To the church of God that is in [New Mexico], to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge — even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you — so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:2-9)
I am writing to you from Bangkok, Thailand, and I have never been better. Like the passage from 1 Corinthians says, God is faithful! I am working at Bodindecha 3, a Thai government secondary school located in the heart of Bangkok. I teach the American system equivalent of 8th, 10th, and 12th grades. The kids are so great and they love having me in their class. I am actually pretty fortunate, because I teach in the Extra-curricula English Program, which means that all the students want to be there and have a pretty high level of understanding and speaking English. I am also fortunate to participate in school functions, such as field trips and such, going different places and learning about the Thai culture. Also, last week I participated in their sports day, in which the other teachers and I competed against the students in a game of chair ball - a game much like basketball, except 1 person stands on a chair holding a basket at either end of the court. It was very fun to get to know the other teachers more and to build rapport with the students. I also tutor math and science to some young students on Saturday. I know, it's a long 6 day week, but it's good that the Lord has me busy. Working with these students is also challenging, as they are always presenting me with tough homework assignments that make my brain really hurt!
I am still involved with International Bangkok Church. Right now, they have me leading worship 2 Sundays a month (go figure, right? haha) The people in this church are so humble and kind, it is really awesome to be around such a rich group of believers. The church works with a lot of ministries around Thailand, and this week we had someone who works with people with AIDS on the Thai-Burma border. The situation there is very delicate because of what is going on in Burma. Please keep Burma in your prayers as some people desperately need to get their medication and supplies on a regular basis, but are occasionally unable to because of the war.
I was fortunate to have a traditional American turkey dinner for Thanksgiving this year. I got together with a bunch of people from church and found a buffet. I had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, lamb, lobster bisque, pie, etc. all the good stuff! 2 of the people there, who are from Malaysia, experienced their first thanksgiving dinner, so it was an honor for me to be a part of that.
Last Sunday was Loy Kathong, a day where they put their sins onto the water in the form of flowers, money, incense, candles, etc., and believe that the water goddess will come take it away. We went to the lake as a church, where we turned around the meaning - the candle represented Jesus, the light of the world, who took away our sins when he died on the cross. The festival is very beautiful with all the lit Kathongs on the water.
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