“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” ~Jesus Christ

This is crazy. The Holy Spirit has been so deeply stirring my heart for the last couple months now, and I was so curious, so eager, so excited to find out what He was planning. I prayed and prayed, seeking counsel from my wonderfully Christ-focused family, and from trusted friends whose aim is the furtherance of the Kingdom of God. After much thought and prayer on the matter, it has become clear to me now that the Lord is...calling me back to America. At least for now, I will be moving back to the U.S. My heart has been so incredibly burdened for the state of the American church and the Godlessness that so permeates the country. While I will most certainly be sad to leave this place and these people, I trust that the Lord is in control, and as we obey His voice and trust His sovereignty, He is glorified and able to better use His church worldwide for the good works He ordained for her. That said, I am looking forward to coming and serving alongside my brothers and sisters on mission in America, and can't wait to see just what Almighty God will do in this next season of life. I thank you all so so much for  your constant prayers and support as I've been here in Thailand, and I can look back on this past year and happily say that it was not in vain. The Lord has certainly blessed this time, and people who had never heard the Gospel of Jesus were brought to repentance and salvation. Hallelujahx100 for the manifold humbling opportunities I was given to serve our Master. I will be living in Bangkok from the 17th till the 27th, after which I fly for the Americas. I will start in Long Beach, staying with our dear friends the Moreys. I'll be there for ten days or so, after which I will spend a spell in Bend, OR and then a little jaunt up to Washington, Lord willing. As of right now, I am not exactly sure what specific mission the Lord has prepared for me in the States, but I am confident He knows exactly what He's doing. I do know that the densest population of Thais in America is found in California, and perhaps in the future the Lord will use me to work down there. We will see! In the meantime, your prayers and encouragement are so deeply felt and appreciated, and have been all the time I've been overseas. I do not see this as the end of mission in Thailand (we have a lot of brothers and sisters out here who need our prayer and support), but for this next season of life, however long, I am USA bound. Please continue to pray for this nation, and for the furtherance of the Gospel world-wide. Much love to you all, can't wait to see you again. Praise Jesus for all things.
Derrick

'...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.'

Hey saints! Are you rejoicing in Jesus?

Sorry it’s been so long since my last update. Things have been relatively as usual out here. Just finished up testing out my little English students for the month of October, won’t be seeing them again till November. It’s been great getting to know them (it’s hectic at that school but slowly but surely I’m getting a chance to build relationships with these kiddos.) I’ve been able to teach about the Creator and Savior, and so has Dave, but of course if you’re not for Jesus, you hate Him, and this has led to a bit of resistance against Dave and me teaching the truth at school. Of course, a school where the kids are required to pay homage to a worthless pile of gold shaped into a man is certainly going to resist the message of truth. We rejoice at the little chances we've had to preach there, and continue to eagerly seek those moments when we can preach Christ.

In other news, Dave and Oy have taken off for the States for a month, leaving me solo out here with the Thai believers. Excited for what the Lord will do with this time, it is clear He’s moving here in Thailand and I’m so stoked to be in the middle of it.

On that note, I’m seeking His will on whether or not I should commit time to helping out at a ‘special needs’ school about 20 miles outside of town. Naturally, I could not think of something I’d rather do out here. It is such a wonderful prospect, but I want to make sure I’m not just calling shots now that I’m ‘on the field’. Gotta follow the commands of the General. Interesting to note, my friend Neung was explaining recently that mentally handicapped people here are considered to be bad luck, bad people because in a past life they did bad things and thus brought their condition upon themselves. That’s what the religion of this place teaches. You tell me it’s working for this place, leave it be? I laugh at that. There’s a million reasons why this pathetic satanic religion is most certainly NOT working for this place, but the rejection of mentally and physically handicapped people is certainly near the top of the list for me. Damn Satan and his deceit. All that to say I am looking into working with these ‘rejects’, and would love your prayer support in seeking God’s will on this.

In my last update I mentioned a young lady who was considering Christ. Praise and exalt Himx1,000,000 as just a couple weeks ago she prayed with Oy and surrendered her life to Jesus, repenting and believing in Him. She is in the fold, and going hard for Christ. She’s in the Word and being discipled by Oy and some of the women in the church. Praise the Lord, He’s mighty to save.

There is also a man who runs the internet café from which I write this update. He has been consistently curious about this Jesus we serve, and both Dave and I have had some long talks with him about the truth, about Christ. He’s been looking into other religions, such as Mormonism, and recently told me that Christianity is the only thing he’s found that makes any sense. I think he may be close to surrender, and so I beg you saints to lift this man up in prayer, that Satan would not tear out the seed that is sprouting in his heart.

Other than that, I think I have no new updates. Pray for Thailand, and thank you for reading this, you have to know it blesses me to know of your interest, prayer, and financial support for this mission. Until next time, I love you guys and miss you, hope to see you relatively soon!

Derrick

'Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.' ~Luke 15:7

Goodness it's been a long time since the last update! Warm greetings in the name of Jesus Christ our Advocate, who bled a path for us to Himself that we might have right standing with Almighty God. I have to say, this last stretch has been not entirely uneventful. To say the least. So many exciting things are happening here in Thailand, and I am so blessed and joy-filled to be able to be a part of it. 

To start with, the bar ministry that I mentioned in a previous blog update has been going swimmingly. God has blessed the relationships we've built in these places, and I do believe the gears are starting to turn for many of these people. As Galasin is a rather hopeless place, meaning hardly anyone here has any real hope (Jesus), it is not hard to find struggling people who've turned to the bottle, filling the Christ-less void with cheap beer and tobacco tar. That said, it has been a wonderful opportunity to present the real true hope of Christ Jesus our Lord, and to share with them that it isn't over, that they can be saved, and that they don't have to be miserable, apart from God.


Well, at one of the bars I play at, an Australian man stumbled in off the street and just sat there by himself, amidst a bunch of Thais. He doesn't speak Thai, he's middle-aged, and he looked a little worn out. So after the set, I went and sat with him, and we ended up talking for around an hour and a half. He's a philosopher of Jewish origin, and from a young age always believed in the Old Testament God, but never believed in Jesus as the Messiah. 'We Jews are not allowed to believe that.'  We reasoned and reasoned for a long time, and he left and I thought, well, I may have just offended a Jew, but hopefully I have shone the light of Christ into a place that's never felt its warmth. Well, a week later he came back, and he said he couldn't stop thinking about our conversation, and he was just unable to rest on the idea that Jesus isn't the Messiah. So we reasoned through the OT, from creation to Abraham to Isaiah to psalms to prophecies to God's sovereignty, all over the place, and at the end he said, 'I promise you I will look into the New Testament and see if it correlates with the old.' And then, about ten days later he came to me and said, 'Ryan,' (that's what he calls me, I have no idea why), 'Ryan! Yeshua, Jesus Christ, is the Chosen One, the Messiah, the Son of God, the recompense for all nations.' And we talked about repentance and salvation, and he accepted Christ as his savior and is now a believer! Please pray that his life would radically be changed and that the enemy would not interfere with this man's getting rooted. 

At another bar there is a young lady who spends much of her time in that place, where gather all manner of unsavory men. She recently expressed to me how empty and useless she feels ('I'm tired of living for nothing'). She told me she believes Jesus to be God, to be the Savior, and as we've talked more and more about Christianity, she now desires to go to church ('I want to be a Christian too'). At this point I have turned her over to Dave's wife Oy for discipling and a walk-through of the meaning of repentance and belief, as guy/girl outreach has definite limits before it becomes an entirely dangerous situation. Pray for this young woman, she is ready to take the plunge, and this time more than ever the enemy will be attacking her with doubt and all manner of difficulty to take her mind off Jesus.

So there are a couple absolutely exciting updates on the bar ministry side of things. God is so good, and it is such a magnificent privilege to be able to point these people to His salvation. Praise the Lord for the work He is doing!

Dave and Oy are doing well, enjoying marriage and settling into a rather normal routine finally. Dave has been faithfully maintaining contact/relationships with the teenage skate crew here in town, and there have been promising, exciting things happening as a result. It is a real blessing to have these godly people to work with. Dave has been teaching at a local middle school, where I have taken up one day a week to teach English. It's so gnarly working at a Buddhist school, where there at the front sits a big idol which the kids are expected to pay homage to daily. But we are allowed a measure of freedom in sharing the truth with these adorable little kiddos, and for this we rejoice. On a side note, did you know that Thai children are the cutest in the world?

Please pray for growth, maturity, and unity in our church here in Galasin. We continue the outreach in surrounding villages, Baan Sawang and Baan Nankung are primarily where we find ourselves when we go. At Baan Nankung, funds have finally allowed for the construction of a new church building. Hallelujah for His providence. At Baan Sawang, the kids are learning more and more about the Word of God, and are enthusiastic as we teach them the beauty of the Gospel. It's a wonderful thing to see them praying to a God they never knew existed. Please pray for the youngsters in these villages, they are so precious and open to hearing about our Lord. My heart aches to think of the millions and millions of kids throughout this region of Thailand who have not even heard the name of Jesus.

Indeed, Galasin is in the 'black hole' region of Thailand, meaning it's virtually unreached with the Gospel. 0% Christian. As I've come to find out, packing up everything and heading out to a completely foreign country is not nearly as insane as it sounds. God is God no matter where we are. That said, there are so so so few workers out here, and this harvest is so plentiful, and if you have a desire to get in the middle of a seriously wonderful Gospel-fire, I invite you to come alongside Dave, Oy and myself! Seriously. One month or one year or forever. Whatever. If you're a guy, you can live with me. If you're a girl, setting up accommodation is easier than saying 'accommodation'. God's got something big going on here in Galasin. Come see for yourself!

In closing, I will reiterate the prayer requests I've mentioned, which are:

• Pray earnestly for this new brother of ours, who was saved in a random bar in the middle of nowhere familiar.
• And this young Thai lady, who is so very close to repentance and salvation. The enemy will protest.
• And the kids at the school Dave and I work at, that we may shine Christ all over them.
• And the church body here in Galasin, for unity, maturity, growth, and singular focus.
• For the children at Baan Sawang, who are eager to learn about this God we serve.
• And finally, that the Lord would raise up workers to come out and help with this harvest. As Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (It cannot be stressed enough, Jesus answer for the current deplorable lack of missionaries is to pray earnestly to God, that He will send out workers. Prayer causes this to happen.)

Thank you all who pray and support this mission, it is a beautiful thing to see the church joining together to bring the message of the Gospel to these many unreached. Christ bless you all, I pray for you my church family. I love you all, which is made possible only by the blood of Jesus. To Him be all the accolade and honor and glory and fame in our lives. Hallelujahx100!!!

Derrick 

Here's a link for a quick little glimpse vid of Thailand. More to come real soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7oB26YfnTk&feature=youtu.be

'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'
~Jesus Christ


Hello sisters and brothers!


It's me again, with a quick update on the mission in Thailand. Over the last few weeks some very wonderful things have been happening. As Dave, Oy, and myself get used to the changes (Dave and Oy's marriage obviously changes things up a bit) God has been so faithful to lead us into the paths that He has, and I must say the transition has been almost painless. I'm reminded of Proverbs 3:6: 'In all your ways acknowledge [lit. pursue intimacy with, submit to, know deeply] Him and He will make your paths straight.' Sometimes life can be a bit overwhelming, and you begin to wonder just what on earth you're doing. But God has certain promises in place, and God cannot lie. He cannot lie. Therefore, it has been with great joy that Dave and I both have been leaning on such promises, trusting the Lord to direct our steps for the mission He has us on, and we have seen things happen in wonderful ways.


Just a couple of weeks ago, Dave was asked to start teaching at a local middle school. This, as you can imagine, is a very unique and excellent opportunity to reach out to Thai people, since he will have a long-term relationship with dozens of kids in the community. Praise the Lord for that! In addition, I will be teaching one hour on Monday and Tuesday at the same school, working in an after-school program. As every school is filled with Buddhist shrines and spirit houses, and as every child is expected to pay honor to the idols in place, you can imagine how excited I am to bring the light of Christ in. Please pray that lives would be changed--not just changed, but completely transformed in Christ.


So Dave has been getting closer to finding out what his weeks will be looking like, trying to balance his family life with his work in ministry, and the Lord has been faithful to direct him as he seeks His will. I knew that as he and Oy began their lives together, things would change a little bit, and the Lord would be mixing things up for me. And that is exactly what happened just two weeks ago, when my good friend and brother Neung (who is a part of the church body in Galasin) asked me to begin playing live music with him nightly at a couple bars in town. What a wonderful opportunity for the Gospel! So since then, we have been playing folk/old-style music in these bars, and because the populace generally does not speak English, I am free to sing any song I'd like, which means I get to play songs like 'Come Thou Fount' at a crowded bar for a ton of unbelievers. But the best part is the relationships built as a result. Because of the novelty of having a foreigner playing music at these places, the customers and employees are more than happy to talk to me, frequently asking me to sit with them after the music stops, and it is here that I have had numerous chances to share the Gospel and explain the Christian life to quite a few people. I figure, if they will give me the time of day, I will use it to tell them about Jesus. And it has been wonderful. I have had people shut me up, I've had people hate on me, but I have also had people ask questions, wanting to know more. One man expressed interest in staying in touch because he 'might want to know this Jesus'. So I thank Jesus for opening this new door, one that I did not at all expect a month ago. Please pray that the people reached through our playing music at these places would be brought to repentance and freedom in Christ.


As far as the church here in Galasin, I was very excited to visit the first new church plant I've seen come to fruition since I've been here. And with this new church came three new believers! Praise the Lord for these new saints, and please pray that they would grow strong and not be drawn back into the clutches of the socially excepted religion of demon and idol worship.


I haven't a lot of time right now, so I must be going. Much love to you all, remember the Cross, remember His blood.


In Christ, with love in abundance,


Derrick

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the chariots with fire.

~psalms 46:9

hello dear friends,

i apologize for the communication-less gap that the last month became. lately there’s been no small amount of goings on, and i have more or less been right in the middle of everything. and now, with your pardon, i will update you with what exactly has been going on, from a beautiful wedding to a frightening bus accident to tearing down idols in a new believer’s home. so without further ado…

this month has been an adventure to say the least. God has been so good, and so faithful and merciful, but that always goes without saying. among many things that Christ was lifted up in was dave’s wedding. yes, for those who did not know, my brother dave and his fiancée oy were married just a few weeks ago. it was a beautiful wedding, in which Christ was glorified, and people rejoiced. i am thanking the Lord for yet another incredible couple who will, i am confident, represent Christ in their marriage till the day they die. they are the ‘perfect couple’, so to speak. both so well suited to each other, both so completely focused on sharing Christ with the lost and found alike.

obviously, this does change the living situation a bit, to wit, dave and i will no longer be roommates. marriage changes things! the Lord has provided dave and oy with a wonderful little house, one well- suited to the needs of a newly-wed couple. thanking the Lord for the almost immediate answer to prayer regarding housing. i will stay in the house we’ve been in, which is another awesome provision that the Lord has blessed me with. it’s a lovely little two-bedroom house, complete with a sizable garden full of fruit trees. you are invited to come and stay any time! no really.

i also mentioned a bus accident, so let me tell you about that. it really was a miracle that it went the way it did. as i was traveling south via 15-passenger bus at four a.m., everyone on board was getting a little sleepy (including the driver). we were traveling at a pretty fast pace, highway speed, when suddenly the driver completely fell asleep, and we went careening off the road into the jungle. we barely passed between two huge trees, careening into a deep ditch, which served as a sort of launch ramp, catapulting us further into the jungle, now on the right side two wheels only, and then proceeded to scrape three cement pillars on the left side, before stopping six feet short of a huge palm tree. windows shattered, bus totaled, people tossed around the cabin like so many pieces of popcorn, and not a single life-threatening injury. praise the Lord. you have to understand, there was literally no way the wreck could have gone better than it did. i assure you, had the bus been to the left or right even six inches, i am certain there would’ve been at least a few fatalities. interesting to note, right before the accident, i felt prompted to pray for safety—and i wasn’t the only one. turns out, about six other friends were prompted to pray about our safety too, right around the time of the accident. our Father hears, thank God! definitely the most intense accident i’ve ever been in.

also on the agenda: a woman whom the church here in galasin has been reaching out to recently accepted Christ as her savior—hallelujahx100. it’s so exciting to see people coming to Christ. well, as is customary in most buddhist/animist/demon-worshipping homes, there is usually a room dedicated to idol worship, demon incense sacrifice, and the harboring of spirits. our new sister’s house was no exception, and had the whole get-up of idols and altars. we had the privilege of going to her house, where we all heard a message from pastor wenai on the greatness of God above all other gods, and then after prayer, our sister brought us to the idol room, where we tore down everything devoted to false gods and got rid of it all (at here behest). being a part of this was such a blessing, it is encouraging to see the Lord smack down what the enemy has worked so hard at preserving.

in other news, ministry here has been wonderful, as we adjust more to work here and what the Lord has planned for us. i have been able to visit home churches in surrounding villages, bring the message of hope to villages who haven’t got a single shred of it, and hit the streets of this town with the Truth. i have also been teaching music at the church, and there are a few non-believing soon-to-be-saints who are planning to start attending class, and so i request that you pray for them, the whole class, that they would be moved close to Christ.

and speaking of prayer requests, please continue to pray for galasin. there is so much need, so much hurt, and the prayers of the saints do not go unheard. God delights in our prayers, and we must be faithful to lift up those who have no concept of the precarious position they’re in apart from Christ.

i want you to know, i pray for  you, my friends, back home, and will continue to do so. just as i have many requests for prayer, so i want to let you know that even though oceans separate us, my love for you has never been stronger, and our relationship as brothers and sisters in Christ prompts me to tell you that if you need specific prayer, or if you want to fellowship with me via skype or some such method, please do not hesitate to get in touch. although i find myself busy here, i am not entirely unable to stay in touch.

alright, i think that sums up the events of that last month or so, i want you guys to know how much i appreciate your prayers, your support, and your keeping up on what the Lord is doing in thailand. pray for thailand, preach the Gospel, and praise the Lord always!

love in abundance,

derrick 

and it begins...

“sing unto the Lord, all the earth; shew forth from day to day His salvation. declare His glory among the heathen; His marvellous works among all nations.”
~1 Chronicles 16:23, 24

hey guys and gals and everybody,

God is doing some great things in thailand. from simple things like basic provision to relationships built to abundant opportunity to preach, there has been no shortage of uplifting evidence of a loving mighty God. we just finished the move to galasin (or kalasin as google would say) and are stoked to be here. earlier this week we were able to meet with pastor wenai and get sorted as far as work goes here in town. we will be mixing in-town outreach with discipling and evangelizing in the outlying 1,500 villages. there is such darkness here. and it’s no wonder, as this has been nothing but a haven for the devil for so so long. in this province alone there are around one million unreached people, and virtually all of these people are involved in an animistic, buddhist, demon-worshipping religion that quite frankly sets a perfect stage for the enemy and his servants to wreak havoc. you can feel the oppression here, and yet we know that Jesus overcame satan and therefore we have nothing to be afraid of. still, it’s not without its challenges. as you might imagine, there is a lot of pain and death here in galasin, really in all of thailand. there are prostitutes, orphans, sick, dying, lonely, afflicted people everywhere, unaware that Jesus exists, biding their time until the grips of hell finally pull them under. it can be overwhelming to see the devastating need out here, particularly in this the poorest part of thailand. sin is rampant. std’s, particularly AIDS, are through the roof in galasin. these people need your prayer. their lives depend on the healing that can only come through Jesus Christ by way of His saints. don’t neglect to pray for them.

some of the thousands of kids in the villages

in other news, language studies go very well, and God has given me more grace than i deserve in learning thai. it is an incredibly difficult language, but He knew this when He called me here and i am confident He will continue to give me understanding. there are around six total english speakers out here among the million, so our language is basically obsolete. if you think to, prayer about language and communication for dave and me is so appreciated. as far as the place of galasin itself, it is just gorgeous. poor, yes, but abundant in natural beauty that screams the name of its Creator. lakes and rivers and jungles and purple plants that don’t look quite real and cobras and toads and elephants and sunsets that look like nothing i’ve ever seen are all to be found out here. the cuisine is very good as well, although it might be a bit intimidating to the western palate (it has been for me, that’s for sure.) we’ve had the…pleasure…of eating crickets and grubs and silkworms and fat little larvae things and ant eggs and five-inch praying mantises and raw beef and raw squid and a host of other strange things. these things are quite the norm here in galasin. fortunately, there is far more ‘normal’ food (according to our western way of thinking) and we have been happy to partake of more simple dishes, like rice and pork and veggies. in fact, that’s about eighty percent of what we eat. but i’m rambling

dave repping well near the town center

as it turns out, i am planning on living here indefinitely, whether that means three years or twenty i do not know, but i most certainly feel called to stay out here for as long as the Lord will allow. with so much need, so many lost people who might otherwise never hear the message of salvation, i have decided to stay and work as the Lord allows. i do plan on returning to the states for a few months at the end of this year in order to tie up any loose ends and to raise support, but other than that it looks like i’m in this for the long haul. and for this i rejoice. sure it will be difficult, but God is bigger than difficulty and He sustains. so i thought it important to let you all know.

certainly God is moving, and the response to the gospel is very favorable out here. one sister has led thirty-two people to genuine relationship with Christ in the last two months alone. as we work out here alongside our brothers and sisters, the plan is to disciple the young believers to go into their villages as evangelists, and to plant home churches as well. it is such a privilege to be a part of this movement, and to see first-hand the deeply effective working of the Spirit on these people. please continue praying for them.

my backyard

for now, that’s all i got. thank you all for reading, thank you for your interest in all this, thank you for your prayers, thank you for your support. i pray for you guys, that God would continually work in your lives and the sweetness of Jesus Christ and the joy of His salvation would never once be taken away from you, and that you would be encouraged and moved to reach the lost as you go about your lives. to Him who has done a perfect work in overcoming death and hell, rescuing us from our just damnation,  be all the adoration in our lives.

love you!