Reports - Sarah Frederick

Aug 8, 2008

Outreach to Isaan and Cambodia

About 2 months ago my team and I hopped on a bus to a region of Thailand called Isaan. Our team spent a week in an city called Sisaket, helping our friends Casey and Piyarat. They are the couple I wrote about in my last update. Casey teaches english at their village's elementary school and Piyarat's parents run a bible study for the village kids. When we arrived, we stayed at their house and spent a day at the school. Our team taught english, played games, and ran a program for the kids (skits, songs and dance). We also built a drive way and brick wall at their house. We believe in helping improve their home because they want to use it in the future as a place that is open to the community for english and bible study! We also spent a day in the province of Ubon and visited the hospital where Num's step dad had surgery on his eye to pray for him and the others in the same wing.

The next week we took 2 pick-up trucks to Num's (our "head" leader) village, about a 3 hr drive from Sisaket. We stayed with his mom, dad and brother the whole 3 weeks at the house he grew up in! Our team had the oppurtunity to teach english at an elementary school just a 5 minute walk down the road. Each day (Monday through Friday) we taught english for 3 hrs and played sports for an hour. Our team was split into teams, two teachers per grade. Pok (a DTS student) and I taught grade 5.

After school, the kids would come to the house for an hour. 2 people would play with the kids and have a short bible story, 4 taught english to some high school students and 2 others and I stayed at the school to play soccer.

On Sunday we attended a church of elderly people. They love to clap for EVERYTHING! We also spent a couple afternoons helping them dig a hole for a fish pond and built a squattie toilet on the church property.

It was so sad saying goodbye to our students. The last day there were lots of tears! We just hope the prayers and bible stories stay in the hearts of the kids!!

The most precious moment for me was the last day with my 5th grade students. Every day Pok and I would pray with them before lunch and before dismissing them to go home at the end of the day. Well, after the goodbyes as a group, I went back with my students to the 5th grade classroom and their last request was to pray with me!! I can't tell you how much that blessed my heart! One of the boys volunteered and as he prayed I looked around at those 12 precious kids, eyes closed and hands folded. I know it must have blessed Jesus' heart!

Our last week we spent in Cambodia and getting there was the longest truck ride of my life!! We had 14 people in ONE truck for almost 7 hours! I think I may have got the worst sunburn of my life as well! haha. When we arrived we had to get visas then walk across the border. We were met by an American man, Dave, who is the head of the ministry we came to work with, called Happy Home. Unfortunately that first day in Cambodia was the beginning of a visa battle for one our DTS students from India ("Zee"shan). Zee and Anjelica (one of my co-leaders) had to leave the team, for the capital (Phenom Phen) only 2 days after we arrived, so Zee could apply for a new visa for Thailand because his had expired once he crossed into Cambodia. They ended up spending the rest of the outreach in Phenom Phen, because they found out that Zee had to fly into Bangkok in order for him to get a new 15 day visa.

The rest of the team stayed at Happy Home. We worked for 2 days at a ministry called Hope Center (part of Mercy Ministry Foundation) and built them a walkway out of old tires. We filled the tires with cement and sand, so that when it starts to flood they wouldn't have to walk through the mud, but would have "stepping stones" to get around the property (to their huts they live in, the restrooms, and the main building). I'm attaching a photo of the Hope Center so you can see what I mean. The last 2 days we taught and played at the MMF preschool which is only 10 minutes from the border! They have 4 classes a day (2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon). While we were there they combined the 2 morning classes into one classroom (approx 50 kids). This ministry is meant to prepare the kids in this community for public school. Because all the kids that come to this preschool live in very poor conditions and are have no chance otherwise of education! Most of them are over "preschool" age but they come to hopefully prepare for public school and get a good education.

After leaving Cambodia our team took a bus to Bangkok to meet up with Anjelica and Zee. When we arrived, we found out that Zee wasn't able to come to Thailand for 2 more days because of visa complications. So, he stayed in Phenom Phen the 2 extra days and we met up with Anjelica at the airport bus terminal. That night, we stayed at YWAM Bangkok Training Center and headed home the next evening for Chiang Rai. Num stayed in Bangkok to travel back to Chiang Rai with Zee and everyone was back in Chiang Rai by Monday morning, when our last 2 weeks of DTS began.

The last 2 weeks with the whole DTS together again were debriefing, lecture on preparing to return home and our guest speaker, Adriel spoke about Destiny and Calling. The students graduated from DTS last Friday then our staff spent the weekend talking about what we did well this DTS and what we can improve next year. We had times of encouragement and then our last night together we prayed for those of us who wouldn't be staffing DTS next year. It was such a blessing working with my friends and co-leaders this year. I learned ALOT about the core of leadership, which is humility, openness and LOVE! Thank you Jesus for a great DTS!

shalom and love, Sarah Dawn =)

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June 3, 2008

Starting Final Outreach

Hey everyone!

Wow! Final outreach has finally arrived and I KNOW I've been terrible at keeping in touch! I want to thank all who have been keeping me and this DTS in your prayers since the start. I know God hears you and we have seen and experienced amazing things this year!!
This DTS was quite a bit different for me then last year's experience, as a first-time DTS staff. This year I have more experience and am be given more responsibility as a leader. I really feel like God is raising the bar and challenging me to rise up to a new place in my walk with Him and in how I relate to others.
As a leader this year, I have been given the privilege of helping lead along side 2 other DTS staff (Numlek and Anjelica). We are leading a team 8 DTS students to Isaan (Eastern Thailand) for 4 weeks and Cambodia for the final week. We also have a female translator, Nit, and her husband Asgar who are coming with us for 3 of the 5 weeks. They won't be joining us in Cambodia...
Going to Cambodia has been a dream of mine for almost 6 yrs now. So I am completely amazed that God has opened the door for me to go there!! Back in January 2003, I had this deep desire to go to Cambodia because of the stories I heard from the outreach teams that had been there.
Now, I said I would write an update before leaving for 2nd outreach back in the end of March, but I didn't end up going with the team on outreach. I stayed back at the base for a week, then my great friend Katie and I took a random but God-led trip to Isaan. The reason we went to Isaan is because Katie wanted to check out a specific ministry and also "spy the land" in Isaan, to see the potential there. She feels called to possibly work there in the future, so this was a "faith outreach" for us. We went with no plans and just prayed that God would lead us where ever He wanted us to go while we were there.
We ended up staying in Sisaket (part of the Isaan province) for 5 days, with a couple that recently moved from Chiang Rai to Isaan. The wife, Piyarat is from Isaan and recently had a baby girl they named Sadudee, which is Thai for "Psalm." She's a precious little girl! The husband, Casey is American and used to work with an orphanage here in Chiang Rai. They let us stay with them to just get a taste of village life in Isaan. It was a very fun experience hanging out with them and Piyarat's parents!
After Sisaket we went South to Burriram (about 3 hrs South of Sisaket) and we met the lady who works with the ministry Katie wanted to look into joining. We spent the first day being introduced to what they do and their future plans, then the next day we prayed for the ministry and headed home to Chiang Rai. In all we traveled almost 24 hrs round-trip by bus!!

So, since returning from our Isaan trip and the DTS returning from the 2nd two week outreach, we had 4 more weeks of lecture and this week we have been prepping for outreach. We are practicing dramas, skits, dances, testimonies, short sermons, going over responsibilities, preparing English lessons, and more! We didn't have lecture this week and at the beginning of the week it we were thinking we almost had too much time, but now that it's Thursday night and we leave Saturday afternoon, it seems there's still so much to cover and not nearly enough time at all! I love way we say "whether you're ready or not, you're still going" because it just causes us to lean harder into Christ and trusting Him!
As one of our previous speakers, Garth, boldly proclaims "Love the heat." I'm hoping that will be the goal for each of us this outreach and also as our last speaker, Dan Baumann always says (after practically every story he tells) "Go God!"

Amen.

Thanks for your time. God bless you. Keep us in your prayers! and Go God!

much love, Sarah Dawn

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March 25, 2008

Back in the swing of things

Hey everyone!

Sorry I have been delayed in writing this email. I sincerely want to thank all of you who prayed for our 2 week outreach (Chiang Rai DTS) and those who are praying for us continually!

The outreach went really well. My team had 13 people and we went to a Karen village (a hilltribe minority), which is about an hour drive from the YWAM training center. Our team of 8 students, 4 staff and an excellent translator (Nit) stayed at and worked with a church for the entire 12 days. The other team of 11 was in another village called Waowee for 1 week then they moved from village to village for 5 days.
My team built a concrete wall and bamboo fence on the church property, visited villagers homes almost every night to worship, share and pray with them, cleaned the local well, and ran a kids program for the local kids on our last night. We also got to do a skit, sing a bilingual song, and share a short sermon on Sunday with the church.
P'Num, Megan and I were the team leaders. P'Num was looked to as the "head" leader because he led outreaches last year and this was Megan's first time and I'm still learning how to lead well.
Since returning from the outreach we have been back at the base for 2 weeks now. By the way, Happy Easter! So, yes... our first week back we had debriefing. Which means the regular DTS schedual wasn't back in swing yet. Everyone had the chance to share personal growth experiences with the class and both teams had separate meetings to work out anything with their team, that might have been unresolved from outreach (tensions, thoughts, critiques, etc).

We are so glad to be back! Last week the lecture was on "Relationships" which was very new to some students (how to have godly relationships in EVERY area of life and walking in forgiveness for past mistakes). Averyl, from Bangkok, who is the leader over all of training courses with YWAM Thailand, was the guest speaker on this topic. Us staff really felt that she sought God in her teaching and allowed Him to speak through her! As we hope and pray that each speaker will do...

We now have 3 more weeks of lecture until the next outreach. I'll probably be writing another update before we head out. Until then, may God keep you and bless you. Thanks for your prayers and support. If you have any questions, please write me! I'd love to hear from YOU!

See recent photos in the Location-Photos section.

Love to you all, Sarah

Hey-ho! we're going on an outreach! 22Feb2008

Hey everyone! I just wanted to give a quick summary of what I've been up to the last month, since returning to Thailand.

Our international DTS started the 3rd week of January, here at the Chiang Rai YWAM base. We have 16 students from 6 different countries (Thai, Laos, French, American, Canadian, & Aussie) and 10 staff (Thai, Norwegian, American and Aussie).

So far, we have learned about Hearing God, the Father Heart of God, Relationships and Intimacy.
This coming Sunday (Feb 24th) we leave for 12 days to stay and work in a village in the mountains of Northern Thailand! This outreach's focus is labor (hands-on ministry) to bless the communities we are serving. We have 2 teams, with about 12 people each. A Thai staff (Num), my roomie (Megan) and I are leading one team and the Aussie, (Kiah) and Shane & Kim (married couple) are leading the OTHER team!
This should be a pretty exciting time... to see how it goes. Your prayers are greatly accepted by God and us! I hope to see us staff and the students living out all the information we've been learning! That's just the GREAT thing about outreach... putting to action what we learn (* wisdom*) Like my youth pastor always used to say, "knowledge is what you know, wisdom is what you DO with what you know. amen.
Thanks for thinking of us and please be a prayer warrior for us! we need YOU!! blessings and shalom... dear friends!

Love, Sarah Dawn =)

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28 August 2007

I want to let you all know what I'm up to for the month of September and what I've been doing since our last DTS graduated!!

Since graduation, I attended 2 YWAM conferences. A 4-day conference was held in Khon Kaen (Eastern Thailand) and it was for all of YWAM Thailand. About 200 YWAMers came. It was a time of encouragement, worship and fellowship. And 4 days ago I just got back from a 10-day DTS workshop in Mae Sot (Eastern Thailand). The title gives away the topic. We had some really great speakers and we ALL learned a lot about how to grow as DTS staff and leaders and run a DTS more effectively. We were also able to make connections with quite a few other DTS's nationally and in the surrounding nations. People that are working with YWAM in Cambodia, Phillipines, Myanmar/Burma, Vietnam, and 6 different Thailand locations, all attended this worshop!

Currently, I am working with YWAM campus ministries here in Chiang Rai, for the month of September. I'm helping run the cafe called "@Peace." Its open to the public, but mainly meant to build relationship with the University students. The University just so happens to be located right across the road!! Besides the cafe, they also run a Bible study during the week and a Church service, on the second floor of the building, on Sundays. So, that's what I'm doing for the next month. It's so nice to not have to travel for a while!

DTS staff training starts mid-October. I'll definitely be very busy once that happens! I'm also praying that I'm able to visit the USA sometime this year. I've been saving to hopefully visit by December, at the latest....

PRAYER REQUESTS: -That I would get the finances to go back to USA to renew my visa and visit friends and family. -For my DTS leader and his family... as his wife was diagnosed with cancer. He and his wife are believing together for God's healing on her! -My friend's dad is waiting on a transplant. so, be praying for him too! Thank you so much! Blessings to you all.... Love, Sarah

29 July 2007

Southern

Experiences

Hey Everyone! If you got my last email update, you will probably remember that my team of 9 headed down to the South of Thailand. I helped lead this team for 5 weeks in the town of Khao Lak. Our team was led by two other DTS staff (Josh and Anjelica) and I was co-leader. We also had 6 students and a Thai translator, Gift.

We worked with a training center called "Step Ahead,"which was started after the December 2004 tsunami hit. This training center's purpose is to give Thai's a hand up by teaching different skills. Among them are English, German, and cooking skills. This helps the Thais that were and are devastated by the tsunami to hopefully have a brighter future. We train them in hopes that they will be able to start their lives over with a new skill that will help them move forward.

Our team taught English at the center and we also helped to do other things in the community such as, minor construction projects at preschools, playing with the kids, teaching Bible studies, helping run church services, teaching at a 3-day Jr. High English camp, visiting and feeding Burmese squatters (people that live on land they don't own), and lots of prayer and evangelism! We even led two people in prayer, to accept Jesus as their Savior and we saw God use us to bless others in so many ways!!

Southern Thailand is such a beautiful place! We stayed at Step Ahead Center ,and it only takes 15 minutes to walk to the beach. We also had a chance to visit Phuket and Krabi on 2 different trips, for our "Friday free day" (we didn't have ministry this day only, once a week).

I think the biggest thing that God taught our team, on all 3 outreaches, was patience and perseverance for the unexpected. I never gave much information earlier on in this DTS, but we also had two other 10-day outreaches in between each month of lecture, which is why I mentioned what God taught us on all 3 outreaches. In total, there was 3 months of lecture and 8 weeks of outreach.

So, now DTS has come to a close and last weekend 31 students graduated at "Teak Garden Resort," here in Chiang Rai, Thailand. For a Couple Days after, our staff had a time to reflect and process the School. I'm confident that God has used us all to share our lives and His love with so many Thais!

The best thing about this school, for me, is seeing how people come from all over the world just as they are, ordinary people, then God changes their lives. They gain new perspectives and begin to live out their dreams. God is changing me as well. He daily molds me into a more confident & optimistic person. I'm learning to hope and to love more deeply. My strength and joy is being renewed by my Abba God!

Thank you for taking time to read about me and what I'm doing. Please keep praying for me and Thailand!!

Hey everyone!

I'm very excited to tell you all that TOMORROW my team of 8 others and I
are headed south for the coast of Thailand!! Our class is already more then
fourth months into DTS (Discipleship Training School, with only our last 5
week outreach to go. So far, we've gone on two 10 day outreaches and had 3
months of bilingual (Thai/English) lectures. We started with 34 students and
are now down to 31 because three had to go home. Our DTS is broken up into 5
outreach teams. One team is going South to Phang Nga (that's my team!), one
to Pattaya (Central), one East to Isaan, one team will be traveling in
Northern Thailand and the last team heads North to Laos (neighboring
country) for 2 weeks then the rest (3 weeks) in Northern Thailand.
In lectures we have learned so many different things over the past 3
months... Hearing God's voice, Prayer/Intercession, the Nature and Character
of God, Fear of the Lord (Sin and Repentance), the Ministry of the Holy
Spirit, Intimacy, Relationships, Bible Study Methods, Evangelism, Spiritual
Warfare, Missions, Loving Jesus, and the Local Church.
So, as you can see, these students have alot of information brewing within
their heads and hearts and are just about to burst at the oppurtunity to
share all this Truth! And that's the point, that's why we go on outreach...
YES!
Please be praying for each of our teams; for unity, health and effective
ministry. We want to bless the Lord in all we do! Thank you for your
prayers!! and may the God of hope fill you with peace and joy as you trust
in Him.

shalom, Sarah =)