{"id":6217,"date":"2024-06-26T12:23:58","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T17:23:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/?p=6217"},"modified":"2024-06-26T12:23:58","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T17:23:58","slug":"butler-newsletter-june-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/butler-newsletter-june-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Butler Newsletter: June 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

1 Year in Thailand<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’m coming up on a year of being in Thailand. It’s difficult to believe it’s only been a year here. With all the changes I’ve experienced, it feels like it’s been much more than a year. Yet, at the same time, because it’s taken such a long time to settle in one place and into a routine, I think, “It’s been a year already?”<\/p>\n

How will I be celebrating this momentous occasion? With a trip to Bangkok and then Cambodia to apply for a new visa\u2014More traveling. The last week of June, Jenny (my translator) and I will make our way to Bangkok. She has ministry classes to attend at Dr. Wallapa’s church. In the first week of July, I\u2019ll make a day trip to Cambodia to begin the process of applying for a new visa. On July 7, the anniversary of my arrival in Thailand last year, I’ll be at the church in Don Muang, Bangkok pastored by missionaries Bro. Albert and Sis. Jiep Gonzalez. The plan now is to return to Phetchabun the following week. Then, by the end of July, I will have to travel back to Bangkok, this time to travel to Laos for three to five days for a new visa application.<\/p>\n

Thank you to all who have partnered with me for the past year, and those of you who have joined along the way. It hasn’t been the easiest transition into a new country and new culture, especially with the constant changes I’ve experienced. The sovereignty of God has sustained me, and I know all your prayers have helped in that process. The way this first year has gone, anything is to be expected in the coming second year. Stay tuned.<\/p>\n

Timeline of Activities<\/strong><\/p>\n

The months of April and May were nothing but go-go-go. June’s calendar has been more open, but I’m still playing catch-up on all the things neglected for the previous two months. So, let’s highlight some of the past few months\u2019 big moments with pictures while I fill in the smaller moments with commentary.<\/p>\n

April was mostly spent in Bangkok. On April 6 I went to a concert while Jenny went home to spend time with her family. After Jenny’s family visit was complete, she and I, along with her son Emmanuel, drove up to Phetchabun to stay for a week since we were to preach. At the end of April, I had to return to Bangkok for a visa extension. Jenny had classes with Dr. Wallapa and she had to return Emmanuel to her father’s house. After we completed that week, we again returned to Phetchabun, where the month of May soon began.<\/p>\n

\"Jenny<\/a>

Jenny and her son leading worship in Phetchabun.<\/p><\/div>\n

May was super busy. The center at Phetchabun hosted the Thailand Theological Seminary (TTS) classes at the end of the month. A lot of preparation took place to get ready, especially the week before as we cleaned and organized, moved and set up tables and chairs, and prepared name tags for the students. The week of classes, all the hard work paid off as Bro. Jim Eby and his team taught the students about being ministers of the Great Commission. He challenged them to set goals, to reach for a bigger vision, and to go to greater heights in the ministries God has given them.<\/p>\n

After TTS classes were over, there was no time to rest for team Phetchabun as we then had to prepare for a worship and prayer night. The churches of Phetchabun province gathered together to raise the name of Jesus up in song. Then, they went before His throne to pray, point by point, over needs and ministries of the churches and Thailand. It was a powerful experience to hear all the voices raised in song and prayer. I may not have understood much, but the Spirit of God was easily sensed throughout the night. Witnessing the unity of the Body and the passion to follow the Lord so that Thailand will come to know Him was amazing.<\/p>\n

\"Worship<\/a>

Worship night for the churches in Phetchabun province.<\/p><\/div>\n

The week of the TTS classes, we learned that P. Poang’s grandmother was hospitalized. Jenny and I had errands to run in town and took P. Poang along with us to visit his grandmother. We went to the ward and prayed over her. Later, P. Poang said she was very comforted and felt God with her while we prayed. The following Monday, Jenny told me that she had passed away and that we would attend some of the funeral events that week.<\/p>\n

\"P.<\/a>

P. Poang’s grandmother’s funeral.<\/p><\/div>\n

Funerals in Thailand are a whole new experience. People send flower arrangements like in the States, but will also send fans, some with decorative flowers. Jenny told me it’s a practical gift for members of the family. While P. Poang’s grandmother was a Christian, not all in their family were, so the funeral events were held at the Buddhist temple. You could tell who is of which religion by how they paid respects to the deceased in front of her photo. Christians knelt with hands crossed in prayer, while Buddhists knelt lighting incense and holding it between their palms while bowing. At the final event, Buddhist monks sang out their chants. It was a strange mixture.<\/p>\n

The week’s funeral events were also a testament of how Jesus is desperately needed by the people of Thailand. No prayers to false gods will save their loved ones. Only the blood of Jesus applied to a repentant, believing heart can save someone. The Thai need to hear this Good News!<\/p>\n

Praises<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Relationships with Jenny and others in Phetchabun are growing.
\n\u2022 Jenny has excelled in interpreting for me as I preach. Her English has expanded, she is more confident, and, therefore, people\u2019s understanding has followed. God is visibly working!
\n\u2022 Fellow missionary Abigail Bishop is always willing for me to crash at her place when I have to take these trips to Bangkok.<\/p>\n

Prayer Requests<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Phetchabun Trinity Alliance Church – Hunger for the Word of God and love for one another is growing. Pray that each member will continue developing in their walk with the Lord.
\n\u2022 Pray for a smooth, simple, and understandable process for the upcoming visa travel in July and August!
\n\u2022 Pray the plans for me to begin teaching English soon at a nearby church get underway.<\/p>\n

Sincerely,<\/span><\/p>\n

Raeha Butler<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 Year in Thailand I’m coming up on a year of being in Thailand. It’s difficult to believe it’s only been a year here. With all the changes I’ve experienced,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":6221,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,4],"tags":[531,304,236,24],"class_list":{"0":"post-6217","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-missionary-newsletters","8":"category-world-missions","9":"tag-531","10":"tag-june","11":"tag-raeha-butler","12":"tag-thailand","13":"entry"},"title_es":"Bolet\u00edn de Raeha Butler: julio de 2017","content_es":"Por Raeha Butler Coming Back<\/strong> Ten\u00eda muchas ansiedades antes de mi regreso a China. \u00bfCu\u00e1nto ser\u00e1 diferente cuando regrese? \u00bfPodr\u00e9 hacer la transici\u00f3n de nuevo? Dado que algunos de mis mejores amigos se mudaron, \u00bftendr\u00e9 que empezar de nuevo desde cero? \u00bfRecuerdo mi chino?<\/em> Estas fueron s\u00f3lo algunas de las preguntas que se repiten en mi cabeza. Una pregunta importante que segu\u00eda apareciendo era: \u00bfEs este realmente el lugar que deber\u00eda estar ahora?<\/em> No va a mentirle, las primeras semanas fueron un poco dif\u00edciles. Me enferm\u00e9 despu\u00e9s de mi primera semana. Yo estaba en el limbo ya que no pod\u00eda entrar en el apartamento de la escuela hasta que la maestra regres\u00f3 a Lanzhou de sus vacaciones de invierno, as\u00ed que mientras tanto me estaba hospedando en el apartamento de la familia West (GRACIAS A ELLOS!). Tuve que acostumbrarme a la enorme cantidad de gente otra vez. Me qued\u00e9 mirando dondequiera que fui de nuevo. Uso del transporte p\u00fablico de nuevo. Ruido de la ciudad de nuevo. Volvi\u00f3 a contaminar el aire. Fue alentador, sin embargo, ser recibidos por amigos - tanto locales como extranjeros - y bienvenidos de vuelta. Me siento en los dos meses desde que he vuelto he tenido m\u00e1s interacci\u00f3n social que lo que hice en mis primeros dos meses de mi primer per\u00edodo. Eso ha ayudado a poner muchas de mis preocupaciones a gusto. Hay algo en la comunidad que trae consuelo. Definitivamente siento paz desde que regres\u00e9. Me da la sensaci\u00f3n de que este es el lugar correcto para m\u00ed ahora mismo. Muchas de las preguntas sin respuesta de lo que ser\u00e1 mi futuro en China todav\u00eda est\u00e1n sin respuesta. Pero por el momento, en esta temporada, en este momento, en este lugar, s\u00e9 que es donde Dios necesita que yo sea. Mi enfoque es mejorar mis habilidades de hablar en chino y ya estoy viendo una mejora en eso. Estoy pasando m\u00e1s tiempo con mi amiga china que todav\u00eda est\u00e1 aqu\u00ed y con la esperanza de seguir discipul\u00e1ndola para crecer m\u00e1s en su relaci\u00f3n con Jes\u00fas. Verano<\/strong> 7 de mayo - Este fue el primer domingo de una beca internacional. El grupo con el que me encuentro y otro grupo est\u00e1n iniciando una iglesia internacional para Lanzhou. Por favor mant\u00e9ngalo en sus oraciones mientras esperamos crecer nuestra comuni\u00f3n con otros extranjeros, pero tambi\u00e9n usar la iglesia como un catalizador para m\u00e1s ministerio al pueblo chino de nuestra ciudad. 26 de mayo - 4 de junio Asist\u00ed a un retiro de solteros en Tailandia. Gracias por sus oraciones por el viaje seguro, el buen compa\u00f1erismo, y el est\u00edmulo de este viaje. Elogios Informes<\/strong> Habilidades chinas<\/em> - Mi recuerdo de los chinos comenz\u00f3 a regresar a m\u00ed en Detroit, ya que estaba rodeado por los pasajeros que compartir\u00edan mi avi\u00f3n con Beijing. Desde que regres\u00e9, he tenido muchos elogios de los lugare\u00f1os sobre mi chino, diciendo que me pueden entender. Ahora si puedo conseguir mis habilidades a un nivel que me siento c\u00f3modo. Transici\u00f3n de nuevo a la vida de China<\/em> - Siento como mi transici\u00f3n de nuevo a China fue bastante suavemente. Todav\u00eda tengo d\u00edas dif\u00edciles a veces (que se espera que viven en una cultura extranjera), pero en su mayor parte no ha habido problemas importantes. Hay paz sabiendo que aqu\u00ed es donde estoy destinado a estar ahora mismo. M\u00e1s tiempo libre<\/em> - Debido a mi formato de clase m\u00e1s f\u00e1cil, he tenido mucho m\u00e1s tiempo libre para hacer actividades fuera de estudiar. Estoy consiguiendo encontrarme con los amigos chinos y extranjeros m\u00e1s a menudo que es una bendici\u00f3n ENORME. Peticiones de oraci\u00f3n<\/strong> Amistades m\u00e1s profundas<\/em> - Un ajuste desde que regresamos es pasar mucho tiempo solo. El a\u00f1o pasado tuve una compa\u00f1era de cuarto con la que pas\u00e9 la mayor\u00eda de mi tiempo con (estudiando, comprando, comiendo, etc.), pero ella se mud\u00f3 a otra ciudad as\u00ed que tengo que hacer todas estas cosas solas otra vez. Ha sido un ajuste dif\u00edcil. Ore para que pueda encontrar un amigo con quien estar de forma m\u00e1s regular en lugar de una o dos veces por semana. Estudio chino<\/em> - Aunque mi chino ciertamente ha mejorado, todav\u00eda no es f\u00e1cil. Ore para que pueda afinar mis habilidades para hablar con m\u00e1s facilidad y claridad. Tambi\u00e9n que mi escucha se acostumbre m\u00e1s al lenguaje de la gente com\u00fan. Muchos murmuran o no usan una pronunciaci\u00f3n apropiada que hace dif\u00edcil entender su significado. Retiro<\/strong> As\u00ed, tan alentado por el retiro IPHC Asia Misionero celebrado en Hanoi, Vietnam a finales de marzo. Siempre es bueno estar con esta familia, y esta vez no decepcion\u00f3. Fue agradable para conseguir un empuje extra de todo el mundo como estoy reci\u00e9n comenzando en mi segundo per\u00edodo en China. Alabado sea Dios por nuestro tiempo juntos. Creo que fue curativo para muchos. Realmente creo que fuimos reconocidos por los vietnamitas que encontramos por nuestro amor el uno al otro.","author_name":"","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/06\/Butler-1016-e1719422620181.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb62Ar-1Ch","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6217\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}