Not forever, but for the next 2 weeks we will be in Chiang Rai for the YWAM Thailand DNA Leadership Conference! Check out the awesome promo on the YWAM website: http://www.ywamthai.org/dnainfusion

We will have our computer with us, but we may not be able to Skype since due to time constraints. We will keep you posted! LOVE AND BLESSINGS, the Carters.

This week, Tom Piekarski (from South Bend, IN) came to speak about “church”. He brought his daughter, Cami Anthony, and her daughter, Lydia. It was awesome to see a family, “standing on the shoulders of the generations that went before them” for God. What Tom really talked about and affirmed was our identities in Christ because we have to know who we are in order to pour out as ambassadors of Christ. He used seven verses that we studied every morning (Eph 1:3-5, Ps 139:13-16, 2-6, Jer 1:5, Acts 17:26, 1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10) about who God says we are. (You, yourself, should stop reading this, right now and go read these. Don’t continue until you’ve let these verses meditate in your brain and marinate in your heart.
We also affirmed each other’s spiritual gifts in our small groups and talked about unity in the Body of Christ. We, as the church, are called to actively participate in God’s plan for our lives, and share in the ministry of reconciling others to God, through Christ. We are to encourage and build up one another in prayer and fellowship. (2 Cor 5:17-21).

I, Jen, had a huge revelation this week in the area of spiritual gifts. I know that I have the gifts of encouragement and prophecy (and these were affirmed through others). What I have been struggling with over the past 2 years is that I wasn’t able to label why I was not being fulfilled by teaching. Others commented that I was gifted in teaching (it was my major and occupation) and I did enjoy parts of it (the helping and encouragement aspects), but I just could not put my finger on what my dissatisfaction was. That’s because this week I discovered that teaching is not my gift. My gift is evangelism. I get fueled up for God when I can share my faith and help and encourage others. I admit that while teaching is a small part in evangelism, it’s not my main focus. So now that I’ve identified what my main gift is, it changes the direction that I’m moving in. GOOD STUFF!

David and I know that we want to work in ministry together and I think that with my gift of evangelism plus his teaching gift that we would make one awesome tag-team!

On another note, we had Thai dance class all week. We learned 3 Thai dances (2 traditional and 1 “hip-hop” which is code for country line dancing in cowboy hats) to take with us on outreach to China in November. When we come Stateside, there will be a performance happening in a town near you…or not.  “In America, sometimes you need Bill Johnson or Jesus Culture to get you excited about the Lord, but here in Asia, all you need is the power of dance.” (my funny quote of the week)

“To be Thai is to be Buddhist.” (we get that a lot)

“When you are running away from tiger, you will run into the crocodile.” (haven’t seen either, but a few snakes)

“Christianity in Thailand is like sticking a finger into Buddha’s belly; you can make an impact, but once you pull your finger out (slurp) it goes right back out.” -Bruce Geske- (referring to the importance of establishing and maintaining long-term relationships with Thais)

“Godly sorrow brings repentance, leads to salvation and leaves no regrets, but world sorrow brings death. See what Godly sorrow this has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves; what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done! At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.” (2 Cor. 7:10-11)

This week’s topic was about having a clear conscience, presented by Joel Bringas (a missionary in the Philippines). Only through confession and restitution through a revelation of God’s truth can bring you out of a guilty conscience. We had lots of time this week to think about those who we have hurt in the past. We need to discern the proper actions and methods to contact the people we have wronged and ask for forgiveness. This is the freedom we have in Christ to do so. We are trying to make things right and we have a lot of people to contact…

1) Pray for China and Burma (We will have the Shan couples going to Burma for our 2 week mini-outreach. The rest of us will go to China.)
2) Pray for health. Jen has a cough/cold…

Also, send us your prayer requests! 🙂

Praise Reports!!!
1) Bruce Geske came back from his trip in the States and has lots of cool stories in the one month of “remembering and restoring” relationships in the US.
2) We are establishing relationships with Keh, the guy who runs the internet cafe down the street and an elderly woman who runs a store. Pray for more communication and friendships there.

David and I both heard God tell us to fast and pray ever since Pastor Sidney came and spoke to us in our first week of class. We agreed to fast from food altogether for a period of time (and trust me, it was a very hard time because we were tempted with many delicious foods, that we NEVER have over here), but with God’s help, we were obedient to Him. We choose three things to focus on. At first, we thought that we should only limit our focus to one thing, but we serve a really big God, so I’m sure he could handle as many things as we could ask for! These were our three:

1) That He would bring revival to our DTS and people would gain a deeper sense of His love and power.
2) About 2 weeks ago, one of our classmates, Mai, found that she had an ovarian cyst the size of a potato and they didn’t know if it was cancerous or not, so we were also praying for healing and good results.
3) For clarity in our next step after DTS

The first 3 days were unpleasant because of the body’s detoxification process and we were very tired and sluggish. It also brought out some of our not-so-great qualities, like being easily annoyed and apathetic to those around us. God dealt with these emotions. However, it was amazing to see how clear our thinking had become. When your body doesn’t want to move, you find yourself thinking and praying even more! Over the period of our fasting, Daddy God answered each prayer. The results were:

1) On Wednesday of our DTS class, God brought a huge revelation to many of our classmates of the kind of intimate relationship he wants to have with them. He really showed people He loved them and that his character was good. Many people broke down.
2) Mai went to the doctor again on Friday and they found out that she DOES NOT have cancer! She has to go again in a month to see if it has enlarged any and they might have to operate (so please pray for more healing), but the scary part of waiting is over.
3) The last night of our fast, both David and I had detailed dreams about a direction to pursue after DTS!

We realize that fasting is a choice. It was never forced on us. In fact, we had freedom to stop whenever we wanted to and it was this freedom in the Lord that we decided to go through with it, in joyful obedience. We humbly wanted to share this experience with you and our intention is not to boast about our fasting (or to try to guilt you into the discipline of fasting), but simply to encourage you in deeper levels of intimacy with Father God.

This week, Sam Sarvis, the national YWAM Thailand director, came and spoke to us about the nature and character of God. Scripture identifies that Father God is faithful, kind, holy, just, and loving. He is a relational being who values us more than anything else that he created in the Universe. He desires to be our perfect Father (Ps. 2:7, 68:5, 103:13, 139:17-18, Is. 9:6, 64:8, Luke 11:11), perfect husband (Is. 54:5, 62:5, Hosea 2:16, Rev. 19:7), perfect King/authority figure (2 Chron. 20:6, Rev. 15:3), and perfect friend (Ex. 33:17, John 15:13-15, Matt. 11:19).

In the Old Testament, the Jews could only see God as a powerful creator and judge of their actions, but in the New Testament, we see that Jesus calls the same God “Abba (Father)” and makes this relationship personal. Our Abba Father wants to be our Daddy especially when we have nothing to offer him, when we are grieving or hurting, when our plans fail, and when we disobey him. He grants forgiveness freely if we genuinely ask for it. Like the prodigal son, he welcomes us home with open arms and rejoices over us, not by using force and then condemning our actions. Yet, he loves us enough to let us choose our own actions.

 
This week, we have been praying for a breakthrough in our class that Daddy God would bring revival and a new perspective of who he is. On Wednesday, that prayer was answered and many of our classmates were able to receive a deeper revelation of the Father’s love in their lives. Emotional wounds from their pasts, family relationships, and misconceptions about who God really is were broken and there is a new sense of freedom and intimacy with the Lord. We are asking for more!

This week, Averyl Aeria, the YWAM Thailand Networking Director, came and talked to us about healthy relationships and boundaries. A lot of emphasis was placed on forgiveness and because Jesus’ death and resurrection brought reconciliation with our relationship with Father God, so we should reconcile with others.
We discussed the importance of family relationships and the experiences you have growing up shapes your perspectives of the world around you, and how you view God. (yes, it reminded us of Sozo Inner Healing Prayer!)

Family is the root of culture. This week God was allowing people to open up and forgive others in their families, circles of friends, and their pasts. This step was crucial for our Thai friends who are brought up in a culture of saving face.  To lovingly confront a friend or ask for forgiveness to them means you have to lose face and be genuine to your emotions. While it is easier for Westerners to be direct in our questions and tell it like it is, and ask for forgiveness,it is hard for our new friends. Many had questions of how to honor their parents. In Asian culture, what your parents say goes. End of story.

As their children you are expected in Thailand to buy them a car or build them a house and accept their wisdom and directions. So a lot of our friends are facing rejection and abandonment because they are the only Christians in their families and Im sure it was much harder to communicate, “God is telling me to go learn about the Bible in Chiang Mai and Im leaving my good job and salary to be obedient to Him no matter what.” Yes, we should honor our parents through respect and listen to what they say out of love, but what God is saying is more important.

Sometimes you have to make that decision between obeying God and obeying your parents. We are so thankful to our parents and parental figures in our lives who have loved us and supported us and raised us with Christian morals. Thank you, we mean it more than words can say!