Christmas Outreach Extravagenza!!!

It has been a BUSY WEEK! This week was the focus of so many months of planning and prep! We were able to hold 3 HUGE Christmas outreach programs! It has been a crazy busy and tiring time, and we are exhausted, but God is so good! He has made a way for us to make it through, and through the dilligence and committment of the team of interns here and the leaders and the church members, the Christmas outreaches for 2014 were amazing! 

In the week leading up to the outreaches, we bought gifts and wrapped gifts and bought gifts and wrapped gifts! And then we bought more gifts and wrapped them TOO! Just for fun! From Dominoes to Dishtowels, Pillows to Plates to Picture frames, Toy Cars to Crayons, Bowls to Books, and everything in between, we bought and wrapped well over 300 presents! With a little help from Chaw ka lat Mary (one of the awesome interns) we managed to complete our task!

One of the things about the Christmas outreaches which was so cool was the way the Christians took ownership - it was their outreach, not the missionaries! They cooked, they brought supplies, they prepared special music numbers and dances, rented equipment, got transportation, set up chairs, prayed, and everything with a smile and a heart full of Joy, knowing that they were reaching their friends, their neighbours, and their countrymen. Adrienne and I lent a hand where we could, and we also prepared a drama with the Bang Sai believers! We did the Everything Drama; most of you have probably seen it, but where we presented it, it was fresh, new, and POWERFUL! We were blown away by how the young adults of the Bang Sai church learned it in ONLY AN HOUR AND A HALF! They got into it! We are still bruised from their amazing acting talents. They seriously rocked it - I've been in it 6 different times, and this time was the most real, and the most passionate. 

The first outreach was in Bo Thong, a small town in what seems like the middle of nowhere. Surrounding it though, are dozens of factories which the Burmese people work at. Starting out slowly, we suddenly turned around and experienced 130 people attending! God answered our prayers, brought people there, and touched their lives! We had a HUGE pot of soup, cookie decorating (and eating!), Christmas card and bracelet making, and a big stage! The music lasted for HOURS! The preacher had come from MCA in Bankok, and a bunch of people accepted Christ, between his sermon and the Everything Drama. Starting at 6, and going til almost midnight, it was a serious party for Jesus! After that it was off to Bang Sai for the second outreach!!!

Bang Sai again was amazing - we performed the Drama, the sermon was great, big ol' Pot O' soup made an appearance again, and I even got to play the drums for the whole evening! Let me tell you... Playing drums with seasoned musicians when you don't know a thing they are saying.... with over 24 songs on the list? WOW by God's grace I did it haha! At least 5 more people came to Jesus here, and we rejoiced with the believers that over 100 people came out!

The next day was spent recouperating from 2 crazy late nights, and holding a kids club/evangelistic outreach at a factory near Chachoengsao! Louise has been working with the believers in the factory, and they are growing stronger every day, praise God! Games, crafts, snacks, and songs drew a crowd, and then Louise shared the gospel and we gave out presents! It was a very merry time.

And then yesterday... the last big outreach! Chachoengsao! The place was packed, and God was smiling on the church that evening! It is amazing to see the love that God puts in the hearts of believers... The Burmese Christians here are so full of love and joy and self-sacrifice that it just puts us to shame, really. They brought their friends to hear the good news of Jesus Christ, and 20 people got saved! Yeah, 20! It was amazing and spectacular to see God's kingdom explode in our midst... He did the work! After that, we had the gifts - presents were flying everywhere, and people were partying and dancing and the band was playing and the name of Jesus was lifted HIGH! Such a powerful time...

So, with Christmas outreaches nearing their end, we are heading back to Bang Sai soon for a few days, and then it's Christmas! We will celebrate with Louise and all the foreigners here, and it's going to be great - but still, it's our first Christmas away from Canada. After that we are taking a week to regroup, and rest - everyone takes holidays after Christmas, so we are heading to the coast! 

Thank you all for your prayers and support! We feel so blessed to be here, able to love people in the name of Jesus, because of the generosity of everyone back home. Pray that we will be able to rest and get some energy back! Pray that we will be able to get back into a rhythm in Bang Sai with music and language study in the new year, and pray that we will be faithful in building God's kingdom here, whether sick or healthy, full of energy or drained! God bless you! I'm remembering this season that Christ came into the world at Christmas, as a baby... but then He grew up, and He turned the world upside down! His love and radical example set the course of history, and there is no other way we can get to God - People need to know this! They need to know that God loves them! That He sent His son to die for our sins! That Jesus lives to bring us together with God again. To bridge the gap. To remedy our sickness. To be our saviour. Merry Christmas!