A Thankful Heart

I am currently sitting in lobby of Santisuk School. I know it has been a long time since I have written, so I figured that now is a good time to update everyone. I have so many stories of exciting things going on here--both at Santisuk School and personally in my life. I have learned quite a few things this month.

One of the many things I have learned is that it's not my life's calling to be a trip planner. Last week, I planned a trip to the beach with my students and some other teachers and students at the school. I wasn't exactly sure how to get to the beach because every time I have gone in the past, someone else took care of the details, but this time I was in charge. I invited a lot of people--and in Thailand, you have to know that if people say that they will "maybe" come, that means absolutely not...they're usually just too shy to say that to your face. Well, most of the people I invited said "maybe", and only four or five said they were coming for sure. Anyways, I ended up hiring a van and a driver to take us to the beach and we could have a max of 15 people. The day of the trip arrived and people began to show up. To my excitement/amazement/horror, 19 people came...that means that four people didn't have seats on the van........oh gosh. How could I tell an excited student that there wasn't enough room in the van??? Eventually we found a different way for the extra students to get there.

When we arrived at the beach, over half of the students "forgot" to bring a swimsuit or change of clothes...how can someone forget a swimsuit to go to the beach?! I just don't get it. As a result, he majority of the students chose not to swim, even though the water was absolutely beautiful. One of the students that came with us, Pang, was one of the people who didn't bring a change of clothes. I had never met her before that day, and she was extremely shy. I  tried to talk with her, but it was very difficult because her English skills are extremely low, so communication was next to impossible. I asked her if she wanted to swim and she told me that she didn't bring a change of clothes...I didn't want her to miss out, so I gave her my change of clothes to wear. Throughout the day I spent a lot of time with her, trying to communicate, and we would just laugh at not understanding each other. I think she's about 20 years old. The day ended and she went home. Just last night I saw her at the church service at Santisuk and she told me that she just became a Christian on Saturday! Thank the Lord! How exciting! In that moment, I realized that everything I am doing here in Thailand is completely worth it. People are hearing about Jesus, giving their life to Him, and growing in him, and I have the privilege to be apart of it.

In my last post, I asked you all to pray about some of our upcoming events. Well, they are both past and both of them were a success. The English Camp at the high school went so well. I was in charge of the music department. I taught the students some fun songs and we all had a great time being crazy together. Overall, there were about 230 students who attended the camp that day! Yesterday we had our Friendship Sunday (the first one in Lad Krabang). I think about 15 students came and we all ate together and just enjoyed each other's company. I think it went really well. Thank you for your prayers.

There are many things going on here this week. First of all, this is our last week of classes for this session. Classes end on Wednesday and afterward we're having a big pizza party. Since we are reading the story of Joseph in the class, the last two days I will show the class the Joseph movie. I really hope the students enjoy it. Also, Thursday is Thanksgiving! Wow, time has gone sooooo fast. Even in Thailand, and Thanksgiving is an American holiday, I have the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with over 20 Americans! We are going to eat at a buffet at a really nice hotel. I definitely have many things to be thankful for this year.

Please continue to remember me and Santisuk in your prayers. Pray that the school would grow, that people would accept Jesus as their Savior, and that when people do become Christians that they would be committed and devoted followers. Also, please pray for me about my future at Santisuk. As time continues to go by, I can't help but think about my plans next year. The idea of leaving this place already breaks my heart. Please pray that I would have direction and peace, and that God's will for me would be my greatest focus.

Thank you again. You are all great!

-Bethany

Month 2, Lad Krabang

It has been a really long time since I have written. I apologize for that, but I do have an excuse. I haven't had easy access to wifi for the past two weeks, so with my busy schedule and no wifi in my room, it has been pretty much impossible to update my blog. But, I have wifi now, so I can write as much as I want. 

The last few weeks have been really busy and have gone by very quickly. Last Saturday I moved to Lad Krabang to teach at the second Santisuk English School. It was interesting to pack and move all of my things from the first location to my new location. In Lad Krabang I have a new roommate. Her name is Jodeé and she is from South Africa. I met her in June when I was here the first time but I didn't know her very well. She is very sweet and it has been really nice being here with her. 

My second session began on Monday. This session is much different than last session because I am teaching only one class and I am taking a Thai class. At first I didn't think I would be able to study Thai  right away, but everything worked out for me to take the class this month. There are 4 other people taking the class. One of the 4 is Jodeé and the other three are Filipinos that live in Thailand. My teacher's name is Pim. She is 20 years old and an English major at a local University. Her English is okay, but she isn't fluent. This is her first time to teach and it's exciting to see her learn as a teacher and for us to learn as students. I have survived 4 days of class and I'm really excited to learn more! Please pray that I would learn quickly.

I'm only teaching one class this month, so compared to last month, I'm really enjoying the break. I'm teaching an Advanced Conversation class. This is basically a class that students will take after they have completed all the other levels. To take this class, the students should be close to fluent, so the class is like 2 hours of talking to each other. I am really enjoying that class as well.

At SES Lad Krabang, we have some upcoming events that could really use some prayer. First of all, on November 22, we are doing an English Day camp at the Local High School. There will be over 25 Foreign teachers and 8 or 9 Thai helpers. We will play games, sing songs, and spend time with the high school students. Over 200 students are signed up to come, so please pray that this event will go smoothly and that people would hear about and be interested in studying at Santisuk so they can hear about Jesus. Also, on November 24 we are having our first ever "Friendship Sunday". This is basically a normal church service that we really encourage our students to come to. After the service we will eat together and play games and hang out. We have over 50 students studying this month, so please pray that many of them would come for this Sunday. 

Thank you so much for your prayers. I really appreciate it. I am doing great. I'm still so thankful to be here. I am thoroughly enjoying my time with my students and friends here. Please continue to pray for me, my work here, and my potential future with this ministry. 

-Bethany 

I Can't Believe it's Already Been a Month!

OH NO! I'm already 4 days late. Sorry about that! I really am trying to be disciplined about writing a blog every week but these past few days have been absolutely crazy. I don't even know where to begin..

My super cute class! 

Tomorrow is the last day of my afternoon classes. It's definitely a bitter sweet thing to finish a session. It's exciting to see how far my students have come in the few weeks that I've spent with them. Considering the fact that I had never met any of my students 3 weeks ago, it's neat to see our friendships develop after such a short time; and the sweet, shy, and absolutely silent students from the first day seem like completely different people now. For their sake, I pray that they will continue to study at Santisuk so they will hear more about Jesus and His power. The most exciting conversation I've had with my classes this session happened a few days ago. I walked into the classroom and the first thing they asked me was, "Teacher, where do you think humans come from? Do you think we come from the monkey?" I quickly began to share that I think God created everything--the earth, sun, monkeys, and humans, but he made humans special--we do not come from monkeys. They then continued by asking..."So what do you think came first, the chicken or the egg?" It was exciting to share a little bit about what I believe with them and they were open to share what they believe as well.

I know I mentioned the possibility of taking a Thai class next month. I was really excited about it. I wasn't sure if it would happen or not, but I found out on Friday that they need me to teach at the other school (in Lad Krabang) next month. At first I was extremely disappointed. I was really looking forward to taking the class and learning Thai, but the more I've thought about it, the more I am realizing that I don't have the perfect plan. I thought back to last year when I was planning on going to college, but God had other plans for me, so he used my knee injury to change those plans. I was so sad and confused, but eventually I realized that God wanted me here, in Thailand--and I know now that His plan is so much better than my plan was. So regarding this situation, I slowly began to realize that if God could do that then, He is going to continue guiding me in His perfect plan. Sometime next week I'll be moving to the other location. Please pray for me about that. I love it there, but it's definitely a different atmosphere and change of pace.

Yes...they're crazy.

Please remember Santisuk English School in your prayers. Wonderful things are happening here and people are turning their lives to Jesus. Almost every day I will walk by a room where somebody is being mentored. It's completely normal for someone to grab their Bible and ask me to explain something to them. Tonight I was talking to my roommate about growing up in church. She mentioned something about being impressed that somebody had the Lord's Prayer memorized...I realized that for someone who has grown up in the church, the Lord's Prayer, and other things like that are completely normal. Everyone knows John 3:16 and Psalm 23, but the people here are completely starting from scratch. That is something that I have never thought of before. I know that I have definitely taken for granted growing up in a Christian home--and I think that most people who have grown up in the church would agree with me. It made me thankful for my family but also excited that these people are learning and have a serious desire to learn.

Thank you all so much! I would love to hear from you, so please feel free to email me or comment on this post. Thanks again for your prayers and support.

-Bethany

The one word that comes to my mind when I think about the fact that I'm in Thailand is: contentment. I am so thankful to be here. The other day I was walking home from school and I hit me for the 456,705,340,340 time that I'm in Thailand. Sometimes I feel the need to pinch myself just to make sure that I'm really here. I feel such a peace being here. On top of the great people and incredible ministry, I know that this is where I'm supposed to be and I wouldn't change it for the world.

This week has been extremely busy and I'm really looking forward to the weekend. Last week I was asked to help with the English 4 Kids program that Santisuk English school runs. So yesterday, on top of teaching my 3 normal classes, I have an extra hour of teaching a room full of 5th graders. I was really struggling with it for a while. Adding that class changes the whole layout of my day. I joked with my roommate, Gaan, that she could hit me every time I complained about it....and last night in my devotions the theme of what I read just happened to be about complaining. I'm thinking that's not a coincidence. But as of today, I'm enjoying the kids and I'm thankful that I can help.

Last Saturday I went to the market with my friend Nan. I have been to many markets in Thailand and this one was no different, but seeing the big slabs of meat hanging from the ceiling was just a reminder that I'm not in America. Later that evening I had the privilege to assist in making a Thai meal. We made Green Curry.

I am attempting to learn the Thai alphabet...If you don't know, the Thai alphabet is completely different from English. There are 44 consonants and 32 vowels...that makes 76 characters in their alphabet. Thanks to Gaan, I have "mastered" the first 10. We'll see how it goes.

Tonight I saw one of my closest students from when I was in Thailand in the spring. She came to the school just to see me and she brought me two books on learning Thai. She is so sweet and it was soooo exciting to see her again.

Lastly, please remember to keep me in your prayers. I have a very heavy schedule and I want to do the very best that I can. Also, please pray for my students that they would see the light of Jesus through the classes they are taking and that they would come to know Him as their personal Savior. Tonight in my Level 1 class we began to read the story about Jesus feeding the 5,000. The curriculum is set up so that only part of a story is read everyday. Today we read about Jesus asking Philip where to buy bread. Philip responded by saying that they would never have enough money to buy food for 5,000 people. That was the end of the first part of the story, and the students had to answer questions about it. One of the questions was this, "What do you think will happen next?" Two of the women both agreed and thought that Jesus would use his own money to buy bread for everyone. But one of the other women spoke up and said, "I think that Jesus is going to use his miraculous power to provide the bread for everyone". Immediately everyone in the room began to laugh as if her suggestion was a childish response....little do they know how true her statement is. They will find out on Monday!

Thanks again for your prayers! They are greatly appreciated

-Bethany

Classes!

A week has flown by and I'm still so thankful and excited to be here. One one of the responsibilities I was looking forward to was helping new American teachers adjust to Thailand. On Friday, a new group of teachers came and I was able to help give them the tour of the area. I showed them the school, where to eat, the mall, and other important places along the way. It is so exciting for me to tell people about the culture and country that I love so much (p.s. if any of you come, I would LOVVEEEE to show you around as well--and there's always a need for American teachers!). I also helped with their cultural orientation meeting. This meeting consists of some major cultural differences. It's exciting for me to see how quickly I was able to jump right back in to this ministry and country.

On top of teaching, I've been trying to think about different ways I can be plugged in with this church and ministry. Music ministry is definitely an area I have been apart of in the past, and I'm excited about that being a way I can help here as well. On Sunday night I helped lead worship for the Sunday night English service and I've already been asked to lead worship on Christmas Eve. This year will be Peace Fellowship Church's first Christmas Eve service. In Thailand, Christmas is just another work day, not even a holiday. I am also planning to start a "choir" and teach people to sing parts. A lot of people are really looking forward to that and they keep asking me when practices are going to start. Lastly, I've been seriously considering teaching a music class. This would more than likely be open only for the people who attend the church. There are many people who can play basic chords, but there are only a few who can read music. I'm not sure how that class will look, but I'm excited to see how the Lord uses my previous experience with music and worship ministry to help out the people here. 

Yesterday was the start of my first classes. When I was in Thailand before, every session I had a 7 am class, and I'm not really a  morning person, but I had to be. But this time, I was really looking forward to seeing what my schedule was going to be. For this month, I was given a 4-6pm and 7-9pm class. This schedule is so different than before, but I'm really excited about the change. I was really excited to begin and it feels like I never stopped teaching. I was given a Pre 1 and Level 1 class. Usually the Thai teachers are the only ones to teach pre 1 because in that level, the students' English is still extremely poor. I had taught pre 1 before, but at the beginning of my first class, I immediately saw that my students were really struggling to understand me. I was speaking very slowly and doing everything I could, but they just didn't seen to understand. It got a little better as the class went on, but I know it will be more of a struggle to teach that class. Please pray that my students would understand what I'm teaching them and that we would be able to enjoy the class together. My level 1 class was fantastic. Their English is so good. We had so much fun and I can already tell that I'm going to love them! 

Lastly, I'm seriously considering taking a Thai class next month. It will begin on October 25 and finish on November 21. The class is from 8 am-12pm and it's at an international school nearby. Because I would be required to study and practice my Thai a lot, I would not be teaching next month. Everyone seems to think that is the best option. I'm so excited about that, because I feel more of an urgency now to learn Thai than I did last time. 

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support! Please continue to remember me in your prayers.

-Bethany

P.S. October 3 is my Mom's birthday, so if you see her, don't forget to wish her a Happy Birthday! :)

Also, I've been working on learning this Thai worship Song. My roommate, Gaan has been translating the meeting and helping me learn it in Thai. If you want to hear it, here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFyK6WU10Co The meaning is basically that we don't know what will happen tomorrow and we may experience bad things or good things. But the one thing we can be sure of is that God is in control and He will direct us and He has the best in mind for us and don't have to be afraid to face the future because we have God helping us. 

Bangkok, Thailand (Second Edition)

Sawatdee Kha! Greetings from Thailand! I am so thankful for an easy and safe flight here. Words cannot even begin to explain the excitement that I experienced when I first landed at the airport in Bangkok, Thailand. It was like nothing I have ever experienced. I was trembling with excitement and I felt like a little kid as I stepped off the plane to my home for the next year. Along with the excitement came an overwhelming sense of peace--the best feeling in the world. Six friends were waiting for me at the airport and it felt like a reunion seeing their beautiful faces again.

My excitement continued to grow as I became more settled in. As I walked through the ally between my apartment and the school, I smiled and waved at the people working at the food stands and their smiles in return let me know that they remembered me too. Although I was so excited to be here again, nothing can even begin to compare with my excitement of seeing my previous student, Tid. When she was my student, I knew that she was not a Christian and I honestly didn't think she would ever become a Christian because of her devotion to her religion and studies. But I found out that she has accepted Jesus to be her Savior. How exciting is that?! There was something completely different about her and I know only Jesus could make that change. Thank you Jesus for saving her!

It's amazing how easy it has been to adjust back to Thai culture. I feel like I never left. My relationships have picked up right where they left off and I don't feel like I've missed anything. I have already been asked to lead worship for the Sunday night service. I feel such a purpose being here and it's wonderful knowing that I'm exactly where God wants me to be.

Next Wednesday I will begin teaching. I will have 2 classes, but I won't know what level or time I will teach until Monday. Please pray that I would be prepared and ready for this next month of teaching. Thank you all for your prayers and support! I would love to hear from you, so if you want to email me, my email is bethanyeder236@gmail.com

I love you all!

-Bethany
(Sorry, I don't have any pictures yet....hopefully I'll take some soon! :)

...and the Thailand adventure continues...

One of my worst decisions ever.........drinking Pepsi at 10:30 pm. But I guess that means now I don't have an excuse not to write a blog. So here I go! My mom has been bugging me for what feels like months about it. I think I have tried about 5 times to write an update but the words just won't come. I literally feel like words can't even begin to describe my life in Thailand. For example, at this very moment I am chatting with one of my students from last month. She and I are very close and she just told me that I am her first foreigner friend....and then went on to say that I am her best friend. It's times like these that I am sure that this is exactly where I'm supposed to be.

The last time I wrote I was asking you to pray because I needed direction as far as the upcoming future. Well, I could feel your prayers because since then I have had this feeling that my work here in Thailand isn't finished and that there is so much that I can do here. So, I'm planning to come back to Thailand in October for a year. It's so amazing for me to see how God has been orchestrating and moving me into this direction for almost two years now. I remember last year around this time after I hurt my knee, I was so confused about what God wanted me to do...I was supposed to go on two missions trips that summer and I couldn't. I just didn't understand why He wouldn't want me to go. But now I can see that if I wouldn't have hurt my knee, I more than likely wouldn't be here.

Tonight I was talking to my friend, Nan, and I was just telling her how exciting it is to be here and to hear about the people who are accepting Christ. She said, "It's still like this in America though." But I beg to differ. It's just different here in Thailand....I don't even know how to explain it. I think people are more open and serious about their relationship with Christ--maybe because it's harder to be a Christian here. I told her that I want to be apart of something that is real and effective for the cause of Christ.

I have an awesome praise. The past few weeks I have really been praying and looking into coming back here in October. I felt a huge peace about it, but I wasn't really sure about any details. It just so happens that one of the women that I have become extremely close to is leaving for a year to study in the Philippines and her room will be vacant for some time. She really needs someone to stay in her room because she doesn't want to lose it. It works out perfectly that I plan to come in October because I can just live in her apartment until she comes back. The only problem was that she really needed someone to stay from the months of July, August, and September. She couldn't afford to pay the rent and it wouldn't work for me to stay there unless she found someone for those months. We talked last week and I suggested that we pray about it for a week and see what happens. I just found out yesterday (4 days after we started praying), that someone will stay in the apartment until I get there. Coincidence? Ironic? I think not. Isn't that just awesome?! So now, when I come back, I will have a beautiful and amazing place to stay and at the same time I'll be helping out a friend who really needs it. It's so exciting to see the way God works.

I am so excited to see what God has planned for my future. I know that I do want to go to college, but I don't want to rush into it especially since I don't know exactly what I want to do. I would ask that you please remember me in your prayers. There are still many details that need to fall into place and I just would ask that you pray for wisdom and guidance as I leap until the unknown of this super exciting but super scary adventure. I know I will have to trust God to provide the funds and everything else I may need, but I know that He will if He wants me to be here.

Well, the Pepsi is starting to wear off...and 6am is going to come very, very, very soon. Thank you everyone and I will see you in about 4 weeks (I can't believe I'm coming back so soon!!!!). I love you all!

-Bethany