Newsletter November 2012

How are you  doing ? I hope you are doing well . This newsletter is sending  after the Thanksgiving season so I would like to share what I am thankful for these past few months. I am calling it “Travels of Thankfulness ”

-           The first of my travels was a great time doing a small vision trip with Ice to Mookdaharn province. We went to visit a ministry that translates the Bible into the native language of an area of Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. This ministry challenged me. I asked a lady who has done this job for more than 20 years, “What are things that moved you and encouraged you to do this?” With a big smile and happy face, she said, “It is the greatest joy when people read and study the Bible and are changed by the Word of God. ” Oh my heart was full of joy when I heard the answer!!!  I am so thankful that God gives me wisdom to read and study the Bible in Thai and English. And more than that, I have the Bible in my own language. Oh, I want to go deeper and deeper into the Word. May we soak in the Word.

Ice with Friends who works in Mukdaharn

-           The second travel was our staff (NEU and KKU) vacation to Ko-Rat, a big mountain. We got to spend time with each other. Actually I spent a lot of time with 3 other single staff, and the highlight of this trip was seeing celebrities. We got to take pictures with them too!! This is a very little thing, but I really was thankful to see the real people who you usually see only on TV. Hah!!.

-           The third travel was our church retreat, “We Shine”  at Ubon-Rat Dam in Khon Kaen.  All members of Covenant Church spent good time in fellowship and learning to let Jesus shine in our life to other Thais. I was so thankful to see all of us together, sharing what God is teaching us. And it was very encouraging to see  members of our church desire to be  involved. We had this retreat by means of our own savings. They opened a small bank to encourage members to begin saving a few months before the retreat, and that was a big help for our members.

  

-           

Sano and Stomptown revival

The last travel was a great opportunity to visit Chiang-Mai province. I really enjoyed my time there. I saw many different things from Khon Kaen. I went to a church with about 200-300 members worshipping God. My eyes were opened because I have never seen this many Thai people worshipping God. May God Bless our Thai church. I also had the chance to go to Doi-Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand. It is a very beautiful creation of our God. I got to spend time with staff of The Light, which is a ministry with students in Chiang-Mai. We had good conversations and got to know what is God doing in each other’s lives. One more things that I really enjoyed so much this trip was the food. Thank God for His Provision!!!!  Oh, and I almost forgot to share, at The Light ministry, I had a chance to see an American singer  Stomp-town Revival. In the picture, they are playing a mini-concert – it was so cool and I enjoyed listening to new songs.

Sano and P'Ann : The Light Staff .

  When I was about to finish this newsletter, I realized that there is one more travel that came up in my mind! Yes, we are travelling to Our Father ’s Home in heaven, and one day we will be forever with Him. This world is not our home. This world we are living in is not the last. We are the traveler on this trip. There are hard times, the rough track, and mountain climbing. Sometimes we may feel so tired, so weak, but this will not be forever. Forever is living with God after this life. Oh hope comes to my heart. I would like to encourage all of you who are reading this to keep on travelling, seeking God, remember His Promises, being thankful for what he has done in your life. Love Him with all of yourself.

And the very last thing I am always thankful for is your support, both through finances and prayers, and the “how are you” through facebook. These are encouraging and show me that it is His will to lead me to minister with students in Thailand.

Let our hearts sing praise to God. Always be thankful for what he has done and what will be done.

Let us travel to eternity. Love in Christ Jesus,

Sano

Summary of Ministry from June to August

- Relationships have been built with many students - they enjoy baking with us more than other years of ministry (I feel like that!!!) and 9 of them went on a gospel retreat with us this past weekend .Retreat went well , we had opportunity to open their mind asking them and show them video about “Who is God ? Dose he exist ? and ask them who are you ? where are you from and where are you going after this life ? ” . Some of them are interest about Him ask more questions , some of them just listen . Thanks God for your prayer .

                                                    Picture at retreat : before we play Game.

- Fone: Freshman student studied the Bible with me a few times before she professed her faith in Christ on July 6th! Praise God who is at work in her life! We have been studying foundations of being a Christian since then. She is a learner and seems to understand in her head. I pray that she will understand in her heart and love God more and more .

                           Picture of Fone with us the day she professed her faith in Christ.

- Get, one of the guys involved in our ministry, professed his faith in Christ August 10th, after spending almost 2 years with us , I was so impressed seeing Get share his faith with students at retreat and he also took response for MC and skit . Praise God!!! .

• Group discussion at Retreat (Name from left to right : Ja , Nicky ,Dream , Miw, Nan , Tang-Mo , Get , Oh , Gip and Fone )

- The Christian girls who I am establishing are growing up in knowing God more. They are involved with and partnering with us to share the gospel with some of their friends.

- Kade, Ice, and Loogmee, who I am equipping, really enjoy studying the Bible with Honey and I. We just finished the Fuel and the Flame bible study. They enjoy ministry with us and they have had a great effect on young Christian girls. They are my highlight this year. I am very thankful to God, who works in them, and I pray that God would continue to work in their lives after graduation.

Summary of my life

I have been doing good. My mom’s surgery in mid-august went well. She has been healed. Thank God for that. There are many things God has taught me recently. One thing I would love to share is from Job 2:10 “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" We have received tons of blessings from God, but there was one tiny bad thing that seemed very big to me and blinded me to how blessed I am in Christ. Once God gave me this verse, I started seeing blessing in this life and how eternity is coming so soon!!! Praise and thanks to Him for the good and bad in this. For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.

Prayer request

- Pray for what happened at the Retreat this weekend - there are about 40 people who went and more than half of them had never heard the gospel .


- Wisdom for Kade , Ice , Honey and I to lead young Christian girls who God gives us to shepherd. Pray for them, too, that they would grow more in knowing him with a spiritual heart. In Ephesians 1: 17-19 “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.”


- My Financial support - 2 CCP students are talking with their friends about supporting me. Pray that God would lead more supporters to join my team .



- Noon is a student who professed her faith in Christ 2010. I tried to disciple her - we had been meeting together, and then she stopped coming until she had a lot of problems a month ago. I was able to help her, and she seemed very interested to repent and come back to God for about 2 weeks, and then she disappeared again. I must confess that I am very tired of following her after she shut down our relationship again. Please pray for her that she would repent from her sin and surrender her life to God .



Thank you for your prayers and Support for His Glory

God bless in Christ



Sano

June 2012 Newsletter



My mom and dad @ the hospital in Udonthani province.

 

I have been doing good since my last update. I went to visit my family in Udonthani Province for a week. My mom was terribly sick the day I got home, so I took her to the hospital, where she stayed 3 days. She has had asthma disease for years and because this summer was so hot, her asthma became worse and caused an infection in her lungs. She has been in and out of the hospital for the last month and a half. Finally, the doctor found out that she has a problem with her tonsils – they are growing bigger, which may be the factor causing her disease. She will have her tonsils removed sometime between August 6-9.. The time I was with my mom I was at peace because I know He is with me. I believe that, but I was also stressed because I was scared that she would leave us, and she does not believe in Christ. Thinking about where she will spend eternity without Christ hurts me so much. I have been sharing with her for a while, but her heart is like a rock. I am so thankful she is better and am hoping I will continue to have opportunities to share with her and the rest of my beloved family. Please keep my family in your prayers.
 

 

We had staff training May 7-14^th. It was refreshing and also helped me to refocus on what I am living for - Glorify God by building labors on campus for the lost world. I have to remind myself of this question -  “Am I always thinking about this vision when I wake up every morning?” This question helps me to see my desires - that I desire to glorify Him in what I am doing and to know Him and to make Him known through this. Praise God who works in me, and refreshes me with his truth “Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. ”

NEU Orientation day

First group of student Ice and I meet.

The new school year for 2012 begins this week. The Cross Cultural Project, a team of college students from Campus Outreach Lexington, arrived here on May 28th. There are only 5 male students from the CCP at NEU this year. There are no CCP girls to help us in ministry, so this is new for my key students and me. We are planning and going on campus, trusting God who works in us. We have been going on campus a few days and have built relationships with some girls already. Our goal this year is to meet more than 200 girls.

Please pray for:


- Ministry that we will meet more than 200 girls this year, and that each of us will have the chance to share gospel with them.


- Sano, Honey, Kade, Ice, Loogmee - Please pray that we will walk with God daily, learn from him, do our part going on campus, and have faith in Him who works in NEU students.


-NEU students - There are about 1300 first year students. Pray for God to open their hearts and lead them to know Him through our ministry here.


Thank you for your prayers and support.


Love in Christ,


Sano

Thai Summer Project 2012 Love Power 2

After one month of Thai Summer Project , Which over forty Thai Christian students participating this summer we finished them well as Picture below





High light of this Project

1) Leader Students from KKU and NEU had learned to grow in this area one of them shared at the last Leader Meeting that “The 2 things I learned – Leadership is not just a subject to learn & then go use on others, but that we as leaders need to drink from the Lord & then we’ll be able to pour into our disciples & lead them through overflow. The second thing I learned was that I and others are emotional & are up & down, but God is always ready to accept us. Therefore, we have to trust in Him & rely on Him only.” Praew from KKU (pictured wearing white shirt) below with me and Joy @ Coffee shop during Coaching time.

2) Preaw (pictured wearing black and white stripes) was the only non-believer student from NEU who joined us at TSP. During the month of learning more about who God is, she professed her faith in Christ on 28th March. I am so excited for her as well as for Ice (one of my disciples), who will now be her discipleship leader.

3) Bible study class on Tuesday night was one of the highlights for me. P'Fone (one of our KKU staff members) taught the Thai believers how to do Inductive Bible study. I felt this class was very helpful and fruitful. For half of the class, it was the first time they had studied the Bible in this way.

God has done great things at TSP. He is working in the students' lives. At the farewell night, we gave them the opportunity to share what they had learned. Almost everyone wanted to come up and share about what God had taught them through the project. I am very thankful and full of praise. I hope that by seeing how God has worked in their lives, will impact them so that they will not keep God to themselves, but will tell other Thai people about God .I pray that God would LauraLauracontinue to use this experience to help them have a heart for Him to be His laborer , just as our theme last June 2011 " Nationalized Multiplying Laborer Producing Movement".

Let’s us Praise God What he has done and Let’s us Ask Him MORE Blessing , MORE Laborer in Thailand .

Thank you for your Prayer and Support .
Love In Christ Sano

February 2012Update

Highlights ministry Kade, Ice, and Kana: These are 3 girls in our leadership group. We have a bible study together, and they have been involved with ministry. These girls had a chance to do ministry with us staff girls and the Australian CCP (Cross Cultural Project). I am so thankful for them. They have a heart for their friends to know God, and it’s exciting to see a young generation who seeks to spread the Good News.

Praise God! 2 students, one girl (First) and one guy (Tdui), who professed their faith in Christ recently.

Gospel retreat @ Koa-Yai Mountain: We shared the Gospel many times and did lots of fun activities. My favorite thing about this retreat was being able to spend lots of time together and growing closer with the girls who went with us. Also, three Christians students, Kana, Tdong, and Ice, shared their testimonies. God has used their lives to impact those who listened – after the retreat, the non-Christian students whom I talked to were questioning what they really believe. Most of the questions that they asked can be summed up in this thought: “They do believe in God who created the world but still do not understand how can Jesus save all people and all nations. He is only one person but since the beginning there have been tons of sinners!!!!!! How can his life pay for everyone?

There are 3 girls (Ping Pong, Luck, and Iwe from picture below last 3 girls from your left ) from the retreat who I challenged to have a bible study. They all said yes, but we have not gotten to meet yet. Please pray for them, that God would work in their hearts to lead them to him.

Low light of ministry , Well, I am not sure what to say or if this is a low light, but I’m thinking about and still in the process of learning to understand life and seeing God in the real world.
I am learning to trust in Him and keep praying for these girls.

I meet with Josh, the girl who has struggled with her family. She said her dad is always checking on her to see what is she doing. But her need is in Jesus. I am not really sure what she means, and I am encouraging her to read the bible and pray if she still believes. Please be praying for her.
Am, one of my disciples, is in an unhealthy relationship with a non-Christian. Last time we met she said that whatever makes me happy, she will do. She believes she is Christian. Please be praying for her, that she will understand the real meaning of the Gospel, repent in her heart, and surrender to God.

How am I doing? I am doing very well and am really enjoying life with Him. God is teaching me to be satisfied in Him alone -“Depend on God” is my theme for this year. Through situations, friends, disciples, and scripture, I have heard God saying, “Come here, Come to Me, Seek Me, Walk with Me, Depend on Me, Don’t depend on your thoughts, your ways, or yourself.”
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him,and he will make straight your paths. Proverb 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord, my friends. He is trustworthy.
Thank you for your prayers and support .
Sano