Building Relationships in Southeast Asia

We have been able to build relationships with national believers. The girls are rooming with three national friends and the guys are staying with national friends as well. Recently we spent time, going on different adventures, fishing and seeing beautiful waterfalls. We visited a local church and even got to witness a baptism, Praise God! One night we attended a fellowship and got to share a testimony and sing a song. We also had the opportunity to host a youth Bible study. It’s been a wonderful time so far and we're looking forward to seeing how God uses us the rest of our time here. 

• Pray that all of those relationships would be encouraging and fruitful. 
• Pray that opportunities to share the good news with non-believers would come to this team.

-NT365 Gap Year Team

Southeast Asia

Pray for Thailand

Pray for opportunities to meet and share with Thai Buddhists and Thai Muslims. 

NT365 Gap Year Team

Bangkok, Thailand

Value in the mundane

JD, Katherine, Darla, Michaela, & Samuel

The Lord has been teaching me that there’s so much value in helping in the mundane things. Things like washing the kids lunch plates and cups everyday, doing yard work, fixing supplies for classes, or simply just sitting and listening. During team time we have been going through Acts. One thing that I keep thinking about is in Acts 20, it says to remember what Jesus Lord himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” 

Pray that the Lord will continue to give us the energy and joyful hearts to serve the people here.

-Katherine

NT365, Southeast Asia

For the Love of Children

Our team has had the joy to serve in many ways lately. During the week, we run an English camp for the Pre-K and 1st grade. It’s been so much fun being with the kids and learning what the best way to teach is, especially when there is a language barrier. During the day we also have the opportunity to observe and help in some of the regular class rooms. 

Pray with us for the kids in the classes, that we would be able to show them the love of Jesus.

-NT365

Southeast Asia

Samuel loves the kids!

Update from Thailand Gap Year team!

Our team has reached the halfway point of being in Thailand! The ministry opportunity here is amazing and we have all been able to do things that we are confident and passionate in. Most days we go to university campuses to literally just meet people! We are trying to build relationships with Thai friends with the desire to be able to share the Gospel with them. 

On our first day on campus, we met a group of four students... and found out that one of them was a believer. This was amazing! We couldn’t believe it and we thank God for letting us meet this young lady. She’s a first generation Christian and she’s very open about her religious beliefs. Her friends know she’s a Christian, yet they are still Buddhist. 

We’ve grown very close to this friend group and have started meeting with them off campus. We’ve had great connections with students through game nights and inviting them to our apartment to play games. We were able to share the gospel clearly to some Thai girls and have enjoyed hanging out with them! 

• Pray for boldness in our team to reach out to those who are ready to hear the good news. 
• Pray that God would prepare the hearts of those we share with to accept the Way.

-Morgan

NT365 Gap Year

Bangkok, Thailand

Following in the footsteps

I am so thankful for the time we had at our youth camp! I got to connect with students in ways that I didn’t think I would be able to. The staff were very welcoming and hospitable. They gave us everything we needed and more! They let us hang out with the students and be a part of different teams. My favorite part was being able to mobilize. Mobilizing is something that the Lord has used in my life as I have made a commitment to go to the nations! If it weren’t for the mobilizers that I know that sent me here, I probably wouldn’t be serving here now. So I hope that as I got to mobilize and follow in the footsteps of those before me, students were moved to go to the nations. 

I had many conversations with students that led to their being scared of leaving home, and knowing that dangers are out in the real world. But through that, I got to share that God doesn’t call us to be comfortable all the time. Jesus wasn’t comfortable on the cross, but He came anyway! We follow in Christ’s example whenever we dedicate our lives to serving him. Paul writes in the New Testament that we consider the sufferings of these times of great worth, as we walk in the way of the cross. 

Our mobilizing endeavors were not done without fervently praying. We prayed often for the students as we spent the week with them. Even though we played games and had a fun time, my hope is that they saw Christ in us, and how His calling empowers us to go and do things like this! I’m so thankful to the camps that invited Nehemiah Teams to go and be part of their week. May Christ be glorified always!

-Morgan

NT365 Participant

His power... not ours

Our team had a great month in our Southeast Asian country. It was full of much fun and adventure! The workers were very kind and welcomed us warmly. We had a great time making friends but that didn’t come without hardships. Much of our time was spent going and doing things rather than focusing on studying/meditating on the Word. 

We saw that this really affected our relationships with each other as we tried to do ministry through us and not by abiding in the Lord. We learned a lot from our one month in this country about ourselves, each other, and the character of God. The Father showed us that we are incapable of saving people by ourselves. It is only by Him that we can do this ancient work effectively. His power is greater than ours, His will be done. May His name be glorified in the dark places as we carry His lamp there. 

-Morgan

NT365 Participant

Gaining confidence in mobilizing

Darla, Hayden, and I attended a youth camp with over 1,300 students and 150 churches represented!! My team has never had to stand in front of groups ranging from 150 to over 500 at a time and mobilize before. Over those two weeks of camps we were able to gain SO much confidence while sharing about things we are all so passionate about. One camper came to us after our last lecture and said, “It sounded like you three have been doing this for years!!” 

Man, did we leave camp knowing the Holy Spirit worked through all of us so well that week! Seeing the joy and eagerness to hear more of the Great Commission from each and everyone at camp was so encouraging to me... especially when I was so nervous about mobilizing for the first time. It was a reminder to me as well that there are people who need to hear more about God's command, we just have to be willing to go and share with them. 

The staff were so kind and truly made us feel loved and welcomed during our stay. I'm so thankful for Darla and Hayden being my teammates during camp. I loved going through this experience with them and seeing the Lord grow their confidence and their hearts this week while
mobilizing hundreds of students to join in furthering God's Kingdom. My prayer for the students and for the staff is that they will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and have a burden for the lost. 

-Abby

NT365 Participant

Encouragers being encouraged

The second youth camp my team attended had around 50 students. Our team had about 2 hours to share with the group. It was amazing to be able to build relationships with the youth. I feel like I was able to build better relationships with these youth because I was on one of the teams, and because it was a smaller camp.

A lot of the campers had already done Nehemiah Teams or had heard of it through siblings or friends who had been a part. We spent much of our time encouraging the youth.... however, I think they were just as encouraging to me as I was to them.

-Ragyn

Mobilization or Friendship-building??

During our mobilization trips, we didn’t just go to the camps to talk about Nehemiah Teams and then leave; we stayed with them the whole time to build relationships. It was so much fun. The camps were pretty similar to the American summer church camps. 

At our first camp there were about 350 students & we acted more as camp staff. We were able to share with the entire group for about 30 minutes.

It was amazing to go from a country (during November deployment) where it was illegal to praise the Lord freely, to a church camp with so many students. I am so grateful for this refreshing opportunity to be able to worship with these students who wanted to learn more about the Lord.

-Ragyn

Planting seeds!

Camp was amazing! The book of Matthew talks about the Lord being there where 2 or more are gathered in His name. It was evident that the Lord was there in Mati.

My favorite thing about camp was worshipping with the youth & staff each night. There's nothing like worshipping God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength in a room full of others who are doing the same. 

The Lord spoke to me through the messages and the people there, and I know I wasn't the only one! Conversations I had with many of the staff affirmed this as well as seeing the student's response to the messages each night. The Holy Spirit was moving. My hope and prayer is that the work done in the lives of those students at that camp would continue as they move on with their lives.

The book of Matthew records a parable in which seeds were planted and some were able to grow & be fruitful while others were choked by thorns or snatched by birds. Pray that the seeds planted at this camp would grow & be fruitful. 

I thank the Lord for this opportunity. It was a reminder of God's goodness and it forced me to simply be still and be filled with thanksgiving for all that the Lord has blessed me with.

-Michaela

Students leading students

Being a part of a Filipino youth camp boosted my spirits and gave me an even greater passion to work with students! I love student ministry & have been a part of camps my whole life. Going to this camp was so refreshing! For me, there is nothing more joy-giving than worshipping with other believers. To see everybody at the camp truly devoting their time and hearts to Jesus was truly special. From games, to speaking, to mobilizing at the camp... I had a blast!

Mobilizing was one of my favorite parts. We were able to set the campers hearts on the mission of sharing the Gospel with everyone. There were a couple of students say they were interested in serving with Filipino Nehemiah Teams and attending AOT (Advance Operations Training). 

Join me in praying that the students would feel a burden to share the gospel and join the global mission of sharing the gospel.

-Ty

Do not be conformed to the world...

NT365 participants leading a session

Bethel Baptist Youth Fellowship

Our team had the opportunity to mobilize for a few hours at camp but we got to do so much more. We got to build relationships, worship, and watch God at work. There is something so beautiful about listening to people worship the Lord passionately even with a language barrier. It makes me look forward to Revelation 7:9!

The verse for the week was Romans 12:2 which is about not conforming to the world but letting

God renew your mind so you can have discernment. My prayer is that the campers & staff will store this verse up in their hearts and let God renew their minds to see His will- which is to be glorified and worshiped in ALL NATIONS.

Please join me in praying for the youth who heard truth this week.

-Katherine

Southeast Asia Christmas Event

The Christmas event was a huge success. We had 5 different Christmas themed rooms. The themes for the rooms were Christmas caroling, gift wrapping, snowflake making, cooking decorating, and nativity play. My 5 other team members were each in a room with our local partners, but I helped with them all and took pictures of each of the rooms. It was so amazing to see so many people hear the story of Christmas and why we celebrate it. Something else that made the nativity room even better is that some of the people who were a part of the nativity are not believers. 

Even though we were in a country that is closed, we were able to see how nothing can stop the power of our God. He is working so mightily all over the world. I am so grateful that I get to be a part of His amazing plan for all the nations of the world.

-Ragyn