Where's Reg

2009-08-23T01:16:00.003-07:00

On August 22nd, 2009, 2:45 pm Thailand time, Faa's Dad went home to be with Jesus. Dad's funeral will be on Wednesday Thailand time. If you are interested in more details, just let us know.

Dad has no more pain and can now enjoy all the riches God has in store for him in Heaven. We will miss him so much, but we know that Dad is free of all the pain he was going through here on earth. We are so thankful that we had the chance to see him earlier this year, and that during that time, Dad came to know Jesus as his personal Savior. There was so many of you that were a huge part in that taking place and we thank you all.
We also want to thank you all for your prayers over the years for Dad. They have meant so much to us and God has been so very faithful to each one of those prayers.

We love you, Dad.
Nares Paoseng 1953-2009

The Angels are rejoicing

2009-05-26T09:50:00.026-07:00

That’s right! God lead us back to Thailand to see our dad come to know him personally. We were only planning to stay in Thailand for a month and a half. While visiting Dad, he was getting tired very quickly, but was still able to get around. We were able to spend some time with Dad in the first month and a half, but felt like it just was not enough time. At that time Dad was still living in Chiangmai.

The day before we were going to fly back to Canada, we were told that Dad needed to admit into the Hospital as soon as possible. We felt a really strong prompting of the Holy Spirit to stay longer. That very same day we were able to switch our flights to April 23, a month and a half longer. In that time we spent lots of time in the Hospital. At first, Dad was in a room with many other people. Two beds over there was a monk. All together there were six men staying in the room. During Dad’s time there, Faa was able to read the Bible to him. One day, some ladies came to visit the man beside Dad. They heard Faa reading the Bible and were not too happy about this. Reg even saw them doing their Buddhist prayers towards their father to block what was being heard. As we know, during those days the whole room heard of God’s love, (even the monk) and the free gift that Jesus had to offer them.

During Dad’s stay in the hospital, we also got to spend some time with the other side of the family. Faa’s parents got divorced about 10 years ago, but there is still a lot of hurt still there.

Mom was not too happy with us visiting Dad all the time. She was worried for our health, as moms do, but was not at all believing that God could keep us safe. We love Mom and so much want her to have Jesus transform her life. Please continue to pray for her Salvation.

We got to spend some time with Faa’s brother, sister and nephew too! Faa’s sister is going through a divorce and is really having a hard time raising her son on her own. She is very close to becoming a Christian so please pray for her as well. Her brother is still not interested, but has opened up to sharing with Faa about the problems in his life and struggles he is going through.

Back to Dad. After being in the room where he was for two weeks, Dad was moved into his own private room.

Dad’s family expected us to stay overnight all the time. It was at that point that we were getting pretty tired, worn out and feeling like giving up. We felt like it was too much! We were already feeling very drained because of all the things happening with the family, and then staying overnight, just made it even more tiring. If it was not for God’s promises, and all the prayers, that may have been the end for us. Praise God, it wasn’t! We were able to spend lots of quality time sharing with Dad about Jesus. Faa was able to read, “The Case for Christ.” by Lee Strobel to Dad. This was really encouraging for Dad, because he really wanted proof for the Resurrection!

So with all the family struggles and many spiritual attacks, you can see why we were worn out. Even thought there was some very good things taking place, we still had a very hard time seeing the blue sky behind all the dark clouds.

We will share more later in this blog about Dad, because we want to also fill you in with some of the other things that happened that lead up to that great amazing day Dad became a Christian!

After being in Thailand for three weeks, we got a phone call from Singapore saying that we had won two Lenovo net books!. Faa had entered one of our wedding photos into a photo contest when we got to Thailand and actually forgot about it.. The contest was in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The Grand prize was a 7 day cruise to Alaska. The runners up from each country won a pair of Lenovo net books.

We also spent a couple days in Chonburi. On one of the evenings, we went with a bunch of the youth and Trekkers, from The Life Center, to a coffee shop to play Dutch Blitz. The night ended up with us being told that we had to stop because what we were doing was illegal and the police were already on their way. Immediately we wrapped it up and left. Can you believe it? Dutch Blitz, Illegal? I am the one taking the picture, lol.

We also got to spend a bit of time with Bob, Chris, Jason (Missionaries in Thailand with MBMSI, I was on the same team with them before I came back to Canada) and there daughter Lydia. It was great to hear of all the amazing things that are happening in Chachoensao (the place they are working). Many people are coming to Christ and God’s work is being done. Please keep this family in your prayers!

After we switched our flights, we remembered that there was a contest where the winners would receive 1,000,000.00 Baht. One of us had to catch a bean in our mouth dropped from 15 meters by our partner. The contest started with 5000 couples which dropped to 350, 83 and then we were out. Even though we lost, we did make it to the last 83 couples, and had a great time of refreshment.We were also able to spend some time with Rob, Judy, Amber and Amanda after the game was done for us.

About a week before Songkran (Thai New Year), we had a political issue here in Thailand. There was a mob that started to form wearing red shirts. They were called the “Red Shirt” mob. These people wanted former ousted Prime Minister, Thaksin, to return to Thailand and bring True democracy (Whatever they meant with that, I don't think anyone knew). The sad part is that these people were being used by Thaksin to allow him to come back to Thailand without facing the many criminal charges that were against him. This hit very close to home because the hospital that Dad was staying in was just a few blocks away from where the rioting had started to take place.

Notice the Non-Violence sign

In the end, there were a few dead and over 100 people injured, 15 buses burnt, one bank window broken, the Asia summit cancelled, the secretary to the Prime Minister having his head smashed and ribs broken and many fires and many other things we will never know about.

The BEST Part!

Even through all of these different events happened while we were in Thailand, nothing could come close to bringing the kind of joy we received when we were able to share in seeing Dad come to know Jesus personally. The last Sunday before Dad went to the Hospital, we were able to bring Dad to church. After the service the Pastor was able to pray for him. One week before we left, Faa’s Pastor from the same church we took Dad to weeks before, came to share with Dad in the Hospital. We were able to answer a lot of Dad’s questions, but Pastor Noke, through the work of the Holy Spirit too, was able to bring all that was said over the last three months, and make it into a very simple illustration. Pastor Noke shared how there was a man who was walking past a restaurant one day and saw amazing looking food. He was very hungry, but if wanted to taste that amazing food, he would have to do more than just look at it through the glass, he would have to step through the door of the Restaurant, and take a seat. It was after this illustration that Dad said he understood. Pastor Noke was able to lead Dad in a prayer for Salvation. Dad asked for Faa to hold his hand and we both listed as Dad gave his life to Christ. It’s amazing how God works! Five minutes after Pastor Noke shared with Dad some more and prayed for him and closed, four family members showed up. At this time we went to get our supper and let the family visit with Dad. When we came back, they left and Reg asked Dad what he would say if someone asked what he was? Dad responded with, “ I would say I am a Christian!!!!!!!!”. Just after Reg shared this, three more family members came to visit. Half way through the visit, Dad’s twin brother came to visit too!. After the family left, Dad shared with us that he told his twin that he had become a Christian! Wow, within the first day, Dad was sharing about his new faith in Jesus Christ! After he told us about his brother, he asked Faa for a knife. He really made us rejoice because he asked Faa to cut off the Buddhist bracelets that were tied around his wrists. This was amazing because for many years he trusted in these bracelets to protect him and keep him alive. In summary, God's timing is BEST! God protected that very important time with Dad. If the family had come earlier, Dad may have not had that opportunity.

God answered our prayers and all of yours!!!!!!! We are so thankful that we obeyed and went, even though it was probably one of the hardest things we have experienced as a married couple ever!. We know through all this that God was in control. His timing was perfect and his way was the BEST!

We love Dad and we are so happy that we WILL see him again, even though it may not be here on earth.

The day before we left Thailand, Dad was able to leave the hospital and come to the Airport to see us off. He then went to stay with his sister in Lopburi and started to build a house for himself. God is amazing! Dad had also started to read his Bible over an hour a day on top of all the other books we gave him. He has also been in contact with a friend of Reg's who lives in Lopburi. Peter has been able to disciple Dad and really give him some guidance since we came back to Canada.

The most recent news is that Dad is presently going in for a really heavy dose of chemo this week. Please pray for wisdom of the doctors and that above all, Jesus will be glorified!

Thanks again for all your prayers,

Reg and Faa

WE LOVE YOU DAD!

If someone tells you there is no proof for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ...

2009-04-06T08:17:00.004-07:00

Then have them read this. I just read through this because my father-in-law wanted proof for the Resurrection. He says it's my belief, and that it is and it's by faith, but there is so much proof to go a long with that!!!!!!!!!!

It's long, but it is really worth the read. If you need a lift, this will sure help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Part I— Can It Persuade Skeptics?

By Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon

Among the religions of the world, Christianity is unique in many ways. One area of uniqueness
concerns the evidence supporting its basic claims. As lawyer, theologian, and philosopher Dr. John
Warwick Montgomery points out, “The historic Christian claim differs qualitatively from the claims of all
other world religions at the epistemological point: on the issue of testability.”1 In other words, only
Christianity stakes its claim to truthfulness on historical events open to critical investigation. And only
this explains the number of conversions by skeptics throughout history.

Indeed, other religions in the world are believed in despite the lack of genuine evidence for their
truth claims; only Christianity can claim credibility because of such evidence. Regrettably, what is
often overlooked in the field of comparative religion today is that no genuinely historical/objective
evidence exists for the foundational religious claims of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, or any religion
other than Christianity.2 As scientist, Christian apologist and biblical commentator Dr. Henry Morris
observes, “As a matter of fact, the entire subject of evidences is almost exclusively the domain of
Christian evidences. Other religions depend on subjective experience and blind faith, tradition and
opinion. Christianity stands or falls upon the objective reality of gigantic supernatural events in history
and the evidences therefore. This fact in itself is an evidence of its truth.”3

Evidence is defined in the OxfordAmericanDictionary as, “1) anything that establishes a fact or
gives reason for believing something, 2) statements made or objects produced in a law court as
proof or to support a case.” One of the most interesting evidences for the truth of Christianity and, in
particular, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the testimony of former skeptics, many of whom
attempted to disprove Christian faith. In this article we will supply several examples. We hope this will
not only be an encouragement for Christians to take their faith seriously, but that it will also spur
non-Christians to earnestly examine the claims of Christ on their own lives.

In the mid-eighteenth century, Lord George Lyttelton (a member of Parliament and Commissioner
of the Treasury) and Gilbert West, Esq., went to Oxford. There, they were determined to attack the
very basis of Christianity. Lyttelton set out to prove that Saul of Tarsus was never really converted to
Christianity, and West intended to demonstrate that Jesus never really rose from the dead. Each had
planned to do a painstaking job, taking a year to establish his case. But as they proceeded, they
eventually concluded that Christianity was true. Both became Christians.

West eventually wrote Observations on the History and Evidences of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
(1 747). George Lyttelton wrote a lengthy text titled The Conversion of St. Paul (rpt. 1929). Their
correspondence back and forth, showing their surprise at the quality of the evidence, can be found
in any university microfilm library. West became totally convinced of the truth of the Resurrection,
and Lyttelton of the genuine conversion of Saint Paul on the basis of it. For example, Lyttelton wrote
to West in 1761, “Sir, in a late conversation we had together upon the subject of the Christian religion,
I told you that besides all the proofs of it which may be drawn from the prophecies of the Old
Testament, from the necessary connection it has with the whole system of the Jewish religion, from
the miracles of Christ, and from the evidence given of his reflection by all the other apostles, I
thought the conversion and apostleship of Saint Paul alone, duly considered, was of itself a demonstration
sufficient to prove Christianity a divine revelation.”4

In the 1930s a rationalistic English journalist named Frank Morison attempted to discover the
“real” Jesus Christ. He was convinced that Christ’s “history rested upon very insecure

1

foundations”—largely because of the influence of the rationalistic higher criticism so prevalent in his
day.5 Further, he was dogmatically opposed to the miraculous elements in the Gospels. But he was
nevertheless fascinated by the person of Jesus, who was to him “an almost legendary figure of
purity and noble manhood.”6

Morison decided to take the crucial “last phase” in the life of Christ and “to strip it of its overgrowth of
primitive beliefs and dogmatic suppositions, and to see this supremely great Person as he really
was.... It seemed to me that if I could come at the truth why this man died a cruel death at the hands
of the Roman Power, how he himself regarded the matter, and especially how he behaved under the
test, I should be very near to the true solution of the problem.”7

But the book that Morison ended up writing was not the one he intended. He proceeded to write
one of the most able defenses of the Resurrection of Christ in our time, Who Moved the Stone?

Giovanni Papini was one of the foremost Italian intellects of his period, an atheist and vocal
enemy of the Church and self-appointed debunker of religion. But he became converted to faith in
Christ and in 1921 penned his LifeofChrist, stunning most of his friends and admirers.8

The Cambridge scholar C. S. Lewis, a former atheist, was converted to Christianity on the basis
of the evidence, according to his text Surprised by Joy. He recalls, “I thought I had the Christians
‘placed’ and disposed of forever.” But, “A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot
be too careful of his reading. There are traps everywhere— ‘Bibles laid open, millions of surprises,’ as
Herbert says, ‘Fine nets and stratagems.’ God is, if I may say it, very unscrupulous.”9

But C. S. Lewis became a Christian because the evidence was compelling and he could not
escape it. Even against his will he was “brought in kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting [my] eyes
in every direction for a chance of escape.” The God “whom I so earnestly desired not to meet” became
His Lord and Savior.10 His book on Christian evidences, MereChristianity, is considered a classic and has
been responsible for converting thousands to the faith, among them the keen legal mind of former
skeptic and Watergate figure Charles Colson, author of Born Again.

As a pre-law student, Josh McDowell was also a skeptic of Christianity and believed that every
Christian had two minds: one was lost while the other was out looking for it. Eventually challenged to
intellectually investigate the Christian truth claims, and thinking this a farce, he accepted the
challenge and “as a result, I found historical facts and evidence about Jesus Christ that I never
knew existed.”11 He eventually wrote a number of important texts in defense of Christianity,
among them Evidence That Demands a Verdict, More Evidence That Demands a Verdict, More Than a
Carpenter and Daniel in the Lion’s Den.

Dr. Gary Habermas was raised a Christian. But he soon questioned his faith. He concluded that
while the Resurrection might be believed, he personally doubted it and was skeptical that any
evidence for it was really convincing. But after critical examination, it was the evidence that brought
him around and he concluded the Resurrection was an established fact of history.12 He proceeded to
write four important books in defense of the Resurrection: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Jesus; The
Resurrection of Jesus: A Rational Inquiry; The Resurrection of Jesus: An Apologetic; and Did Jesus
Rise from the Dead? The Resurrection Debate.

As a brilliant philosophy student at Cornell University, John Warwick Montgomery was a convinced
skeptic when it came to Christianity. But he, too, was challenged to investigate the evidence for
Christianity. As a result, he became converted. He recalls, “I went to the university as a ‘gardenvariety’
20th century pagan. And as a result of being forced, for intellectual integrity’s sake, to check
out this evidence, I finally came around.”13 He confessed that had it not been for a committed
undergraduate student who continued to challenge him to reallyexamine the evidence, he would
never have believed: “I thank God that he cared enough to do the reading to become a good
apologist because if I hadn’t had someone like that I don’t know if I would have become a

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Christian.”14

Montgomery went on to graduate from Cornell University with distinction in philosophy, Phi Beta
Kappa. Then he went on to earn the Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, a second doctorate in
theology from the University of Strasbourg, France, plus seven additional graduate degrees in
theology, law, library science and other fields. He has written over 125 scholarly journal articles,
plus 40 books, many of them defending Christian faith against skeptical views. He has held numerous
prestigious appointments, is a founding member of the World Association of Law Professors, a
member of the American Society of International Law and is honored in Who’s Who in America,
Who’s Who in American Law, The Directory of American Scholars, International Scholars’ Directory,
Who’s Who in France, Who’s Who in Europe, and Who’s Who in the World. There are many
individuals with the kind of background and philosophical premises as Dr. Montgomery. They
simply do not believe in Christianity apart from sufficient evidence.

Among great literary writers, few can match the brilliance of famous author Malcolm Muggeridge.
He, too, was once a skeptic of Christianity. But near the end of his life he became fully convinced of
the truth of the Resurrection of Christ, writing a book acclaimed by critics, Jesus: The Man Who Lives
(1975). He wrote, “The coming of Jesus into the world is the most stupendous event in human
history....” and “What is unique about Jesus is that, on the testimony and in the experience of
innumerable people, of all sorts and conditions, of all races and nationalities from the simplest and
most primitive to the most sophisticated and cultivated, he remains alive.” Muggeridge concludes,
“That the Resurrection happened... seems to be indubitably true” and “Either Jesus never was or he
still is.... with the utmost certainty, I assert hestillis.”15

The famous scholar and archaeologist, Sir William Ramsay, was educated at Oxford and a
Professor at both Oxford and Cambridge. He received gold medals from Pope Leo XII, the
University of Pennsylvania, the Royal Geographical Society, the Royal Scottish Geographical Society,
and was knighted in 1906. He was once a skeptic of Christianity, convinced that the Bible was
fraudulent.

“He had spent years deliberately preparing himself for the announced task of heading an
exploration expedition into Asia Minor and Palestine, the home of the Bible, where he would
‘dig up the evidence’ that the Book was the product of ambitious monks, and not the Book
from heaven it claimed to be. He regarded the weakest spot in the whole New Testament to
be the story of Paul’s travels. These had never been thoroughly investigated by one on the
spot. Equipped as no other man had been, he went to the home of the Bible. Here he
spent fifteen years literally ‘digging for the evidence.’ Then in 1896 he published a large
volume, SaintPaulthe Travelerand theRomanCitizen.

“The book caused a furor of dismay among the skeptics of the world. Its attitude was
utterly unexpected because it was contrary to the announced intention of the author years
before.... for twenty years more, book after book from the same author came from the press,
each filled with additional evidence of the exact, minute truthfulness of the whole New
Testament as tested by the spade on the spot. The evidence was so overwhelming that many
infidels announced their repudiation of their former unbelief and accepted Christianity. And
these books have stood the test of time, not one having been refuted, nor have I found ev en
any attempt to refute them.”16

Ramsay’s own archaeological findings convinced him of the reliability of the Bible and
the truth of what it taught. In his The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New
Testament and other books, he shows why he came to conclude that, e.g., “Luke’s history is
unsurpassed in respect of its trustworthiness” and that “Luke is a historian of the first rank.... In short,
this author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians.”17

One of the greatest classical scholars of our century, the outstanding authority on Homer, Dr.
John A. Scott, Professor of Greek at Northwestern University for some 40 years, at one time

3

president of the American Philosophical Association as well as president of the Classical Association
of the Midwest and South, wrote a book at the age of seventy, concluding a lifetime of ripened
convictions, WeWouldSeeJesus. He, too, was convinced that Luke was an accurate historian: “Luke
was not only a doctor and historian, but he was one of the world’s greatest men of letters. He wrote
the clearest and the best Greek written in that century. ”18

Here we have two of the greatest intellects of recent time (Ramsay and Scott), among many that
could be cited, vouching for the historical accuracy and integrity of the Apostle Luke, who wrote not
only the Gospel of Luke, but the Book of Acts as well. In the latter book he claimed that the
Resurrection of Christ had been established “by many convincing proofs” (Acts 1:3). It is only by means
of such convincing proofs that skeptics such as the above individuals could have ever been
converted in the first place. Indeed, the entire history of Christianity involves the conversion of
skeptics to Christian faith.

Unfortunately, however, there are also plenty of scholars who have the evidence laid out clearly
before them and still do not believe. For example, Michael Grant, a Fellow of Trinity College,
Cambridge, Professor of Humanity at Edinburgh University, and President and Vice Chancellor of
the Queens University, Belfast, holds doctorates from Cambridge, Dublin and Belfast and is the
author of numerous books, among them The Twelve Caesars, and The Army of the Caesars. In his
book Jesus: An Historian’s Review of the Gospels, he fully admits, “But if we apply the same sort of
criteria that we would apply to any other ancient literary sources, then the evidence is firm and
plausible enough to necessitate the conclusion that the tomb was indeed found empty.”19

But he does not believe in the Resurrection: “Who had taken the body? There is no way of
knowing.... at all events, it was gone.”20 Yet he proceeds to show how the subsequent events of
Christian history astonish the historian, “For by conquering the Roman Empire in the fourth century
A.D., Christianity had conquered the entire Western World, for century after century that lay ahead.
In a triumph that has been hailed by its advocates as miraculous, and must be regarded by
historians, too, as one of the most astonishing phenomena in the history of the world, the
despised, reviled Galilean became the Lord of countless millions of people over the course of the
1900 years and more between his age and ours.”21 As we documented in our book on the
Resurrection,only the Resurrection of Christ can explain this.22

Still, perhaps if Dr. Grant had been both a historian and a lawyer, he might have better understood
the reason for, in his words, “the most astonishing phenomena in the history of the world.” (In part
two, we will examine what some of the finest legal minds in history and today have concluded
concerning the evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus and the truth of Christianity.)

Obviously, if Christianity is true, it makes all the difference in the world whether we personally
accept it or not. Indeed, for each of us, it makes all the difference between heaven and hell. As
Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes
in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16) and “For what will a man be profited, if he
gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
(Matt. 16:26).

The Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ—
Part 2: Could the Evidence Stand Cross-Examination in a
Modern Court of Law?

by Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon

In Part 1, we indicated that the historical evidence for the Resurrection of Christ was sufficient to
convert even skeptics. In Part 2, we will examine what leading lawyers have concluded about the

4

evidence for Christ’s Resurrection.

In Acts 1:3, the historian Luke tells us that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead by “many
infallible proofs.” The Greek en pollois tekmariois is an expression which is defined in the lexicons
as “decisive proof” and indicates the strongest type of legal evidence.1

Lawyers, of course, are expertly trained to deal in the matter of evidence. Skeptics can, if they
wish, maintain that only the weak-minded would believe in the literal, physical Resurrection of
Christ, but perhaps this only reveals their own weak-mindedness when it comes to taking the
evidence at face value.

Lawyers are not weak-minded. Hundreds of lawyers are represented by The National Christian
Legal Society, The Rutherford Institute, Lawyers Christian Fellowship, Simon Greenleaf University,
and other Christian law organizations, schools and societies. Among their number are some of the
most respected lawyers in the country, men who have graduated from our leading law schools and
gone on to prominence in the world of law. The law schools of Cornell, Harvard, Yale, Boston, New
York University, University of Southern California, Georgetown, University of Michigan,
Northwestern, Hastings College of Law at U. C. Berkeley, Loyola, and many others are all
represented.2

Among the Board of Reference or distinguished lectureships given at Dr. Weldon’s alma mater,
Simon Greenleaf University, we could cite Samuel Ericsson, J.D., Harvard Law School, Renatus J.
Chytil, formerly a lecturer at Cornell and an expert on Czechoslovakian law, Dr. John W. Brabner-
Smith, Dean Emeritus of the International School of Law, Washington, D.C., and Richard Colby,
J.D., Yale Law School, with Twentieth Century Fox.3 All are Christians who accept the Resurrection
of Christ as a historical fact. In actuality, the truth of the Resurrection can be determined by the very
reasoning used in law to determine questions of fact. (This procedure is also true for establishing
the historical reliability and accuracy of the New Testament documents.)

So let us proceed with specific examples of noted legal testimony concerning the Resurrection.

Lord Darling, a former Lord Chief Justice in England, asserts: “In its favor as a living truth there
exists such overwhelming evidence, positive and negative, factual and circumstantial, that no
intelligent jury in the world could fail to bring in a verdict that the resurrection story is true.”4

John Singleton Copley (Lord Lyndhurst, 1772–1863) is recognized as one of the greatest legal
minds in British history. He was Solicitor General of the British government, Attorney General of
Great Britain, three times the High Chancellor of England and elected High Steward of the
University of Cambridge. He challenges, “I know pretty well what evidence is; and I tell you, such
evidence as that for the Resurrection has never broken down yet.”5

Hugo Grotius was a noted “jurist and scholar whose works are of fundamental importance in
international law,” according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. He wrote Latin elegies at the age of
eight and entered Leiden University at eleven.6 Considered “the father of international law,” he
wrote The Truth of the Christian Religion (1627) in which he legally defended the historical fact of
the Resurrection.

J. N. D. Anderson, in the words of Armand Nicholi of the Harvard Medical School (Christianity
Today, March 29, 1968), is a scholar of international repute, eminently qualified to deal with the
subject of evidence. He is one of the world’s leading authorities on Muslim law, Dean of the Faculty
of Law at the University of London, Chairman of the Department of Oriental Law at the School of
Oriental and African Studies, and Director of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies at the
University of London.7 In Anderson’s text, Christianity: The Witness of History, he supplies the
standard evidences for the Resurrection and asks, “How, then, can the fact of the resurrection be
denied?”8 Anderson further emphasizes, “Lastly, it can be asserted with confidence that men and
women disbelieve the Easter story not because of the evidence but in spite of it.”9
5

Sir Edward Clark, K. C., observes:

As a lawyer, I have made a prolonged study of the evidences for the events of the first
Easter day. To me the evidence is conclusive, and over and over again in the High Court I
have secured the verdict on evidence not nearly so compelling. Inference follows on
evidence, and a truthful witness is always artless and disdains effect. The gospel evidence
for the resurrection is of this class, and as a lawyer I accept it unreservedly as a testimony of
truthful men to facts they were able to substantiate.10

Irwin H. Linton was a Washington, D.C. lawyer who argued cases before the U.S. Supreme
Court. In A Lawyer Examines the Bible, he challenges his fellow lawyers “by every acid test known
to the law...to examine the case for the Bible just as they would any important matter submitted to
their professional attention by a client... .”11 He believes that the evidence for Christianity is
“overwhelming” and that at least “three independent and converging lines of proof,” each of which
“is conclusive in itself,” establish the truth of the Christian faith.12 Linton observed that “the logical,
historical... proofs of... Christianity are so indisputable that I have found them to arrest the surprised
attention of just about every man to whom I have presented them....”13 He further argues the
Resurrection “is not only so established that the greatest lawyers have declared it to be the best
proved fact of all history, but it is so supported that it is difficult to conceive of any method or line of
proof that it lacks which would make [it] more certain.”14 And that, even among lawyers, “he who
does not accept wholeheartedly the evangelical, conservative belief in Christ and the Scriptures has
never read, has forgotten, or never been able to weigh—and certainly is utterly unable to refute—
the irresistible force of the cumulative evidence upon which such faith rests....”15

He concluded the claims of Christian faith are so well established by such a variety of
independent and converging proofs that “it has been said again and again by great lawyers that
they cannot but be regarded as proved under the strictest rules of evidence used in the highest
American and English courts.”16

Simon Greenleaf was the author of the classic three-volume text, A Treatise on the Law of
Evidence (1842), which, according to Dr. Wilbur Smith “is still considered the greatest single
authority on evidence in the entire literature on legal procedure.”17 Greenleaf himself is considered
one of the greatest authorities on common-law evidence in Western history. The London Law
Journal wrote of him in 1874,

It is no mean honor to America that her schools of jurisprudence have produced two
of the finest writers and best esteemed legal authorities in this century—the great and good
man, Judge Story, and his eminent and worthy associate Professor Greenleaf. Upon the
existing law of evidence (by Greenleaf) more light has shown from the New World than from
all the lawyers who adorn the courts of Europe.18

Further,

Dr. Simon Greenleaf was one of the greatest legal minds we have had in this country.
He was the famous Royal Professor of Law at Harvard University, and succeeded Justice
Joseph Story as the Dane Professor of Law in the same university. H. W. H. Knotts in the
Dictionary of American Biography says of him: “To the efforts of Story and Greenleaf is
ascribed the rise of the Harvard Law School to its eminent position among the legal schools
of the United States.”... Greenleaf concluded that the Resurrection of Christ was one of the
best supported events in history, according to the laws of legal evidence administered in
courts of justice.19

In his book Testimony of the Evangelists Examined by the Rules of Evidence Administered in
Courts of Justice, Greenleaf writes:

All that Christianity asks of men... is, that they would be consistent with themselves;

6

that they would treat its evidences as they treat the evidence of other things; and that they
would try and judge its actors and witnesses, as they deal with their fellow men, when
testifying to human affairs and actions, in human tribunals. Let the witnesses [to the
Resurrection] be compared with themselves, with each other, and with surrounding facts and
circumstances; and let their testimony be sifted, as if it were given in a court of justice, on the
side of the adverse party, the witness being subjected to a rigorous cross-examination. The
result, it is confidently believed, will be an undoubting conviction of their integrity, ability and
truth.20

Lord Caldecote, Lord Chief Justice of England, observed that an “overwhelming case for the
Resurrection could be made merely as a matter of strict evidence”21 and that “His Resurrection has
led me as often as I have tried to examine the evidence to believe it as a fact beyond dispute....”22
(cf., Thomas Sherlock’s Trial of the Witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which places the
Resurrection in a legally argued forum and in the words of lawyer Irwin Linton, “will give anyone so
reading it the comfortable assurance that he knows the utmost that can be said against the proof of
the central fact of our faith and also how utterly every such attack can be met and answered.”23 At
the end of the legal battle one understands why, “The jury returned a verdict in favor of the
testimony establishing the fact of Christ’s resurrection.”24)

But lawyers familiar with the evidence could do the same today either for themselves or an
impartial jury. Although admissibility rules vary by state and no lawyer can guarantee the decision
of any jury (no matter how persuasive the evidence), an abundance of lawyers will testify today that
the Resurrection would stand in the vast majority of law courts.

In conclusion, in these two installments, we have shown that both those who were committed
skeptics and those who are expertly trained to sift evidence have declared, on the basis of the
evidence, that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical fact. Those who ignore the evidence
do so at their own risk.

Evidence (2) Could it Stand in a Court of Law 1203

FOOTNOTES – Part One

1. John Warwick Montgomery, “The Jury Returns: A Juridical Defense of Christianity” in John
Warwick Montgomery (ed.), Evidence For Faith: Deciding the God Question (Dallas: Probe/Word,
1991), p. 319.
2. e.g., cf., John Warwick Montgomery, “How Muslims Do Apologetics” in Faith Founded on Fact
(New York: Nelson, 1978); David Johnson, A Reasoned Look at Asian Religions (Minneapolis, MN:
Bethany, 1985); Stuart C. Hackett, OrientalPhilosophy(Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press,
1979); John Weldon, Buddhism, (MA Thesis) on file at Simon Greenleaf University, Anaheim, CA,
and John Ankerberg and John Weldon, TheFacts On Hinduism in America and The Facts on
Islam.
3. Henry Morris, Many Infallible Proofs (San Diego, CA: Master Books, 1982), p. 1.
4. American Antiquarian Society, EarlyAmericanImprints, No. 8909 (1639-1 800 A.D.), p. 3.
5. Frank Morison, WhoMovedtheStone? (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1969), pp., 9–10.
6. Ibid., p. 10.
7. Ibid., p. 11.
8. In Josh McDowell, EvidencethatDemandsaVerdict, (San Bernardino, CA: Here’s Life Publishers,
rev. ed. 1979), p. 359.
9. C. S. Lewis, SurprisedbyJoy(New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1955), pp. 175, 191.
10. Ibid., pp. 228–229.
11. McDowell, Evidence, p. 373.
12. Personal conversations, March 26–28, 1990.
13. The John Ankerberg Show, transcript of a debate between Dr. John Warwick Montgomery and
7

John K. Naland, televised April 1990, p. 39.

14. John Warwick Montgomery, “Introduction to Apologetics” class notes, Simon Greenleaf
School of Law, Anaheim, CA, January 1986.
15. Malcolm Muggeridge, Jesus:TheManWhoLives (NY: Harper & Row, 1978), pp. 7, 184, 191,
emphasis added.
16. In McDowell, Evidence, p. 366.
17. William M. Ramsay, The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New
Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Bookhouse, 1959), p. 81, cf. his Lukethe Physician, pp.
177–179, 222.
18. In W. J. Sparrow-Simpson, The Resurrection in Modern Thought, London, 1911, p. 405, from
Wilbur M. Smith, ThereforeStand: ChristianEvidences (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1972), p. 365.
19. Michael Grant, Jesus: An Historian’s Review of the Gospels (New York: Charles Scribner’s
Sons, 1977), p. 176.
20. Ibid.
21. Ibid., pp. 190–191, emphasis added.
John Ankerberg, John Weldon, Do the Resurrection Accounts Conflict? and What Proof Is There
that Jesus rose from the Dead? (Chattanooga, TN: Ankerberg Theological Research Institute, 1990).

Notes – Part 2:

1 Joseph Thayer, Thayer’s Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI:

Baker,
1982), p. 617; James Hope Moulton, George Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament
Illustrated from the Papyri and Other Non-Literary Sources (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1980),

p. 628; Spiros Zodhiates, The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1985), p.
71; Kurt Aland, et. al., The Greek New Testament (New York: American Bible Society, 1968), p.
179.
2 See the Simon Greenleaf University 1989-1990 and later catalogs.
3 Ibid.
4 In Michael Green, Man Alive! (Chicago, IL: InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, 1969), p. 54.
5 In Wilbur M. Smith, Therefore Stand: Christian Apologetics (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1972), p.
425, cf., p. 584.
6 q.v., “Hugo Grotius,” Encyclopedia Britannica Micropaedia, Vol. 4, p. 753 and references.
7 In Josh McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict (San Bernardino, CA: Here’s Life
Publishers,
rev. ed. 1979), pp. 201-202.
8 J. N. D. Anderson, Christianity: The Witness of History (London: Tyndale Press, 1970), p. 90.
9 Ibid., p. 105.
10 In John Stott, Basic Christianity (London: InterVarsity Fellowship, 1969), p. 47.
11 Irwin H. Linton, A Lawyer Examines the Bible: A Defense of the Christian Faith (San Diego:
Creation Life Publishers, 1977), pp. 13, 196.
12 Ibid., p. 192.
13 Ibid., p. 120.
14 Ibid., p. 50.
15 Ibid., p. 45, cf., pp. 16-17.
16 Ibid., p. 16.
17 Smith, Therefore Stand, p. 423.
18 Linton, p. 36.
19 In Josh McDowell, More Than a Carpenter (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale/Living Books, 1983), p. 97.
20 In John Warwick Montgomery, The Law Above the Law (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany, 1975), pp.
132-133. (Greenleaf’s Testimony of the Evangelists is reprinted as an appendix).
21 In Linton, p. XXIV.
22 Ibid., p. XXV.

8

23 Ibid., p. 242; Sherlock’s text is reproduced herein.
24 Ibid., p. 277.

9

Part 4

2009-04-02T06:35:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest.
Dad's health continues to get worse. Even though he is mentally alert, his body is starting to shut down. The nurses have had a hard time finding his blood vessels when they need to give him injections. They are now using his leg, because they can't find the veins in his arms anymore (damage from the chemo).Dad has also developed a chest infection in his better lung. They are treating him for the infection, but we really don't know how much time he has left. He tells us that he is really cold all the time. Sometimes he has three blankets and a hot water bottle and is still cold. Yesterday we were able to read to him the book of John and today we left a tract that just reminded him of what we read to him. He has told us that he understands and is still very interested. We want to show him the Nativity and the Passion very soon. He is really interested! It won't be easy though, his sister is there a lot and the rest of the family. If you remember in one of the updates, they are not to open to us sharing with Dad. We have also had a hard time with Faa's Mom. It's very complicated and so we ask that you would pray for her salvation and that she would forgive the past. Thanks for your continued prayers,

Reg and Faa

Part 3

2009-04-02T05:42:00.001-07:00

Hello,Since our last update, we were able to take Dad to church. He listened but was very tired after the service. The following week, Dad went for his C.T scan like he was scheduled. After meeting with a lung doctor, cancer doctor and the general doctor yesterday, we were told that Dad had to go for more chemo and radiation (he has already had over six rounds of chemo). However, they did not know how soon. We were also waiting for Dad's insurance to arrive, so the family thought of waiting a couple weeks for the treatment. Dad was told this morning that he will have to go as soon as possible, it was too dangerous to wait. He may not be here in two weeks if he does not go asap. After hearing this we started to really realize how short Dad's time was. We have also had some of the family tell us that we should stop trying to make Dad a Christian. They said that he is so confused and so we should stop. I am sure you know what we think of that, no way, God is working!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dad is confused because He is really doubting Buddhism. He has seen that Christ gives a hope and a guarantee of where we go after we die. A peace like nothing else can give. Where as in Buddhism, there is no guarantee of anything!We have also had some problems with Faa's mother. She does not like that we are at the hospital visiting Dad every day. We have shared Jesus with her too, but she has told us that "God can not heal, so stay away from the hospital because we will get sick too!") Mom has been hurt from the divorce that took place almost 10 years ago. She does not want to forgive and so she is very bitter to this day. Please pray that God would get a hold of her life. On a brighter note, this last week, Faa's sister met us at church. We did not invite her, she came on her own. She is also really close to coming to Christ. She has also at times prayed for us. She is presently going through a divorce, but sees the joy that we have in Jesus and is very interested in having this same joy. Please pray for Pii Jeep (Faa's sister) and her son Alaska . We thank you for all your prayers. There is a real spritual battle taking place. We have been discouraged, but your prayers we believe have really given us the energy to continue. We also thank you for your emails of encouragement, they have meant so much!In his hands,Reg and Faa

Part 2

2009-04-02T04:37:00.000-07:00

A good day to you,
We have now been in Thailand for just over a month and a half. God has given us many opportunities to share with Faa's family about Jesus. We are sending this update to let you know that our plans to return to Canada on the 11th of March has now changed. The day before we were supposed to leave, Dad went into the hospital for a check up. The doctor told us that Dad was pretty sick. He told us that Dad's blood was not able to clean itself because something was blocking the veins back to his heart. We already knew that Dad had lung membrane cancer, but after having some more x-rays, there was evidence that there was something else above his lung, which was not there before. The doctor has now requested that Dad goes in for a C.T. scan. Dad was admitted today to the hospital and is scheduled to go in this evening for the C.T. scan (March 13th, 8:00pm Thailand time).Since Dad has been in the hospital, Faa has been able to read the Psalms to him. He has also been reading some Christian books that we gave him. While I was writing this, one of Faa's Aunts, sitting on the other side of the bed from me, was reading one of the books we gave Dad. Please pray for her too!We love Dad so much, and we ask you to continue with us in prayer for his salvation.With this recent news about Dad, knowing this may be the last time we see him here on earth and having no work back home anyways, we decided to say till April 23rd.We thank you for your prayers,

Reg and Faa

Part 1

2009-04-02T03:36:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year to you all!
We trust God has really blessed
you with this past Christmas
Season. For us it has been great
to spend our first Christmas as a
married couple together and also
to have the enjoyment of a white
Christmas too! God is so very
good and every day we see how
He has continued to bless our
lives.
Since we’ve been back in
Abbotsford, Reg has been
landscaping to keep food on the
table. Faa has been trying to keep
busy with cooking, baking and
whatever else she can find to do
during the day. It’s hard for her
because she is not allowed to
work right now because she is
not a Canadian citizen (yet).
Please pray that she will be able
to get a work permit. Faa is really
talented and God has really
blessed her with many gifts. She
would really love to work again.
Many of you celebrated with
us at our wedding this last
August. The weather was
amazing and it was a day we will
never forget for the rest of our
lives. God answered many
prayers that day, and one of them
was for the sunshine we had. Reg
remembers sweating so hard that
day, but Faa was just fine; it felt
just like home. If it had rained,
everyone would have been
soaked because we had no plan
B.
You may be wondering why
we are not yet back in Thailand.
When we arrived in Canada last
April, MBMSI encouraged us to
stay for two years instead of one
year, as we were anticipating.
The reason behind this was to
spend the first year concentrating
on building our marriage. In the
second year we would start again
with MBMSI, and head back to
Thailand as a missionary couple.
Last week we went in for
preliminary assessments for
MBMSI. If everything is a go,
we will be starting some more
training in the fall.
Back in Thailand, Faa’s father
has been battling cancer for the
past couple of years. He has gone
through about 6 rounds of
chemotherapy. It has been really
hard on his body, but his mind is
still very clear. Recently we
have been having dreams about
him, and we have felt that we
should visit him. We will be
leaving Canada on January 28th
and returning March 11th. We
really feel like God is telling us
that our dad’s time is short. We
want to use this trip to see our
dad come to know Christ as his
personal Savior. We are asking
you to join us in praying for his
physical health and most
importantly his spiritual health.
He has become much more open
to the gospel over the last year.
God is so important to us and we
so much want to see Dad come to
Christ.
We would also like to ask you
to pray for Faa’s Mom, older
sister, younger brother and
nephew. Each one of them is in
some way going through some
very hard times in their lives.
They all are Buddhist, but we
know God can change their
hearts. We realize that it’s not
because of us that they will come
to know Christ, but that it’s only
through the Holy Spirit working
in their hearts.
We are excited to see what
amazing things God will do in
the time we are there. We really
believe God is not finished with
our family. We thank you in
advance for your prayers.
In his hands,
Reg and Faa Wall
“Fear not, for I have redeemed
you; I have called you by your
name; you are Mine.”
(Isaiah 43:1)

Marriage is great!

2008-09-11T18:15:00.001-07:00

God has blessed me so much by my amazing wife, Faa. She is everything I could have ever dreamed for. I am very thankful to God for her. I will be posting our wedding photo's soon done by our photographer. In the mean time here are a few pics that others took and you can also view the video that was made for our wedding by my best man Jon Knoll. It's of Faa and I when we where growing up and when we met. We showed it at the wedding, but due to the sun, it was hard to see.
There are two parts reg and faa 1 and reg and faa 2. Also check out the video that was sent from Faa's home church in Thailand made by our friend Andy Owen. It is worth the watch. It has subtitles so you can laugh at all the wishes of kids they want us to have. Here are the links; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua3pTbo6yeY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUAa9Ppjipo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu80B5ffdB4&feature=related

And yes we even had fireworks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Almost here!!!!

2008-08-15T00:08:00.000-07:00

Well I know it has been ages since I updated this, but I thought I would just let you know what is happening in the next few days. I am so excited to get married this Saturday (August 16th) to my future wife to be, Faa. She is such a blessing and I am excited what God will do in our lives together!!!!!!!

Thanks again for all of you who pray for us. Your prayers mean so much to both of us.

I will update this in a few weeks with a bunch of pics to share with you our special day!!!!!!!

Songkran with a surprise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Part 1

2008-05-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

In the month of April in Thailand, there is a holiday called Songkran, another name for the Thai New Year. During this holiday, there are many people celebrating all over Thailand. The celebration is usually three days in total. People will go from one side of Thailand to the other to be with their families during this time.

One part of this celebration that I liked the most was the huge water fight. If you dare to wander out on the streets during these days (especially the first day), people who saw you took that as all the permission they needed to get you soaked! They would also put mud and perfume on you as a blessing.
I have to say, the mud blessing was not really all that much of a blessing to me. The mud really burned my eyes, and then because I could not see, I was caught off guard when the nex ice cold bucket of water hit me, lol.

I got attacked by the Teachers at school during our special session.

and I went to visit Rob and Judy and the rest of Operation Second Wave down in Since my school was closed for a week, and I had something very special that I had to do..., FaaPhuket. On the first day of the holiday we went out with a bunch of friends (Trekkers I had worked with when I was in Thailand 2004) to have some fun in the streets with the huge water fight. This was by far the biggest water fight I had ever seen. People were driving down the streets with big barrels full of ice cold water. The good thing about the cold water was that the temperature were in the mid 30's,so the water was quite refreshing. We all got pretty wet and covered in clay and perfume (a Thai thing), but I have to say, I really had a lot of fun.
During this week I was also able to reconnect with some Trekkers ( as mentioned above) who were back in Thailand. They had all got married since the last time I saw them, but they were still the same Trekkers that I knew from before.

to be continued...

Part Two...The surprise

2008-05-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

In my previous post I wrote that there was something important that I had to do during our time in Phuket. On the Tuesday (April 15th) of that week I drove from the Greg and Becky’s Oelettes place (where I was staying) to pick up Faa (who was staying with the Griffioen's for the week), for a really special day.

A few months earlier I was thinking of a place to ask Faa to marry me and was reminded of this Island called Koh Kho Khao in Pang Nga. I worked there with MBMSI building homes after the Tsunami of 2004. This Island was very beautiful and it had still not been ruined by tourism. So I knew that during the Songkran break this would be the best place for this very special day.

After driving for over four hours (it was only supposed to take us two hours) we arrived at the ferry. Faa asked the captain, what time the ferry would depart. He told her that we would only have to wait five minutes. Forty five minutes later, we left for the Island. On the way over we asked what time the last ferry was going back to the mainland. We were told the last on was at 6pm. Hearing this we realized that we only had three hours, so I knew I had to be efficient with the time.

As soon as we arrived on the island, we went to a restaurant because we were both so hungry. After a not so good meal, we were off to the beach. I found this overgrown road after driving a few minutes and decided to follow it, hoping it would end at the beach. At the end of the road we got to the beach. We parked the truck close to the beach and then walked the rest of the way.

I brought my backpack with me because I had some very important things in there for Faa. When we arrived at the beach, I prepared a mat for us to sit on and for the set up I was going to do. Within a few minutes, Faa felt rain. Wouldn’t you know, just after I finished laying down the mat and the backpack, it started to rain very hard.

Not only did it rain, we had thunder, lightning too! Since my backpack was waterproof, we decided to stay out in the rain for a bit.

Since we were the tallest objects in the water, I thought it was best for our health to go back to the truck, which was a much safer place. I turned the truck around so that we could sit on the tailgate facing the ocean. This was also nice because I could set up the little snack I had too. I told Faa that she had to keep looking forward and for no reason turn back to peak. Faa was very curious because she could hear me pouring some liquid, opening snacks as well as smelling something burning (candles).

While I was setting up the snack, I slipped off the tailgate and hurt myself. I quickly said, “Don’t look, I hurt myself, but don’t look, it will be ok”. I was able to finally finish setting up the snack without any more injuries. I then told her to turn around. She absolutely loved it! The crazy thing about this was that as soon as I finished, it stopped raining. So I asked her if she wanted to go back to the beach and go for a swim. I brought my backpack with me again because I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to pop the question. She was a little curious as to why I had to bring my backpack if we were going to go swimming. We got to the beach and I dropped off my bag and went into the water. As soon as we got into the water it started to rain again. After a quick laugh, we went back to flip the backpack over because I had the part that was not waterproof exposed to the rain. When we got to the beach, Faa was looking towards the water so I quickly opened my backpack and took out the teddy bear with the ring.

When she turned around I was hiding the teddy bear behind my back. She had a big smile on her face and asked me what I was up to. I then gave her the bear with the ring. I asked her to marry me in Thai, but found out that I had said it wrong. What I actually said was, "Marry?" I kind of forgot a few words. I also made the mistake by taking her right hand to put the ring on. She quickly let me know that I had the wrong hand. After realizing this, I got down on my knee, and took her left hand and asked her to marry me (this time in English) You know what? She said, “YES”!

Happy Easter

2008-03-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

Today at our language school here in Lopburi we had a special Easter program for Good Friday. I had to open in prayer (in Thai) and read a passage of scripture (in Thai) too! It was great! People could actually understand what I was saying. That is so much God giving me the ability. I know for sure, I could not do it on my own, Praise Him! Please pray for the three Thai teachers who have not yet made that commitment to follow Christ. They are so close and some of them have heard this message for many years. God is working and I know He is calling them to Himself.

Let us not forget what Christ did for us. If He had not given his life for ours, we would all live with the burden of our sin. Smile!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God loves us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HE DIED AND ROSE AGAIN FOR US!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has given us a second chance for eternal life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To fill you in

2008-02-01T06:02:00.000-08:00

When I arrived in Thailand last May, my camera broke. For the first week we were in Chonburi and so I decided to get it fixed at the mall just down the road from TLC (The Life Center, Team 2000). They ended up sending it to Bangkok, so I could not get it back before we headed to the North to visit the Khmu. A few weeks passed and then Ricky got his assistant Faa to phone me and fill me in about my camera. Later that year, at the MBMS Internationl South-East Asia conference in Phuket I got to meet Faa again. We started to spend more time together and at that time I started to think that I really wanted to get to know her more. That said, last December on the 2nd we started dating. As I mentioned above she is Ricky Sancheze's (Team 2000) assistant. She is on fire for God and want's others to know that too! I am so blessed to have her as a girlfriend and am excited about where God is leading us. She is Thai, but speaks English very well. She has also been working with the Khmu in the North. She is a blast to be around and everyone that meets her loves her. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to grow in our relationship.
I have to say that God knew what He was doing when He created relationships!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thilosu Waterfall a trip I will not forget...

2008-01-31T05:36:00.000-08:00

Over the Christmas break I was invited by one of my English students (Por who has become a really good friend over the months), to go to Thilosu waterfall with him and a bunch of other friends [Noon, Maay, Dor, my girlfriend Faa, Edmund and myself] for four days. This waterfall is the largest one in Southeast Asia and ranked as the sixth most prettiest waterfall in the world.

These couple pictures are just a small taste of how amazing it was

To get to the waterfall we had to take a train to Mae Sot which was about 7 hours away. It was by far not the most comfortable ride, but we got there.

At an antique store in Mae Sot

After we got there we had to get into this beast of a van.This van would get us to the next place where we would get on a Songtaw

On the way back we got our own Songtaw, so that made it more enjoyable

(a pick-up truck with seats in the back of the box facing towards each other) which would be by far the worst part of the trip heading off to Um phang, Tak province where the waterfall was.
A Karen Village that we drove by

The thing that made this part of the trip so awful was that we went through 1,219 curves to get. Half way through Faa and I felt like throwing up, so we switched with some of our friends in the front to take a break. I talked with the driver and he said that it is very common for people to get sick on this trip. He said that he has been driving this route for 10 years, but if he gets in the back, he still gets sick.

On this trip we saw Thilosu waterfall (for a couple hours which seemed a little short since the purpose of our trip was to see the waterfall,lol)

, a really big cave,

a hot spring, Believe it or not, I was the only one that went in

river rafting,

and got to watch the sunrise over a valley. The cool thing with this sunrise was that the fog filled the valley so all you saw were mountain tops sticking through the fog. The fog is actually supposed to cover everything, thus making you feel like you are watching the sun rise over the ocean. That night before this sunrise we camped at this lookout and had a really great supper of macaronii (yum,yum)On the Sunday that we were there we went to this little church. One of the boys painted the Lord's supper on the back wall of the church, very beautiful.
After church we went to visit a family and my buddy Por pointed out something very interesting. This house has a door, but if you look to the left of the door, it's wide open,lol. We both had a good laugh about this.

I have to say, it's really nice to have friends like the ones that were with me on this trip. I really enjoyed this trip and I really believe this trip has made us all better friends.

I even got to meet a new friend

On the last day of our trip after going back through all those curves, we had to catch a van to the train station. Within 10 minutes of leaving, the van broke down, so we missed the train and had to take a much later train. Oh well, we got back safely and the trip ended well.
Almost nine months ago, when I arrived in Thailand, one of my prayer request's was that I would make some new friends. Praise God, He answered my prayers and has given me a wonderful girlfriend (Faa) as well. God is so good and I am so blessed to be his child.

Here come the updates...

2008-01-29T01:33:00.000-08:00

In our last week before the Christmas break, I was able to get involved with some of the Christmas outreaches to the schools here in Lopburi . We sang songs, played games, made crafts and shared the Christmas story. I don't think I was ever given the chance to be a shepherd when I was young, so this Christmas I jumped at the opportunity. I had a blast with it, and the kids had a good laugh too. Now I see what I missed when I was a kid. I got to be a wise man when I was younger, but this was much more fun. I am not sure if they were laughing at me because I was a shepherd or that I was aFarang (foreigner) trying to act like a shepherd. Lots of fun and I look forward to many more opportunities like this to share the Gospel with kids in the years ahead.

A gift for all people...

2007-12-25T07:31:00.000-08:00

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." (Luke 2:12)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!

2007-12-23T20:15:00.000-08:00

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." (Luke 2:14)

I love Christmas! Lately my favorite movie has become the "Nativity". The real meaning of Christmas is shown here in this beautiful movie. Sure I love the lights, the carols, etc of the season, but it's so important not to forget the real reason we celebrate this time of year. God gave his son to us, we are so blessed beyond what words could ever say.
So here is me, wishing you a very Merry Christmas and the Happiest of New Years!

Long Live The King!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-12-19T06:04:00.001-08:00

On Dec 5th of this year, I got to celebrate along with millions of other Thai people, the King's 80th birthday. (The King's birthday is also called Fathers day here in Thailand. People will travel back to their homes to honor their father on this day.) Besides just being a really good King, the King of Thailand has also been the longest reigning monarch in history? He has served his people for over 60 years. So you can see why His 80th Birthday was something to celebrate! It was a huge day full of celebration. There were yellow shirts everywhere. (The reason people where yellow is because this represents the color for the day that the King was born, which was a Monday.)
During the week of the Kings Birthday, almost every night there were fireworks somewhere in Thailand. The people of Thailand love their King. He has been very good to the Thai people. He has served his people well.

"Long Live The King!!!!!!!"

Loy Kratong

2007-12-01T19:04:00.000-08:00

One of the floats in the parade in Lopburi

Well I shared with you in my previous entry that last weekend was pretty crazy.

Well on that same weekend we also had Loy Kratong, so traffic was horrible as to be expected. This is a Holiday where the Thais thank the River goddess for bringing life to Thailand through the water. On this holiday they will make these little and large Kratongs to float down the river. Most of them are made out of biodegradable materials so they won't pollute the water. They have incense, candles and most of the time money. Even though they are encouraged to use biodegradable materials I still got a bunch of nails stuck in my shoe. No worries I stopped walking before they went into my foot. It's kind of funny, just down stream I saw the kids swimming in the water collecting the money from the Kratongs. In Bangkok I even saw the kids right in front of everyone just pulling out the money, and the funny thing is everyone was OK with that. To add to the craziness of the day, right after our last class on that Saturday we were heading to Shiloh for lunch. (OMF place we meet twice a week for meals and updates) On the way there, Bob and Chris were in a motorcycle accident. Praise God, they are OK, but a little sore. The people who hit them have visited them many times since then and God is doing a work through that too! (Last night we were able to pray with these people and thank God for his protection. The cool thing is that they were OK with this.)
After going to the police station and hospital that Saturday, I went to the third day of the funeral. (in previous blog)

Right after the funeral I had to catch a van to Bangkok to meet up with a fellow who will be doing the fireworks for the Christmas celebration at TLC church in Chonburi. This fellow had invited me to join him on the barge where all the fireworks were going to be launched from for Loy Kratong. Unfortunately because I was waiting at the wrong side of the Hotel, I missed being on the barge. Thankfully I was still able to get a good spot to see the show. After the firework show we met up and went over some of the details.Fireworks in Bangkok

This is the year of the rat, so that is why these rats are pulling the cart.

This fellow tried to sell me a bird to set free to bring me good luck (after you set it free it flies back to his house and he sells it again to some tourist.)

One of those weekends...

2007-11-28T05:21:00.000-08:00

Last week I got the news that my work permit was finally ready (a process that has taken about six months), so I would need to go to Bangkok to finish this process. On my way back I got a phone call from Bob and Chris that my teacher (Kruu Anne's) Father had passed away. The crazy part is that the funeral was that very night. So I rushed back, but because it was Loy Kratong (I will fill you in about this in the next entry) the traffic was horrible. Well I made it back and was glad I went. This was also my first Thai funeral. The blessings was that it was a Christian funeral. The next day we had a special session for Loy Kratong, and after that was over I went to the third day of the funeral. In Thailand a funeral will last many days. On the third day of the funeral we met at the Crematorium for the final goodbye. The majority of Thai people when they die will be cremated. They don't bury people like we do in North America. One of the reasons is they just don't have the money or the room for it.

I wasn't sure her father was a Christian so I started to ask around. The reason people thought they had a Christian funeral was because Kruu Anne's Mother was a Christian. Yesterday I asked Kruu Anne in class if her Father had come to Christ. She told me until Sunday she did not know. She saw him very seldom read his Bible, go to church,not saying those things is what makes you a Christian, but there was nothing really to show he was, so she really did not know.
The reason I wrote she did not know till Sunday was because that was the night she had a dream. In this dream she was with her Dad and they were walking towards the Gates of Heaven. They stopped before the gate and then her Father turned to her and said, "I love you" and " God bless you". After this he hugged her and went through the gates into Heaven. When she shared this with me she could hardly hold back the tears, but after that dream, she knew that she would see her Father again. He was in Heaven, no more wondering was necessary, she knew!!!!! After I heard this I had those kind of shivers you get when God just blows your mind! Praise God!!!!!!!! He still does speak!!!!!!!!!!!

Royalty...Christmas

2007-11-21T07:26:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I went to a mall in Bangkok called Central World to see one of the very first Christmas trees lit in this Country, as well as to see some of the Royal family. After reading about this upcoming event in the paper and finding out that it was after my classes on Friday, I decided to go and check it out. Also, being that Christmas is not a holiday here (since it is a Christian Holiday and Thailand's majority is Buddhist), you have to go to a major city to get into the Christmas mood. The major Cities are decorated more for the tourist than for the Thais. So as you can see, this was the perfect opportunity for me to have a cultural lesson and also a way for me to get into the Christmas mood.

The picture below is of the tree on the inside of the mall which stood about 90 ft high and was also really nicely decorated. I love Christmas so this was a real treat for me.

They even had a Farang (foreigner) playing Santa

On the outside of the mall they had another one about 60 ft that was decked out with L.E.D lights. I personally thought the outside tree was the nicest.

On this special occasion, the Crown Prince's Wife and son (grandson to the King) were invited to see these spectacular trees. It's a really good culture lesson in itself. I have seen it on tv, but in real life it is much different. The wife of the Prince was about 15 feet away from where I was standing. As she approached where I was, the people started to get down to their knees out of respect (I quickly did the same) but as we started to do this, she turned and went the other way, so that was the closest I got to them. Oh well, at least I saw her and the grandson. Sorry I have no pics of them(security reasons).

The Thai Royal guard

As we approach this Christmas season, my prayer is that we all can get excited about the Royalty that we serve, Jesus Christ. That this season will mean more to us knowing that Jesus came for us, and He is still ALIVE and He wants the very best for us!
LET'S CELEBRATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SMILE!!!!!!!

2007-11-13T07:23:00.000-08:00

Since I am in classes five days a week and on Sundays at a Church in a nearby town, (that is really like a class), we get Mondays off to relax from the books and take a break. So, when I have some free time like this, I start to consider what I could do with it. I have to say, the adventurest side of me usually wins out with what I do. So being that I love to ride my motorbike (that was given to me free) I headed off to explore more of Lopburi and the surrounding areas. A few days prior to this day, I came across a sign that read something about a 3oo year old tree. The crazy thing is that on this Monday I came across that very sign again, so I thought I would check it out. The only problem was, was that the sign was in Thai. Yes, I have started to read and write, but I am not that far along with understanding it all. So with what I had, I could make out was that this tree was 300 (Meters?) away. Which way? That I did not know. So after riding back and fourth a few times, this Thai fellow pulled up in his car and asked me what I was looking for (He must have noticed that I was continually returning to the sign with a lost look on my face wondering where I was to go). I told him that I was looking for this huge tree that was over 300 years old and if he knew were it was. He laughed and then pointed straight ahead. I was about 100 meters away from the entrance of the Wat (where the tree was), and had ridden past it many times not knowing that was the place. Well after finding that out, I headed off to see this giant of a tree. When I got there, I met a bunch of kids playing around the grounds of the Wat. I started to chat with them, and before I knew it, I had 7 new little friends. It caught them by surprise when a Farang (foreigner) spoke to them in Thai. When they found out I had my camera with me, it was a must that them be in the pictures too! So here are a few of there moments in the spotlight. I really enjoyed this time and was greatly encouraged to why I am in Thailand. These kids and many other people don't have a clue who Jesus is. My prayer is that one day, these kids too will get to know why I am really here. That they too will see the love that Jesus has for them.

Take my Hand

2007-11-11T07:16:00.000-08:00

This song has continued to encourage me over the years and I thought I would share this with you. Jesus is so Faithful, He will carry us through life...

I know there are times
your dreams turn to dust
you wonder as you cry
why it has to hurt so much
give Me all your sadness
someday you will know the reason wy
with a child-like heart
simply put your trust in Me

CHORUS:

Take My hand and walk where I lead
keep your eyes on Me alone
don't you say why were the old days better
just because you're scared of the unknown
take My hand and walk

Don't live in the past
cause yesterday's gone
wishing memories would last
you're afraid to carry on
you don't know what's comin'
but you know the one who holds tomorrow
I will be your guide
take you through the night
if you keep your eyes on Me

Take my hand and walk where I lead
Keep your eyes on me alone
don't you say why were the old days better
just because you're afraid of the unknown
take my hand and walk where I lead
you will never be alone
faith is to be sure of what you hope for
and the evidence of things unseen
so take my hand and walk

Just like a child
holdings daddy's hand
don't let go of mine
you know you can't stand
on your own
(The Kry)

He will carry us...

It's beginning to look a lot like...

2007-11-09T06:59:00.000-08:00

I bet you were thinking I was going to finish that sentence with Christmas? Well, actually it looks still a lot like summer here. We are now going into the sunflower season. There are fields all over the place that are completly yellow. It's so beautiful, God's Creation once again shows forth it's beauty."In the way of the righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality." (Proverbs 12:28)

So all will know...

2007-11-04T22:10:00.000-08:00

After Chiang Khong I went back to Chonburi (The Life Center, Team 2000) for another great baptism. They had around 24 people get baptized. Praise God! It's great to see how God is breaking through in Chonburi. To have seen what it was like at the beginning to where the church is now, is of great encouragement to me.

This fellow from the orphanage (on the left) took the plunge too!

Ricky had great joy baptizing his daughter Sierra