{FECA Vision Choir} Report 5

July 5 – This morning, we have the luxury of not leaving until 9:30 AM to go to church so while us old people woke up to eat breakfast at about 7, the Vision folks did not start coming until about 8 with the exception of Nadia and her dad, and Joe and Fiona who were there at about 7:30. We attended the Maitrichit Church service and sang Soli Deo Gloria and Heaven Came Down and sat through a 2 hour service conducted in Chinese (Toichu) and Thai with earphone translation into English for our sake, baptism and church membership of 3 young people, and communion. This is the church of former Vision members Vida and Yod Mahachavaroj and is celebrating their 172^nd anniversary of existence. There were about 300 people there and we ate lunch at the church courtesy of Vida and Yod's sister Ping with about a dozen students who spoke English well. Our kids and these kids connected really well so that they we were all reluctant to leave when the time came. We then went to BH Church where we presented an hour and a half program, singing six of the songs with the BH team who have been practicing with us. Ben then preached a convicting message from I Peter 1:1-12 about our being aliens and strangers and expecting to live a persecuted life for Christ sake. After the service of over 2 hours, the church provided a snack for all the members (about 150 total) consisting almost of dinner, fried chicken, sticky rice, pickle salad, and lots of rambutan and mangostein and some kind of Thai dessert (like icy and jello). During the service, it rained heavily for the first time since we got here (it is suppose to be raining season) but after the service, it was barely drizzling. We then practiced for another hour, with a Thai singer from their church showing us how to sing the Water of Life Thai song correctly with its subtle grace notes and synchopation which cannot be accurately notated on the score but could be listened to and imitated. Then the church elders took us all to a restaurant for dinner and drove us back.

After returning, we spent a short time debriefing the last two days. We were privileged to see three churches in the last two days, one ministering to the poor, one wealthy established Chinese church, and the third made up of younger, highly successful Yuppies with very high achieving children (BH). All three churches are growing and in their own way reaching out to a different segment of society. It is a blessing to see what a marvelous God we serve who provides a witness for Himself no matter what station we might be in life. Hallelujah! Tomorrow will be a busy day (as you get this Sunday night in LA, we will be on our way) where we first will go to 2 children's wards in one hospital and present two half hour programs and give out toys, then to a cancer ward at a different hospital for an hour. It is here we plan to pray for the sick so remember us that God will heal some miraculously and start a new movement of His Spirit as you are reading this Sunday night. Then we go to a third hospital and will be served lunch and then sing for an hour to the hospital staff, most of whom are non-Christians so pray for this outreach and Ben's message. Lastly we then go to a fourth hospital which is kind of a government orphanage for children under 5 years of age. We will minister and play with the kids for an hour and also give them toys (stuffed animals here). Our next report will let you know what happens.

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