Thailand Update
Highlights of Cathy's Thailand Trip 
Watching the faces of the parents as the children sang during the closing program. I was on stage, so I had the perfect vantage point to see their expressions of pride and delight… and the sparkling array of camera flashes!
Leading about 160-180 children of missionaries in worship everyday. Several of these children gave their hearts to Christ during the week!
Using songs I’d written during the worship time. I wasn’t sure which songs would work best, so I brought a whole stack with me--songs we sing in church, traditional favorites like “Jesus Loves Me” and “The B-I-B-L-E”, VBS favorites, and some I’d written. I was so excited during a prep meeting when it was agreed that my songs conveyed the meaning of the lessons the best!
Hearing over and over “Thank-you for coming from the US to teach our children!! They look forward to this conference all year. It’s the only time they get to play with other American kids.”
Getting to know servants of the Lord from all over Asia, many of whom are making great sacrifices to spread God’s love.
Feeling like a celebrity walking through the hotel and Night Bazaar as children excitedly pointed at me and introduced me to their parents. Each child is so special!!
Leading our team of nine women in prayer and reflection as we went through this journey together.
Meeting “C”, a kindred spirit who came to the conference with her daughter. Neither have a personal relationship with Jesus, but they both heard the Gospel. I pray it won’t be much longer before they enter the Kingdom of Light.
”Talking” with Kaye, the hotel staff worker in charge of my classroom. After I found out he knew some English (he sang “Take Me Home, Country Roads” for me!), I asked him if he understood what we had been telling the children. He said, “Oh, yes! I love God and read my Bible!” I gave him the Jesus Film on DVD which he received with great joy.
Spending time with Mee at the night market (above). Another kindred spirit, Mee makes Christmas tree balls out of yarn and thread which are beautiful. She explained how she makes her ornaments and we talked together twice. I was surprised to find out that she can write English and even has email!
Getting to know Teerapol, a young man on his first business trip to the US, on the long flight from Bangkok to NYC. He had a book of English phrases for businessmen, so I asked if he needed help. We talked about the difference between Thai and US foods, customs, driving, etc. He wrote the names of each of our team members in Thai, and I gave him the Jesus Film on DVD. He graciously accepted it and mentioned that he has a Christian friend in Thailand.
Holding Owen (10 months) during the long flight to Thailand, so his mother could eat her meals. Although she didn’t want to know how to receive Christ, I prayed for Owen while I held him… that he would grow into a strong man of God and serve the Lord.
Riding an elephant! I went with our team just to be a good sport, but found that I loved it!!
Worshipping with Thai believers Sunday morning. We sang the English words to the tunes we recognized as they sang the Thai words. This is what I imagine heaven will be like! All languages being used to praise God! And the pastor’s message on “Love is Patient” was perfect timing on the day before our 32-hour journey home. (Above, outside the church.)
Please pray for:- The Thai missionaries who attended the conference, the children who received Christ, “C” and her daughter, Teerapol, Kaye, Mee, the Thai believers, Owen and his mom, and our team.
- That all of us would walk closer to Jesus today than we did yesterday.
THANKS!!-----
Our mission statement"Partnering with strategic ministries to communicate God’s love through music and the performing arts"
- Authentic
- Dynamic
- Catalytic
- Worldwide
- Life Change
Everything we do, from organizing equipment to processing finances, to performing and sharing the Gospel on stage is put through the filter of our mission statement and values.
Give electronically through CCC's secure server-
February, 2007
We really appreciate each one of you, and we’ve felt your prayers-- especially these past few months. Corresponding with you is very important to us, but with Tom’s health issues we haven’t been able to keep up with you as well as we would like. That being said… here’s what has been going on with us!
Thyroid TalesIn November Tom had his thyroid removed because it contained papillary cancer. The surgery went well; he breezed through the recovery, and by the first of the year he began a stringent diet to get ready for the radioactive iodine treatment that would kill any remaining thyroid or cancerous cells. The treatment was successful, and we celebrated by ordering pizza (which Tom hadn’t been able to eat for over two weeks!) Each step of the process has gone well, and we know that it’s because you are praying. Please continue to pray for him as the doctors figure out the thyroid hormone replacement dosage (this is different from person to person). This is the last step in his treatment, but it’s also the trickiest and can be discouraging when the results don’t happen as quickly as we’d like. Tom is still a little run-down, but is beginning to perk up. And just this morning, Tom’s doctor pronounced him “CURED!” Praise God!!
Thailand TravelsMany of you don’t know that Cathy is co-leading a mission trip to Thailand from Feb. 2-12 sponsored by our church. (We had planned on sending a prayer letter out the beginning of January to fill you in, but that didn’t happen!) Anyway… seven women and a family of six are going to do childcare during a home school conference sponsored by the Asia Education Resource Consortium. The people attending the conference are missionaries serving throughout Asia. Most of these families are so isolated in the countries where they serve that the only education option for their children is to home school them.
Our church commissioned us and prayed for our Thai trip as people gathered around us and laid hands on us at the altar.The AERC Conference is an opportunity for them to be ministered to by the speakers, meet others doing similar ministry, swap school ideas and materials, and get energized to keep doing what God has called each of them to do. Most of the attendees are Americans who are really grateful that their children will be cared for and taught by American Christians. Cathy will be running the worship/music part of the childcare including leading each age group in worship, putting together a program the kids will perform for their parents (something most of them can’t do where they live!), and building into the lives of the small group of children who will help make the backdrop and props. She also hopes to have conversations with some Thai unbelievers. Check out cathy’s blog for more information:
cathyhowie.blogspot.comThailand Team
Sitting on the stage in the KidZone, our church’s children’s ministry, as the pastor tells the kids that we will be taking care of missionary kids. All the children gathered around us to pray for us just after this photo was taken. Left to right: Cathy, Deborah G., Carla V., Nicole C., Amy B., Darla G., and Kevin, Nicole, Lisa, Christopher, Matthew and Michael A.Won’t you be my neighbor?When we bought our house in Indiana, we thought the street (Sunblest Blvd.) and town names (Fishers) were really cool names to have in our address as missionaries. But shining our light in our neighborhood has been particularly difficult for two reasons. First—almost half of our neighbors are Christians! (Which has been great fellowship!) And, secondly—the unbelievers we have met really don’t want to socialize…. until recently. Two cousins moved in next door around Thanksgiving. After talking with them a couple of times, we invited them to church, and they’ve been coming! After church this week they volunteered to help with the Easter musical set construction and painting (they are painting contractors). They will only be here until the end of April, so please pray that we, including the believers in our church, will be good Christ-ambassadors to them.
Partnering with Strategic Ministries…Our Keynote mission statement* begins with the word “partnering”. Since we often do concerts in places where we don’t live, we need to partner with other ministries. On the other hand, since we are able to reach people through music that many ministries can’t, they need to partner with us. Just another example of Christ’s body functioning! Also a good example of Paul’s observation that some till the soil, some sow, while others harvest. The following is a long chain of God using Keynote partnerships to reach students in Brazil…
About 6 or 7 years ago, Kristin, a college student, came to Keynote for our summer project. (Every summer we invite talented college students to come here for training, after which they rehearse with a band and tour for 2-3 weeks.) A few years later, Kristin came on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ in Brazil, where she met Janie (pronounced SHZON-yay) in her local church music ministry. She suggested Janie go to the US and participate in the 2003 Keynote Summer Project. Janie did come and spent the summer in the USA touring in a multicultural band—she plays an amazing basso nova guitar! Before she even met Kristin, she knew God was calling her to do music ministry using secular music (sound familiar?!?), but she knew she needed more training. She came back to Indiana for most of 2005, then went home to Brazil to start a “Keynote” ministry in her country.
Sure of her calling and equipped with Keynote paradigms and material (which she translated into Portuguese), Janie launched Musica & Missao—“Music and Mission”—in late 2005. Since she is the only person in Brazil on staff in this capacity, the going has been slow. But that is starting to change. M & M hosted the first ever Brazilian music summer project this January. (That isn’t a typo. Brazil is having summer right now.) Four Keynote staff made the long journey south to partner with her by teaching classes, running sound equipment, and building relationships with the students in the project. After the two-week training, Janie asked the eleven Brazilian students to pray about joining her in developing an evangelistic music ministry in Brazil with Campus Crusade. THREE students responded that they feel God calling them in this way! Janie is thrilled, “My team will increase by 300%!!” she said in an email. She also said that 3 or 4 other students are stilling praying about joining Musica & Missao with her. Please pray for the students in this Brazilian Summer Project band, the Brazilians who will be in their audiences, and those students who feel God calling them to partner with Janie.
Partnership!! Together with you, we are partnering with a sister in Brazil to reach Brazilians for Christ!!Please pray for:- Pray for Cathy and the Thai team as they travel, and for their ministry in Thailand.
- Pray that God would continue to meet our needs in His remarkable timing!
- Praise God for Tom's healing - we are amazed at how He has been with us through every step in the process!
THANKS!!-----
Our mission statement"Partnering with strategic ministries to communicate God’s love through music and the performing arts"
- Authentic
- Dynamic
- Catalytic
- Worldwide
- Life Change
Everything we do, from organizing equipment to processing finances, to performing and sharing the Gospel on stage is put through the filter of our mission statement and values.
Give electronically through CCC's secure server-
