CCY CONNECT APRIL 2023 EDITION

Have you ever screamed, "God, where are you?" Life has challenging trials, maybe at school, during a life-threatening illness, with your marriage, work, or unexpected death. Sometimes things are manageable other times, it's beyond our control. But through it all, God is always there. Even though we may not understand why these things are happening, rest assured God will always turn everything out for His glory.

Our struggles are real, but God's grace is life-changing. Even Jesus had trials, which led him to His death. His suffering was more devastating than any of our struggles. Jesus was brutally beaten, and the whole town wanted their leaders to crucify Him. Jesus didn't even defend himself, He knew this was God's will. His followers were very confused. How could God allow an innocent man to suffer in this way? Jesus was supposed to be the Savior they waited for. He was supposed to be the answer to their prayers. Where was God? His followers were right. Jesus didn't deserve this horrific punishment. But God saw the big picture, the purpose for Jesus' death. He knew this would free us from our sins, which is why He allowed it to happen.

Before Jesus went to the cross, He knew His teachings were stirring things up. He felt the tension and was aware of the anger around Him. Jesus also knew Judas would be the one to betray Him. Before He faced His enemies, Jesus prayed, "Not my will but your will." Like Jesus, we, too, know when our trials are coming. We can feel the change, whether it's in our bodies or in our relationships with others. We too need to go to God first and pray, not our will but God's will be done. God sees the big picture and will turn every situation out for His glory.

How can we battle these trials?

Jesus said,

Come to me all you weary and burdened and I'll give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

Instead of trying to deal with the situation on our own, Jesus wants us to come to Him. Don't allow your problems to build a wall between you and Him. There's nothing too big or too small that He can't handle. He is hurt when you don't. Jesus experienced all kinds of trials while here and knows our pains. You can't change the people or the situation, but you can change your outlook.

So, be in prayer and wait patiently until God reveals His plan. Listen for His words and be willing to move where He directs.

Heavenly Father, This world is full of trials. Please help guide and protect us. Show us your purpose and give us the comfort we need to get through it. Let us see the grace and your glory through it all. And when we try to control the situation, remind us it's not our will but yours.

This week encourage us to share the Gospel Message with others. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. We thank you for loving us and sending us a Savior.

In your precious Son's name, we ask this. Amen

Resurrection Sunday is quickly approaching! As I reflect on the implications of that moment and the week leading up to it, I must sit back and take a moment to breathe. The question I have wrestled with is “How do I take this timeless moment in the life and ministry of Jesus – which is the Cornerstone of our faith, and make it fresh and new?” Then it hits me – “How in the world could I do that!”

My goal – the only thing I want to do – is see and hear that people encountered the Risen Christ through our effort and our hearts desire. In the Gospel of John, after Jesus’ Resurrection, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene and she at first did not recognize Him. When Jesus’ revealed Himself to Mary – it changed EVERYTHING. “She cried out” the Bible says. What were her emotions at that very moment. We can only imagine. The first thing she did was run and tell the other believers the best news… “I have seen the Lord!”. That’s it – That’s all I want this year – for people to see Jesus. May I become less – and He become more.

We have opportunities for you and your family and your friends to see Him this year. On Wednesday night, April 5th we will once again have our “Tenebrae” service. This will focus on the moments of Jesus’ life leading up to the crucifixion. It starts at 6:30 p.m.

We will have the church doors open Friday night, April 7th for our Good Friday Service. We will have our Stations of the Cross set up for reflection and prayer as well as opportunities for those who want to be baptized into Christ and for those who want to receive prayer. The doors will be open from 5-7 p.m.

Then Sunday morning, April 9th we will celebrate the moment that everything changed. This is our hope. He is our hope. We will have a breakfast (potluck – bring whatever you’d like and the church will provide drinks and paper goods). It is come and go from 9 -10 a.m. but you don’t want to miss something special and different at 9:30 a.m. in the gym. There will be egg hunts for all the kiddos as well at 10 a.m. Then at 10:30 we will celebrate our Risen Lord!

Hope you take the opportunity to invite some friends and family as we celebrate Jesus together!

In Christ’s hope and love-

Clay

Easter is an exciting time of year for children and adults alike. I always look forward to teaching kids about the true meaning of this holiday.

At its core, Easter is a celebration of new life and new beginnings. It's a time to reflect on the sacrifice that Jesus made for us and the hope that we have because of his resurrection.

One of the most important lessons we can teach children during this season is the importance of forgiveness. Just as Jesus forgave those who betrayed and crucified him, we too are called to forgive those who may have wronged us.

Another key aspect of Easter is the idea of renewal. Just as the world comes back to life after a long winter, we too can experience a sense of renewal and hope in our own lives. This can be a great opportunity to talk to children about setting goals and making positive changes in their lives.

Of course, there's also the fun side of Easter that kids love - Easter egg hunts, candy, and spending time with family and friends. These activities can all be incorporated into our teachings, helping kids to understand the joy and excitement of the season.

Overall, Easter is a wonderful time to teach children about the importance of forgiveness, renewal, and hope. As a church, it is so important and a privilege for us to be able to share these lessons with the next generation, helping to shape their understanding of the world and their place in it.

Join us on Resurrection Sunday for an Easter Egg Hunt at 10 am!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Greetings to you all from Chiang Mai, Thailand! We came back to our home in Chiang Mai safely but it took us some time to hook up to the internet, therefore we could not make our report sooner. Finally, we were able to get the internet yesterday. Thank God for His care and for leading us safely throughout our trip back.

Burma Ministry Update

Since we came back we have been corresponding with the evangelists in Yangon and Burma churches in northern Burma by phone regarding the work in Yangon and the new outreach of Ganeung Rvwang people in Arunachal Pradesh of northeast India. We have been making many trips to the Arunachal Pradesh of India in the past years in the attempt to contact the people of our Ganeung brothers and sisters whom we had lost contact with due to difficulty to have access to those regions. In 2019 March I myself had also visited with two evangelists from Burma to search for them by way of Kolkata (former Calcutta), and went to the extreme remote area known as Wakro where Ganeung people are reported to live. We found out that most of our people live in the mountainous areas between north west of Burma and India in the state known as Arunachal Pradest. Because of the Indian government's restriction the areas where our people live are inaccessible. On my trip I did meet one medical doctor, and an engineer who are Ganeung people who have forgotten our language and they speak the language known as Mishimi and Indian language. These people can speak English too so we were able to communicate with them. They both confirmed that they were Ganeung Rvwang who had migrated from north Burma several hundred years ago. But all Ganeung people remain animists. Later our evangelist Abur Joseph from Yangon and an elder Malong David from north Burma made two trips crossing the Indian border from north Burma. On these trips they were able to meet a man known as Dilang who is from the Konglang clan of Ganeung Rvwang. With the grace of God he became a Christian through the teaching of the Lisu people in that region. He wanted us to start the mission work immediately to reach out to the rest of the Ganeung people in the remote areas of northeast of Arunachal Pradesh. This man Dilang will help us contact the rest of the Ganeung people of Arunachal Pradesh. From this man Dilang we were so surprised to learn that the Ganeung Rvwang population in Arunachal Pradesh is 4 to 5 times more than that of the Rvwang population in Burma. So we strongly feel and are convinced that it is the burden for all Rvwang Christians in Burma to reach out to them with the Good News of Jesus Christ. This will be a new Christian mission to the unreached people. Please see the photo of Dilang and his son whom Abur Joseph and Malong David met in a village inside Arunachal Pradesh last month. Please pray with us for this important evangelistic outreach for the Ganeung Rvwang people in the Arunachal Pradesh of India. In this photo the man on the left is Dilang and on the far right is Dilang's son. Two men in the middle are Elder Malong David and Abur Joseph from Burma who went to meet them. The churches in north Burma have already sent two evangelists to stay on the border town of Nanyun to make continuous contact with the Ganeung Rvwang people in Arunachal Pradesh. With this plan Burma churches want to buy a house in Nanyun, at the border town in the northwest of Kachin State. The house with one hundred meter of property is on sale for $20,000.00 US. Burma Christian churches asked me to ask all Rvwang Christians to pray for this need. If the Lord lays this burden on any of you to help we will be deeply grateful. The picture of the house for sale is attached at the bottom of this email with the group's photo.

The Swebyda church room construction is nearly completed. We will report this completion later.

Karen Youth Ministry in the City of Chiang Mai

by Boonporn

The young people are the church's future. So as Jerry is busy with his work I always look for a way to serve the Lord in the way I see needed besides working side by side with Jerry. At the children's home at the village we have been caring for many underprivileged children who come to stay and go to school. Now many of those children have grown up and have gone to colleges in the city. Some have jobs in the city and live in Chiang Mai. These young people who live in the city have found it difficult to go to Thai church and they feel lost because of the cultural differences. So most of the young people from the mountain villages ended up not going to church. So as we returned to Chiang Mai from the USA they all were happy and came to see us. In our Asian culture young people look up to older people for their guidance. That is why they came to see us. They told us that they want to have a place of worship on Sunday so that they can also be involved in the worship and witness to others. I personally always concern for these young people and want them to know the Lord and live their lives in the Lord in this big world. While I was in the States I had an opportunity to instill my grandsons for which I am grateful. As Proverbs 22:6 says to train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. So the young people need to be instilled in the Lord for their safety of their faith in the Lorand for their future lives. So we have started a worship service for these young people at the Mercy home in Chiang Mai. The Mercy home is a place for the sick people who go to the provincial hospital in Chiang Mai from different villages and do not have a place to stay when they come for treatment. The Mercy home opens for all kinds of people as a shelter while they have treatment at the hospital. So all the patients and relatives who accompany them stay and worship on Sunday. This place is also a good place to witness to non-Christians who come to stay. So we have been supporting this ministry for many years now. Please pray for these young people. This is a very small place and it will be crowded and a bigger place will be needed. Please pray for us and that God will be honored and glorified in our work at this place.

Thank you very much for your prayers and for the financial support. May God bless you all richly and give you good health.

With Togetherness in serving our Lord,

Jerry and Boonporn