Shouldn’t you be on your way to the airport to pick us up? (no really)
Sunday
We got up and had breakfast. We left rather early for service; (oh merry Christmas from zac) and most of us went to Thanprapon church for service; 5 went to Tachang for a special item.
The kids at Thanprapon are quite cute. We started off with songs and a game where they got very noisy and hyped up. The game went something like; shaun asks them for their name (kun chi aray) and then hits them on the head. Its amazingly entertaining for all involved. Im not sure I got the details nailed down though.
Youth was great (from zac). We had worship and then the Christmas tree game. We blindfolded the youths with Christmas hats (because we blindly forgot to bring the blindfolds) then we like err uh let them memorise how we placed the ornaments on our model tree then they had to paste it on the exact same spot.
On their own trees.
While blindfolded.
Then Reuel gave a message on what God is like; it was great. He listed the names of God; the Bread of Life (made them eat bread); the Good Shepherd (pasted cotton wool on their faces and pretended to be sheep) and Light of the World (gave them lightsticks). We then did artwork on our fears and dreams and ambitions; the most common things drawn were things like policewoman and doctors and teachers. This was a symbolic act of committing their futures to God.
Thanprapon Church Service
Som Sak (who you may remember we prayed and received healing a few days ago) came to service with his wife; he walked up the stairs on his own! Thank God! Bpaa Lamuk’s grandson came to church; he was pretty well-behaved and involved in the programme. Ps Henry gave the message about God’s messenger and that God uses not just angels but people to carry His message of love; he gave an invitation and almost all responded to the challenge to become God’s messengers.
Uncle Wee Seng and Grace shared her testimony on how members they visited had God encountering experience and healings during the past 7 days. Ps Henry then opened for a time of ministry to pray for people who had any pain or sickness. One lady, Pi Sin Yang, was prayed for her knee and back pain and received almost instant healing for her pain, which had hitherto lasted for weeks. Both Pi Som Sak and Bpaa Lamuk shared their testimonies of being healed and touched by God before the service ended. Our God heals!!
MEANWHILE AT TACHANG…
We had the dance item from nat and sam; it went splendidly. Very beautiful, according to the reports. Meanwhile, Pa Noy came to church and was fine; she was walking well and was totally healed. She was so happy she gave Mark a hug and a kiss. (awwwwww…) The lady with aids who we met at wai yat soy village was there in church as well; she can respond to people and do things on her own without constant help – she could walk on her own as well! Thank God! We prayed for her that day as well. Do pray with us that she will receive complete healing.
NIGHT TIME
We went to Singburi City Church; which is located in a pretty urban area of the town (the other churches are in predominantly rural locations). So there we attended the Christmas programme that was hosted by SCC but was conducted as a joint effort by all the other churches – there were items by the main Singburi church, Ta Chang church and Inburi church and covenant Presbyterian church. It was pretty fun. There was a cowboy dance and fried chicken.
A girl named Ice received Christ after the event as well! Thank God that He has been working even through this event.
LATE LATE AT NIGHT…
While we were preparing to sleep, suddenly we saw Air on his moped stopping outside Ps Eng Kiat’s house; this was extremely confusing to the tired team twoers. This was followed by a vanfull of not-tired Christians from all the churches in the area; mainly Ta Chang but also from Inburi and Thanprapon church. Angelic voices broke into song; the melancholy and exhausted mood broke into spring , a new dawn. The sounds of voices in unison and harmony, familiar, strange and magical and wonderful.
Anyway they sang three songs – Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Pian Ruk and We Wish You a Merry Christmas (the third song was in very accurate and precise English!) Then we gathered as a whole and there and then they paired up with us and prayed for us individually – it was genuinely a wonderful moment in the dark; in that moment the language and cultural divides that separated us just melted away. Once again God’s love prevails and is shown.
END OF DAY 7
BEGIN DAY 8
Wha today we wake up very late. Very happy. Wake up that time not tired man. Super good.
Had a great time of devotion led by boss Cass. We wrote words of affirmations on every team member. Sadly none of us have actually finished this yet except yours truly (keith and zac – we are just generally good at writing things down fairly speedily. Zac claims that my record isn’t valid because I wrote things down in point form but clearly he is mistaken. I was faster than him. Zac disagrees! No zac you cannot tell the people what you think)
Then we slacked around for quite long then went to the famous beef ball noodle stall for lunch which is run by Pi Gaet and Pi Gung, who both attend Singburi City Church. Their brother Pi Gaea runs a chendol shop next door. Super good stuff. We spent about two and a half hours at the market shopping. (we’re not exactly sure about what…) but that was the afternoon. Pretty chill.
Next the team of busy and untiring trippers jumped up the songtiao and rushed to the Inburi rice mill where we had a children’s club. We did the story of the prodigal son (zac was the bitter and unforgiving and mean older brother) and then we made crowns for them. Think they liked it. Our team actually make balloon animals quite good. Even zac can do it man.
Meanwhile, some of the boys led by the resident yan dao (josh) played football with a few local boys. Sadly joshua’s team lost. (Thanks to Keith) (hey I tried my best lor, we were outnumbered and then gea and ta’s son was on the other team he is 15 and as tall as me) (excuses!)
Oh and we had the evangelistic concert there and everything went great; we danced our "
'Walking on Sunshine' dance and then did our second skit which was super good and flawless (for the first time hahahahaa) even though it was outdoors and bicycles and motorbikes occasionally drove between the stage and the audience and the technical setup was difficult (but we had uncle ws and ah gui and mark who set up things nicely [technical team take note of these names])
Anyway after that gui jia shared his testimony which was really relevant to the thai people there, and keith did a clincher to invite people to receive Christ– after it all ended three women prayed to receive Christ! Thank the Lord for this greatness! This is really what we want to see.
A few of us prayed for Pi Tong – a lady who had back, knee pains and fever; she was instantly healed! Its wonderful to see these things – the genuine look of joy and of love when they receive the healing; Jasmine and zac had visions for her – jasmine saw her dancing our “walking on sunshine” dance and zac saw her dancing a jumpy thing on white fluffy clouds – that was pretty amazing, right? Yay zac! Hahahaha but we’re really very grateful to God for this – these things minister to the people there but it also just shows us how real God is; how He answers when we ask in faith.
Concert ended there though, it was a really sad moment when we bade goodbye to the people who have now become family; people like Gae and Ta, and Tanong Sak and Naa Saen and their daughter Melody who is really super cute (zac agrees) and Fai and her daughter Pinky (also very very cute); people who we’ve known for just nine days but who we’ve seen regularly and prayed with and went crazy with – but its okay! We bade them not “la gorn” (goodbye forever) but “sawadee kap” (goodbye, for now)! Really gonna miss these people a lot.
Anyway after that we headed down to Chu’s super secret birthday party at Ta Chang church. The team was super happy on the songtiao; it was a really long journey but we spent it singing and it didn’t feel long at all. Actually we were quite sad when the ride ended even though it is really squeezy. Must be the double portions we eat at every meal seriously its super bad (and supper)
Speaking about food…
MUUUUU GA TAT!!!!!!!
When team 1 came back to SG they were absolutely raving about this muu… ha… what? thing? that they had; we were like so nice meh? Then they were like YAAAA OMGOSH DUDE ITS SUPER SUPER SUPER NICE BEST THING ON EARTH!!!!!!!! HELLO?????
So on first day we asked shaun whether we were gonna have mugawhat then he was like no, no time for this team then we were quite sad but then later on they decided to have a surprise birthday party for chu (who’s a church worker who’s very good with kids and cooks amazing vegetables) and then we had mugawhat and it was super good! Its steamboat with a hotplate in the middle (which sounds suspiciously like seoul garden…) but like better lor, says zac. Yar la its really better. Like the pork very nice like that don’t know why also. Then the vegetables also like very nice like that. But I don’t like steamboat soup in general so I give it only 8.5/10. Zac gives it 9 and is offended that I don’t like steamboat soup. Joshua gives the mugatat 10/10 perfect score! Ya la it was really very nice.
Then halfway through dinner Pi Kritsana came out with a brownie cake thing that auntie anong made (and was very nice btw. Omgosh, very nice leh, says zac) then we sang a song
Happy birthday to chu
Happy birthday to chu
Happy birthday to chuuuuu…
Happy birthday to chu!
Haha!
But I think he was super touched la. Chu is like a quiet and like sensitive and likes to wear nice nice things kind of guy so he’s generally quite private about public things like birthdays so this surprise was a really nice thing to do by the Ta Chang people. (also we got to eat MU GA TAT!!!)
Dinner ended at 1030pm for everyone (reuel’s table ended at like 1130) because we were stuffed and then we just hung around with people like Pi Na and her husband Ming and her grandkids btw are the cutest and most guai kids in the whole Thailand, and chu, and air, and theuy, and saiyan, and nook until about 1230 and when we left it was really very sad all over again. Im sure that if these guys with us had the chance to just drop everything and take 6 months in Singburi… that wouldn’t be something completely crazy.
So anyway here we are – last day of the trip before we head back tomorrow. God has been great, and awesome in this place; He has gone before us and with us and after us; all three in the literal sense, and the transformations that have taken place and are taking place are just amazing to see as they unravel and fall into place as part of a Greater Plan that we follow by faith even though we cannot see all of it.
Thank God for taking care of us and giving us the strength and energy and love and just touching lives and comforting people around us.
So here’s keith and zac signing off, sad that this is over and yet hopeful for greater things to come in this city! Arunee and Sue who have just finished watching hello stranger say hi to everybody see you all soon. See you guys at the airport 930pm tomorrow and if not, then this coming Sunday! We await seeing you guys again with eager hearts. God bless, and merry Christmas! We fully expect at least half a log cake waiting at home.
Keith n Zac
FINAL REMARKS BY PS HENRY
Team 2 members are leaving Singburi with deep gratitude in their hearts – many lives touched, many people received healing, and even salvation. The team is really thankful for the unforgettable friendship forged with the Thai people. Both Ps Eng Kiat and Pi Kritsana (Tachang leader) told me that we are like close relative visiting them. The friendship between the Singapore team and the Thai church members has moved from being just friend to becoming family.
The unity amongst the team members is awesome. Imagine 18 people living together for 9 days in close proximity and no one was angry with one another. There is an overdose of love, and members can really feel God’s presence wherever we go. It is because of God’s presence that we saw the extraordinary happenings in the last 9 days.
But I want to acknowledge
- Firstly, the prayer warriors and loved ones in Singapore who covered us with an invincible prayer shield
- Secondly, the TMT team 1 who has done such an amazing job in bringing God’s love that made team 2’s work so much easier.
- Finally and most importantly, the fantastic work that Ps Eng Kiat, Anong, church staff in the local churches who worked so hard to plough the land, sowed the seed, so that we could have the privilege of participating in the harvesting.
I thank God for anointing the team members from both team 1 and team 2 with LOVE and POWER so that they really soared to a level that exceeds their imagination.
When asked “Who wants to be back next year?” – all hands went up. That says it all. :))
Ah Jaan Henry
