11.12.08
"What Do You Guys Really Need?"
Everybody is always asking about our real needs. "What do you guys really need?" It is such a kind question that we get asked all the time. Usually I have very few good answers for this question probably because God is so kind to us. Hmm, mainly we need prayers. Yes always prayers! A nice package with marshmallows or tortillas and salsa? Nice, but I guess not really a need. What else? It is kinda hard to say. We live in a place where lunch costs about fifty cents and many of our Thai friends live on wages of about $15 a day. We have so much really.
There are needs though. Real needs that we pray for all the time and needs that we come before the Father asking for His providential grace. I am saying this because I have a request, and I don't want to just throw it out without emphasizing that this is a legitimate need for our family at this time.
We need help? Some of you are saying, "Yeah, I have always known Brent needs help big time." That is not what I am talking about. How do we need help? Let me tell you about our kids' school.
You would love the kids' school. Ben and Kate really feel blessed to be a part of the Family Learning Center. Here they spend their days learning alongside kids from Thailand, Taiwan, Holland, Malaysia, Switzerland. Oh yeah, and America. This creates unlimited learning opportunities and quite a diverse learning environment. Think learning math or science while the kid next to you is talking out loud to herself in Chinese, then she tells you something in Thai. Hmmmm.
Julie also teaches at the FLC daily. In truth, she does this in order to be a part of providing a strong education for our own kids, yet she reaps great rewards in the process. Like what? Julie's efforts as a teacher and coordinator for programs at the elementary means that she is a critical part of ministries to orphans; a ministry to young women at-risk; a ministry to people with AIDS; a ministry to those in prison; a ministry to addicts; ministries to hill tribe people groups; and ministries reaching out with the Good news of Christ to Thailand, Burma, Laos and China. How does Julie do all this (she is amazing I will agree)? By teaching at the Family Learning Center, Julie is a part of helping provide a great education for the kids of parents who work in all these ministries located in this northern region of Thailand.
The cool thing is that you and/or friends you know could be a part of this too. Right now our school really needs more teachers for elementary, middle, and high school. Isn't it cool that you don't have to take the years to become fluent in the Thai language, and yet you could immediately come and be an asset to all of these ministries and all these kids. Yes, I am challenging you to consider coming to teach!
I realize most of you can't do this! You have callings that God has designated for you. Really I am asking something different from you. Could you ask, "Do I know someone who could teach at the Family Learning Center for a one or two year commitment?" Or could you go one step further and make a commitment to recruit someone to come to FLC and teach. Think about it, if a tenth of you who read this blog committed to recruit until you got us a teacher, we would be set for years.
Right now we have older volunteers who are retired school teachers along with young volunteers who have come before they start down their career path. Really, we love having passionate qualified teachers of any age. Please go to the FLC website and check out the school and the opportunities at the school: http://www.flcschool.com/ Also, be sure to check out the videos. You might recognize someone you know!
One more thing. The school is transitioning from the Family Learning Center and becoming the Chiang Rai International Christian School. This is an exciting time because this transition is helping us grow and provide higher quality education for our students of missionaries as well as students from the Thai community. The transition to becoming an international school must follow the process laid out by the Thai Government Department of Education. Believe me, there are many steps in this process. One of the first critical steps is to purchase land and build a permanent place for the school. As a small school, FLC has been able to meet the needs of the students through renting properties. For example, we are presently renting a small motel which basically meets the needs for the school, but it is tight.
The really good news is that we are right in the middle of finding a location of our own for the school. Recently, affordable land has been located and the process of raising funds for the Chaing Rai International Christian School Project is underway. This project will require input and sponsorship by people and organizations who want to see a great school for these missionary, international, and Thai kids. We who are a critical part of building the school will be looking for people interested in helping fund this project.
Please pray that we will have the teachers and the resources for this project, and please consider being a part.
We love all of you who love us so well!
Peace of Jesus,
Brent and Julie
There are needs though. Real needs that we pray for all the time and needs that we come before the Father asking for His providential grace. I am saying this because I have a request, and I don't want to just throw it out without emphasizing that this is a legitimate need for our family at this time.
We need help? Some of you are saying, "Yeah, I have always known Brent needs help big time." That is not what I am talking about. How do we need help? Let me tell you about our kids' school.
You would love the kids' school. Ben and Kate really feel blessed to be a part of the Family Learning Center. Here they spend their days learning alongside kids from Thailand, Taiwan, Holland, Malaysia, Switzerland. Oh yeah, and America. This creates unlimited learning opportunities and quite a diverse learning environment. Think learning math or science while the kid next to you is talking out loud to herself in Chinese, then she tells you something in Thai. Hmmmm.
Julie also teaches at the FLC daily. In truth, she does this in order to be a part of providing a strong education for our own kids, yet she reaps great rewards in the process. Like what? Julie's efforts as a teacher and coordinator for programs at the elementary means that she is a critical part of ministries to orphans; a ministry to young women at-risk; a ministry to people with AIDS; a ministry to those in prison; a ministry to addicts; ministries to hill tribe people groups; and ministries reaching out with the Good news of Christ to Thailand, Burma, Laos and China. How does Julie do all this (she is amazing I will agree)? By teaching at the Family Learning Center, Julie is a part of helping provide a great education for the kids of parents who work in all these ministries located in this northern region of Thailand.
The cool thing is that you and/or friends you know could be a part of this too. Right now our school really needs more teachers for elementary, middle, and high school. Isn't it cool that you don't have to take the years to become fluent in the Thai language, and yet you could immediately come and be an asset to all of these ministries and all these kids. Yes, I am challenging you to consider coming to teach!
I realize most of you can't do this! You have callings that God has designated for you. Really I am asking something different from you. Could you ask, "Do I know someone who could teach at the Family Learning Center for a one or two year commitment?" Or could you go one step further and make a commitment to recruit someone to come to FLC and teach. Think about it, if a tenth of you who read this blog committed to recruit until you got us a teacher, we would be set for years.
Right now we have older volunteers who are retired school teachers along with young volunteers who have come before they start down their career path. Really, we love having passionate qualified teachers of any age. Please go to the FLC website and check out the school and the opportunities at the school: http://www.flcschool.com/ Also, be sure to check out the videos. You might recognize someone you know!
One more thing. The school is transitioning from the Family Learning Center and becoming the Chiang Rai International Christian School. This is an exciting time because this transition is helping us grow and provide higher quality education for our students of missionaries as well as students from the Thai community. The transition to becoming an international school must follow the process laid out by the Thai Government Department of Education. Believe me, there are many steps in this process. One of the first critical steps is to purchase land and build a permanent place for the school. As a small school, FLC has been able to meet the needs of the students through renting properties. For example, we are presently renting a small motel which basically meets the needs for the school, but it is tight.
The really good news is that we are right in the middle of finding a location of our own for the school. Recently, affordable land has been located and the process of raising funds for the Chaing Rai International Christian School Project is underway. This project will require input and sponsorship by people and organizations who want to see a great school for these missionary, international, and Thai kids. We who are a critical part of building the school will be looking for people interested in helping fund this project.
Please pray that we will have the teachers and the resources for this project, and please consider being a part.
We love all of you who love us so well!
Peace of Jesus,
Brent and Julie
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