Participants:
Series Code: JFAN
Program Code: JFAN000135S
|
00:00 (soft music)
00:21 - Hello and welcome to "Jesus for Asia Now." 00:24 I'm Natalie Wood, 00:25 and my husband John is joining me today as we talk about 00:28 city ministry in Bangkok, Thailand. 00:31 Hello, love. 00:32 - Hi darling. How are you? 00:33 - I'm excited. - Really? 00:35 - I'm excited to see what God is doing. 00:38 - Amen. - In Bangkok, Thailand. 00:39 - Cool. Yeah, Bangkok's an amazing, huge city. 00:42 - Yeah. 00:43 - You know the first time I was in Bangkok, 00:45 I was five years old. It was 1969. 00:48 And my parents and my family, 00:50 we were returning from New Guinea as missionaries. 00:52 And I have slides from that my dad took, 00:56 and on one slide, it was in Bangkok 00:58 and it was in my mom's handwriting. 01:00 She has passed away recently. 01:02 And she says, How will we ever reach this massive city 01:05 of 3 million people? 01:07 - 3 Million. - Yeah. 01:09 - And now it's how many times that? 01:10 - Over four times. - Wow. 01:12 - And the question's still being asked, same question, 01:14 How in the world are we gonna reach the city? 01:16 Christ has a huge burden for the cities 01:18 and we're gonna talk more about that, 01:19 but this is a really, really exciting project. 01:25 - Right. Right. 01:26 It is because it's an opportunity to reach 01:28 thousands upon thousands of young people especially. 01:31 - Yes, yes. Absolutely. 01:33 Hundreds of thousands. 01:34 - We all know that the thinkers, 01:36 the next generation of leadership 01:39 is gonna be the, from the young people. 01:41 - Exactly. Yeah. 01:43 And they're going to school. - Right. 01:46 - So why do you think that this center 01:48 will reach the young people in school? 01:50 - Because it's right by a very large university in Thailand, 01:54 The Ramkhamhaeng University. 01:56 - The Ramkhamhaeng University before COVID 01:58 had 530,000 students. That's a lot of students. 02:02 - Yeah. 02:03 - So the seed for this project was actually when we were 02:06 filming "I Want This City" back in 2011. 02:09 And there was a church plant in the neighborhood 02:12 of Ramkhamhaeng and it was going to be closed. 02:15 And so that video of this Ramkhamhaeng church plant 02:19 being closed, planted a seed of hope and desire 02:22 in the hearts of some young people. 02:23 - So we wanna look at the project 02:25 with the new leadership that's there. 02:27 And we want to introduce 02:29 the Kennedy family. - Yes. 02:31 (soft music) 02:37 - So growing up, 02:38 the first book I ever remember reading was a biography 02:42 about Jim Elliott. 02:43 I tell you, it was devastating to find out 02:45 that he died at the end of the book. 02:47 And I was like, I think six or seven when I read it. 02:50 And so growing up I grew up on missionary stories. 02:53 David Livingston, Bruce Olson, 02:57 Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson. 02:59 And so I think I like to say I was brainwashed 03:03 to be a missionary. 03:04 And so when I was 18, 03:06 I got the chance to be able to go to Africa. 03:09 Spent six months in South Sudan 03:10 before it was even South Sudan doing development work, 03:14 building deaths for schools, preaching evangelistic series. 03:17 And from then on, pretty much every summer 03:20 in between my schooling, I would go to somewhere. 03:24 So I went to Africa a couple times 03:27 and then ended up going to Afghanistan. 03:30 There for a little while. 03:31 And then after that, ended up in Thailand 03:35 to do medical work for the summer with a school here. 03:41 - I came to Thailand 13 years ago when I was 17 03:44 with my entire family. 03:45 And we came for the first time with one way tickets. 03:48 I was really upset about coming. 03:50 I always say that I came kicking and screaming 03:53 and it took me a few weeks after visiting 03:58 a little bamboo school. 04:01 And after spending a few days there, 04:03 they asked me if I would stay and teach. 04:05 And after seeing all the little children 04:09 and all they had been through, this was in a refugee area, 04:11 I really fell in love with it for myself 04:13 and I've really never left. 04:19 - On that first trip when I came out to Thailand, 04:22 I was coming out to help do medical work 04:25 with the Karen refugees on the Burmese border. 04:27 And I ended up working together with this missionary girl 04:30 that had been out here with her parents for a few years. 04:34 And the rest is history. 04:36 The first month we hated each other. Not really. 04:39 but I didn't think that she was anything special 04:41 and fell in love the second month. 04:43 And two years later we found ourselves married and I, 04:46 I moved to Thailand and we've been here ever since. 04:52 So over the years we've been living in Thailand 04:55 as self-supporting missionaries, 04:57 doing medical work when we can 04:58 that's still really our passion. 05:00 I'm a nurse, my wife is a paramedic. 05:02 And so doing medical work has really been a passion of ours 05:07 over the years that we've been here in Thailand. 05:09 The last few years we've been working 05:12 in the corporate worlds. 05:14 So doing, working with medical tourism 05:16 and then working in the pharmaceutical industry, 05:18 kind of just following where God's been leading. 05:24 While we were living in Chiang Mai 05:26 we had been hearing about this missionary family 05:28 that had moved to Thailand that had a little kid 05:32 that was the age of our kids. 05:33 And so we'd been wanting to meet with them. 05:36 Weren't able to because we were in various parts of the 05:38 country but then one day at church there they were. 05:41 We ran into Brian and Jessica and at that time just Asher 05:45 their little boy. And we had lunch together at potluck. 05:49 I loved to invite people to go do stuff because honestly, 05:52 it's probably the best way that I connect with people. 05:55 And so I immediately said, 05:56 hey guys, you wanna go rock climbing with us? 05:58 I'd been rock climbing for quite a few years 06:00 and really enjoyed taking new people out 06:02 and introducing them to this sport. 06:04 And so it was a, it was kind of a natural thing 06:07 to invite them to go with us. 06:09 And so that's what we did. 06:10 Over the next year or two, 06:13 we got together almost on a weekly basis 06:15 to go rock climbing outside, 06:19 swap babysitting duties to let the other couple go on dates. 06:23 And that's really how we got to know each other 06:26 over a few years. 06:28 - Wow, it's really neat to see how God puts people together. 06:31 - Right. And it's neat that they knew 06:34 that they were to be in Thailand, 06:36 after she went kicking and screaming, 06:38 God really impressed upon her the need. 06:40 - Right. 06:41 - And so she stayed - Yes. 06:42 - And found joy there. 06:44 And then they found each other there. 06:46 And then God gave them a shared burden. 06:49 - You can see the value of long term missionaries. 06:51 - Right. 06:53 - This is a project that couldn't happen 06:55 with just a short term mission trip. 06:57 - True. 06:58 - A lot of people will say, how are you gonna find a mate, 07:02 a husband or a wife if you're in the mission field? 07:04 And what we've seen is that a mission field 07:07 is a great way to find a mate, to find a husband or a wife. 07:12 - Especially if you know that God has called you 07:14 to be a missionary. - Right. 07:16 - Because when you're outside of the mission field, 07:18 you don't always find someone that shares that burden. 07:20 - Exactly. - For the mission. 07:23 - And when you have that shared passion, that shared burden, 07:25 it's a great reason to stay together. 07:27 - Right. 07:28 - And to work out your differences. 07:30 - Right. So we're talking about F5. 07:31 What is F5. 07:32 - F5 is a brand start in America 07:34 and it's all about fitness as an evangelistic tool. 07:38 - Right. - As a way to bring people 07:40 in healthy lifestyle, activity, adventure, 07:43 all that kind of stuff. 07:44 And so this is perfect for the location right next 07:48 to the large university. - Right. 07:51 - Originally their idea was to either have 07:53 a fruit smoothie shop, a restaurant, or a climbing wall. 07:56 - Right. - But the Lord-- 07:57 - One of those. - Yes. 07:59 - But the Lord moved them to a building 08:01 that was so large that they could do all of them. 08:05 And so they began with the climbing wall 08:07 up on the top floor. 08:08 And that's what really brings the interest in. 08:11 That's what really brings the people in, 08:13 is that climbing wall, 08:14 the whole thing centered around that climbing wall. 08:16 - Right. - Yeah. 08:17 So they make connections with that climbing wall 08:19 but then they also offer trips on the weekends 08:22 to go out into nature. 08:24 To get the city dwellers into nature, 08:27 to experience seeing stars at night. 08:30 - Right. 08:31 - And enjoy that kind of thing. 08:32 And then they get to connect with the people 08:34 when they're on the end of the rope. 08:36 - Right. Right. 08:37 And connecting with the God of nature 08:40 is a great blessing also. 08:42 - Yes so. 08:42 - So we have another video 08:44 talking about the Kennedy starting there 08:46 at the F5 Center. - Okay. 08:49 (soft music) 09:04 - Ever since I probably was 12 years old, 09:06 I had wanted to be a climbing guide. 09:09 Like in my dream that would be one of the things 09:11 that I've wanted to do. 09:12 And so then when Brian, 09:14 it was like kind of the students surpassed the teacher. 09:17 He's like, yeah, 09:18 I think we're gonna do this climbing gym in Bangkok 09:21 and we're gonna be able to reach college students. 09:22 I was like, dude, that is so awesome. 09:25 Why isn't God asking me to do that? 09:27 Now looking back, I know it was because 09:29 I wasn't ready for that and I had a lot of growing to do. 09:33 But I was super excited to see it. 09:36 And over the years, 09:37 being able to see the vision 09:40 that Brian and Jessica had for F5 09:42 really come to fruition, it's been truly incredible. 09:45 Because honestly I had always wanted to do it, 09:49 but to do what they've done, 09:51 I never would've been able to do that. 09:52 It's just not my skillset. 09:54 So it's been really incredible to see this building, 09:58 which I was in when it was literally an empty shell 10:01 go from that to what it is today. 10:19 For the past six or 12 months, 10:21 Maria and I have really started to feel 10:24 a burden on our heart that maybe God was wanting us 10:27 to get into full-time ministry again. 10:31 He'd made it very clear that we were doing 10:32 what we were supposed to be doing 10:34 and he'd led us to where we were. 10:35 So we didn't feel comfortable in going 10:37 and like actively trying to find something. 10:40 But we started praying and we asked God 10:42 that if he wanted us to do something 10:45 more full-time ministry related, 10:47 that we would actually be approached by someone. 10:49 And so just a couple months ago 10:52 we were actually in the middle of talking about how, 10:55 we really want to do something. 10:57 And literally during that conversation 10:59 I went and checked my phone 11:00 and Brian had texted us as saying, 11:02 "hey, would you be willing to consider praying 11:05 about coming and helping with F5?" 11:08 And so I replied back, well Brian, funny enough, 11:13 we've actually been praying about this quite a while 11:16 and been asking that if God wanted us to do something, 11:18 that someone would approach us. 11:20 (soft music) 11:24 I've been working, running and improving businesses 11:27 here in Thailand for the last three or four years 11:30 and I understand how difficult it is. 11:33 And looking at what they've done here with F5 11:37 has been just incredible. 11:38 Like what they've been able to do with God's leading 11:42 is truly amazing. 11:43 And so I'm really excited to be able to kind of step in now 11:49 and kind of work in helping achieve 11:53 the true potential here of F5 11:55 and accomplish what God wants to do. 11:57 But I'm also terrified. 11:59 Like Brian left some big shoes to fill 12:01 because I know how difficult it's been to get here. 12:05 But I'm also really excited about the opportunity 12:08 to be able to see what God has in store for the future. 12:22 - A lot of times I think we feel like the ministry 12:25 is dependent on the person. 12:27 But this, when Brian had to leave Bangkok, 12:31 we were really worried what's gonna happen to the project? 12:33 - Right. 12:34 - But God already had it all lined up. 12:35 - Right. 12:37 - He's already moving on the hearts of people 12:37 that were really well qualified 12:39 to come in and step in and take what had been accomplished 12:44 and really grow it and expand it. 12:46 - Right, that's neat too because 12:48 Jordan has the business skills. 12:50 - Yes. - But he also has been 12:52 working in business in Thailand. 12:53 - Yes. - So that has given him 12:55 a unique perspective that someone just coming in 12:59 as a business person wouldn't have. 13:00 - Exactly. 13:01 - And so we're just really thankful 13:02 that they have the spiritual component. 13:05 The mission focus. - Yes. 13:06 - And the business skills. 13:08 - Yes and being businessmen, 13:09 if it's dedicated to God is a really excellent way 13:13 to reach a lot of people. 13:14 - Right. Right. 13:15 Powerful, powerful opportunity. 13:17 - And so he has kind of a background in marketing 13:20 and things like that, which is very similar to outreach. 13:23 - Right. 13:25 - We use a lot of marketing tools 13:26 in reaching people and letting people know 13:28 about the love of Christ and about the evangelistic series 13:32 or about a center like this that has amazing climbing wall 13:35 and a program where people can get to know Him. 13:37 - So in this next video, 13:39 he's talking about their plans and their dreams 13:42 for the F5 center from now on. - Excellent. 13:45 (upbeat music) 13:52 - We're located here right by Ramkhamhaeng University. 13:55 There's a ton of students all around us 13:57 and we really have a passion to reach out to them. 14:00 That's what the, Atwell's, 14:02 was their goal when they started this ministry. 14:05 And we really feel privileged 14:07 to get to carry on with it. 14:11 - Our goals for the next couple months are twofold 14:13 Of course, number one is getting the building ready 14:16 for the college students when they come back. 14:18 So that includes getting the cafe ready to go, 14:21 as well as getting our 14:23 student lounge slash study area set up. 14:26 So our goal is to have an area where college students 14:29 can come study, play games, we can engage with them. 14:33 Also we're planning on having English lessons 14:36 once or twice a week in order to be able 14:38 to connect with them in that way 14:40 and start developing relationships. 14:42 And secondly of course is just making sure 14:45 that we get the business to a point 14:47 where it is self-sustaining. 14:49 Brian and Jessica had been able to get to the building 14:52 to where they'd finally broken even 14:54 and it was now a self-sustaining business. 14:57 COVID turned that head over heels. 14:59 And we're now again in the area 15:02 where we're operating at a loss every month. 15:05 Due to regulations in Thailand 15:07 a business needs to be self-supporting or making a profit 15:10 in order to solidify its stance as a lawful business. 15:15 So that is something that we'll be working as well. 15:17 Focusing more on our outdoor trips 15:19 as well as reaching out to, 15:22 schools and business development, 15:24 different things to increase the, 15:27 essentially the reach of people knowing about our gym. 15:30 (soft music) 15:34 One of the amazing things that was able to come out of COVID 15:38 was Brian had the opportunity to purchase property 15:41 about an hour and a half to two hours south of Bangkok. 15:45 It's an outdoor property 15:46 right next to some amazing rock climbing. 15:48 It's actually where we take people to do 15:50 an intro to rock climbing class, so to speak. 15:54 And so that property, we have a lot of plans for 15:57 in terms of being able to create somewhere 15:59 where we can take college students from outta the city, 16:02 go down, do camping trips, 16:04 but that's kind of a future plan. 16:07 And we'll be continuing developing that 16:09 over the next six months to a year. 16:13 But we are really excited to start preparing a place 16:15 where we can reach kids, 16:16 not just on a personal to person level here in Bangkok, 16:20 but actually get them outta the city 16:21 to be able to connect with God through nature. 16:24 (soft music) 16:31 - Exciting, isn't it? 16:32 - Yeah. 16:33 - The potential is just amazing. 16:36 - Right. 16:37 - For what God can do and reaching people, 16:38 making connections. 16:40 It's very rare that you're able to have a program 16:42 or an opportunity to take people on a trip, 16:46 spend time with them. - Right. 16:47 - Even for a weekend. 16:49 Right now, they leave early in the morning 16:51 to take people out to the climbing mountain, do the climb, 16:54 and then they drive back in the afternoon or evening. 16:57 - Right. 16:58 - And Mrs. White counsels us to have outpost centers 17:00 to work the cities. - Right. 17:02 - They decided to do it backwards this time 17:04 'cause a lot of times we've seen that people 17:06 build the outpost centers to work the cities, 17:08 but they never end up working the cities. 17:09 - Right. 17:11 - It's too much time and convenient and beautiful 17:13 to stay in the outpost. - Right. 17:15 - And so they did it backwards. 17:16 They started out in the city and now they, 17:18 they're developing the outpost center in the country. 17:21 - To have it available where people can go 17:23 and spend the whole weekend or even take a week. 17:26 - And the vision for that property out there is to have huts 17:29 or you could call 'em like a bamboo cabin so to speak. 17:33 Ecotourism is like really popular, 17:35 where you can go out and get rustic, 17:37 get close to nature and stuff. 17:38 So to have a little camp there with multiple, 17:41 cabins that people can go and have that community 17:44 and yet be close to nature and yet 17:47 not be bitten by too many bugs. 17:49 (Jon chuckles) 17:51 - Yeah. So it's exciting and it's a great opportunity. 17:55 And we're excited to see where God takes it next. 17:57 - Yes. Absolutely. 17:58 - So I wanted to mention 17:59 that he was talking about the funding 18:02 and how they were finally self-sustaining 18:05 and then COVID hit and that just reverse that. 18:08 - Yeah. 18:09 - And I'm just thankful they have 18:10 the infrastructure. - Yes. 18:12 - And they have 18:12 some good workers now. - Yes. 18:14 - And they've had a few good workers all along, 18:16 but now they have a few more. 18:18 It's exciting to see how God is working 18:21 in spite of the financial limitations. 18:23 And like he said, 18:24 it's very important that they show that they're 18:26 self-sustaining for maintaining their business license. 18:29 - Yes. 18:31 - And so that's something we're really praying for. 18:32 'cause people can donate all day long 18:34 and while that helps them 18:35 to, keep the infrastructure and all of that, 18:38 the business itself has to show a profit. 18:41 - Right. 18:42 - That's where we're at. 18:43 It's kind of a mixed bag. 18:44 People like to see tent making, but we also have a reality. 18:49 which is that the building couldn't have stayed there 18:52 without the donations of those 18:53 that have given during COVID and things like that. 18:56 And the building wouldn't exist 18:58 without those that have given through this time. 19:01 And neither would they have that property out there. 19:03 - Oh, absolutely. 19:05 - And so that's how the infrastructure gets built, 19:07 is by people giving and taking up the vision, so to speak 19:12 and supporting that. 19:13 And then God is making the gym again, self-sustaining. 19:17 They've got a lot more people coming in. 19:20 The students are starting to come back 19:22 and so they've got a lot more people coming in now 19:24 and so it's getting closer to being self-sustaining. 19:27 - Right. - And it's exciting 19:29 to see God is doing, 19:31 taking the hands of those that are tent making 19:33 as well as the hands of those that are willing to give 19:36 to help things to get started and really get rolling. 19:39 - Since they have so many floors. 19:41 One of the floors they've dedicated to become a church. 19:44 - Okay. 19:45 - They're gonna call it a lecture hall. 19:46 So they're gonna do like healthy living, cooking classes, 19:50 those kind of lectures to, 19:51 to tie in with the rock climbing. 19:54 They also have developed a fruit smoothie bar 19:56 right near the rock climbing wall. 19:58 And then the hangout area is where they have 20:01 a place for people to come in and sit and study 20:04 and then also maybe order some fruit smoothies or some, 20:08 and play board games and stuff like that 20:11 where they can interact with the people and get to know them 20:13 and pray for them and things like that. 20:15 - Right. 20:16 - This is in an environment where there really is no, 20:19 almost no Christian influence. - Right. 20:22 - To develop the infrastructure, 20:23 to get to the point where they can start the witnessing 20:26 has been a long term plan. - Right. 20:28 - And so now we're just to that cusp 20:30 and the Lord's starting to make inroads 20:33 on the spiritual level, 20:34 but it's the Holy Spirit that enables them 20:37 to make the saving impact. - Right. 20:39 - And that's what's really needed. 20:41 And that's where we as a family, as a, 20:43 as here in America, our prayers can be heard in Heaven 20:47 that releases the power of the Holy Spirit 20:50 and releases angels into those places 20:52 so that when people come in, 20:54 now the Thai's are very familiar with spirits. 20:56 - Right. - They're not, 20:58 you don't have to convince them that there's a spirit world. 20:59 - Right. There's enough spirit houses. 21:02 And they know what that means. 21:04 - And so when they come in 21:05 and they sense a different spirit there 21:07 they're aware of that. 21:08 That's where we as a family of God 21:11 can really make an impact, 21:12 is in places like this to enable the light, 21:15 the Holy Spirit and and the good Angels to be present there. 21:18 And people can sense that. - Right. 21:20 - And they'll start asking questions. 21:22 - Right, and one thing I noticed in the videos 21:24 is they've painted Bible scriptures on the walls 21:27 in English, but also in Thai. - Yes. 21:30 - Sometimes we would just see those words 21:31 and just think there's just some words on the wall, 21:33 but those are scriptures written in Thai. 21:35 - Right. - Also. 21:36 And so to have the Lord take those scriptures 21:39 and impress the people that come to climb, 21:41 as they glance up there and they see that there 21:44 near them while they're climbing. 21:46 It's like the Lord could then use those words 21:48 to impress upon them 21:49 and they'll start asking questions, 21:52 they'll-- - Absolutely. 21:53 - So the Lord is gonna work. 21:55 - Yeah. - We just have to pray. 21:57 - This is how the head woman of the village that the 22:00 Sharon's were living in became interested in Christ. 22:03 She saw the family, how they lived together, 22:05 but she saw them writing out the text on the, 22:07 on the wall of their home. - Right. 22:09 - And she says, What does this mean? 22:13 Who is this God that says things like this? 22:15 Now she's one of our Bible workers. 22:17 - Right. Right. 22:18 So it's neat to see how God takes the little things 22:22 that we start with and then just builds upon them. 22:25 - Right. 22:25 - I love that place. 22:27 It's one of those places where you go 22:29 and you're like you see 22:30 the hand prints of God. - Yes. 22:32 - And you know that 22:33 he would not do this much - Yes. 22:36 - For nothing. - Right. 22:38 - I mean he has put that place together so that 22:42 people will know him. 22:44 It's not just because he wanted a climbing wall there, 22:47 but God did so much, 22:49 He has done so much so far 22:52 to reach these people in this neighborhood. 22:55 And I just, I'm just amazed. 22:57 It's one of those places where it's like, 22:59 - God was here, God moved here. 23:01 - I mean you can see the evidence of his moving over time. 23:05 But it's like the potential 23:07 is like God is moving here. 23:09 God has a plan for these people to know him. 23:12 And Matthew 24:14 is actively being fulfilled 23:17 because of this place. 23:18 - Yeah. Yeah. 23:20 I remember when they first came with the idea of renting 23:22 this five story massive 15,000 square foot building. 23:27 And I've learned not to speak my doubt, 23:31 but I was thinking that's too big. There's no way. 23:34 And the kind of, they had to tear out 23:36 all the insides and rebuild it from scratch and-- 23:38 - Yeah, cause it was a dormitory and now the floors are open 23:42 so they had to tear out all the individual rooms. 23:44 - An old worn out dormitory. - Yeah. 23:46 - And so the kind of work and the investment 23:48 that had to go into that building, 23:50 I'm just thinking there's no way. 23:52 But here it's done. - Right. 23:53 - I'm looking at it, 23:55 I'm thinking this is like another Noah's arc. 23:57 This is like a testament to faith in God. 24:00 Then have this transition happen so smoothly. 24:02 It's a God thing. - Right. 24:04 - Absolute God thing, that God was preparing a family 24:07 to step in at the very moment that it's needed 24:11 and to continue and grow the work, it's just phenomenal. 24:14 - Right. And yeah. 24:16 And God's hand print, to see the timing. 24:20 To see the skills. - Yes. 24:22 - To see, the need come at that time. 24:27 It just, it's just God's hand print. 24:29 And again we wanna say that the project is not completed. 24:34 There's still more to do. 24:35 They still have to build the church. 24:38 - Yeah, and then in addition to the building 24:40 and the little things, 24:41 the changes that they're making in there, 24:43 they want to be able to do some marketing, 24:46 to let, so people can know that it's there. 24:49 So one of the ideas that I really love 24:51 is to have like a mannequin of a guy climbing 24:53 on the outside of the wall. 24:55 So when you walk down the street, 24:56 you see this guy like hanging from a rope, 24:59 like a climbing thing. 25:01 I think that's a brilliant idea to tell people, 25:03 hey, there's a climbing wall in here. 25:04 - [Natalie] Yeah. This is interesting. 25:06 - A lot of people walk up and down there. 25:08 Right now the only thing that's out there is that F5 sign. 25:11 And if you don't know what F5 means, 25:13 you don't really know what's in there. 25:16 It's like a beautiful facility, 25:18 but nobody knows that it's there. 25:21 So that plus handing out flyers, 25:23 plus putting ads in Facebook, 25:25 all that kind of stuff, it takes that creative mind, 25:28 but also takes funding to be able to enable them 25:31 to do the kind of marketing that that place deserves. 25:34 - Right. Right. 25:35 And that's another thing that they've been doing 25:37 is they've had a bakery. 25:38 And so they make baked goods 25:40 and they sell them out there on the street. 25:42 They actually have put a table out there on the street 25:45 to sell those, to help people to know what, 25:48 what they do inside there. 25:49 And so now with that cafe, 25:51 they're gonna be making more baked to goods 25:53 and selling them as people come to eat there. 25:55 But there's so much opportunity, so much potential. 25:59 And then the, the outpost property still has a lot of need. 26:03 - Right. - And so we just, 26:04 we just wanna remember to pray for them 26:07 because they need wisdom. 26:09 It's like as the little bit of funds come in, 26:12 and more funds come in, it's like, Lord, 26:15 where do we direct our emphasis right now? 26:19 What is the most effective marketing tool for right now? 26:23 And for God to lead and guide With every step for-- 26:27 - So they need wisdom. 26:29 - So they know right now what they should be doing. 26:31 - Yeah, exactly. - They need wisdom. 26:32 And they need funds, but they need wisdom. 26:35 They need God's guidance. 26:36 That spirit needs to live in that building 26:38 and in the hearts of those that work there and 26:41 so that they can be touching the lives of those that come 26:44 through the doors or even pass by. 26:46 - Absolutely, yeah. 26:47 Well this has been an exciting show. 26:49 - It has. - I love, 26:50 I love to see how God moves 26:52 and God is definitely moving here. 26:54 He has a heart for the cities and God's in the cities. 26:57 We don't feel like it when we go into the city, 27:00 we see just man's work. We see man's success and we see-- 27:04 - And it's busy and it's loud 27:06 and it's smelly and it's uncomfortable. 27:09 - Yeah, but God's there-- 27:10 - Because he loves the people. - Because he's 27:11 where the need is. 27:12 He's where the people are. 27:14 He's where the darkness is. 27:15 He's, that's where his spirit longs to go. 27:20 And so that's where we should go to. 27:22 - Right. 27:22 - We should go to the places 27:23 where God is working the hardest. 27:26 - Right. 27:27 I would like to invite you to pray 27:29 for Jordan and Maria Kennedy and for their children 27:32 and the Thai workers that are working there with them. 27:35 And that the Lord would bless and pour his spirit 27:38 upon this place that he has built 27:40 to reach out to the people of Ramkhamhaeng. 27:43 If you would like to be 27:45 a part of this work in Bangkok, Thailand, 27:47 please contact us at Jesus for Asia 27:50 P.O. Box 1221, Collegedale, Tennessee, 37315. 27:55 Call us at 423-413-7321 28:00 or visit our website at Jesus4asia.org. 28:04 May God richly bless you until we see you next time 28:07 on "Jesus for Asia Now". 28:09 (soft music) |
Revised 2022-11-07