Chiang Mai

Time flies! I've been abroad for a little over a month now. We've been in Thailand since January 3rd. We're currently in Chiang Mai, our first of three cities. We're staying at a cafe called Wongen. It's an awesome place associated with YWAM and the owner operates a few different ministries. The umbrella organization is called Lighthouse In Action which includes Love Acts, a sex trade ministry we've been working alongside, X-Life, which focuses on remote Thai villages, and the ministry of the cafe itself, Wongeneration. Wongen is directly across the street from Chiang Mai University, hosts lots of YWAM teams and missionaries and has full time staff members that teach english. All the teams that stay here come alongside the ministries in one way or another. Our team has been focusing on the university and "friendship evangelism". It's been awesome getting to know some students and learning about their culture. We also go out to the red light district a couple nights a week to reach out to prostitutes and clients alike. It can be really hard stepping out and developing relationships sometimes, especially in the spiritual heaviness of the red light district. If we come to mind, pray that God gives us His heart for the people we come into contact with and that we have opportunities to love on people. Here's some links for more info on Lighthouse In Action.

ywamthai.org/lighthouse
facebook.com/LighthouseInActionThailand
facebook.com/WonGenKafe
facebook.com/LoveActsThailand
facebook.com/XLifeThailand

Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers!

Peace from the East,
Trevor

So Long Philippines

Today marks 18 days in the Philippines, and tomorrow we fly west to Thailand. It's been an amazing time and I don't think I've even begun to digest my experiences here. But I'll try my best to sum things up.

YWAM is a Christian outreach organization, so I'm not out here on vacation. At it's core, this trip is supposed to be about evangelism. Evangelism can be described a number of ways, but in essence it is sharing and promoting your faith. I've been raised Christian my entire life and value my personal relationship with God, but I've never been quite comfortable with "evangelizing" to non-believers. I'm a peaceful person. I don't want to seem like a religious stiff and tell other people what they have to believe. But as I look back at this trip so far, I'm beginning to see that evangelism is not like that at all. The core of the Christian faith is Jesus Christ, and if you look to the life of Christ you see humility, service, sacrifice and love. Hardly the type of things that ignite a heated religious debate. On this trip I haven't shouted on a soap box or preached a fiery sermon, but I have had the opportunity to share the love of God through service. Just as He has loved us, so He calls us to love one another.

"Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." - Matthew 22:37-40

I hope that as this trip continues I have more opportunities to talk to non-Christians about my faith and to share what God has done in my life. But if I don't, it's alright. We can exemplify the love of Jesus without ever saying a word. I am blessed to know my maker, my redeemer, and my best friend. Love as He has loved, that others may know Him too. 

So long to the Philippines and hello to what ventures await us in Thailand!