Paul "The Pastor"

Naksu Tournament

2010-06-20T00:09:00.000-07:00

I traveled to the Naksu MMA Tournament in Bangkok yesterday and had the most exciting time that I have experienced here in Thailand. God gave me the opportunity to see the fighters that I have been training in action. Not only that, but I was given the privilege of working the corners for a total of about five or six fighters who all did an outstanding job.

First up, was the under 18 bracket and the fighter who fought first was in shape and very strong. He dominated his opponent for two rounds and won his first MMA fight! I was so proud of him. Then we had a couple of guys that had just stepped into the ring for the first time and they gave a great showing. They stayed strong and fought well, these guys had just entered and had no real trainers, so... they did awesome and had a lot of guts.

Then, our main events from the Khon Kaen Fight Club were up and both of these guys, Tor and Aam totally dominated their opponents and won each by decision. I was so proud of them. It was awesome to see the fruit of their hard work of training pay off. I am so proud of these guys!

Thailand (what I have learned)

2010-06-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

This journey has taught me so much. The practice of living a disciplined life everyday is extremely important.

Here I am in Thailand. Believe me, I did come to a point where I wanted to give up, throw in the towel, and go home. But God's strength kept me here. I have learned that, to live a life of victory for God you have to humble yourself in every circumstance. Be a product of learning. This 6 month journey has changed my life and I am so thankful for the opportunities that I have gotten to help God. God has shown me so much. And I will continue to learn for the next month and a half even more until I get back to America. I am so thankful to be here and I am so thankful to have the opportunity to work with these people. Praise Jesus!

Nong Khai

2010-05-23T07:05:00.000-07:00

We recently came back from an unscheduled trip to Nong Khai. The main reason that we went was due to the red shirt demonstrations that were taking place in Khon Kaen. They had lit one of the local government buildings on fire and broke a lot of the windows. They had also threatened to burn down one of the major department stores and the Robinson Mall (Central Plaza). At the department store (Big C, like Walmart), they had lit tires on fire in the parking lot.

The reason for the destruction has been due to problems with the governmental decisions. But, I feel that the riots have turned into terrorism. People have been injured and killed in Khon Kaen due to these attacks. We retreated to a place near the border of Laos for a couple of days.

Fight Club Party

2010-05-13T06:45:00.000-07:00

I was able to enjoy a party with the Khon Kaen Fight Club last night. We went to a fun restaurant and ordered some great Thai food. We talked about the upcoming tournament that a few of the fighters will be competing in and we got to see an elephant.

I apologize for being away for so long but things have been kind of hectic for me here in Khon Kaen. Anyways, I was able to hang out with one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters in the world. Kaoklai Kaennorsing came with us to eat. He recently won the WBC Muay Thai title from Chinese fighter, Magnum Sakai on March 14th.

I have been stagnant at his boxing gym for the past couple of months due to a hand injury but I will return on Monday.

So...after dinner, we headed to a friend's house and we prayed for my friend who believes that he has been infected with the HIV virus. He hasn't been tested yet, but I believe that this is not true. Please pray for him.

I have hit my 2 month mark. See you in America soon!

Songkran Festival

2010-04-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh America! This has been the most exciting three days of my entire life. I have never experienced anything like this ever before.
The past three days have been the celebration of Songkran in Thailand. This is their biggest holiday of the year and it is how they bring in the New Year! They do this by throwing water on everyone! I spent tuesday, wednesday, and part of thursday soaked with water! Everywhere I went, while I was driving, people would splash me with buckets of water!
On Tuesday and Wednesday, we rode around in the back of my friend's truck with a barrel full of water. As we drove through the streets, people would pour buckets of water on us and put baby powder on our cheeks. It is especially fun for the Thai people if they get a falang (foreigner) wet or put baby powder on his/her cheeks.
This festival is complete chaos. The streets are just filled with people who run around soaken wet. Some have warm water and some have barrels with huge ice cubes in them to make the water cold. They spray people with hoses and I even got sprayed by a water truck with a fire hose! It was so much fun!
Throughout these days, it is very difficult to get from point A to B without getting hit with a bucket of water! It is hard to describe in words! All I can say is that you have to experience it! This is a good vacation time for any foreigner to come here in April!
Check out my facebook page for a wet video of us!

Impressed by God

2010-03-20T22:32:00.000-07:00

I am recently impressed by how awesome God is. Think about how God has created the minute things like fruit. Think about the watermelon. It is green on the outside. Who would ever think that when you break it open that it would be red on the inside with a bunch of more seeds to grow more watermelons. Boring, right!

Well, think about an elephant. I petted one last night. The size and strength of the animal is remarkable! To think that it could have probably taken my arm and twisted it into a pretzel at any given moment is pretty remarkable. My friend (who studies forestry and animals for a living) told me that an elephant can walk on a platform only as wide as its foot because of the sensitivity of its feet. It can judge how much weight it needs to put on each foot so that it can balance and walk in a straight line. Amazing!

The intricateness that God has made each living creature and being is amazing. Think about a human being. God has created us to have two visual scopes that transmit images into our brains called eyeballs. So, pretty much we have two video cameras implanted in our heads so that we can see. Awesome!

Think about the existence of God today.

Late Night Walk

2010-03-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

So I just got done with another one of my late night walks with God. Being real with Him because I struggle to be real with others. As I walk the streets of Khon Kaen, I search for answers to many questions. Why am I here? What am I doing with my life? Why am I all the way on the other side of the world when the woman I love is in America? What is my purpose here? And the biggest question of all! "How does this benefit me?" After spending about thirty minutes contemplating these questions and cursing my life, it dawns on me! God speaks to my heart, "Paul, you are here for them."

Thank you Jesus.

I love being a missionary. Its not easy. And its not always fun and games. But I love the challenge.

Obedience

2010-02-23T20:54:00.000-08:00

The word for today is obedience. I have recently been injured in boxing. My right hand hit a really hard forehead of one of these Thai boxers. My hand needs rest. I taught Bible study this morning to the Khon Kaen Church staff about obedience. I guess I have been struggling with obedience and I didn't know that I was. I have been attending a boxing camp on Tuesdays and Thursdays trying to hone in my boxing skills while I am here in Thailand. I am here to do ministry work and although the boxers are good here and it would have been good for me to attend to meet new people, it became a selfish ambition. The boxing camp took 20 minutes to get to and it would take time away from the day. My goal here is to make disciples and it was not happening at the boxing camp. I have recently decided to postpone attending this camp due to my injury. In this, I was truly wrestling with God because I really want to attend the camp where champion Muay Thai boxers are made. But, I have to withdraw from the camp for the time being.

Lets take a look at Noah and his life. In Genesis 6:9-22, Noah listened to God and obeyed Him when God told Noah to build the ark. Noah blindly obeyed and God provided all of the resources for Noah. Imagine, Noah had to cut down trees and build this huge boat that took him approximately 100 years. A full lifetime of obedience! In 1Peter 3:20, it says that there were people at this time that knew about the flood and did not listen to God. They were disobedient. They were also wiped out in the flood. But Noah was a righteous man, God said. He listened, and God provided everything he needed for him and his family.

Sometimes in life it may be hard to listen to God in your situation because you have to "bite the bullet" or give something up that you love, but God will bless you with more than you can imagine. It may not be right away, but there comes clarity in due time.

So...what is God asking you to do that you are not doing or you are afraid of? Or, what is it that God is showing you that you are not seeing? If this message spoke to you, these might be some good questions to ask yourself. I love you all!

Muay Thai Boxing Event

2010-02-21T05:09:00.000-08:00

On Friday night, I went to my very first Muay Thai boxing event. It was awesome! It was held in a remote village out in the country. It was surprising to see such young kids at about 8 years old that were so fierce. These kids were trained warriors throwing knees to the body with force. Clanging shins and legs, these kids didn't quit. In Thailand, the younger they are, the better.

One of my friends that I train with (Ya) was fighting that night. He was one of the older fighters at 27. He did very well, knocking out his opponent in the third round. He wore him down with low leg kicks and this opened up his head for the punch that he landed for the knockout. If you want to see bodies get beaten up to the extreme, this is the event to attend.

Laos

2010-02-20T23:27:00.000-08:00

So now I have traveled to three different countries other than the United States! I spent the last week in Laos.

Laos is a country where Christians are greatly persecuted, arrested, and even put to death. I arrived last Monday around 12pm. The first two days I spent walking the streets, praying for this country and the people there. Laos has a bit of a different spirit than Thailand. Here in Thailand, it is very easy to make friends with people and in general they are very pleasent and will greet you with a smile. In Laos, there seems to be a bit of depression among the people.

There are very few churches in Laos but we did have the opportunity to visit one of them on Thursday night to pray and worship God. On Friday, we left early in the morning. Please pray for the people of Laos who endure harsh persecution by the government for being Christian.

To learn, you must love Discipline

2010-02-12T19:46:00.000-08:00

Another week of fun in Thailand! God is revealing to me the height of discipline. What it means to me... to be disciplined for Him. We must be disciplined to continue to have spiritual growth. Although, through our trial times we experience a lot of growth and I think that sometimes we may surprise ourselves how disciplined we stay throughout tough times in our lives. I have just overcome a rougher spot in my life. The season of traveling to a foreign country, being exposed to two different cultures, and trying to make friends in the midst of all of this. I don't know about you, but for me, it was pretty crazy.

Proverbs 12:1 says "To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction." It is important to remember to remain humble before God. Sometimes, we get caught up on ourselves. This is the major lesson that I have just learned AGAIN! Please God, I love you! Thank you for giving me the endurance to press through this time but I know that more is to come. Thank you Jesus!

Lom Sak!

2010-02-06T00:01:00.001-08:00

Wow! We had an awesome time camping in the mountains of Lom Sak in Thailand! Lom Sak is a place with beautiful mountains that is about 4 hours Northwest of Khon Kaen. All of the missionaries from our church took a camping trip there. We left on Tuesday morning and arrived back on Thursday afternoon.

On Tuesday, we got settled in, put up our tents and our friend Belle cooked us a great dinner! We met an interesting friend that helped us to get our fire started and he was nice enough to heat up some coffee for us boiling a pot of water over the fire. We played a trivia game that Jenny and Andreas had prepared for us and munched down on some Swedish chocolate that Per and Noel brought for us!

On Wednesday, we drove through the mountain tops on some rough roads, checked out some scenery, and went to a small Christian village where they had planted a church. We stopped in at one of the local's home and we had the opportunity to pray for healing for several people there! We accidentally almost left without Pastor Nung because he snuck off to pray for a man who had been in a wheelchair and not been able to walk for 10 years. When Nung prayed, the man got up and took several steps! Nung did an awesome job of explaining his faith in Jesus to him!

On Thursday, we traveled home and washed up, rested, and prepared for life of missions back in the town of Khon Kaen. We had an awesome time and people were touched by the hand of God!

I AM EXHAUSTED!

2010-01-31T09:13:00.000-08:00

Wow! I am exhausted after a great week of many fun-filled activities. Khon Kaen International Church is a great place for fun, friends, and family. I had a great week!
I am having a great time hanging out with all of my new Thai friends. My soccer buddies have become guys that I can just go and have fun playing soccer with even though I am not that good. They put no pressure on me to perform well, which is so cool. It seems to be a lot more easy-going here in Thailand rather than America where sometimes it seems as if achievement and awards IS success. These guys have been really cool and I have gotten to build relationships with some of them.
Next, the Khon Kaen Fight Club has become a place where they are having me train some of the guys in the punching. This is great! And, I have found a professional camp to train at! This place is about 20 minutes from the University and I went there on Saturday to make some friends. I think that they loved me?! I will be headed back to this camp on Monday. The Thai boxing champion who runs the camp is leaving this week to go to a camp to become a Buddhist monk! I am excited to see where his and I's relationship will develop to.
My new friend Vaaruth and Na took me out to eat on Saturday night after the boxing camp to a great Thai buffet! And, the school of discipleship went great on Saturday morning! There are so many exciting things to talk about that are going on in Khon Kaen. The Thai people are beautiful, pleasant, and open. I am so excited to see what God will do while I stay here.

There is Hope!

2010-01-28T10:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I gave a short Bible study at our morning gathering. I was excited to share a little bit about myself and talk about my boxing career. My career as an amateur was less than excellent. My first 10 fights went well, but after I started to steer away from God, I lost focus and started to lose a lot. I am still reaping some of the destruction that was caused to my self-esteem during that 3-4 years. Within the past couple of months though, God has given me breakthrough in my boxing career with a win in my first professional fight!
In Zechariah 9, he prophesies the coming of the Messiah and calls the people of Zion prisoners of hope in verse 12. Which is what we should be as well. We should have the faith of Zechariah. We have a choice to be a prisoner of sin or a prisoner of hope. Which one will you choose?
Can you imagine, all of us, leaving this computer with hope for a person, situation, or ourselves and believing for a miracle! Have hope!

Today was pretty Exciting!

2010-01-28T06:20:00.000-08:00

So today was pretty cool. First thing this morning we made some new friends in the kitchen at church. But nobody wanted to go near them. OK!!! So the mice were found in the trap of glue that was set in the bottom closet of the kitchen. I am surprised that the cats didn't catch them!? One of the Swedish missionaries was nice enough to put them out of their misery and use a coke bottle with a plastic bag to drown them. That was nice of her.

I got interviewed by a group of students from KKU who are studying English at this evening's cell group. They made me feel like a celeb! They asked me about America and I told them my likes and dislikes.

This evening, a new Thai student who came to the church got to lay hands on people and pray for healing. He is being filled with the holy spirit! I think he may have even been praying in tongues! (I am not sure because I don't speak Thai yet). God is doing great things here in Khon Kaen!

Multi Culture Party!

2010-01-23T20:21:00.000-08:00

Rainy day here in Khon Kaen but I am looking forward to my first Sunday service here as a missionary today at 3pm. I have a couple of Thai friends that will be attending the church for the first time.
I met Wit at the Multi Culture party last night. The Multi Culture party went great last night! Many hearts were touched by Linus' preaching. There was a lot of dancing and entertainment for everyone! I am also looking forward to attending the fight club again tonight. They taught me how to kick last time (that is why I have a bruise on my leg) and they would like me to teach them how to punch tonight. They are also talking about a tournament taking place in May that they would like me to compete in. We will have to see about that.
It is so much fun here in Khon Kaen!

Khon Kaen Fight Club

2010-01-22T09:44:00.000-08:00

Spent my first night in the Khon Kaen Fight Club learning some Muay Thai and overall MMA fighting. These guys are good! They know how to fight. They had me spar with almost all of the guys there. I have a knot in my calf that will probably stay there for weeks. But the best part is that they all, except one, said that they will come to the multiculture party at church tonight! These guys are great! I would love to see them all get saved so that we can all be the baddest brothers in Khon Kaen!

Here in Khon Kaen!

2010-01-20T17:40:00.000-08:00

It was a great night last night with my new friend, Kaen. Kaen is a great soccer player and he took me to play with his friends last night. It was awesome! These guys are really good! They are very agile and quick. I met a new friend from Africa (Gambia) Musa as well.
I am having such a good time hanging out with all of the Swedes and I am learning to speak Thai (and a little bit of Swedish).
Nung, our Thai pastor friend, has been very helpful to me. I originally had a hard time adapting at first but yesterday was a breakthrough day. Sharing my heart and how I was feeling with some of the other missionaries and Nung gave me relief.
I will start training MMA with my friend Kaen on Friday. I am extremely excited about this. And we are having a multicultural party on Saturday night with people from Africa, Sweden, Thailand, America, and Chinese. This is going to be so awesome! I am going to have the opportunity to punch Oscar in the stomach as hard as I can