Bangkok Evening men class; Good news, Bad news

Good news: I wanted to show 2 pictures of our discussion groups right before the Christmas break. One group is rather large with 17 men going over their daily questions. Each group is led by a discussion group leader which facilitates the group discussion. I just love this picture because it shows men who are interested enough to pull away from their busy lives and come on Monday night to study God's word.


Bad news: Each discussion group should not have more than 15 men in each group so that the discussion can be more meaningful and manageable. This night, I had to combine 2 different groups into one because I lack enough group leaders to lead.

Prayer request: bottom line...I need at least 1 more group leader (possibly 2). Pray with me that God will prepare the hearts of one on my class members to step up to the challenge of being a group leader.

Good news: we have a school program! Currently, we have level 5 open which includes students from 13-18 years of age. On opening day of our class for ACTS, we had 5 students come. Now, we are down to 2 students. However, both of these young men are Thai and one needs help with English. The good news is my children's leader is a Thai and can help translate. Both of the Thai students are very faithful in attending. I am so thankful for the 3 leaders we have in our school program. They are faithful and see the importance of their work in the school program.

Bad news: Back in November, my 2nd children's leader abruptly left so that I only have one children's leader. Our requirement is that we have 2 CL's per class. The the other bad news is we only have 2 students.

Prayer request: We NEED 1 more CL and we need more students. Pray the Lord will prepare the heart of another man to take on such an important role of teaching these students. Also, pray the men of the class will see the great value of bringing their school aged students to class with them on Monday nights. Also, pray for my current leaders to faithfully continue to serve and not be discouraged by such small numbers of students.

thank you for your interest in our class. We value your interest & prayers

Gary

a morning walk to the Park

A morning walk to the Park; Street vendors, exercise & lizards... (Jan 11)

One of the benefits of living where we do, there is a great nearby park; just about a 10 minute walk. Of course, ANY day in Thailand is going to be warm, but today was cooler than normal because it was cloudy. So, this morning (Wednesday) Claudia & I walked down to Lumpini Park (pronounced; "Loom-P-Nee") to walk & run. The Thai people, especially older Thai's, love to go the Park early and exercise before it gets too hot. Some will walk or run, but others like to do Tai Chi in groups (sometimes with fans, or swords; yes, I said swords!)



However, on our way to the Park, we walked through a small & crowded pathway of street "food vendors." This is a common occurrence around the city everyday. Either for breakfast, lunch or dinner, most Thai's pick up food to go or they'll eat at some small tables set up on the sidewalk. While this is a normal occurrence for the nationals, Claudia & I generally do not eat on street.




And, lastly, most times at the park it would be hard to miss the rather large lizards that occasionally come out of the water and rest on the bank. They appear to be harmless but they can get quite big (some up to 5-6') a just a little intimidating. Here's a pic of a small lizard near the water. No one seems bothered by them being around, so we just act like it's "normal" to have what appears to be man eating lizards hanging around (just kidding about 'man eating'). As for as we know... we can out run them!


Anyway, thought you might be interested in a few things that happened this morning.

Gary & Claudia Walthall
enjoying Thailand and what God has called us to do through BSF

Persecution

Persecution of Christians are generally something we only hear about happening in some far off distant land. However, over the past couple of months, several men have come to our men's class who are fleeing religious persecution in their own countries. We've had men from Iran, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and VietNam who are here seeking asylum from persecution.

On Monday (Jan 9) we had 2 new men come from a nearby country. One of the men was a pastor, who had his church demolished & he was severely beaten with lasting injuries. His wife & children are currently under house arrest in an attempt to lure this man back to his country.

Before Christmas, we had another man come to our class from Pakistan who fled to Bangkok seeking asylum. He was a Muslim who converted to Christianity. At one point, he was also beaten/stoned to the point he lost one eye. His wife is currently back in Pakistan in hiding.

It is a sad reminder of how Satan, our defeated yet dangerous foe, is still trying to destroy God's church & his people. However, each of these men who have come to our class, still praise God and remain strong in their faith.

Will you pray with me for these persecuted men to continue with us and gain strength from studying God's word?

Thank you for your interest in our work in Thailand. Thought you'd want to know.

Gary

Prison visit

Monday morning at prison (Jan 9):
On most Monday mornings, I teach in one of the central prisons for drug offenses in Bangkok. However, for the past 3 months I have not been able to go because of the floods in Thailand & then, Claudia & I went back to the USA for Christmas break. However, I wanted to share with you a wonderful story about a young man I met today.

Upon arriving & as the men began gathering together, I was introduced to a young man from Singapore named Max. He has just been in prison since October and has not yet received his sentence. Max is a tall well spoken educated young man...probably about 30. Another prisoner introduced me to Max & said, "Max had been a Buddhist but NOW has received Christ."

I couldn't help but see & be moved by the smile on his face as he began telling me that God had been pursuing him. However, with God's previous attempts to reach him, he rejected God & Christ at each point. But, then...life changed suddenly for Max. He was arrested on drug charges & placed in prison. It was in this prison that others also began to share Christ with him. And, now the rest is history. I've never seen a man so happy to be in prison because it was where God finally caught up with him & got his attention.

When all the men, who had congregated to listen to a Bible lesson (about 80 men in all), I couldn't help but notice Max's reaction when the men began singing Amazing Grace. He began wiping the tears from his face. My thoughts were...how Amazing God is & how far God will go to reach a soul. He just needed to get Max to a place where he would listen.

Prison is an ugly place to be... but it can be a place where men will finally listen. It's too bad it has to come to that, but God will go to any length to reach a soul.

thank you for listening...
pray that many more men will come to know Christ... like Max

serving a Great GOD!
Gary

Trip to Phuket, Thailand

A few days at the beach in Southern Thailand; Phuket island

Our trip to BEIJING, CHINA (April 7-14)

In Thailand, during the 2nd & 3rd weeks of April, there is a national holiday; Songkran (or, water festival). April is the hottest time of the year so during this time it is common for people to travel. And, since this was a national holiday, our BSF classes were also closed during this time. So, we decided to go Beijing, China for a week. It was a wonderful and once in a life time trip.

During our weeks stay we visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, The Silk & Pearl market, the Great Wall (this was our favorite), the Temple of Heaven, The Olympic stadium (birds nest) & Aquatic center and the Summer Palace. Here are just a few of some pictures of our trip. For more pictures you can visit Claudia's facebook.









Beijing, China; April 7-14, 2010

BSF Men's Class; from Pilot to an Established Class

May, 2010

Greetings once again from the amazing land Thailand. To God be the glory! God is indeed working in Bangkok.

Who knew what God would do or had in mind when He called us to join His ongoing work in Bangkok? We arrived in August, 2008 with hopes, dreams and goals, but you never know exactly what God has in mind. However, we faithfully came to Thailand hoping for the best and only time will tell what God will unfold.

EVENING MEN’S CLASS:This was a TEST
After 17 months in Thailand, the men’s pilot class began in January, 2010. How amazing is God to draw these men from all over Bangkok to study his word. The men’s class has the feel of an international gathering of nations. The majority of the men in the class are Asian (Thai, Chinese, Singaporean, Japanese) along with Philippines, Africans and Westerners.

Conducting a series of short PILOT classes is away to gauge if there is enough interest to maintain an established class. This was a TEST for the men of Bangkok. Will the men embrace a disciplined study such as BSF? Will they persevere or just fall away? Will they overcome the obstacles in attending class or will they succumb to the many barriers that get in the way?

We give God the glory for allowing us to conduct all three of the 5 week pilot classes (Philippians, Ruth & Colossians). While the class started with 86 men in attendance for the 1st class and ended with 46 men in the 15th week, we have much to be encouraged about. We are reminded that this was a TEST for each man as to his commitment. However, some will fall away and while some will continue and grow deep roots. Even those who just came for a week or 2, perhaps the taste of God’s word will draw them back in the future. Success is never measured in numbers but in how God is changing the hearts and minds of one man at a time.
One of our discussion groups: During this time men share their answers to their weekly questions

Changed hearts & minds
As I reflect on the past 3 studies, I am reminded of how God has indeed changed the hearts of men who faithfully attended. I am reminded of the retired teacher from North America, who came to Thailand seeking an adventure & found Christ. Then, still searching and seeking for more, came to BSF for 15 weeks. His life is being transformed and is now enthusiastically telling others about BSF! He also commented that had he known what he knows now (through the Bible), it would have saved his marriage.

I think of the Philippine doctor, whose wife is a very enthusiastic class member of the BSF women's class, and how she persuaded (or should I say, "nagged & dragged") her husband to attend the first class despite his lack of Bible knowledge and reluctance. At the end of the first class night, he did not want to leave! He faithfully, joyfully & enthusiastically attended ALL 15 weeks!

I am reminded of the many Thais who struggle with English yet who persevered through the study. Or, I think of a man, who is currently going through personal marital troubles, faithfully came seeking answers to his troubles and trials.

And, I think of the Thai Buddhist, whose wife is a Christian, who attended the class. At first he indicated he was “just auditing the class” with detachment to his discussion group. Later, Mike Wellings, our Substitute teaching leader, showed him where and how he could use his Bible to find the answers to the questions. He then became more engaged in the discussion group. He faithfully attended all 3 pilot classes with very few absences. I pray God’s word will continue to open is eyes that he may see…all to the glory of the Lord.

These are just a few of many stories of God changing lives & hearts. And, so we give Praise to God!

Passing the TEST: NOW an established class
The men of Bangkok have passed the TEST & the city of Bangkok will have an established men’s class beginning September 13, 2010. Currently, we have 65 men registered for the Isaiah study plus 7 potential students for the school program. And so we give God the glory for all he has done.

I will send more later regarding the BSF women's day time prayer group. There is some exciting news coming!

Gary