October Updates

MH kids and I welcoming the church SBMC at the airport!

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy November! I am especially excited to share with you my October updates as so much has happened this past month while the kids were home from school.

To make it easier to follow, I split up this letter chronologically by dates:

OCTOBER 1-8 : Ministry at Arunothai

At the beginning of the month, we planned on visiting Arunothai, a village on the Myanmar-Thai border about 2 hours north of Chiang Mai, to help share the Gospel to kids at MH's outreach location there, which is run by a Chinese school. Before we left, we spent our time in preparation to share the story of Jesus walking on water.

Here are some pics of us in fellowship while painting a boat for our skit!

On 10/8, we did a day of VBS with the kids there that was full of body worship, crafts, games, and just showing God's love to them. Not only were we able to bless the kids at the border but it also showed the MH kids the importance of outreach and to grow a heart to serve others as well. It was so encouraging to see God working through them to help others!

---

OCTOBER 12-18 : Cornerstone Church from Queens, NY visited

Cornerstone led a week of VBS with the kids where they taught important themes such as hope, faith, and love. They also ran clubs such as worship, baking, sports, and crafts, and planned other activities for us to enjoy such as a day at the water park!

During this time, I was sick for two days. I realized that I was feeling somewhat pressured to only be on “go” mode, because all the other leaders and staff around me always seem to be busy. It served as a reminder from God that I need to still take time for my well-being in order to prevent burnout and to serve faithfully,

That week, Pastor Brian from Cornerstone led a sermon from Matthew 7:15-20, which is a passage titled, "A Tree and Its Fruit"

So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. Matthew 7:17.

Through the Word, Pastor Brian talked about how the quality of our fruit is more important than our quantity. He said that we need to focus on our quality, and God will prepare us for our quantity to grow as well.

God has been revealing to me that each and every one of us has unique roles in His mission, and that we should not be comparing with each other but instead listen to what He wants us individually to do for His Kingdom, so that we can continue to grow our fruit.

---

We made models out of gummy bears to learn about atomic structure

OCTOBER 19-23 : First week of teaching my own classes!

I began teaching chemistry and physics to junior high (middle school), chemistry to 10th graders, and math to 6th graders.

Overall, it was an amazing first week of seeing the kids excited to learn as well as show their interest towards science and/or healthcare fields!

We also spent some time in the "lab" (aka the kitchen) and learned the scientific method while watching a chemical reaction blow up a balloon!

---

OCTOBER 25-NOVEMBER 2 : South Bay Missions Church (SBMC) from Los Angeles, CA also visited!

SBMC also led VBS while they were here and taught important messages such as the 10 plagues of Egypt. They also spent time with the kids whether it was shopping for new clothes, playing in our iconic Sports Day festivities, or treating us to a day at a local jump zone.

With this team, we also went to Mae Hong Son, a province in Thailand along the Thai-Myanmar border that is about a 6-hour drive from Chiang Mai. We visited two different villages that house young refugees from Myanmar. These kids cannot cross the checkpoints and enter Thailand. However, because of their unsafe home situation, they stay in this refugee camp across the river. Most of them only spoke Karen, a language spoken by a province in Myanmar. It was a new challenge trying to communicate with them but still being able to show joy and share the Gospel was such a beautiful testament to God's love.

Many of the kids still have families across the border, and when they visit, they often return to their Buddhist practices. Knowing this in addition to seeing all the heartbreak and challenges they face every day, it was truthfully easy to feel discouraged there and uncertain on the impact I was making.

However, the Sunday before we left, Pastor Tim from SBMC led a sermon on Matthew 6:25-34, which is a passage about not being anxious.

But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33

And then while we were there, we also spent some time in the book of Psalms together.

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Psalms 95: 6-7.

These two messages helped remind me to hold fast to the Lord our Shepherd and trust in Him because when we have doubts or worries, He is still in control. This helped me stay grounded in the truth that God has a plan for the work that I was doing there, and that instead of these doubts, I need to worship and obey Him!

Here is a short clip of body worship we did there!

Also, check out this AMAZING recap video of SBMC's visit! Shoutout to Chai Chai (one of the high schoolers at MH) for his amazing videography and video-making skills!!

The reason why I wanted to share with you this recap video is to not only show you in real-time some of the things that we have been doing but to also emphasize the impact these missions teams had on these kids.

From seeing both Cornerstone and SBMC visit, I was very encouraged to see relationships forming across generations, where these teams continue to build up confidence in these kids towards a life for Christ. It feels amazing to be part of the same mission across the world where we can all work and run this race together! I love watching these kids grow their hearts towards Jesus Christ more and more everyday.

Here are my current prayer requests:

1. For the kids at the Arunothai border and Mae Hong Son: That they remember that God still has a plan for them and that even when they are suffering, they can still find joy in worshipping our Lord and Savior.

2. For the MH kids: That they can grow closer to God and learn from the joyful and Christ-centered moments that both Cornerstone and SBMC brought to MH.

3. For Cornerstone and SBMC: That they continue to be missions-focused and serve others faithfully with love and joy as they are back in the US.

4. For me: That I continue to hold fast to the Lord, especially when I am feeling doubtful or unsure.

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

Overall, I am so grateful for the experiences I had this past month and am so happy I could share it with you all.

Thanks for taking the time to read, and see you next month!

In Christ,

Bri