My Land Thailand!

            So I am going on week 3 in outreach with my team in Thailand, a lot has happened and for all of you following my journey in my DTS, here is what we have done since the last time I gave an update.

            Our team began our journey on December 6^th 2010 leaving around 4:00 a.m. for the airport. We had a plane from Kalispell, MT to Seattle, WA, a 6-hour layover, than a 12-hour flight from Seattle to Seoul, Korea, another hour layover, than a final flight from Seoul to Bangkok, Thailand. After almost a 25-hour journey we finally arrived at our destination!

            We were in the city of Bangkok for 3 days for a “cultural orientation”. This orientation consisted of going over the various ways Asian, more specifically Thai, culture is different that our culture in America. For example, the bottom of the foot is considered very offensive, and touching the head is very disrespectful, etc. During this time we also went on a scavenger hunt in the city, given certain tasks to complete, all the while using our new Thai words and phrases. This gave our whole team and I a little introduction to what we would be experiencing for the next 2 months.

            From Bangkok, we took a 12-hour bus ride to the city of Chiang Rai, which was an adventure on its own, but for the sake of details lets just say I hate mosquitos! This is the city we currently are in, and for the past few weeks, we have done a number of different forms of ministry. Upon arriving we found out that we would be assisting a local smoothie shop, in their university ministry called “Gin Gang”. The first thing our team did was help put on a weekend camp geared towards university students. This camp was in the wilderness of Thailand, a.k.a. jungle! It was so gorgeous and green; I was totally blessed to have the chance to see God’s amazing creation. This camp was more focused on making relationships with the Thai students, than preaching, but our team was able to share a few testimonies, dramas, and worship songs with students there. During the next weeks, our ministry has been an array of different opportunities. We have taken turns working at the smoothie shop, put on a program for the local school, played with kids at a house for those stricken with AIDS/HIV, had lunch with university students, put on a Christmas party, various prayer walks, and even helped with a wedding! As far as being able to see different things in Thailand, we have gone to different temples, seen the Reclining Buddha, received Thai massages, and rode elephants into the hills and rice fields of Thailand! So far, my journey in Thailand has been extraordinary and God is using our team to plant seeds and grow those that have been planted before us. During our last few days here in Chiang Rai, we will be able to spend Christmas day with the “Ahka” hill tribe, and put on a service for a local church. From here, we are heading off to the city of Chiang Mai to teach English, and do various other types of outreach to the local community.

            As for my SBS plans after my outreach, I have finally completed my application and awaiting a response from Taiwan. I have been given various opportunities of paths to choose for the 2 months I will be on my own, and I am currently praying and seeking God’s plan and heart for which I should pursue. In terms of finances, I currently still need to raise $250 more in monthly pledges to pursue a School of Biblical Studies in Taiwan. God has really been showing me what it means to live by faith and I am excited to see how else He is going to push me not only in the next few months, but afterwards as well. Please keep my journey in prayer, specifically that I would stay focused on what God has for me here in Thailand and now worry about the future, that my team would continue to be a blessing for the people here, and that God would daily give us His heart for His people.

P.S. These are a few links for some pictures of the things I have seen and the things we have done while in Thailand!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=580626&id=904615110&l=a9203067e6 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=585770&id=904615110&l=6ffe96429a 

New Support Letter for a New Adventure!

So this is my updated / new support letter for something I really feel like God is calling me towards...if you have any questions my email is at the end of the letter...

Dear Supporters,

            So far, I am a week and a half away from completing my lecture phase, and in the process of getting ready to leave for my 2-month outreach to Thailand! Already I have learned so much about whom the God I serve is and how much He really is and wants to be involved in my daily life.

            In my lectures, our school has covered 9 different topics each geared toward helping us grow not only in our view of who God is, but also in how we further our daily relationship with Him. The topics we have covered thus far have been: The Character and Nature of God, Grace and Holiness, Relationships, Prayer/Hearing the Voice of God, Father Heart of God, Life With Jesus, Holy Spirit, Missions, Spiritual Warfare (our current lesson), and Evangelism (our final lesson). Each week, God has revealed Himself in a completely new way to me, and most of those ways have been a struggle. For me, to accept the parts of God that we as humans will never be able to fully comprehend challenges me to trust in Him and the truths He has given us. One of the greatest truths that I have grown to understand and fully except is that in the morning when I wake, God loves me, and at night before I fall asleep, God still loves me despite anything that happened during the day. That truth alone far surpasses any question that I could possibly have, and it is that truth that has been setting me free from any bondage to an emotional experience that I have been searching to define my relationship with the living God.

            Lately, God has radically been working on my heart in the area of surrender, and things I need to let go of and give Him full control of. Specifically, this has been in the area of my future and my strong desire to pursue full time medical missions. After a lot of prayer and seeking, God finally revealed to me that it was my whole future that I was not allowing Him to move in. It has been a daily struggle, but with God’s strength I have been working toward allowing Him to have His way with my whole life and not just a portion. In doing this, God has really given me a heart for those in the world who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ, and aren’t receiving all that God has given us in His word. Not really sure how this heart was going to play a part in my future, I asked God what I should be pursuing after my DTS, and the only thing that I really felt peace about was pursuing a School of Biblical Studies (SBS), specifically in Taiwan. The subject of this school really is something that interests me. It is a 9-month study of the bible, reading it over 5 times and studying it deeper than just the words on the page. Actually taking it apart and looking into the context and background as to why who and where each book of the Bible was written to better understand its meaning for us today really is something that pulls my heart to pursue. I earnestly feel that doing an SBS is something God wants me to do, and in doing that I would be able to gain a foundational knowledge of God’s word that I wouldn’t be able to gain anywhere else, and that I would be able to root anything I do on a biblical ground.

            In pursuing this path, I would not be returning home from my outreach in Thailand, but I would end up staying there an extra 2-months on my own doing various ministries. At the end of the two extra months in Thailand, I would than fly to Taiwan near the end of March to begin my SBS. This schools cost is $3,000 for the 9-month course, but does not include food or various other necessities (toiletries, notebooks, pens/pencils, etc.), which would equal about $250 per/month. Amidst this journey that God has placed before me, I am asking that you would partner with the vision God has given me to spread the good news to those who have not heard His name or had the privilege to know His word. You can be a part of this journey in two ways, by financially making a monthly donation to assist me in making my goal of $500 per/month in various pledges, and primarily, by praying that I would stay God focused and driven through this adventure, and I would not loose sight that above all else, I am called to love others before myself and put all faith and trust in God.

            If you are interested in making any type of financial donation, whether it be a monthly pledge or a

one-time gift, please make all checks payable to Kyle Faris and mail them to 13362 Cabana Way, Victorville, CA 92392. Because I will be attending this school in another country, it is easier to gather my funds at my account in America and wire-transfer the money to my school in Taiwan. If you would like to donate, or have any questions at all concerning finances, donations, or my prayer needs, please feel free to email me at kyle.r.faris@gmail.com and I would be happy to give more information. Thank you so much for your time, interest, and support in the crazy journey and adventure God is taking me on.

-Kyle Faris