Week 2

Unedited week 2 newsletter

Week 2

Our second week with YWAM Chaiyaphum was equally busy and rewarding.

Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday were spent doing construction and preparing for English lessons. The latter commenced on Wednesday morning. We were as prepared as the limited information from the school allowed us to be. Although we had to adapt our lesson plans on the fly, we all felt that we were able to engage the students, ages K-16ish, very well. We divided the 160-odd students into 4 groups and had them rotate through Classrooms on reading, writing, listening (to), and speaking English. These were taught respectively by Kiah and Maddie (plus Raem and Asia), Sarah, Ashlin and Ethan, and JT and I (plus Matthew and Nan). Alyssa handled the Kindergarteners and Drew facilitated everywhere. Our contact family helped out in the classrooms and were a very valuable asset. By the time the day was over, we were sort of wiped, but also pumped that it had gone so well. Friday’s English teaching was similar in size but more advanced. With that as a heads-up, we were able to design lesson plans to meet students where they were and keep them engaged and learning. After classes, we participated in volleyball and soccer, much to the amusement of students and YWAMmers alike. The mid-afternoon sun on the concrete and sand was a warm reminder of why we wait until near-dark for soccer ministry back near base, but it was still a blast.

-Trevor Sullivan

Testimonial:  Ethan Stoner

This week was our first week teaching English at the schools in Thailand. I have never taught English before and was not quite sure how it would go trying to teach to children who speak a vastly different language. My team and I had prepared the best we knew how and arrived for our first day on a Wednesday. It ended up being so  much fun using our goofy personalities to overcome any nervousness we may have felt. My partner, Ashlin, really got the kid’s attention and they loved seeing Americans do anything really. We were able to be very personal and work on English greetings with them one-on-one and often had them laughing with our occasional attempts at speaking Thai. 

On Friday, I specifically remember one boy who had something wrong with one of his eyes. When the class had to join in pairs, no one would sit with him as a partner. I decided to sit down and practice with him. He didn’t seem to understand what I wanted at first. I knew I had learned the Thai word for “Repeat”, but couldn’t remember what it was. I decided to pray and ask God to help me remember. Almost instantly, I then remembered and spoke the words “Phud tam”. He understood and then perfectly repeated all of the English greetings I taught him. I really felt the Holy Spirit recalled the word to my memory in that moment. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit continues to draw the children in by seeing something different in us, not just that we look different and are foreign, but that we have the love, joy, and gifts that come only from knowing Jesus.

On Thursday, we wrapped up the concrete and the interior painting on a new house that belongs to one of the families whose son attends soccer ministry. I’m not sure how to spell his name, but it’s pronounced like LEGO. Their circumstances are very difficult, 8 years ago the father moved to South Korea for work and has not been able to return. Lego and his mom have been living with a neighbor; in trying to build their own place the mother has had issues with shady contractors and finances but the house is now almost liveable.

One conversation that I thought was noteworthy this week was between Ethan, Raem, and I in the back of their truck on the way to English lessons. One of our host’s dreams is to have their own soccer field (currently the soccer ministry meets at a school) as well as a coffee shop on a main road where it would get traffic. Their current (very small) coffee shop closes while teams are at YWAM Chaiyaphum, as it serves as our cafeteria and meeting room. It also isn’t very busy, as it’s in their gated courtyard at the end of an alley off a street from the main road. When I probed a little more and did the math, it seems like the land plus construction would potentially be doable for around $10k USD. It seems like such an insignificant amount for such a valuable ministry tool… Something to chew on.

-Trevor Sullivan

After such a busy and full week, Saturday arrived, our day off. We decided to use most of this day to check off a bucket list item, riding elephants. It felt surreal, and was very worth the two hour drive each way. With Sunday morning came church, and this week, worship was followed by a sermon given by myself, as well as a testimony given by Trevor. The church was small, but the pastor was very kind and warm hearted, so we felt welcomed and well relieved. Later in the day, we attended a Christmas party hosted at a different church. Songs and skits were performed, including our rendition of the Nativity Scene, and much fun and laughter came. 

-Madeline Hull

Thank you for your continued prayers, we miss all you at home during this season especially, but God is taking care of us. Here are some specific things we would love prayer for:

Our sister team in Cambodia is battling illness and fatigue, their schedule is packed and they’re giving 110%, please pray for strength, health, and encouragement for them.

Everyone on our team has been relatively healthy and God has been very good to us in  food safety, but continued health for our team plus our hosts is very much a prayer request.

English teaching really ramps up this week and our schedule is incredibly full. Please pray that we can have a blast and not miss home too much while we teach English and share the Christmas story on Christmas day at a local high school.

In Him,

Team Thailand.