A New Adventure!

      Thailand has been great! The memories I've made with the ones I love and the great experiences I've encountered were thrilling. It was a huge joy to be back at home for the summer. Thank you all for your encouragement through your gifts and prayers...

      Some things that I personally enjoyed while being back in Thailand was the food, delicious yet spicy as can be! Just thinking about the flavors makes my mouth water and makes my heart yearn to travel back soon... Going back this summer, I've also had the opportunity to travel around Thailand to explore and see the beauty of God's creation. It's definitely a sight to see! From tremendous waterfalls to hugging majestic tigers, I've made many memories that will last for a lifetime. 

      Being back with family and friends from high school were such a blessing as well. I've had the opportunity to see some of my best friends and "catch up" with them, to be encouraged and be an encouragement in their lives. But what I loved about this summer was the numerous hours of time I had with my family. They seem to be doing well (Praise God). Everyone in the family have been busy, but are still happy and joyful. 

       This summer I had the opportunity to expose myself again to the mission field. I've seen Thailand from a new perspective, a perspective of a college student focused on the Bible. Stephen, my father, was able to teach me the ropes of the mission field. I've taken lessons about the Greek language and learned some tips and tricks on how to effectively preach to the Lisu people (minority group living in Thailand, Burma, China). It was a wonderful experience as I got to see progress, not only in my teachings, but the growth of people yearning to hear about Christ. I also received much feedback and love from my messages. Many people were stressed out with their personal problems and after hearing my message, they seemed to be at peace. Many realized that I was speaking words of wisdom that made an impact on the people's lives! It was life-changing and an encouragement to many, praise God for his goodness. 

         Over the summer, one thing that truly stuck out to me was the many blessings of God. Most Americans have truly been blessed by God in all things: an abundance in food, clothes, etc. Notice that they have nice cars to take them wherever and whenever they want to go. They have a nice comfortable home. All these things have been a blessing given from God that people never could've earned alone. That being said, not many people receive this much blessings like the Americans do. Over the summer, I got to hear about a small minority group, the Lisu people in Burma, who have truly been going through pain and suffering. A brief history of Burma is the recent war strikes going back and forth between the government and the rebels. The rebel group have been going against the Burmese government .... and in retaliation the government have been sending in forces. It's a battleground that drove the Lisu people away from their homelands. A very depressing situation occurred and many people are forced to run away, leaving their family, their livestock, and their home behind to find refuge. (If you would like to read more about this incident, look up this link: http://newsfromwongs.blogspot.com/2017/01/good-news-and-bad-new.html) 

          As summer drew to an end, it was once again a pain to walk away from my family and take my flight back to Boise in order to start up my second year at Boise Bible College. It was a pain to stop being a part of the mission field (physically) and being with my family once again, but God's plans are higher than mine. The flight back to the States was a smooth trip, thank God! When reaching the States, I've had the opportunity to stay with a good friend, Johnny Mercer and eventually end up going to a Middle school summer camp. It was yet another great experience as I got the chance to speak truth and life into the hearts of the middle schoolers. Many kids coming from rough backgrounds felt a sense of security being in camp. This was where I as well as many leaders were able to love on them, play games with them, talk about Jesus with them. A great sight to see as kids were pouring out their hearts and souls to Christ. Yet again, another blessing from God as many people were influenced at camp. Soon, there will be a small get together to hold many baptisms with these kids!

           Finally, when summer came to a stop, I finally moved back into the dorms of Boise Bible College. I have finally received all my classes and have fallen in love with each them. Many classes that I am taking do require a lot of time and effort, but are truly promising! I've had the opportunity to see some of my old friends as well as meet the new incoming freshmen. Looking back, I see this as being another blessing God has given to me. His blessings never stop flowing!

           Prayer Request: I do ask that you may keep me in your prayers with the following

     - Focus on school work

     - Keeping God in the center of my life

     - Able to be a light and an encouragement towards others

     - Having the energy to do ministry at my local church (Ten Mile Christian Church)

     -To eventually go to Myanmar and China with my father in the near future and continue doing mission works, experiencing culture from a different country and helping Asians for Christ (prayers needed as I am in need of financial support to make this trip possible).

Thank you all for your prayers for me during the summer. I can't wait for many other adventures and trips that God will lead me on...

Busy But Grateful

It's been a very busy month! In Thailand, school has officially begun and farmers are starting to grow their crops again. That means, even though I'm relaxing and enjoying the wonderful summer vacation, my entire family is busy sending my younger brother, Isaac, to school. It also means that the family has not had an official summer vacation since I've been in Thailand, but nevertheless, we are all still grateful for the fellowship and unity God has given us this year to be together for the summer...

This month has been very productive indeed! I've had many mornings to study Koine Greek (original language used in the New Testament) alongside my father and older sister, who has willingly sacrificed her mornings to help me succeed! Not only did I learn the basics of Greek, I've had many opportunities to learn how to cook Thai cuisine and practice my new passion, photography and videography. I personally believe that the internet and social media is the most "trending" sensation of this generation. Everyone goes on Youtube or Google to search up something entertaining or look for information. Everyone goes on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram in order to communicate with people around the world. Now that social media has become the primary source that people look in to, I'd love to take the opportunity to make videos of travels and mission's trips in the near future to spread the Gospel!

Other than learning a new language, cooking Thai food, and pursuing a new passion, I've had my second trip to the villages this month! The second trip was to "Hui Kow", a village that my mother grew up in when she was a child. There I've had another chance to preach to the people. Gaining some insight on another way of preaching from my father, speaking the Word through the use of stories, I've been able to effectively relate with the Lisu people and communicate God's Word. The message (Matthew 19:16-26) seemed to have been very impactful for the Lisu people. Many of the people told me after the sermon that it was a very encouraging message and most were truly shocked that someone as young as me, could've preached so well. Praise God for many opportunities that He has provided me to learn, grow, and experience the missional life again...

Something important that I've learned this summer (Be sure to take some time to meditate on this):

    Ever since I've been in Thailand, the atmosphere was completely opposite than my time in America. In America, I seemed to have been busy wanting to do everything I could. I felt like if I did something, it would be considered productive. But, when I entered Thailand, I've been "forced" to relax. Thinking about it, it's been a way that God has been telling me to stop worrying, stop doing work, and relax in His presence. With that in mind, I now start to see the power of God continually working in Asia. He's making an impact on people's lives during the times I am working and resting! That's the amazing God we serve.
    Now take some time to relax, stop trying to work and be "productive." Sit back, relax, and enjoy the wonderful creation He has made for us... Enjoy the people he's put us with... Enjoy the things He has given to us. When we do that, we put our problems, work habits, and life into God's hands, knowing that He is in complete control.

This summer in Thailand has been very productive indeed and I am beyond blessed to have grown and matured in so many different aspects! 

The next couple of weeks will be a time for me to keep on focusing on my studies and continue preaching to local churches. It'll also be a time of relaxation, to hang out with my family and old friends from Grace International School (high school that I have graduated from). Thank you all for your prayers and support. Without you, these opportunities for evangelism would never be possible!

Some prayer requests that I have for the next couple of weeks:
      * Keep God in the center of my life
      * Continue with my studies
      * Good health
      * Learning and experiencing Asia from a missional perspective
      * Safe travels to and fro villages

Thank you all again for your partnership with me and my family. If you have any prayer requests or would like to message me about anything, contact me at:
                                                                    johnwong1216@gmail.com  or Facebook message me!

                                                                                       Experience a day at Hui Kow!

Preaching at Hui Kow

Had the privilege to hear the Lisu people sing praises to God in a different language!

Catching up with Lisu friends and relatives.

Learning how to make the best spring rolls!

Praise God for what he is doing throughout the world!

My first week in Thailand has been a huge blessing. It's been a great time of fellowship with my family and friends. It's also been a pleasure to come back and enjoy the wonderful Thai cuisine and the humidity Thailand has to offer!

If you did not know, I have recently travelled internationally through Korea to get to Thailand. It was one of the scariest moments in my life as I travelled alone across the ocean. The trip to Thailand was both amazing and scary at the same time. During this trip there were a few problems with my flight to Chiangmai. To sum up the problem, the Korean hostess said that my flight to Chiangmai was a breach to the ticketing policy since I already had a flight going to China that same day. Apparently you cannot have two tickets going to two different destinations within the same day. In order for the issue to get resolved, I had to reschedule the flight to Beijing. The entire conversation lasted for over an hour and it was very stressful indeed, but God was always there, reminding me that He had it in control. When I finally got my tickets and was heading to Korea, I sat on the airplane texting my friends, saying goodbye to them. I looked at my tickets and realized another problem. I literally had 15 minutes to get from the plane to my gate. A whole new layer of stress filled my mind. I thought that I would be stuck in Korea for a while, away from all of my family and friends, but God kept on reminding me that He was with me. And indeed, He took care of the problem. The moment I landed in Korea, a lady approached me and escorted me through the entire airport to my destination. I was finally able to go back home. Praise God for his unending love and power!

The first week in Chiangmai has been very wonderful. I got the chance to "catch up" with my family. Every single one of them are doing great! Isaac (my younger brother) is getting bigger and continuing to excel in his studies. Becky and Nick (my older siblings) have been busy helping out in the ministry by teaching English and driving the family across Thailand to different churches. My mother, Mary has been busying herself. She's been cooking, cleaning, and opening the house to guests from around the nations! My father, Stephen has been in the office working on completing his commentaries on the Bible as well as proclaim the Gospel to everyone...

Not only did I "catch up" with my family, but I was put immediately to work that same week. Every morning I would have the opportunity to study Greek with my father and learn the Bible, bit by bit. It's been a great time of learning! This Sunday, I've had the wonderful opportunity to bring the Message to the local Lisu people in Thailand. (The Lisu people are a small people group that live mostly in China, Myanmar/Burma, and Thailand.) It was a great experience as I saw the fruits of my labor at Boise Bible College. I could see the work that God was doing through me. What a joy it is to be a part of God's plan in Asia.

The next couple of months will be a time for me to continue learning with my father. Eventually I will also be traveling to villages in Thailand and potentially going out to China and Burma to proclaim the Gospel there. I do ask for prayers for the following:
     *Let me be able to learn the culture and language of the Lisu people
     *Good health during the summer
     *God's Word to continue spreading in Asia

Thank you all for your prayers and your encouragement to me and my family. I will keep you updated!

Back in Thailand!

Great being back in my mother's arms

Preaching to the Lisu people

Hello friends and family from Boise, Idaho!

If you have not known before, this past year I have moved to Boise in pursuit for a new chapter in my life. The main reason why I moved to Idaho is to learn and study at Boise Bible College.

Boise Bible College is a small private college with 26 teachers/staff and 128 students as of now. It's a college with the purpose in building up servant leaders who will make an impact to the world through the spreading of the Gospel. With such a small community, BBC is well known for their intimate relationships. Every teacher has a personal relationship with the students and can take the time to invest in each person's lives. The classes themselves are very challenging, but also very useful and practical in missions work. After being away from my family for over 9 months and studying in a wonderful, yet challenging environment, I would say that it has been a true blessing to see my growth in all three aspects: physically, mentally, and spiritually. 

Right now, as "dead week" is slowly coming to an end and finals begin, I'm starting to realize how close it is to the end of my freshmen year at college. Looking back, I realized the many blessings God has given me ever since I left Thailand to this day. Every single day has been a challenge, but I know that God is using every incident to help me grow in a deeper relationship with Him. 

On May 13 I plan on leaving Boise, Idaho in flight back to Thailand. This summer, I'll be taking the time to use the newly learned information that I have acquired this year at BBC and apply it to the mission field. A couple days after I land, I plan on traveling with my older brother and father to different churches in Thailand, Burma, and possibly China. I am excited and cannot wait to help out with the youth and teach the Word of God. 

I do ask that you pray for me with the following:
   * Be a vessel for God to use me to make His Name known.
   * Safe travels this summer.
   * Strength and energy as well as good health during this summer.
   * Time to learn and grow in my relationship with God

This is the start of my first blog with many more to follow! Thank you for following me as I embark on a new chapter in my life in pursuit of proclaiming the Gospel...
 There will be new information posted every month so please stay tuned! There will also be many videos that I will be making for your benefit, to see the impact of the Gospel in Asia.