LOVE.

Amanda Thompson

August 2012

http://amandathompson.thewordrace.org

Thai Living
Ive been in Thailand for 7 months now! Im beginning to pick up Thai phrases, and Ive pretty well learned how to drive on the left-hand side of the road. That was pretty scary at rst, mostly because Thai drivers are crazy, but it got better :)

I do a lot of seemingly mundane tasks like organizing transportation, doing hospital runs, making sure they are keeping things clean, and organizing work for them to do. I also get to do really cool and fun stuff like organizing prayer and worship times. I do teachings with the teams when they need it. I get to teach them how to do ministry in the red-light district. I keep up with them and make sure I know what bars they are going to and what women they are talking to. I advise them. I encourage them. Sometimes, when Im lucky, I get to go to the beach with them on the weekends and just have fun. Most of the work I do is done behind the scenes and empowers the teams to minister in the redlight district to the best of their ability. I want to help them make a great impact for Kingdom.

See what I mean about crazy drivers????

My official job title is Outreach Manager. It basically means that I nd and facilitate ministry for the short-term teams that come. Since Ive been here, there have been over 200 missionaries that have come to either stay with us or serve with us.

I really believe that right now I have the best job in the world. I get to live in Thailand, a country that is 98% Buddhist, and talk to people about Jesus. And I also get to pour into the lives of the young people that come here to make a difference for the Kingdom. I love it!!

Big Buddha and the Shrine

To be Thai is to be Buddhist. Being Thai and being Buddhist mean the same thing. In Thailand, you cannot separate one from the other. Often, even after they believe in Jesus, they will still dene themselves as Buddhist. It is strange to be in a land where idols are actively worshipped. I often read the words of the prophets concerning the Israelites and their idols. It makes so much sense in a land where images of Buddha are regularly worshipped. The people actually believe that it has power. Often, I get overwhelmed with sadness and cant help but to feel Gods heart for the people. He so desperately wants them to turn from their worthless idol and run into his open arms. I have seen monks who have truly dedicated their lives to Buddhism in a way that westerners rarely dedicate themselves to Christianity. Every time I see it, I am painfully aware of the fact that their zeal is misguided. We take teams to have worship times and to prayer walk at these idols. There is a huge Buddha statue on Phuket Island that is 135 feet tall! And we also take them to the local Chinese shrine pictured above. Join us as we pray for the glory of God to reign from these places!! Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel (Thailand) to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they dont understand Gods way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept Gods way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. Romans 10:1-3 Their idols are of silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them. Psalm 115:4-8

Baptized!!
When our last team was here, many of the girls decided that they wanted to get baptized for the rst time! We all took the afternoon off and went to the beach to baptize them. The Thai staff came along as well and one of them got baptized along with the team members!!

Current News
Fire on Soi Tiger
This past Monday morning, we witnessed a move of God here at SHE Thailand. We had a World Race team with us in April. They were a huge blessing as they allowed God to work through them. One of the team members got really close to a bar girl and invited her to come to SHE. At the time, the woman declined the opportunity and went back to work in the bars. However, Monday morning, she showed up here!! She said she wanted to live here and work here and she didnt want to work in the bars anymore!! Please join us in prayer for her!! A friend our ours met a girl down in the red-light district at 5am one day. She was really upset and in a bad circumstance. He told her about SHE before she could start working in the bars! She is currently working and living with us. Please pray for her as she does not have legal Thai status and we cannot legally employ her until we gure out a way to x that problem! This past weekend, there was a re in the red-light district that we serve. Please pray for the families of the 4 foreigners that were killed. We have outgrown our current facilities and we are in the process of building a new center on the island of Koh Sirey. It is about 30 minutes away from our current location. Please pray for funding! We are also in the process of creating a drop-in center in the middle of the red-light district. We want to create a safe place for the bar girls to go during the day. It will also serve as our location for teaching English classes. Additionally, we will be available to counsel the girls and to just be there with them. Please pray for this project as well!

Support Update
Needed Support Current Support

God is so good. He is continually providing for my needs. I will never be able to thank him or you enough. It never ceases to amaze me to see people support me through prayer, nances, or just friendship. My biggest need, at this time, is for monthly donors. Any amount from $5 - $500 would be an enormous blessing. I am looking for people to come alongside me and join me in this journey. I also need prayer warriors. I will be sending out emails with prayer requests and I need a group of people who will commit to praying for me and SHE ministries during the 2 years I will be serving with them. This might be the most important thing you could do for me. If you are interested, please email me at amandathompson79@yahoo.com I also have a monthly goal of $1,000 for living expenses in Thailand. Right now, I have raised about $525 coming in monthly. I need your help!!

53%

47%

Current Monthly Support $525

Needed Monthly Support $1000

I am coming home!!! In November, I am planning on coming to the U.S. for about 4 weeks. I want to meet with you! If you are interested in setting up a time to talk, go to coffee, or anything else, please email me!! Please consider partnering with me and SHE to bring KINGDOM to Phuket!

Email: amandathompson79@yahoo.com Phone: +66848381084 Blog: http://amandathompson.theworldrace.org click on support me to partner with me! or send support to: Adventures In Missions 6000 Wellspring Trail, Gainesville, GA 30506 please write Amanda Thompson in the memo line on the check.