Every Tuesday morning from 8-9 a.m. AG headquarters employees meet for chapel. Today's service was a powerful one as Dr. Jim Bradford (my pastor at Central Assembly) was installed as the new General Secretary and then shared a message about following the Lord in spite of the sacrifices it may require. At the conclusion of the service Dr. Wood led us in singing "Trust and Obey." There's something I've really come to love about the deep meaning behind old standards like that and the words especially resonated with me as I thought about my approaching departure for Thailand in September. A lot has to come together between now and then, but for now, I have to make a daily decision to just trust and obey.

Zumbathon for Thailand is this Saturday! Plans and preparations have gone well so far, but there's still a lot to do in the next few days. Please pray for the event, that lots of women will come and have a great time; that the fundraiser will make a nice dent in my budget; and that, most importantly, God will speak to the hearts of the attendees and move them to prayer on behalf of the women in Thailand. There are many spiritual bonds to be broken and we can all make a difference by consistently praying for these women.

Check back soon for a follow-up report on Zumbathon!

It's Coming...

Zumbathon for Thailand!
March 14, 2009
9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
First Baptist Church
Ozark, Missouri

Check back soon for more information and please join me in praying that this will be a successful event- I already know it will be a ton of fun! Are you ready to Zumba?

Don't know what Zumba is? Click here.

There's a First Time for Everything

Yesterday, I competed in my first 5K. I've enjoyed running for several years now, but the thought of running in a pack of other people always intimidated me. But when the opportunity to run in the Bolivar 5K came up, I knew I should get over my silly insecurities and sign up. Thankfully, yesterday was a surprisingly warm February day, so warm, in fact, that during the race I had to figure out how to remove my sweatshirt, with my numbers pinned to it, and repin the numbers to my long-sleeve shirt...while continuing to run and hold on to my car key. Haha, I'm sure I looked a little crazy for a half-mile or so, and I also blame the incident for adding a few seconds to my time.  The fierce competitor in me loved pushing myself up the hills and keying in on people before passing them. Of course, even after passing people, I still came in 87 place overall. I have to admit, I wasn't too pleased with my time, (3.1 miles in 29 minutes, 54 seconds), but somehow I managed to come up third place for my age group, 20-29. Receiving that little trophy was a nice, and completely unexpected, surprise during the awards ceremony. I'm looking forward to running in a 5K again, hopefully in March. I guess it's stating the obvious, but my goal is to finish with a much better time. Maybe next time I'll skip the sweatshirt and pin my number to a piece of clothing that I have no intention of removing. :)

Well, the deadline for the matching fund challenge has come and gone...and it was a 100 percent success! Thanks to the generosity of four wonderful supporters and my Dad, I am now several steps closer to Thailand. As I've mentioned before, knowing that there are other people who believe in the work I'll be doing in Thailand is both humbling and encouraging. Although this budget raising process has definitely had its moments of stress and frustration, through it all, God has been faithful and He's taught me a lot about His own character and the importance of trusting Him. And I'm so grateful for the support team that He's raised up. My missionary associate term is definitely a team effort and the matching fund challenge is just one example of that. Thank you, thank you, thank you to every one who is praying and giving on behalf of the women of Thailand! 

Make it a Double

This man wants you to make a difference!

I received the following text message from my Dad this morning:
"We will double match the next four $25 investments others make in your Thailand trip. Deadline noon January 16."

With a little less than nine months until my target departure for Thailand, I admit that my budget can still use all the help it can get. Thanks to my dad's challenge, if you are able to give a $25 contribution before Friday, January 16, it will have twice the impact!

I can't express just how grateful I am for all of the support I've received since beginning this missionary associate journey. Whether it's a word of encouragement, prayer or a finances, there have been so many people who have had a hand in getting me to Thailand. Through everything God has taught me just how dependent I am on him and how powerful an impact Christians can have when we work together. If you ar have been a part of my support team, thank you again from the bottom of my heart. Please continue to join with me in prayer as my time of ministry approaches. What a humbling and exciting thing it is for each one of us to be part of God's work around the world.

If you are interested in joining the Keith M. Chase 2009 Challenge, go to https://secure1.ag.org/contributions/index.cfm and enter the number 294539. It will take you to a page where you can click on my name . I will receive notification of your support s a few days after it is made, but if you want to notify me sooner, you can email me at karamchase@gmail.com

Happy New Year!

This is the year that I will move to Thailand and I can't wait to see what else God has in store!

I'm finishing up some free lance devotions on this first day of 2009, so my creative energies are focused on those for now, but I will be sure to write a real update very soon.

*If you'd like to hear my first (and probably only) foray into the world of video voice-overs, and learn more about the Assemblies of God National Prayer Center, click the following link. http://ag.org/top/Media/Video/index.cfm#National-Prayer-Center

Political Unrest in Thailand

More than likely, you are aware that there is a great deal of political unrest in Thailand right now, specifically in Bangkok. The country has been making headlines the past few weeks as protests against the government have, among other things, closed the two major airports in Bangkok.

My friend Lauren Becker is on her way to becoming a career missionary to Thailand. She has been to the country multiple times for ministry and to work on her master's degree, so she has a much better understanding of both Thai culture and politics than I do. Lauren wrote a brief summary about the current political situation and I found it so helpful that I wanted to share it on my own site.

CURRENT THAI POLITICS IN A NUTSHELL
By Lauren Becker

Two years ago (Sept 2006) there was a bloodless coup that deposed the prime minister, Thaksin. He was accused of a variety of charges, most involving money. People are upset with him and also with his political party. Thaksin and his wife fled the country and have been living in Great Britain (who recently revoked their visas).

The prime minister who followed Thaksin was Samak. Samak was accused of being Thaksin’s puppet in government, so in August and September, protesters gathered at the government buildings in Bangkok to try to remove Samak. They caught him on a technicality - he had been on TV, on a cooking show, and had received payment for doing so; courts deemed that it was payment as an employee, and it is illegal for the prime minister to have another job; thus, Samak was out.

The newest prime minister is Somchai. He is Thaksin’s brother-in-law (married to his sister). So, people still aren’t happy. Somchai is currently in Chiang Mai, because yesterday he flew into the country from Peru and could not land in Bangkok because of the closed airports. I have heard from friends in Thailand that the protesting party is on their way to Chiang Mai by train, and there may be trouble once they reach the city.

Please keep Thailand in your prayers during this time of unrest. Among the specific prayer requests Lauren listed are the following:

• For Thailand to have peace - no bloodshed, and a quick resolve to the political turmoil
• That in the midst of this struggle, people would turn to Jesus for TRUE peace
  

In addition to those requests, I ask that you pray for the missionaries to Thailand, including Lauren, who is scheduled to travel there in late December. At this time, the missionaries are not at risk, but I'm sure there is some level of fear and anxiety. Pray for their safety, as well as opportunities for them to share Christ, the only hope for true peace.