Tik tok tik tok...
15 days is going to fly by!
The final countdown to our Home Assignment has begun.
Are you ready? Because we are!
We will be traveling all over the States and the Philippines. If you want to meet up or have us speak, reply to this email. We only come home every 2 years, so we are really eager to reconnect with old friends and connect with new ones.
See you in a few days!
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LOSE ONE, WIN ONE
One of the Badminton courts that we have been reaching out to has a coach that we have been hoping and attempting to connect with. Coach Teerapat's schedule is always full, and when he is teaching he is almost impossible to talk to. But his wife plays in the group that Terence is a part of and she enjoys pairing up with Terence. Somehow word finally reached her husband that there is a Filipino that can possibly match his level.
A few days ago, the match up between Terence and Coach Teerapat finally happened. Everyone in the Badminton court fixed their eyes on court No. 3, and truly the match didn't disappoint. With his years of experience and daily training, Coach Teerapat had a huge and clear advantage and that pretty much decided the game.
After the match, Terence was finally able to connect with the coach and his wife. We finally got to know a little bit about who they are and how they are connected to Mr. A, our group's manager, his journey as a professional Badminton player and now coach. Terence also met his two kids (a 7 year old and a 10 year old).
When Terence attempted to talk about his "storytelling" career, the coach waved off the conversation. We are thinking too much word went out about Terence, specifically his faith. But it doesn't matter because we know God is at work in the coach's life and his family. We just have to intentionally do our part in sharing the Gospel.
Terence may have lost the match but he surely has won a friend. One day, maybe a brother for Christ. Will you pray for Coach Teerapat?
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VIRTUAL MISSION TRIP
As Field Youth Coordinators (FYC), one of our roles is to expose and engage our young people in missions. Due to the pandemic, actual mission trips are not possible at the moment, but the SEA NYI thought of a creative way to do it: a virtual mission trip!
The virtual mission trip has three simple goals: 1) Engage NYI in Mission 2) Interact with other young people in another location and 3) Learn to serve each other. Jesus came to serve and not to be served. Jesus washing His disciples' feet is the epitomy of servanthood and we want our young leaders to learn from our Lord's example.
The NYI from CAA3 and Thailand district have expressed their interest to be the first two areas in our field to do the virtual mission trip. The two areas have met via ZOOM several times and we are proud of their preparations and progress. The Field is blessed with creative and passionate young leaders.
As FYC's we will continue to give them a platform to grow into the leaders God wants them to be. It is exciting to think where God is going to take them and what He is going to do in and through them.
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JIREH
News of travel restrictions and bans have been going around and it brought us a lot of anxiety. There were rumors that only fully vaccinated foreigners can enter the United States and there were rumors that it will happen soon. COVID-19 vaccination in Thailand has been very slow. We registered to get the vaccine a few months ago but it started to look like we won't get it before our home assignment.
The thought of having Terence denied entry into the US was scary. If this was to happen, it will be difficult for Ingrid and the kids to do the tour just by themselves and if we don't go, we won't have enough funds to continue our ministry in Southeast Asia.
We were scared but we prayed for patience and faith. God reminded us that He takes care of the birds in the air. He gives them food to eat and everything they need. Aren't we more valuable than birds? (Matthew 6:25-34)
One day, Terence received an email saying that the COVID vaccines are available for foreigners. In less than 12 hours, we were able to get our first dose. They recommended us to get Pfzier in the case we couldn't get our second dose before we depart. After getting the first dose, they gave us the date for the second dose–a week before we fly! God also answered our prayer to be granted a 6-month visa for Thailand meaning that we don't have to worry about renewing our visas until we return to Thailand. We also were able to get a 6 month re-entry permit that allows us to fly back to Thailand.
Finally, we just discovered that Terence's US visa will allow him to travel to Guatemala to visit our family! Jehovah Jireh! God is preparing the way for all of us and all we need to do is trust Him because He's never too early or too late. His timing is always perfect!
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Lukas on the other hand loves to talk about deep things. We frequently asked for his opinion on global issues and he has some very strong words (mostly in "goos" and "coos"). He now knows how to roll over and is now starting to rock the walker. But a habit we want him to unlearn is interrupting people when they are talking but you know what? We change our minds--he's too cute to be stopped!
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THE USUAL IS BORING
Running is better than walking. Singing is better than talking. Dancing, screaming, grabbing, throwing, all of the -ing words but twice the intensity! But one thing that we really love about Jubilee right now is her beautiful singing voice. Reilee loves to sing. She loves songs. She loves anything that has a song in it. If you want to grab her attention, just sing a catchy tune. Or more specifically, sing a song that has butterfly and rainbow in the lyrics. It doesn't have to be an actual song, you can just make up the melody, as long as the words are there, you have won Jubilee's heart.
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Danger
Getting vaccinated is not mandated by the Church of the Nazarene, but by Thai immigration. In order for us to return to Thailand, we must be fully vaccinated. We are not here to talk about politics. We are not here to discuss if the virus is real or the vaccines are an experiment. We do not care about the conspiracy or that faith in Jesus alone is the cure to COVID. We are here to talk about our children and their safety--because that is of utmost importance to us.
Before, COVID19 did not seem to affect children. But with the newest strands, it seems to no longer be the case. Our kids can not yet be vaccinated. We will be traveling around 3 nations that still do not seem to have the virus under control. We know parents who have lost their babies.
We aren't going to act tough. It is scary. We put the kids to bed at night, and wonder if going home is truly what is best for our family.
So we must ask for your help: When you meet our Reilee and Lukas, please, PLEASE, keep in mind that these babies are not yet even fully vaccinated against basic diseases like polio and measles--let alone COVID19. If you are not feeling well or even if you have an itchy throat or were in contact with someone who is ill, we ask that you keep our kids safe. We ask that you wear a mask and refrain from kissing them. We ask that you use hand sanitizer before touching them. If you cannot resist their cuteness please communicate your desire to interact with them and for sure we can find a safe way together.
Traveling in a pandemic is hard.
Traveling in a pandemic with babies is harder.
Traveling in a pandemic with sick babies is even harder.
Whatever you believe, we ask for your help: Please, please keep our kids safe.
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PRAYER REQUESTS
Language Study: When we go to the US and Philippines, it will be very difficult to connect with our Thai teacher and learning the Thai language in the usual pace that we do but we need to continue learning. Please pray that we will find a way to continue connecting with our teacher and learn the language.
Home Assignment: We are getting closer and closer to coming home. There is a lot of documentation and testing involved in leaving and entering countries with the pandemic. Add two babies to travel around the world. And speaking at dozens of churches. We need all the prayer we can get because we cannot do it all alone.
SEA Field Youth: Please be in prayer for our young leaders in the Southeast Asia Field as we make Christlike disciples during times of political turmoil, Anti-Christian propaganda, leadership limitation, recovery from genocides, and of course, the coronavirus. Pray for the SEA Field leaders to give our young people the opportunity to serve.
Badminton Outreach: Bangkok has been in lockdown since April. It has been difficult to keep up our relationships with our teammates. Thankfully, one court opened up for 2 weeks before being forced to close again. Pray that Bangkok can beat this virus and we can get back in the court before we leave for Home Assignment!
Guide: Guide is one of our teammates in badminton. God is truly working in this young man. Please be active and praying for him by name. May he and his family know God.
Protection: Please pray that we will be spared from the virus. Aside from its scary effects, being positive with COVID could prohibit us from traveling to the US and Philippines this Fall. Please pray that we don't contract it and when we go to take our COVID test, our results will be NEGATIVE.
SEA Field Crisis: Our neighbor country, Myanmar (one of our SEA Field nations) is going through some difficult times. For security reasons, we cannot speak openly about it. The situation is in need of prayer and God's intervention and guidance. Many of our pastors, leaders, and laypeople are greatly affected by this. Today, we heard the news that one of our dear friends from the seminary has been arrested. We ask that you, your families, and your churches bring this to the Lord in prayer.
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