Praises

• God’s has given me ABUNDANT peace & grace each day; taking me deeper in adoration of Him
• My brother Greg visited me for a week on his way back from China.  Helped me paint & buy furnishings for my apt!  What a blessing to have some man-help!
• My apartment is a praise.  Its my quiet sanctuary & feels like home among the foreign-ness of a new country.  It’s in a quiet neighborhood & there’s a park with a running track about ½ mile from me. 
• Problems with my bank & credit card are cleared up.
• My sinuses have cleared up.
• YWAM Thailand community are passionate worshippers & have been welcoming!
• Hearing from God, confirmation on being here, and seeing God answer prayers.

 Prayer Requests

• Protection: Spiritual, emotional, and mental protection in the newness/vulnerability of this 1^st season
• Transportation: God’s hand protection on my travels each day.  I take taxis, motorcycles, bus, etc. 
• Friendships:  I have met many YWAMers & Thais, but ask God to develop friendship in my life.
• Church:  Pray that in next month I find a church to call home.  I have been visiting churches, but yet to find one that I feel is where God wants me.
• Jesus first:  My heart to be set on growing my love relationship with Him as my top priority.
• Language School:  Ears to hear the tones & mouth to speak it.  Pray for relationship with my teacher & that I stay attentive & eager to learn.  Frustrating to not be able to speak.
• My schedule:  Pray that I find the right rhythm on when to be out there building relationships with Thais, when to rest/study, & when to be in the office.
• Office:  Pray for my relationship with my director, Linda.  That we will develop understanding of each other & develop friendship that will please the Lord.

 August Update:  Thank you for your prayer, encouraging emails, and the connectedness I feel to you!  My 1^st month flew by & am settling into living here.  Listening, watching, and trying to understand new ways. Rather than trying to make things happen, I have been asking God to be a part of this all and have seen Him answer my prayers.  Last week we had YWAM Regional conference with 100 Thai & foreign missionaries gather to worship, have fellowship, and seek God about future plans.  It was encouraging for me to get big perspective of YWAM’s involvement in Thailand & to come together corporately to seek God.  Worship was amazing & overall it fired us all up to go out and see God’s kingdom come in Thailand.  This past weekend I went up country to my roommate’s family home.  Their home was surrounded by rice fields, banana & coconut trees.  We went outside every day and got tons of fresh fruit & veggies, took pailed showers & ate so many new food. It was special to be able to be in Thai home & look forward to more!  Every morning I was there I woke up about 4am to the sounds of Buddhist monks chanting in the temple close to their home. Brings me to prayer & so much is right before your eyes that I can pray into & bring God’s blessing.  In next month I will be getting into a schedule; consisting of going to language school, study, in the office, & building relationships with Thais.

Taste of Life Here:

• Market eating:  Most city people pick up foods/fruits at market on way home instead of cook
• Traffic:  It doesn’t have any rules, no stop signs & motorscooters tend to ‘own’ the road
• White is good! Asians desire to have white skin & white skinners like to have brown skin. Figure that one out?
• Watches: who needs them?  There just seems to be a flow, no schedule; might take a bit to get flowing

Heard & Pondered This:

You’re fired.  You no longer work for me.  But you work with me.  Step in tune with Me.  –God

Life is like a ten speed bike- most of us have gears we never use.  –Charles Schultz ‘Peanuts’