If you'll remember, I posted several times about a woman name June (the pseudonym I gave her!) Here are the blog posts in case you are interested in reading:
http://amberkonz.blogspot.com/2012/02/god-is-good.html
http://amberkonz.blogspot.com/2012/02/some-updates.html
http://amberkonz.blogspot.com/2012_03_01_archive.html
She is not doing well. She is in stage 3 of liver cancer and the doctors have given her 2 weeks to live, so now she is back in her village waiting to die.
Faith (also a pseudonym) has been specifically told by God *twice* to go somewhere where this woman was, unknowingly. God is obviously -doing- something in this situation. The thing is that June is terrified, and does not want any part in Christ, because the demons tell her not to. However, we know that as Christians, we have authority to cast demons out in Jesus' name. Demons have no authority whatsoever over us.
Yesterday, Junes relatives came from the village (about 4 hours away) to seek her out. You see, Faith was in stage 3 cancer, about to die several years ago, but now she is a living, breathing, breathe of fresh air and so full of joy. It is amazing to see. The relatives wanted to know why.
Faith and a few others want to go and pray for June at the village, but are praying for an open invitation -- they do not feel right about showing up uninvited, especially due to Junes fear. Please pray for the doors to be open, and for June's salvation, her families salvation and a miraculous healing. God does not want sickness in our world.
I have a dear friend who is also in his last days due to cancer.
He is a Christian!
I also know that if God wanted to, my friend would be healed, no matter what the doctors say.
But if not, He will be in heaven, because he has given his life to Christ, which is better than anything.
Could you pray for him and his family too?
Love,
Amber
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
It seems like every month here is different! Honestly, completely different schedules, paces, people...
Here is a quick list, if you recall:
January: adjusting to Thailand, lots of Graphic Design work.
February: lots of graphic design work, the textbook project (! huge), Inessa, the LIBRARY, tutoring computer stuff, getting to know the kids. Friday bible study starts up. Break my leg.
March: Broken leg, the textbook project and SUMMER SCHOOL BEGINS - teach the kids about Christ. I finished the Bible all the way through. Laos, Udon to visit our wonderful family,
April: Summer School (aka, no sleep). During our breaks for Thai holidays, I was able to meet a lot of tourists and tell them about Christ and we were able to spend lots of time with our neighbors.
I think the most consistent thing has been spending time with our neighbors on Wednesday nights!
May: Is it May already? uh, yeah. It's nearly June! School has started, and since then, life has significantly slowed down. I have been working primarily on the 2 websites, which are *nearly* ready for deployment. I get to hang out with the kids a lot during breaks and just hug them a lot. Especially the first graders. They are adorable. I think my brain is still a bit fuzzy from the busy-ness, but with the extra free time I have been able to spend a lot of time in the word and worshiping God - it has been so good!
Mackenzie and I have 2 weeks left here in Thailand. I am sad but am confident the Lord is using me wherever I am, and am hopeful to come back to Thailand within the next 1-2 years.
Here is a quick list, if you recall:
January: adjusting to Thailand, lots of Graphic Design work.
February: lots of graphic design work, the textbook project (! huge), Inessa, the LIBRARY, tutoring computer stuff, getting to know the kids. Friday bible study starts up. Break my leg.
March: Broken leg, the textbook project and SUMMER SCHOOL BEGINS - teach the kids about Christ. I finished the Bible all the way through. Laos, Udon to visit our wonderful family,
April: Summer School (aka, no sleep). During our breaks for Thai holidays, I was able to meet a lot of tourists and tell them about Christ and we were able to spend lots of time with our neighbors.
I think the most consistent thing has been spending time with our neighbors on Wednesday nights!
May: Is it May already? uh, yeah. It's nearly June! School has started, and since then, life has significantly slowed down. I have been working primarily on the 2 websites, which are *nearly* ready for deployment. I get to hang out with the kids a lot during breaks and just hug them a lot. Especially the first graders. They are adorable. I think my brain is still a bit fuzzy from the busy-ness, but with the extra free time I have been able to spend a lot of time in the word and worshiping God - it has been so good!
Mackenzie and I have 2 weeks left here in Thailand. I am sad but am confident the Lord is using me wherever I am, and am hopeful to come back to Thailand within the next 1-2 years.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Human Trafficking Nebraska
HI everyone!
I just wanted to share with you some articles regarding human trafficking cases that came out recently in COLUMBUS, McCOOK and LINCOLN NEBRASKA.
http://www.kearneyhub.com/news/local/article_24a348a4-9a14-11e1-bfa8-0019bb2963f4.html
http://www.kearneyhub.com/news/local/fourth-man-charged-in-child-sex-investigation/article_c85bce28-9f76-11e1-91e9-0019bb2963f4.html
The ages of the young girls who were victimized is disturbing.
Please pray for healing and restoration in Jesus' name.
I just wanted to share with you some articles regarding human trafficking cases that came out recently in COLUMBUS, McCOOK and LINCOLN NEBRASKA.
http://www.kearneyhub.com/news/local/article_24a348a4-9a14-11e1-bfa8-0019bb2963f4.html
http://www.kearneyhub.com/news/local/fourth-man-charged-in-child-sex-investigation/article_c85bce28-9f76-11e1-91e9-0019bb2963f4.html
The ages of the young girls who were victimized is disturbing.
Please pray for healing and restoration in Jesus' name.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
These past couple of days have been very reflective for me, mostly because we began our last month in Thailand about 4 days ago. God has taught me so much, but it's not from being in Thailand, it is from a desire to know God more. I am looking forward to the next step and just praying He will lead me along the BEST path for my life. Oh, God is so good, isn't He? He never gives up, never fails. He is perfect and good, just and forgiving. What a God we serve.
Last week I was thinking about singing this coffeeshop that I like to sing at in Lincoln called Cultiva, and right as I was falling asleep I thought "I should email Joe and set up a show sometime...". The next morning I opened an email from Joe asking me to come and play on June 13th (the day after I get back from Thailand). So I said yes, after praying and gaining access to a keyboard. I think God has a purpose in it. So...you are all invited :) Please come. I'll probably be jet-lagged. I'll post the time later -- my guess is the show will start around 7, but there are two other acts on the bill, I don't know the lineup yet. I'll probably tell some stories.
We went to the sea with our neighbors last week. You know, I really love them. Mackenzie and I had a wonderful time. We drove about 2000 miles (I got a lot of Bible reading in! It was so refreshing), had the best tour guides ever :) saw monkey's, dolphins, jellyfish and stayed with some really nice people along the way.
Here are some pictures of our trip, compliments of Mackenzie and her Ipod:
I wanted to share a short story about a conversation I had with Kitichai (Dtoi).
Mackenzie and I had our Bibles in the seats with us and we kept getting in and out of the vehicle. Somewhere along the line, Mackenzie's bible was placed on the floor of the vehicle. Kitichai saw it and sat it on the seat. Later, he asked me, "Why do you put your bibles on the floor?" He was curious, because this absolutely would not have happened in Thai/buddhist culture. The question took me so off guard, I did not even really know what to say! He told me about how the Buddhist books (bibles?) are placed on the highest shelves above your head out of respect, because in Buddhist culture, your head is the holiest part of your body, while the feet are the dirtiest. Therefore, putting a Bible where your feet are is very disrespectful and neglectful. I thought this was an interesting conversation showing a Eastern/Western mindset. I love my Bible! It teaches me about God. I take care of it -- but it is also a part of my life. I think having a bible is quite a bit like owning a camera. If you have a camera, you coddle it quite a bit at first and are very protective of it, but eventually it simply becomes a part of you. You climb mountains with it and sling it around your back and you use it, alot. What is the point of having a camera if you don't use it? You know? I can absolutely see how placing a bible on the floor can be seen as disrespectful though. (But Jesus, He knows my heart.)
Our new housemates have arrived! Caleb, Tracy and Geshem :) I don't even have a picture yet! Soon. It has been such a joy having them here. They are full of life and the Holy Spirit. We haven't had a whole lot of time together (things have been so busy!) but it is certainly great getting to know them.
Our friend Bethany went home on Sunday :( We'll miss you! We should've taken a group picture, but we celebrated her presence with us, and Lucy's birthday, by having ice cream! Here we are (sort of):
School started TODAY, oh it's going to be a good year! We.have.a.bus.driver. It is a blessing. 15 new kids, 45 total. We still need a few more English teachers, so pass the word on to your friends! You do not have to have a college degree, but it would be a year commitment.
Last week I was thinking about singing this coffeeshop that I like to sing at in Lincoln called Cultiva, and right as I was falling asleep I thought "I should email Joe and set up a show sometime...". The next morning I opened an email from Joe asking me to come and play on June 13th (the day after I get back from Thailand). So I said yes, after praying and gaining access to a keyboard. I think God has a purpose in it. So...you are all invited :) Please come. I'll probably be jet-lagged. I'll post the time later -- my guess is the show will start around 7, but there are two other acts on the bill, I don't know the lineup yet. I'll probably tell some stories.
We went to the sea with our neighbors last week. You know, I really love them. Mackenzie and I had a wonderful time. We drove about 2000 miles (I got a lot of Bible reading in! It was so refreshing), had the best tour guides ever :) saw monkey's, dolphins, jellyfish and stayed with some really nice people along the way.
Here are some pictures of our trip, compliments of Mackenzie and her Ipod:
I wanted to share a short story about a conversation I had with Kitichai (Dtoi).
Mackenzie and I had our Bibles in the seats with us and we kept getting in and out of the vehicle. Somewhere along the line, Mackenzie's bible was placed on the floor of the vehicle. Kitichai saw it and sat it on the seat. Later, he asked me, "Why do you put your bibles on the floor?" He was curious, because this absolutely would not have happened in Thai/buddhist culture. The question took me so off guard, I did not even really know what to say! He told me about how the Buddhist books (bibles?) are placed on the highest shelves above your head out of respect, because in Buddhist culture, your head is the holiest part of your body, while the feet are the dirtiest. Therefore, putting a Bible where your feet are is very disrespectful and neglectful. I thought this was an interesting conversation showing a Eastern/Western mindset. I love my Bible! It teaches me about God. I take care of it -- but it is also a part of my life. I think having a bible is quite a bit like owning a camera. If you have a camera, you coddle it quite a bit at first and are very protective of it, but eventually it simply becomes a part of you. You climb mountains with it and sling it around your back and you use it, alot. What is the point of having a camera if you don't use it? You know? I can absolutely see how placing a bible on the floor can be seen as disrespectful though. (But Jesus, He knows my heart.)
Our new housemates have arrived! Caleb, Tracy and Geshem :) I don't even have a picture yet! Soon. It has been such a joy having them here. They are full of life and the Holy Spirit. We haven't had a whole lot of time together (things have been so busy!) but it is certainly great getting to know them.
Our friend Bethany went home on Sunday :( We'll miss you! We should've taken a group picture, but we celebrated her presence with us, and Lucy's birthday, by having ice cream! Here we are (sort of):
School started TODAY, oh it's going to be a good year! We.have.a.bus.driver. It is a blessing. 15 new kids, 45 total. We still need a few more English teachers, so pass the word on to your friends! You do not have to have a college degree, but it would be a year commitment.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Wow! Time flies when you're having fun! I can't believe it's been almost 2 weeks since my last post.
I don't have much time, but wanted to send a quick update.
>We have 3 new housemates!! It's certainly great having them here.
>Mackenzie and I just got back from the sea with our neighbors!
>We made them an American breakfast today :)
>Tomorrow I am going to visit an orphanage.
>Schools starts up again on Wednesday! Yay!
I want to elaborate on all of these things, but maybe later.
Love,
Amber
I don't have much time, but wanted to send a quick update.
>We have 3 new housemates!! It's certainly great having them here.
>Mackenzie and I just got back from the sea with our neighbors!
>We made them an American breakfast today :)
>Tomorrow I am going to visit an orphanage.
>Schools starts up again on Wednesday! Yay!
I want to elaborate on all of these things, but maybe later.
Love,
Amber
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
We wanted to share some exciting news! Mackenzie and I have a couple of very generous supporters, and yesterday we received an email that they are sending us $1000 ($500 for each of us) simply to give and bless people with!!
We are so excited about this opportunity to bless others financially! We will be praying about where this money will be given, and sharing some of the stories with you (if not all, but we will use discernment in the situations).
-------
Summer school has finished and now we are on a two-week break from school. My 'graphic design' role has already kicked back in as I am already redesigning a website AND helping redesign a storefront. Pictures will come as soon as the projects are finished!
---
Here are some pictures from the summer program:
TRACY AND CALEB! I WILL SEE YOU SOOO SOOOOON! Caleb is coming to teach at the school in about ***15 days!*** (can you believe it?) and am so looking forward to that!
Also, our lovely friends, Peg and Terry, were here in Chiang Mai for exactly 3 days, and we were able to have dinner with them one night (before whisking away to the hospital! Ah--no worries though, our roommate Emma was just having a check-up after a recent virus)
It was so nice to see them both and catching up, a breathe of fresh air, and so odd--I'm used to seeing them in Iowa and Nebraska. Now--Chiang Mai Thailand? What could be next? Morocco? the Alps? Worms, Nebraska?
That's all for now, I need some SLEEP!
God Bless,
please keep us in your prayers!
-Amber
We are so excited about this opportunity to bless others financially! We will be praying about where this money will be given, and sharing some of the stories with you (if not all, but we will use discernment in the situations).
-------
Summer school has finished and now we are on a two-week break from school. My 'graphic design' role has already kicked back in as I am already redesigning a website AND helping redesign a storefront. Pictures will come as soon as the projects are finished!
---
Here are some pictures from the summer program:
 |
| This is a craft I did with the kids (craft was my favorite thing to teach!) To my Chrysalis friend: These say "Fly with Christ" !! :) The kids all did such a good job. |
 |
| Poom is back at school! He is doing so much better. Praise God, for saving this boys life! AND he will be attending regular school with us in May. I am so excited to see how God continues to work in his life. |
 |
| Ohm, the boy from my last post -- the reader! |
 |
| This is a craft I did with the kids during the first week (and Emma...pointing... :) |
 |
| Leap Frog! |
 |
| A craft Mackenzie did with the kids! Most of these pictures are compliments of Bob Bowling (THANKS BOB) |
 |
| This girl LOVED Mackenzie. She has signed up for regular school as well! |
 |
| We took the kids to the pool twice a week for an hour. |
 |
| Snack time! |
TRACY AND CALEB! I WILL SEE YOU SOOO SOOOOON! Caleb is coming to teach at the school in about ***15 days!*** (can you believe it?) and am so looking forward to that!
Also, our lovely friends, Peg and Terry, were here in Chiang Mai for exactly 3 days, and we were able to have dinner with them one night (before whisking away to the hospital! Ah--no worries though, our roommate Emma was just having a check-up after a recent virus)
It was so nice to see them both and catching up, a breathe of fresh air, and so odd--I'm used to seeing them in Iowa and Nebraska. Now--Chiang Mai Thailand? What could be next? Morocco? the Alps? Worms, Nebraska?
That's all for now, I need some SLEEP!
God Bless,
please keep us in your prayers!
-Amber
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