November Updates

Brianna Chun
Dec 6, 2023
5 min read

Updated: May 14, 2024

Photo from our Thanksgiving celebration!

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy late Thanksgiving! I hope you all are well, especially as we go into this holiday season.

Here is my update from this past month!

Teaching Leah basic algebra in math class!

Classes are in full swing!

6 weeks of classes have already gone by, and it has been a blast teaching. I love finding new ways to teach material in a more exciting and engaging way.

On the other hand, teaching Thai-speaking students can be difficult at times. However, seeing how much they can learn in a different language has been so rewarding. It has also allowed me to continue to learn more and more Thai, which helps me connect with the kids even more.

The middle schoolers learned about melting points of substances by making ice cream! (below)

I have also begun teaching a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) class to some of the college kids who are interested in further studies (potentially graduate school in America). This exam tests their English competency and a specific score is needed to be accepted into an English program.

Some of them are also planning on staying in America soon to continue to prepare and learn even more English. It is amazing seeing God's plan continue to unfold in their lives.

Clubs are also in full swing!

Every Saturday and Sunday, we have clubs! These kids' talents emerge in beautiful ways, and it helps me connect on a deeper level with some of the kids that I do not get to teach in classes.

17 Mango House kids signed up for Piano Club! It has been such a blessing to see so many people interested in learning how to play.

I have been teaching them how to read music, play simple nursery rhymes, and learn chords to play worship songs.

I am also so thankful for the extra piano materials we were able to get (shown in the pictures) so that the kids can do more playing, less watching :)

I have also been taking the time to immerse myself in some of the other clubs that the kids lead, including Guitar Club, Takraw Club, and Thai Language Club.

Testimony Sharing!

On Friday nights, we normally have bible study. However, this past month, we had “Get to Know Your Volunteers,” where each Friday one of the volunteers leads worship, shares their testimony, and runs a fun activity for the kids.

Here’s a breakdown of the night I led:

Worship:

We 5 volunteers formed our own "Volunteer Band," where each week we help each other with worship. It has not only been fun playing the piano, but it has also allowed me to try other things, such as drums and singing!

Unfortunately, our band is blocked from the kids when they stood up to sing, but here are videos of essentially the audio of our performance if you want to listen! :0

Song 1: Death was Arrested

Song 2: How Great is Thou Art (in Thai)

Song 3: This I Believe

Here are some pictures that were also taken while we were performing!

Testimony:

For the testimony, we focused on three different questions: Why I am a Christian, why I came to Mango House, and what I want to leave behind.

Not only was I able to share with the kids, but it also provided me an opportunity to reflect on specific things that I wanted to leave behind in addition to sharing the Gospel and God's love.

Here is a transcript of my speech, if you are interested in reading:

WHY I AM A CHRISTIAN

I grew up in a Christian home and went to church every Sunday. Even though faith was very important to my family, I didn’t understand how it intertwined with my daily life and never had God on my mind outside of Sundays. I went to a mega-church, so a few thousand people attended every week. It was easy to feel lost within the large crowds, which made Sunday service just part of a weekly routine.

When I got to high school, everyone was making genuine connections at church except for me. My friends came from either school or sports and were all non-Christian. I felt very lonely at church which pushed me even farther away from my perception of God.

During this time, I made some bad decisions with the non-Christian friends I had from school and sports, decisions I still face consequences for even today. This put me in a very bad relationship with my parents, and even my friends at school who I tried so hard to please. I remember I would come home after school and just cry in my room for hours.

After hitting what felt like rock bottom, I had no one to turn to except for God. I began to see the friendships and relationships that God wanted for me instead. I shifted my focus towards these new people rather than the ones who did not care about me, and He helped me rebuild my relationship with my parents.

I decided to get baptized in 11th grade, as a testament to my newfound faith. I found joy in the Lord and was so thankful that He allowed me to find rest in Him when I had nothing. I chose the first song we sang, Death Was Arrested, because that was the song that was playing when I was baptized.

When I got to college, I knew it was a fresh start. I was excited to find a church group. However, a new test arose because I didn’t realize how difficult it would be with all these new distractions. Some of you may know this, but I played soccer in college. I was actually the goalie. We would have practices or games every day, including Sundays. Because of this, it was very hard to prioritize joining a church group, especially with no one else on the team a devout Christian.

But God never gave up on me. After the season ended in the fall, He used other college students to remind me that finding a church was a priority. However, right after that, COVID came and we were all sent home from school. Because of this, my first church experience in college was online. I felt lonely and defeated from trying to make new relationships only online.

When we went back in person, I felt even more alone. Since I joined the church group late because of soccer, everyone already knew each other. I was confused and once again, felt uncertain in my faith. After a year of trying at this church, I visited Izzie’s church. It was completely different in size from the mega-churches I was used to going to all my life. There were less than 50 adults, and I felt so exposed and awkward.

However, over time, I realized that the smaller community was a better fit for me. I could focus on my personal relationship with God and be held accountable and build closer relationships with church members. I got involved with the church for the first time.

The reason why I shared this story with you is because I think that God put me in these different situations so I could see for myself what I needed to grow spiritually. Before, I would just follow the crowd, or the community, or my team first. However, I got to see past all those things and understand that Christ-centeredness always comes first.

Even when you feel like your faith is at its strongest (like me around the time of my baptism), you can still find yourself lost and in darkness. You can still go through struggles. You can still feel like you have lost control of your faith.

I am a Christian because God never gave up on me. Even if you have ups and downs in your faith, He will always pull you back in with His everlasting love and grace.

WHY I CAME TO MANGO HOUSE

Around that same time, I finally felt more spiritually grounded. However, I was finishing my last year in college, and I still had no idea what I was going to do for my gap year.

I didn’t know at the time, but God had been planting little seeds in my head about what he had in store for me. For example, I remember having these random conversations with people I wasn’t even that close with, but then they would somehow talk about their missions experiences when they were my age, or how much you can learn and grow from traveling to somewhere new.

Even though I finally felt like my faith was on solid rock, I did not feel ready to go across the world to come here. But an encouragement I heard is that God does not call the equipped, he equips the called. You will never feel ready. But to answer the call sometimes means to just take a leap of faith and know that God will provide. When Izzie asked me to come here, I listened to God, said yes, and never looked back. Now I’m here and I have never felt better about a decision before.

WHAT I WANT TO LEAVE BEHIND

When I received the call, I knew that there were things that God wanted me leave behind here at Mango House.

So I haven’t told her this yet but Mimi wears a shirt that says salty. This is actually a reference to a passage about salt and light in Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, which is what I studied before I came here. Ajahn has also mentioned this before, but it is Matthew chapters 5-7 and is a very popular passage where Jesus teaches his disciples how to live their lives. First off, I encourage you to read it because you can incorporate it into everything that you do.

Mimi’s shirt talks about salt. Today though, I am going to focus on the light part.

Matthew 5:16

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.

I hope to leave behind an example of being a light so that you can also go out and be a light to others as well.

I am not saying this because I am perfect. I am full of brokenness, sin, and imperfections. I make mistakes all the time. But I hope that you can see that with these imperfections, I can still do my part to carry out God’s plan and serve others for His glory.

Secondly, by being here and helping you with education, clubs, sports, whatever it may be, you too can see that sometimes God shows you things and talents in ways you do not realize at first.

2 Corinthians 9:10

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

God doesn't always give you a harvest at first, but He gives you the seed. By being open to receiving this grace and then using it to show grace to others, He will multiply your work and produce more and more righteousness.

For me, it took me all these years to get to where I am today in my faith. I had to go through different things, different churches, and different friends. It took me patience. It took me listening to God instead of myself. It took me using the seeds that God had given me. God knew what I needed, and He knows what you all need too. As I continue to grow in my faith, I hope that I can continue to help you grow in your faith as well, through your own seeds that God has given you.

Activity:

For my activity, I decided to lead a "Spicy Ramen Challenge" for the kids. It was a lot of fun, and afterward, we not only continued to eat, but I also showed them my favorite childhood way to eat Yakults: frozen and with a chopstick! I am so thankful for all the volunteers, staff, and kids who helped make this a fun night for everyone.

Here are some pics from the activity!

Faith n Hope visited!

Faith n Hope is an international Christian non-profit organization that seeks to help provide opportunities for orphans and underprivileged children, especially in education.

Through Mango House's connection with them, they visit often and provide VBS for the kids. The theme throughout the weekend was that God is our Promise Keeper.

We celebrated Thanksgiving and Father's Day!

For Thanksgiving, we spent the day cooking and had a feast with classic American dishes. While they do not celebrate Thanksgiving in Thailand, it provides a great opportunity not only for the kids to have an amazing night of fellowship but to also remind them that God has given them so much to be thankful for.

Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving!

For Father's day (celebrated on 12/5 in Thailand), we prepared a HUGE seafood boil with pasta, corn, potatoes, garlic bread, and of course, lots of seafood! We also made carrot cake. Shoutout to Pastor Danny for just being such an amazing father to his two sons and a role model to these kids here at Mango House.

Here are some pictures from Father's Day!

Story Time!

A college student, Arbae, and I were fellowshipping and sharing bible verses one night. To both of our surprises, a new verse was written on the chalkboard outside of the kitchen the next day, and it was one of the same ones we were reflecting on!

It has been so amazing seeing God place these verses around me, and I wanted to share it with you all too.

Psalm 91:2-3

I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

This verse serves as a great reminder that God is our greatest protector. As long as we put our trust and remain close to Him, He will continue to keep us safe from the temptations and tribulations that we face. And, our ultimate protection is the guarantee of eternal life with Him.

Arbae and I have recently connected, and I have been amazed by his confidence in sharing his struggles with me. I was so encouraged to see how he continues to find protection in God, knowing that he will be safe, despite the daily problems he faces.

Many of the other MH kids also go through so many struggles. They face many temptations that I see them leaning towards.

Because of this, my prayer requests this week are the following:

For the MH kids to not get complacent in their faith throughout their struggles but can reflect on verses like Psalm 91:3 to remember to find protection in Christ instead of turning towards distractions and temptations.
For the MH kids to continue giving thanks to the Lord always, even after the holidays are over.
Also, Izzie, Irene, and I along with P'Mai will be traveling to Hong Kong in December to renew our visas. Prayers for safe travels and a successful trip.

Lastly, I just wanted to share a few more special moments this past month:

Another busy month has gone by, but I could not be more grateful to spend it here. My next update will definitely be a Christmas edition, so keep an eye out! For now, here's a sneak peak of what has already been happening around MH. :)