plane bound for Bangkok, Thailand (well...we'll be boarding a plane bound for Seoul, Korea, where we'll catch another plane which will be bound for Bangkok, and technically, we'll board that plane on Thursday).  We've had a great year and a dream of a time with support-raising.

Case in point, we just sent out a prayer request for the remainder of our funds, and about a third of it was pledged or donated within the following 5-6 hours.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all of you who prayed or gave!

So what do our next few weeks look like?   Well, we will spend the next few days very busily packing, visiting with friends and family, and finishing up last minute details.  We'll arrive in Bangkok at about 9:30pm on Thursday, go to sleep, and wake up early the next morning to go apply for a Visa to leave and reenter the country.  The next Tuesday we fly to Malaysia for the MTW Area Retreat to spend about 5-6 days with MTW missionaries from all over Asia, then return to Bangkok on the 18th of October.  From there, we start looking for a place to live, line up our spots at language school for November, and begin to settle in to Thai life.

Keep praying as we go through a time of great transition, and let us know how we can pray for you!

Prayer request and need...

Hey 'rope-holders'... we've had a bit of a challenge...we met with our MTW coach today to 'check off' the last things before we leave the country, and because of several factors outside of our control, we still have some funds to raise. 

Here's the good news, though:  we're still leaving on Wednesday, October 5 for Bangkok, and Mission to the World is allowing us to proceed in good faith that the rest of our funds come in.  Praise God that we are able to go the field and begin our language learning and ministry with and to the team!

Our need:
The reason that we are still able to go is that we have chosen to take a pay cut of about $260 per month over the next three years, and on top of that we still have a one time need of about $900.

How you can 'Hold the Rope':
1.  Pray.  Ask the Lord to provide all of our needed funds in these next 6 days.  We would definitely prefer to be at 100% of our monthly amount, and to have all of our 'one time' funds in hand before we leave.

2.  Give.  Here is the breakdown...we need five families at $50 per month or 10 families at $25 per month over the next three years to restore our salary.  Or...if you are able to do one time gifts only, that is just as good!  Our total need over the next three years is about $9500 more than what we currently have pledged or available.  Please consider helping us out.  If you are interested in doing so, respond to this email, call me at (770) 826-8911, or you can give online HERE.

Thank you all so much for 'holding the rope' for us as we have prepared, please continue to do so, and please let us know how we might pray for you, too!

                                      Clinging to Him (Deut. 13:4)
                                            
                                                            Trey and Kiki

One Way.

Yesterday was a 'first' for me.  I bought my first one-way tickets!  That's right, we were cleared to go and we'll be leaving on a jet-plane on October 5th. 

Today we send our visa application, go to South GA to visit my (Trey's) family, and begin the process of packing to move overseas.  Pray for us as we take care of these final details for departure.

Bangkok and Other Places: Where we are and where we're going

We'll start with 'Other Places'.  Right now, we're living with Kiki's parents in Cumming, GA and spending a lot of time going to South GA to visit my parents.  Moving to the other side of the world is a bit complicated, so we're also using this time to figure out visa requirements, banks, taxes, and other pesky necessities.  This has been a very good time for us, as we haven't had the freedom over the past 3 years to spend so much time with our parents and friends in GA because of seminary and work.  Likewise, it has been over 6 years since we've really been able to spend much time with my (Trey) parents, because before we were in seminary, I worked as a youth pastor at a church in the ATL area.  So, we're really enjoying some time to prepare to move as well as catch up with our families again. 

Now on to the 'Bangkok' part.  In the last week or so, we've gotten several verbal pledges which, when they become official (meaning, when they show up on my MTW account), will allow us to buy tickets!!!  We hope that one month from now we will be flying into Bangkok and setting up shop.  We have a conference in Malaysia that we will attend from October 12-18, and then we'll begin the job of settling into an apartment or small house in Bangkok and figuring out our language school plans.

Pray with us as we finish out our support and our plans to go!!!

A good month...

I think that we have some big news coming (no, we're not pregnant). But I'll update that as soon as I get official word...but you can probably guess what it is.

In other news, we're now in September. Tomorrow I pick up my brother and his girlfriend from the airport and drive down to south GA to spend a weekend with my family. In a couple of weeks we go up to a cabin in the mountains with Kiki's family for a long weekend. We will go to Savannah to see my nephew play football, we'll have meals and coffees with friends, we'll visit churches and supporters who have been praying for and supporting us, and we'll make final preparations for our expected departure. This will be a quick month, one that will fly by, and we pray that it will be a sweet, memorable, and encouraging month as we prepare to move.

Support Update

With finishing seminary, getting ordained, doing our month-long pre-field training, and taking a few weeks to rest, we've not been very faithful to update the blog or to update our support status. We are just about $250 a month short of our monthly goal! Pray with us and consider jumping on board with a monthly pledge and help us to get to Bangkok by early October.

Donate here.

Breaking the Silence...

Sorry for the long hiatus, but we've had a crazy and very nomadic couple of months. However, thanks to lots of extra skymiles and some pretty disciplined saving (if I do say so myself), we're spending some 'decompression' time in Chile, South America...where we honeymooned six years ago. Check out the view from our cabin...

Yes. That is a volcano.

Catching up

So...been away from the blog for a bit. We've had a busy month here in NYC and only have a week left. This time next week, we should be on our way out of the city and headed to God's country (Georgia, of course). Monday through Thursday we will help with a VBS at New Life Fellowship in Queens each morning, and in the afternoons we'll have our normal classes (this week's topic is "Church Planting").

We've had a good month, but we're excited to get back to normal life (whatever that is), to finish support-raising, and to spend some time with family before we move to Bangkok in late September or early October. We're at about 93% of our needed monthly support, so pray with us that all of the pledges will come in soon.

NYC

The entire month of July we are living in New York City...Queens to be exact...finishing up our pre-field training for Mission to the World. We will be taking classes on church planting, conflict resolution, language acquisition, and cultural assimilation. Pray for us as we learn and grow in some areas that will help us as we minister in Bangkok.

More posts to come...I'm done with seminary and practically done with ordination exams, so I'll get Kiki to break out the picture machine and we'll post our experiences as we prepare for ministry in Bangkok by ministering in NYC.

Thai Scenes: The Buddha

A common sight for anyone traveling or living in Thailand is the ubiquitous shrines to the Buddha. This one sits at the front of Ramkhamhaeng University, next to one of the newer buildings on campus...in fact, I think it was built as a part of the dedication of the new building.

You can't really escape the constant 'presence' of these monuments in Thailand...they're everywhere...on the bus, on the streets, in buildings, at temples, etc. Buddhism is the over-arching, defining religion and way of life for about 97% of Thais. Pray with us that God will draw men to Himself as we go!

Awesome...

Another Milestone.

So last night I had my oral examinations from the Credentials Committee of the Mississippi Valley Presbytery. If you're not a Presbyterian, that last sentence probably makes very little sense to you...maybe you know some of the words but can't decipher any real meaning from the sentence as a whole. Well, in my denomination (the Presbyterian Church in America), the steps for ordination are internship, 6 written exams, and then an oral examination on English Bible (as opposed to Greek and Hebrew), Theology, Sacraments, Church Government, Views (aka, what I believe about certain issues that face the Church), and Church History. So last night I had my oral examination and was approved by the committee for ordination. This is a huge step in our getting to Thailand in September, and it is really nice to have it behind me.

Now, its time to focus on getting to 100% of our support and on moving to Bangkok!

Monumental.

First all Thai session meeting...maybe ever. Pray for our team. Dave Veldhorst just left (he should be in the US now, probably sleeping at this moment) and there is no PCA teaching elder until I arrive (assuming that I pass my oral exams on June 14), and this is the first time that an all Thai session has met in our church.

Thanks to our dear, sweet, godly, teammate Melanie, who is there without an American presence until we arrive. Pray for her.

Still Thailand

This pic proves that I will fit right in in Thailand. Just have to use the right tone do you don't end up cursing when you are trying to say my name.....

Maybe I should open a "KiKi" store. Any votes on what I should sell? knitting, photos, rice crispy treats (an American delicacy!)

Thai Scenes: Mahathai

One of our ministry areas at New City Fellowship in Bangkok is what some call 'Mercy'...specifically to a local slum community named Mahathai. Currently, our very awesome, wonderful, servant-hearted, godly, extremely fun, selfless, and beautiful teammates Melanie Currie and Kieow spend a lot of their time with the people of Mahathai, but our whole team has a presence there as well.

Through prayer, bible studies, and Joy Kids, we pray that the Lord would pour out His Spirit upon this place and draw these image-bearers (Gen. 1:26-27) to Himself and in the process, restore relationships between people, heal disease and addiction, and change the courses of some of the lives in this place. Pray with us...fight for these people on your knees!

18 more box adopters wanted...

Remaining Support Graphic

Living in Grace

We're off for a week-long Mission to the World conference called "Living in Grace". Its a mandatory getaway that MTW puts on for its missionaries that emphasizes the Gospel and how it plays out in one's life and relationships. This should be a good week for us to rest, spend time with each other, with new friends, and with Jesus. However, no blog updates til June. See you then.

Thai scenes

OK...seminary is finished, and I have one more written ordination exam left: English Bible. Pray for me as I finish that up.

But even with that exam looming tomorrow, I am pretty distracted by the fact that Kiki and I are about to move 12,000 miles from home. So, I've decided that I should start putting scenes from Thailand on the blog just to give all of you who read a regular taste of the sights that will be our daily life. We'd love for you to become so familiar with our work and life in Thailand that when you visit, you'll recognize places and people that are dear to us. I wish that I could also give you a 'smell of Thailand', but Blogger hasn't added the ability to post smells yet.

This is a shot from the local market one morning (I would always walk, pray, and grab breakfast in the mornings). I think that monks from the local temples get up early to walk around and receive their food and offerings from the people, and to chant a blessing in exchange for a donation.

Lost in Translation

This is hilarious. One of the interns currently in Bangkok took this a few days back.

Done.

About 30 minutes ago, I handed in my last final for my MDiv degree and am now officially finished here at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS. What a great three years...seminary really has been a wonderful time for us, and although I am glad to be finished giving RTS my money, I am very thankful for what I have experienced here. Here's what my feelings are right now:

bitterSWEET

You should notice that the 'bitter' part of that compound word is as small as I can get it...I'll miss RTS, but it sure is 'sweet' to be done.

Weird.

A newsletter from one of our teammates (Melanie Currie) shocked me today. It's not like I don't already know this, but its still weird to see it in print. Here's the end of her letter:

Please pray for me. I will be here on my own through the summer (working alongside the Thai staff) until new MTW missionaries arrive in the Fall. Please pray for their final support to be raised and the prompt arrival of my new team leader, Trey Adams, his wife, Kiki, and two 2-yr interns Lisa and Noah.

Pray for her, pray for us, pray for our team.

Support Update

That's right...we're at 75% (at least, there are several people who have committed to give, but haven't given a number yet). Pray that the number keeps creeping up and gets to 100% over the next two months. We really hope to leave by mid-September.

Also, while you're praying...I (Trey) have about 5-6 weeks of ordination exams ahead of me. It's going to be a marathon....pray, pray, pray!

Support Update