Yesterday my friend and i went to a small “evangelistic center” in the Thornburi section of Bangkok.  It took us about 2 hours of city bus travel to get there.  This is a Seventh-day Adventist run center, where they are supporting a family from Africa to open up new work and press forward the gospel in this neglected part of “old” Bangkok.

Mostly they teach English and other subjects, and slowly build up contacts and confidence among the people in the community.  Yesterday almost 30 people were there, and it was very nice to see these precious souls who have decided to follow Jesus in this land of Buddhist false-gods.  I think the most encouraged by the visit was the man who is the running the church himself.  In his sermon about Lot leaving Sodom, several times he had my friend and i come up to the front where he said we were like the 2 angels who came to Lot’s place 🙂

He played loud “Christian Country Music” from the VOP singers during lunchtime which was most unfortunate, but i pray the assembled people will want to learn more and more of Christ and spread the word to others.

After that i went to the Bangkok Chinese SDA church.  I met the Union Publishing Director while he was walking out.  He commented again about how he keeps running into me all over the place – ha!  I got my Sabbath clothes that i had left with the pastor when i went to Laos over 1 month ago, and then waited to see if that couple who so eagerly studied the 1858gc with me the previous week were interested in doing so again this week.  I saw the lady rehearsing a song on the stage, and what is that she is holding…..sure looks like a small black book with a golden 10 commandments on it.  Sure enough, when finished, she eagerly calls her husband over and the 3 of us cover chapter 4 in that precious book.  What a wonderful time!

Then i got on the bus, and after sunset, got off at Foodland.  It was my first time to this supermarket.  It is a “high-class” supermarket, with lots of imported items.  I was surprised to see that some of the things were cheaper than at BigC where i usually shop.  It felt a little luxurious/shameful to walk out of the store with only 2 bags and having spent 19usd.  But the kilo of German muesli, fresh-made cream cheese, olives, sda-made pnut butter, whole-wheat bread, japanese sweet potatoes and seaweed, tamarind paste, green peas, tomato soup, and especially the young coconut jelly (yummm!) will last a while i believe.

Tomorrow i have to go to the immigration office again to get my one-year teaching visa.  Then next week i plan to go up to Chiang Mai where i’ve been invited to speak to an assembled group of Thai-Hmong believers.  Lord willing, i plan to talk about the 1260, 1290, and 1335 days – of course all being in the future.

It’s been a long hiatus, but finally some of my pics are back up on the internet – yea!

Went to Safari World in Bangkok last Thursday with all the school students.  It was interesting to see the animal shows, but the large enclosure with the parakeets was probably the highlight.  Like most everything in this country, the facilities were not “world class”, but not terrible either.

Friday afternoon i was “teacher on duty”, so had to babysit the kids until they all go home.  It was great fun being the “horsey” until one 70kg 3rd grader fell on it at an angle — muscle being crused is a yucky feeling.

God is very good, and i’m getting along quite well in everything as far as i know.  Please keep praying for me.

It is funny to me, that in many SE Asian countries, people will put things they worship up at the highest place in their homes.  So in many places you can see pics of kings and queens or dead heroes or ancestors or little shrines or idols up near the ceiling.

 But in modern times there are new gods.  Usually their names are Toshiba, Daikin, Samsung, LG, Mitsubishi, or Carrier, and they continually give out blessings of cool air 🙂 

Last Sabbath a little kids’ group came to our church and did some songs.  I got up and walked out.  After they were done, i went back in.  After a bit, they got up and did some more.  I went out again.

After lunch, a western pastor came up and said that he understood why i walked, but that the better way is to work with the people, and slowly get them to see that the worldly type music is not the best.  I politely disagreed.

What lifted my heart so much, and gave evidence of doing the right thing, was that one of the directors of that childrens’ choir is someone i know, someone i thot was quite strong in the faith.  She confided that she was struggling with this, and that her children in the choir were not comfortable either.  She thanked me, saying how this really helped solidify in her heart that her instinct about the music was correct, and she assured me that the group has already made plans to have her be the sole choir director, and she will see that the songs are more Christian.

It is a wonderful plan they have, as the Thai people go out of their way for children, even giving up their seats on busses to them!!  They usually don’t want to hear about Jesus from adults, but from little kids, they can hardly resist 🙂

May we always make a stand for truth, in love, asking “What Would Jesus Do?”

There sure was a mean, biting one while i was riding the bus last Friday.  Since it is not decent, and probably jailable, i just sat there and took it while the little critter was biting me in sensitive areas.  About an hour later when i got off, i went to the bathroom to find red welts all over.  Then the itching started.  Funny that i’ve only been bitten by one thing on my long 22-month travel, and then two nites before this, and again.

Buying some caladryl lotion and a huge can of ant spray, along with some chalk seems to have stopped the critters.  Sorry to see several hundred dead ones in my room, but would’ve been even sorrier if even one more of them had bitten me.  I was really thinking that if i would have been bitten around 7 – 10 more times, i might have to go to the hospital or something, as they REALLY ITCH!  haha

My first Sabbath in Bangkok as a live-here type personality was quite nice except for a tear in the pants.  Three of us worshipped on Friday evening, and while the furniture looks lovely, the nails sticking up stuck it up my seat, and my most expensive item bot for myself since leaving Japan in October 2005 except for the computer now has a tear in it 🙁

Sabbath morning i was invited to give the sermon, and i did to all 10-11 gathered.  I gave it on my personal life testimony, and on the 3 distinctive doctrines of Seventh-day Adventists.  Most of the people are Filipino, with 3 Korean, and 1 Thai included.  Later i was told that one of the young men was not SDA, and that this subject was good for him to get to consider the SDA faith.  May God lead him into all truth.

There was no cooking on the Sabbath, for which i was very pleasantly surprised.  The noodle salad was good, and the watermelon was excellent.  That kept my mind clear for AY meeting in the afternoon, where we sang songs, i showed pics and videos of my trips, and of course the anime of the 1858gc book, and a moral story was told.  A very pleasant first Sabbath as a Bangkokian.