Week 6 marked the end of teaching english at the Trimark Elementary School and Tetsaban Anuban Kokkloi Kindergarten. I am so proud for the team members who have found the experience challenging, since they have little or no teaching experience. However, they were all eager to use online teaching aides, share ideas, and have willing hearts.
I silently prayed for the students: that they would come to know God’s purpose for their lives, come to know Him as a personal God, and grow up to contribute to nation-building.
We have gotten to know Kru (“teacher”) Ying well. She heads the English department and her cheerful heart and tireless spirit have encouraged us in our goal to to serve the students well. She also runs the English Club, a group of about 25 students who want to be fluent English speakers. We had a special date with Ying and Ko (math teacher), so over coffee, cake, and pad thai we talked about their families, hometowns, dreams, and work challenges. With Peng’s translation we prayed for God to reveal His love for each of them, peace and joy in their work duties, and the desires of their hearts – children for Ying and her husband, and a future husband for Ko.
On Friday night we attended a Bible Study at a Burmese home, which is shared by two families. Because the electric lights weren’t working they went to buy candles so we could start our evening. And so by candlelight our Burmese friends hummed along to our english songs…we hummed along to their Burmese melodies. By candlelight we shared testimonies about human injustice, God’s provision and faithfulness, and the hope in Jesus that we all share.
People listened patiently between the three languages (English and the Thai/Burmese translations) spoken because they were hungry for God’s word – this hunger for God’s word never ceases to amaze me. I felt God’s sweet presence among us and I long for the day when “every nation, tribe, people and language” will stand before God’s throne and worshiping together.
Coincidentally the home is located near an area where tourists go on elephant rides during the day. The elephant owners tie the elephants down for the night, so while waiting for Bible Study to start we petted a mother and baby elephant who were feeding inside a pen. After Bible Study we walked the path alongside a rubber tree orchard and saw 5 or 6 elephants sleeping under the trees. They were about 50 feet from our path, and looked like huge sentinels that were spaced apart every 100 feet. These gentle giants remind me how small I am and how big my God is!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- That we would remember everything that God has taught us and done through us as we have a 3-day debriefing in Phuket, prior to flying back to Vancouver.
- I still have a balance of $2186.01 CAD for my outreach fees. If I cannot pay the fees before graduation, I still have to pay the entire balance and YWAM is trusting me to be faithful to my word.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
- Go to the YWAM Vancouver “Payments and Donations” site http://ywamvancouver.org/donations-payments/
- Go to Payments & Donations
- Go to Make A Donation
- Go to Paypal, and click on DONATE NOW. You will be routed to a page where you can pay through Paypal or Credit Card. Paypal account is not needed.
- Please ensure that you specify what your donation is for (ex: Esther Pinzon DTS Fees). Click the link that says “This Payment is for” and give the name/ministry. You may write: Esther Pinzon DTS Fees
- The option to pay through Project Funding Office is only if you need a Canadian Tax Receipt.
- Deposit to my Bank of the Philippine Islands Savings Account 0473-0686-21
- PayPal using this link https://www.paypal.me/estherpinzon
- Make your cheque or money order payable to “Youth With A Mission”and include a separate note for: “Esther Pinzon, DTS Vancouver”. Mail to the address below:
Youth With A Mission
PO Box 57100 RPO East Hastings
Vancouver, BC V5K 5G6
Ph: 604.436.4433
Fx: 604.436.4466
HELPFUL LINKS:
YWAM Vancouver http://ywamvancouver.org/
DTS latest blog: http://ywamvancouver.org/latest-dts-blog/