A GOD ending to our trip away

After our time in Thailand we took our International leaders of YWAM Family Ministries Andreas & Angela Fresz into a restricted access nation for four days....We had such an incredible time there. The Lord worked out everything so perfectly bringing us together with co-workers, old friends and making some new friends and plans. I cannot share pictures of the people we were with and what God is saying but just to let you know that HE has great plans for our ministry there in the near future!

Mel with Andreas

Vegetables are good for you!

An old man with an old car (Mel's words not mine!)

Sometimes Mel likes to give me flowers..the cheap kind!

Bananas they say are good for depression!

Praying for a couple who will join the FMS this year!

We are really excited with this coming September's Family Ministries School So far we have had 25 students apply bringing along with them about half that many children. Fifty percent of these students are foreigners coming from seven different countries including two restricted access nations.
We feel so privileged to be a part of discipling the nations through Family Ministries and we feel energized knowing that HE has a wonderful future for Family Ministries Asia

Please continue to pray, pray, pray!

Thank you!

Elephants Elephants Elephants!!

I think one of our major highlights was visiting the Maesa Elephant Park
in Chiang Mai Thailand!
It was surreal walking around this park amongst seventy plus elephants. Watching them bathe, paint, play soccer, play darts with Mel, eat, bow, and perform! I couldn't help but post these pictures.
The highlight for Mel was to ride one of course! Which he did with Larry Ballard our International Director of the YWAM Family Resource Center.

Mel hitching a ride..

Such silent traffic.............

On the home run now!

Elephants painting??......who ever heard of that...

A Thai massage anyone?

Performance time!

Eating Time!

Yes it' s a comfy ride...NOT!


Safely home again!

The elephant playing darts with Mel.....it was a tie...

Well this is definitely the end of this elephant tail...whoops tale...corny!

A great day!

Family Ministries International Leadership Meetings in Thailand

In the year 2005 we were accepted to be members of the International Leadership Team for YWAM Family Ministries. Ever year we try to meet in a location that will work for all of us. This year we were able to meet in Chiang Mai Thailand around the Korean Family Ministries School being held there. It is always a tremendous encouragement and blessing to get together with like minded co-workers and friends.

Here are some pictures of those days...

FMILT Leadership Team

Our hotel and the location for the Korean Family Ministries School in Chiang Mai.

We met for three days prior to the Asian Consultation...a great time!

No meeting without eating!

Asian Family Ministries Consultation Chiang Mai Thailand 2010

Thank you so much for praying for this important trip!
We were so aware of your prayers during the three weeks that we were away.Thank you for being such an important part of our team!!....

The Lord ordered our steps in amazing ways and everything worked out far beyond our expectations. We came home tired physically but energized in our spirits with our hearts full of gratefulness for that which the Lord is doing in our region in the area of Family Ministries.
Knowing also that he wants to do so much more and that he wants to use us is so good!

Here are some pictures of those days.........Firstly the Asian Consultation.

The Participants

Mel & I

When we first heard about this idea for the gathering of "Key Asian Family Ministry Workers " together in Chiang Mai, Thailand this July we were skeptical and unsure if we would get much interest. The doubt in our hearts was due to it now being the rainy season, on-going political turmoil in Bangkok, and we even wondered if people could make it financially. The Lord wonderfully surprised us as Key players from Korea, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Cambodia, India, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Australia & New Zealand registered for the event!


We met for the weekend with worship, hearing each others exciting reports of our ministries, praying for one another, meeting in discussion groups, and sharing over meals of delicious Thai food. We even made it for an outing to the local elephant park for a picnic lunch and an elephant show!

The Elephant Show

We were also blessed to have special guests Richard & Maria Kane from England to introduce "Marriage-Week " to Asia.


Meetings

Praying for the leader of Family Ministries India

Praying for a young family who work with Karen families at the Myanmar/Thailand Border

Through this gathering we saw the importance of being connected with each other and to feel that sense of family and to know that we are not alone in this ministry. We all agreed to have these kinds of meetings on an annual basis.

Pictured here is our organizational team.. Andreas & Angela Fresz our International leaders of YWAM Family Ministries and Yoon Ho & Chung Hee Park our Korean leaders of YWAM Family Ministries...We are all tired but happy and blessed with the results of the consultation and of course enjoying a special meal together bringing closure to this important time.