Updates April 2007

Welcome all to the hottest month in Thailand. As some of you might have heard that April is the time when the sun is in the middle of the earth so it really make a great effect to us, who live in Thailand. It is not just the hot of the heat but many situations in Thailand really made us need God the most.

Some of you might have heard from me that, after last international DTS in Chiangmai the early of 2006, I had started to looking into business much more as I believe that God is leading me toward that direction. With the faith believe that God wants me to reach out to people in the business world more. Long story make it short…I started to look for part time job as a tour guide and took tourists around the country. As well as started to work as team coordinator for YWAM Thailand on the northern region, I really enjoy meet new people again and able to go to meet many difference people in the north as well as meet new people in the business world. I felt like I really enjoy working with them and show them who God and who Christian really is… almost two years now since I try to do both in the same time…working and serving God in YWAM… I come to understand that I really enjoy both without leaving one of the others…that's really motivate me to try to do both as my mission work.

By surprise, few months ago, my YWAM leaders in Chiangmai has purpose me to be a leader for this coming international DTS in Chiangmai again. Yes…it caught me by surprise, because I thought I would be done with DTS and started to work in a secular world and part time with YWAM more…I prayed about it and tried to spend much time asking God if this is the right thing.

Many of you might have read my news letter telling that my monthly support has gone down the hill many years ago already. That was one of the reason I had to start to step back from ministry and could not do full time in the job I loved to do with YWAM. Last few years because I started to work in the secular so I have been able to support myself…my family even my ministry. I thought to myself that may be God wants me to work in a business more and to support my fellow Thai missionaries more than me doing it…as a Thai missionary I know how struggle I have been through so I understand the situations of my Thai friends and what they have go through…that's why I had to work, it is not because I do not have enough faith…but I believe that God has called me to business world as my mission field. And I do not want the financial to be something prevents me from serving God in my country and to my people. I am really thankful to all of you who have been walking and supporting me financially all these years, because it really motivating me to rise up and do what I wish to do now.

International DTS – Chiangmai

By FAITH, I accepted the invitation from my leader to lead next bi-lingual DTS in Chiangmai, even though I don't know what would happen or if I would capable to do it or not. On thing I know is, I will not be able to go out and work as I did last year, September 2007 – February 2008, I will lead Chiangmai international DTS. The Lord has challenged me to trust in Him again in term of financial, He reminded me of the time when I went to USA and traveling to many countries in the world, he reminded me that He was the one who provided for me and all my trips. Friends, I know that many of you were part of that journey I took… again this season in my life, I need you to pray with me and walk with me another year. Even though DTS School, will start on September, but now few of my staffs and I we come together every week to pray and seek the Lord and prepare for the school. So that's mean I am not able to travel the country as a tour guide as I did last year…or if I go somewhere I have to come back to Chiangmai the day we have meetings. At this point we have DTS applications almost 10 people and we pray for them and asking God to lead in the processing of accepting students. Please keep us in your prayers, right now we have 6 Thai staff and 1 foreigner, we need more foreigners staffs and 1 more Thai man staff. Please join us in prayers and start this exciting walk with me again. Every schools in the past I was blessed to join them and it has been a big blessing to see the lives of the students changes, to see them where they began and where they are heading …it is a great joy. DTS has change thousands people lives, so I would like to invite you to join me again in this journey. And we will see God blessing pouring out to many people.

Future

In the future, I felt the Lord is leading me toward the business for mission which I believe it could be the goal that reaches out to the business people in Thailand. And it does not have to be a big kind of business but it would be a tool to reach out to the bigger business or even smaller kind of business. Thai people now think that Christianity is for the hill tribes and for the poor in the country because there are so many Christian organizations that are working and doing a lot of actively among them which are blessed by the Lord. But for me as I am living in the city of Chiangmai, I got passion for more of the city people. But to do that I need energy – wisdom and God’s provision for more than before to do it.

How to contact?

Khanthana Khankaew
P.O. Box 290 CMU.
Chiangmai, 50202
Thailand
phone: 66-81 111 3979
www.lighthethai.com , www.ywamcm.org
khan0802th@gmail.com

Donation toward ministry
If you felt the Lord is leading you to support Khanthana and her ministry in Thailand financially,
If you are in USA you can write cheque payable to YWAM and send it to the address below. In separate paper, please write it is for Khanthana Khankaew serving in Thailand.

YWAM Donor Services
Strategic Frontier
P.O.Box 60579
Colorado Springs, CO 80960
USA

or if you are living in Canada you can also send your financial support to

YWAM Donor Services
P.O.Box 57100
2480 E Hastings Street
Vancouver BC V5K 5G6
Canada

or

If you are in other part of the world and you have PayPal account, you can donate to khan0802th@gmail.com or e-mail me to get my bank account information in Thailand.

New challange

Few weeks ago, I have been asked by my leader in YWAM Chiangmai to pray about leading this coming DTS in Chiangmai on September. I know even though I enjoy what I am doing with the teams but I know this is my time to help out in DTS, so I accepted their request after I spent sometimes in prayer. Please pray for me that I will have wisdom to prepare to lead this coming international DTS in Chiangmai. I felt that, after this coming DTS the Lord is leading me toward something totally new direction. As some of you might have heard me, sharing about doing business for mission and I felt so strongly that after this coming DTS God will allow me to be able to get involve in it much more than now. By hoping to reach out to people in another sphere of ministry, business community, also need to know God.



“Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will springs forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, river in a desert.” Isaiah 43: 18-19

This is the scriptures the Lord has been spoken to me few years back and I have been meditating on it for last few years, till today when the Lord is showing me new things that I felt the Lord is leading me toward. Please keep this in your prayers, I do need God to give me wisdom, as my whole life I have been serving God and living in ministry but not very long from now, as God is leading me to another challenging world.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain.” Psalm 127: 1

Thank you so much for all your prayers and supports, lease continue to pray for me and my family, my dad got sick since this new year started, and he got depressed with it because he hardly sick before but now when he sick, he does not know how to rest but wants t get heal immediately. My prayer is still for him to come to know God and receive God forgiveness.

Little bit about myself

I am Thai born in Buddhist family. But I grew up as orphan in a Christian orphanage and learn about God there. My mother die when I was about 3 years old and my dad went to the jail. But through the Christian orphanage I come to realize that life is not about drinking or eating but it is about living for Christ and be an agent of Christ to lead other people come to know this love of Christ just like me. Even though I grew up in the Christian orphanage but I also had struggle like any other people. Until I had a chance to meet God more personal level than just being good Christian and go to church. During my last year in college I came to the end of myself and did not know what to do with my life, I seek God with my whole heart and cried out to Him. Sure enough God show me the way. During that time I went to do internship with YWAM Chiangmai as a translator, I travel to the whole country of Thailand with teams and through that time I felt that I wanted to have that kind of passion and love toward God as the members of the teams had. By Gods grace I went to USA and did my Discipleship Training School, School of Strategic mission and School of the Bible. After all of that school, I am now return back to Thailand my home country and serve God with YWAM Chiangmai.

Freedom in Thailand

In Thailand, there are so much work need to be done for The Kingdom of God and the gospel or majority of Christian are only central in big city like Chiangmai, Chiangrai and Bangkok but there are 76 provinces in all over Thailand. My hope and prayers is to see all of that provinces reached for Christ. Pray with me that God will send many more short term teams to Thailand, weather YWAM teams, Church teams, Youth groups, Professional teams, etc. to YWAM northern Thailand. From my experiences in the past as translator who has been traveling all over the country with teams, I saw tremendous blessing short term teams could make in the lives of the young people and the local churches. I saw many young people from many churches catch the fire for God and go get training and now serve God full time or even serve God in their work places and make much differences in their work places, their homes and their communities. Please join me in prayers and support all you can according the guidance of the Lord.