The Mays’ Weblog

We are excited to be able to help our friends Jill and Simon and their Thai churches over Christmas. They have 6 churches in villages surrounding Chiangmai where there are many new Christians, and new people being saved every week. God is at work and there has been revival in several villages here in recent months.
We will be going with them on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th of December and taking gifts of blankets and food. We will be joining with them in carol singing as they share the gospel with their neighbours and also some nativity shows and crafts. This Thai church is very outward-looking and faithful and is praying for God to provide all they need for the outreach as they are all on a very low income. We are expecting at least 150 children to come and do crafts and join in the celebration.
Thank you for being part of this with us. As you know there has been some trouble in Thailand in recent weeks but God has opened the door and we are going to do all we can to make the most of every opportunity while they exist. Praise God for he is doing so many things here.
The weather is cold at night and some villages are experiencing temperatures of zero degrees, many in a bamboo hut. We have no heating here and find 11 degrees in the morning rather nippy!
Please pray for the villages of Thailand this Christmas that they will receive Gods love and be provided for in food and clothes.

Street Evangelism. Since September a new ministry has sprung up at school led by the new maths teacher, Tom. Every Saturday night students take a songtaew (truck/bus) to the night bazaar area to do street evangelism.

This started as a small party with Luke and three friends going with Tom, and now more than 50 students are involved every week. This has sparked the students’ enthusiasm for reaching out to the foreigners who are there looking for a bargain. Many are on more than a physical journey, searching for new meaning in their lives. The students give out hundreds of tracts every week, start conversations, and pray for people. Many tourists are open to hearing what the students have to say and willing to have the students pray for them right there in the street!
I have been there most weeks as Tom needs more and more adults to be available as so many students are keen to be involved.It is extremely encouraging.

Most students were nervous or unsure how to approach people at first but are now so excited to share and are becoming more confident every week. It is an amazing time; praise God that the doors are open wide!

I had two brushes with nature this weekend. The first was a frog that was sleeping in a towell that I picked up in the bathroom. Fortunately it jumped out before I got the towel onto my face…yuk. The second was when I was just going into the outside door of the school on Saturday afternoon. I felt a thump on my head and then a long green thing about 3ft long landed at my feet. Once it had got its bearings the snake, which must have been sleeping over the door, slithered off into the bushes.

I have never had a snake land on my head before but it was not as bad as it sounds. It was just as surprised as I was! Anyhow - I live to tell the tale… they do say the brighter the colour the more unpleasant they are, and that over 90% of the snakes here are venomous!

Bye, Andrew