Learning Thai

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – Jesus (John 16:33)

This past week has given me plenty of opportunities to think about this promise that Jesus made. Our visa problems are pretty minor in the grand scheme of things (especially as we grieve with our teammate who was just diagnosed with leukemia), but they are very unsettling. I really like living in Thailand and there have been very few times when I really wanted to leave, but when we’re so abruptly reminded of our status as foreigners here it does trigger an impulse to “go home.” These feelings of disillusionment have prompted me to think again about where my sense of identity lies. It’s natural to want to live in a place where we can belong and blend in – but that’s not a reality that the Bible promises us.

Being the “alien and stranger” isn’t a lot of fun, but this mild experience with that identity makes me grateful for God’s kingdom and encourages me to always show compassion towards others in this same situation.

-Tom

Posted by Tom & Candice Mast at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Thanks so much to those of you who have been praying for Efrain, our friend and teammate from Nicaragua. He and Dan left late last night on the long trip to Managua. We’re praying that Efrain can rest on the plane and that his pain will be manageable. He already has an appointment with a specialist later this week and it is important that he begin chemotherapy as quickly as possible.

We said goodbye to him last night before he left for the airport. Our team and a small group of Thai friends tied strings on his wrist as a symbol of our bond in Christ and wished him God’s blessing. As always, Efrain is remaining positive even though this is obviously a very difficult situation. He gave a very moving testimony in Thai last night – telling his friends that he didn’t want to leave but reminding them that since he has God in his life he feels confident. Tukdaa made the long trip from her home province to say goodbye to him and she tearfully talked about how she dreaded seeing Efrain since most of the sick people that she has known seem so sad and hopeless. But she was encouraged by Efrain’s cheerful spirit. He certainly is leaving behind a powerful example of faith in God and I believe this will continue to impact his friends here.

In true Thai fashion a large group of his classmates showed up at the airport for his midnight flight. Since our kids had to get to bed we didn’t join them there –but here’s a picture from a friend’s Facebook page. These are two of the guys that Efrain and Nixon have spent the most time with and who have made decisions to believe.

-Tom

Posted by Tom & Candice Mast at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Efrain, last month

It's been a difficult week here, especially for our team mate, Efrain Artola. Please urgently pray for Efrain and for his family right now. He has been feeling sick over the past two months and was finally admitted to the hospital for tests this week. Yesterday he was diagnosed with acute leukemia. It has been a huge shock for him and for our team. Please pray for his family as they have recently heard the news. We are meeting along with Efrain today for a time of prayer. He plans to return to Nicaragua for treatment and to be with his family. Please remember him and ask for God's grace and peace and healing and also strength for the trip. Our hearts are really heavy as this news sinks in. We had church out at the university earlier this week. Efrain was in obvious pain and had clearly lost a lot of weight. Still he chatted with the kids, led some Spanish songs and was his usual positive and friendly self. It hurts to see him go through this. Thank you for praying even if you may not know Efrain personally. He is a huge blessing to our team and to all of his Thai friends at university.

Posted by Tom & Candice Mast at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Our visa deadline was Friday. When Tom went in, the immigration officials were very discouraging and unfriendly. They warned him that if we fail to meet their expectations a second time and our application is rejected, we could be blacklisted (permanently expelled) from Thailand. This was really sobering for us and we and the team feel like we cannot risk having to leave permanently when we have no assurance that our application will be approved. We are not sure what this means for the foundation at this point, and will keep posting regarding that situation. For our family, it means we need to go back on tourist visas. Tom made the trip to Cambodia yesterday to get another week's time in Thailand prior to leaving for a conference in Indonesia in early October. I will travel to Laos on my own tomorrow- Wednesday to apply for a tourist visa that will give me another 60 days. At this point, we will just try to patch together enough days to make it to our home assignment this Spring and then reapply for a type O visa while we are in the States. This has been a big disappointment to us and it's hard not to feel angry and disillusioned with the roadblocks in front of us. Tom has put a lot of time and energy into getting his work permit, establishing the foundation and attempting to obtain visas. It's very frustrating to be stopped at this point in the process. Thanks for your prayers for our travels. We believe that God's greater purposes for Thailand will happen no matter what kind of obstacles we face.

Posted by Tom & Candice Mast at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In what is becoming a regular part of our lives, we're once again facing a visa deadline. Since our last trip to Laos in June we've been working to meet the requirements of the social welfare department to get visas through the foundation. Now we've been told that we're waiting for one person's signature and he is "sometimes in and sometimes out." This may still have to do with our decision not to pay any "extra money" to facilitate the whole process. At any rate we are feeling discouraged with the whole process and are in the process of evaluating with Dan and others what the future of the foundation may be. I (Tom) am finding it very difficult to rest and trust God at this point - so your prayers for that would be much appreciated! We need to get this signature, then go to the immigration office and apply again (they've turned us down once already).

We're not exactly sure what will happen if we don't get the visa extension...but Candice and I will need to leave the country (probably separately, since one of us will need to stay with the kids who have exams in school next week.)

We'd love to have you join us in praying that God's will is accomplished through all of this - whatever that may be. You can also pray for our family during this time - that we would not be negatively affected by the stress and that we will have wisdom in making decisions about what to do.

Thanks,

Tom

Posted by Tom & Candice Mast at 08:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It's been a while since we've done much of an update on our work here. Mostly that's because it just continues on from week to week - with some encouraging developments and some ongoing frustrations!

I'm continuing to meet with Lan as regularly as our schedules allow. He's still working long hours as a security guard, although now he has moved to a site a little closer to our side of town. We try to meet on Friday mornings in Lumphini Park - a great setting to talk, read the Bible, and pray. He continues to ask good questions and he's now participating with more confidence in our larger meetings.

We had a good meeting a couple of weeks ago where we focused on prayer. We didn't have a large group, but those who came were eager to share and we had a good time of fellowship and learning together. Please continue to pray for Seri, Gaet, Lung and their kids, as well as Efrain and Nixon's friends Por and Giat.

Both Candice and I continue to teach English - I've started my second class through the foundation and will soon begin a third. It's been a bit of a slow beginning, but we're hoping that our foundation can build a good reputation.

The process of getting our long-term visas continues to drag on and now another deadline is approaching. I've lost count of how many of those have come and gone! By the end of this month we need to re-apply at the immigration office. So far it looks like everything is moving ahead, but there will be more inspections and meetings with officials and it's easy to assume the worst! Pray (again) that God would accomplish his purposes!

We're looking forward to a change of pace in October. The kids will have a school break and we're planning to take a few days away with our team for a retreat. We're also looking forward to the arrival of Joe, Lynn, and Brennan Troyer which could happen as soon as late October.

Thanks again to all of you who pray for us and our friends here. We need you!

-Tom

Posted by Tom & Candice Mast at 04:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)