Missionary Blog Watch » Thailand

Troubled times, and a Prayer for the New Year

Jim — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:35:57 +0000

I enjoyed (in a sympathetic kind of way!) this story from Niger about a therapy session – How Not To Build Rapport!

What can you say when it looks like your fear is about to become a reality? In this case, it’s a fire (Republic of the Congo)!

And now, an update from Mexico about a miracle baby and how the Gospel is infiltrating people’s lives, in spite of hardship and persecution.

And what is Christmas like in Uruguay? Well, here’s one experience…

But enough about Christmas… let’s end with a prayer for the new year, thanks to bloggers in Thailand.

In Thailand, and Returning to the Field.

Jim — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 15:04:04 +0000

From Thailand… a post about being a hero, and a little glimpse of culture in Fido Rides Again.

Don’t forget those who are preparing to return to the field, such as this family going to the Philippines.

And while we’re away from the field, check out a creative way to raise funds – Faso Five-O Finish (Burkina Faso).

And one more big issue while you’re off the field and trying to get back… visas! VISA, VISA, and No VISAs will give you the low-down when it comes to Spain.

Back to Regularly Scheduled Programming…

Jim — Mon, 30 May 2011 15:29:30 +0000

Well, that’s enough of giving things away for a while – it’s time to get back to what we’re all about: Missionary Blogs!

But did you know that missionary bloggers are always giving things away? They’re taking the time to share their lives with you, and share with you about what God is doing!

So let’s look at a few recent posts:

How appropriate! Here are some people looking to work together to share stories about what God is doing in Africa!
I love posts like this – both pictures and text answer questions about life in Jamaica – awesome!
Thinking about image while making tortillas – curious?
Just happened to be passing by – God’s surprise encouragement in Bolivia…
I love it – learning a little about urban gardening – what a great idea! (Kenya)
Babies in Bolivia
Thankful for short term teams in Ukraine!
Serving as dorm parents – what do the students think about it? Here are some quotes from Niger.
I know you’ve all been wondering – what does Brian do? What’s it like to work at a Bible institute in Peru?

26 Missionary Blogs (from A to Z)

Jim — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 03:58:35 +0000

So I was just sitting here and wondering if I could make my very own A-Z list of missionary blogs.

All right, so it’s just another fun way to discover new blogs! I admit, I cheated a bit with X. But the Rapp family has to get some kind of a prize for their creative use of that misunderstood letter.

I do believe I managed to have 26 different countries as well.

So enjoy this quick alphabetical tour of the world, and go leave a comment on a blog you’ve never commented on before!

aliens and strangers (Tanzania)
Behind Palace Walls (Nepal)
Children of Hope (Mexico)
drumsticksandpaintbrushes (Australia)
Ecuador Missions (Ecuador)
Finding God in China (China)
Gleanings from the Field (Thailand)
He Says/She Says (Peru)
In His Love (Russia)
Jungle Abbotts (Cameroon)
Kids’ Doc in Jos (Nigeria)
Livin’ The Adventure (Argentina)
Millions to Tell (Chile)
New Every Morning (Taiwan)
OUR JOURNEY (Philippines)
Partnering with Parents (Niger)
Quirey Life (Brazil)
Rescue Iraq (Iraq)
Sowers4Pastors (Honduras)
Today’s Grace (El Salvador)
Under the Marchegian Sun (Italy)
Voice in the Desert (Burkina Faso)
With Love from Ukraine (Ukraine)
Rapp Family Aixtreme Life (France)
The Yakubu Family (Ghana)
Zach Attack (South Africa)

Recent and Random: Taxi Drivers, Students, and La Lucha

Jim — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 13:59:17 +0000

Here are just a few recent interesting posts from around the world…

Christ School Stories (Uganda): The stories of a couple of students.
Am I a Cool Christian? (Philippines): On being a cool blogger, a cool church, and a cool Christian.
nou la (Haiti): "We’re here. We’re watching the place we love fall into further chaos. We’re sad. We’re hopeful. And we’re praying."
Crossing The Passion River (Guatemala): A common event for these missionaries – some pictures of the crossing.
Bangkok Taxi Evangelism (Thailand): "Sealed inside an air conditioned bubble, far from the eavesdropping ears of society-at-large, Bangkok’s taxi drivers will give you their uninhibited opinion on just about anything. Politics. Religion. Education. The monarchy. Their hometown. How to manage multiple wives in different cities. Nearly nothing is off limits. "
More nuggets from Russia (Russia): Cold day? Whatever you do, don’t open your mouth!
Oh, What a Day! (Paraguay): Here’s where la lucha (the fight) comes in. Sometimes minor setbacks, sometimes big problems. Also, from the same blogger, check out Manger Scenes.
December Kekchi Pastors Module (Guatemala): More students! 49 pastors hearing God’s Word…
Christmas Dinner Recipe (Malawi): Actually, this is the same video I posted below. (Warning: real insects are harmed in this video)

Thailand Posts and Video…

Jim — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 14:26:05 +0000

I’ve been looking at some excellent blogs out of Thailand today. Thailand is a country very popular with our visitors (see a summary of Thailand blogs here), and we also have a lot of bloggers blogging from there. So here’s the latest from a few of those blogs:

Bob’s Final Bridge! An engineer builds something for the Kingdom.
Power in blood More about the red protests…
Yes, We’re Going Back Answering a surprisingly common question!
A great retreat! Just what it sounds like.
Spiritual Warfare Unique challenges this time of year…
Observations on Chiang Mai Coming From Isaan Sometimes you get a unique perspective from the change of scenery.

Finally, check out this video that The Stark Truth has linked to (it’s graphic – viewer discretion advised).

Making Disciples

Jim — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 13:19:22 +0000

For the most part, missionaries want to obey Jesus’ command to make disciples (all right, if they don’t, are they missionaries?). But how is that done? What does it mean? And how can we get outside our own desires and plans and see what Jesus would have us do?

Today, let’s look closer at missionary bloggers who are talking about disciple making – reflections on how they feel it should be done, stories about how it is being done, and even posts about how challenging it can be…

Disciple making and makers (France): Tom Julien just completed a week of teaching at the Château de St. Albain where he expounded on Ephesians 4:11-16. His teaching on maintaining balance in ministry was thought-provoking…
Photos from our "Guns ‘N Roses" Baptism (Canada): Here are a ton of fantastic photos of the baptism taken by Robert David. Unfortunately, you can’t hear the music…
Is Francis Really That Crazy? (Ireland): "Missions" or The Mission? I was reading the final chapter of Luke this morning and was struck once again (Luke 24:45-48) that Jesus’ vision and his commission has always been about…
September 2010 Update (Ukraine): You may have read about record breaking heat waves, forest fires and grain shortages in Russia. Though Ukraine is…
Short Term Missions: A Personal Expereince (Brazil): For years, I have seen people impacted by a short term mission experience. First, while I still lived in the States and then as people have come to visit through the years. Angie Duplaga, a teacher…
Reading with Nathan (Mexico): One of my life goals is to disciple my kids. If you read the Bible, you’ll understand that…
Culture 101 (South Africa): (Leigh Writes) always comes a point in our spiritual journey when our faith in Jesus and our culture reach a disconnect. A point where we have to choose who we are going to follow.For many of the kids we work with…
Do You Need a Bible Degree to be a Long-Term Missionary? (Thailand): Because the need for people to hear the Gospel on the mission field is so urgent, it is sometimes claimed that doing a lot of Biblical studies or earning a degree in Bible is not necessary to be a long-term missionary…
The Feast and the Cross (Uganda): Sort of stuck in Luke 14. A good place to be. After meditating on how we steel ourselves for battle only to find out that the draft letter is really an invitation to a party . . . kept reading and…
Discipleship and Mentoring in a Russian Context (Russia): Karen and I came to Russia with the plan to church plant. Our desire was to plant a church that would reproduce itself and hopefully spark a…

If I want to feed my family… and other reflections

Jim — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:34:46 +0000

It doesn’t matter. If you’re a missionary from Kenya to Egypt, or a missionary from Japan to Canada, or a missionary from the USA to Ecuador. There are challenges. Things to get used to. Surprises.

Here are some of the experiences missionary bloggers have been through lately. For example, this blogger in Niger laments If I want to feed my family… …I have to go grocery shopping.

Speaking of groceries – spotted in Thailand was the Sausage-Cake Sandwich. Full pictures provided in case you want to check your local grocery store.

And a day of adventure in Senegal – yes, it’s Caca water!

All right, I’m glad that’s over. But… wait! Danger looms ahead! This time, not from roaming the country, but from blogging — as seen in this Disclaimer in Peru. Yes, always remember – the world is reading your blog!

Finally, some peace. A good report on a concluded Bible study – A SWEET ENDING in Bolivia.

Quick fact of the day from Taiwan: Early Christian Influence on Asian Buddhism

And finally, some reminders to pray. First, out of Honduras, challenging times: Praise and thanks for prayer. And an incredible post from Paraguay – Thoughts on a Funeral. Not only will you learn about missions, and Paraguay, you’ll learn about God’s grace.

2010 Tour of Thailand!

Jim — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 23:34:48 +0000

I’ve been thinking a lot about Thailand, as I hear about some of the challenges that the country is facing in the news. I did a check and discovered that, although we talk about Thailand a lot here, we’ve never really done a full feature on blog posts from there.

So, here’s a whole bunch of great posts! There are stories of real people (ie Raising Witnesses, A Look Into a Thai Person Coming to Christ), general glimpses into missionary life (ie First Quarter Highlights), lots of culture (ie Ordaining a tree, Thai alphabet song), news about the recent upheaval in the country (ie Crisis in Thailand : Update, Prayer for Thailand), and thought-provoking personal glimpses (ie Depression, It’s about time…).

Some incredible posts here, and some interesting pictures and video. Don’t miss this 2010 tour of Thailand!

A market in Thailand