Bangkok Brief for the Beautiful Month of May 2022
In this News Letter we will inform you about all kinds of events that have passed in review. Definitely not a boring month!
Joseph and his Amazing Dream Coat
Musical performed by 100 students of the school where Gersom works as a Drama Teacher. Beautiful piece by Andrew Lloyd Webber, good message, beautiful music, beautiful interpretation. We were allowed to watch for free as guests of honor. What an impressive spectacle. Praise to Gersom and his disciples.
To see an example of one of the songs you can watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8reEiq4ui8
(Filming with the performance was prohibited, due to copy rights.)
Jazz Highlight
Athalie and her band Jazziam played highlights from 100 years of jazz music for an evening at a height of about 150 meters. On top of the Banyan Tree Hotel. That was a celebration in itself. We were allowed to pay for the expensive drinks, but it was great fun.
Jazziam can be found on Facebook:
Babysit at the Hilton Hotel
To give Gershom and his wife Verity some peace and quiet, they asked us to babysit their baby Odeya and to stay overnight in a nice hotel. The breakfast was fantastic and Odeya was exemplary. We enjoyed the time with her and also the parents.
Gershom had worked very hard on the performance of the musical and their three children also require a lot of love, patience and time.
Another highlight shared.
Flight to Phuket
Team meetings with our Canadian C&MA Team, of which we can now be a part. Encouraging, affirming, constructive, creative too.
Many of them work in the South, trying to set up work among our so-called 'cousins', brothers and sisters of the other faith that is mainly observed here in the South. We also partner with them through FFI, an organization that frees people from modern slavery. We do monthly 'debriefings' with employees.
Many of our team were seriously ill for 1 day, including ourselves, probably due to food poisoning.
Last Highlight
A weekend away with the couples that we have been meeting once a month for years to build up our marriage relationships. We used to call this an MBG, or Marriage Builder Group. Enriching, constructive, positive, full of love.
Mango Month of May
Kind regards, from Dick & Johanna
Since
1996 we have been allowed to be part of the C&MA (CAMA Mission) and
work on relationships and individual counseling among all who have
emotional needs. Our LEAF foundation also helps financially needy families and a village in the North to generate income. Feel free to support our work at (link below)
Below here our News Letter of September 2017
Kronikles News Letter September 2017
Recently, we returned from a "mission promotion trip" to several churches in Sydney and Canberra.
We stayed at a new address every week and spoke in Cantonese, Mandarin, Indonesian, Spanish and English speaking churches.
We encouraged people with stories about work in Asia and were, in turn, very encouraged by them.
Mark 10:29-30: ‘Truly I tell you,’ Jesus replied, ‘no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields – along with persecutions – and in the age to come eternal life.
This trip was fully sponsored by the C&MA in Australia. We are thankful for the invitation by Rev.Ken Graham, the president of the C&MA in Australia.
We have seen much of Sydney and Canberra in terms of nature, culture and the cool climate. We have made many new friends and met existing ones. It was delightful to spend time with each of them.
Attached pictures are just 1 percent of what we have seen.
Further Plans
We are going to connect with one of the C&MA congregations in northern Bangkok. They need attention and encouragement.
We are waiting for the birth of our 6th grandchild, daughter of Gersom & Verity. She will probably be born around the 1st of October.
In November, we hope to have a follow-up meeting with the couples who had their Marriage Connect Weekend this year in Chiang Mai .
We have already seen a number of clients who needed help.
In addition, the lessons for the upcoming semester at the Baptist Seminar must be prepared. All of this has to be taught in Thai, so it's a big job. This upcoming semester will be about ‘couples counseling’.
We appreciate your prayers and / or donation!
Warm Greetings,
Dick & Johanna
Warm Greetings,
Dick & Johanna
Dick & Johanna are sent to do Missions work in Thailand by the local church in Gouda and CAMA Zending (in the Netherlands) and work under the umbrella of the Siam Mission. Their main ministry is Counseling and Marriage work, including ALMA Marriage Encounter. The LEAF Foundation is helping people with development programs.