Finally an update from Thailand!

Hello everybody!

Sorry that it has taken me so long to update you all on what has been happening here in Thailand. We have been very busy. I will start at the beginning and bring you up to speed.

First, we arrived in Chiang Mai late January 2nd. Our first two nights were spent in a hotel right in the city because the place we almost always stay was full. The hotel was extremely sketchy. It felt like the hotel you never check out of. But we got another hotel for our last two days in Chiang Mai.

We spent our time doing cultural orientation with our friend Emmi Kahatanna. During those 4 days we met a ministry team called H.U.B which stands for Harvest, Unite, Believe. They are a team that is working on new ways to share the gospel in an effective way in Thailand. As you might have heard me say before, the gospel has been preached in Thailand for over 200years and has still failed to break through. I believe that is because missionaries haven't been sharing in a way that completely resonates with the Thai people to expose Buddhism. Buddhism is one of the last religions/life styles that has yet to be greatly infiltrated with the power of the gospel, and Christ following believers. Praise God that there have been major breakthroughs in many different religions that show Christ's supremacy!
It was very cool to hear what HUB has been doing. They told us that they are looking for interns to work alongside them in frontier missions, which could potentially be an opportunity for me in the future!

We got to Nahong last week and we could not be happier with how it has been going. Our first week of teaching went INCREDIBLE by God's grace! We have been teaching very good English and our students are extremely sharp this year.
We are preparing them for a big Government test coming up in February.

Urt arrived at our house about 3 hours after we arrived, asking if we could study the bible. God is so good.
I have been leading Urt in a bible study going through Luke chapter 8-9, showing Urt the power that Jesus Christ has over nature, over spirits, over health, and over our daily needs. Teaching Urt that Jesus is the Lord of Mercy and the Lord Almighty! Please continue to pray that the truth of the gospel will take root in Urt's heart! Pray that I and the rest of our team would have wisdom in how to share the gospel daily.

Another great thing I got to witness was seeing the kids that we have been discipling, pray for another Thai person!
Lamud is doing great and has been protected and in good health ever since our team prayed over her in her home last year. Lamud and Urt still study the bible together and have and awesome brother/sister relationship. I believe they are building each other up as they continue walking with Christ.
The story: We wanted to pray over a man that severely injured his shoulder earlier in the week. Lamud and Urt wanted to come with and they ended up praying for healing in Jesus' name! We have continued to visit the man and continue praying for his health. This morning he told us that his shoulder was improving!

I wish I could post photos of what it is like here but that will have to wait until I am stateside. Our team is doing very well so far. PLease continue to pray for our English teaching, for more opportunities to share Christ, and wisdom in how to share. Pray for me as I am going through a lot of leadership training and carry a great responsibility with the team. I am also learning how to drive on the mountain roads. It has been going extremely well so far by God's grace! But pray that I am wise and learn quickly! Driving on the opposite side + mountains + shifting the stick on the left side = a great challenge. But I am learning quickly and smoothly.

I love you guys and miss you all. I hope this update was not to long. Hopefully I'll be able to update you sooner!
God bless
Lucas N.

Departure! Saturday Dec 31st 2011

Hello All,

Today our team is working on our final English teaching preparations and going through our last Thai language lesson! Tomorrow we will be finalizing our packing and last minute details and then we are OFF to Chicago to fly to Thailand on Saturday morning!!

Thank you SO much for all your prayers and support. I will update as soon as I can once we get to Thailand and continue to update you guys during the trip.
Our immediate prayer needs would be for safe travel. For myself, I have lower back problems so just pray that the 20+ hours of sitting on a plane is bearable.
Again, thank you so much for your prayers and your role in our mission to Thailand.

In Christ,
Lucas Neraasen

"Insert Title"

Hey!

Here we are in the first week of December and I don't see much snow outside. Now I know that for some of you this is a major blessing. I see you all giddy about the fact that while it is still FREEZING out, at least the landscape is dead, brown and ugly. Instead of what one might call a "wonderland". Why this is, I don't understand but I am glad you are happy. However, I am waiting and hoping for snow very soon.

The fact that there COULD be snow outside, means that the departure date for Thailand must be closer! That is correct. We will be leaving in just a few short weeks to do ministry in a remote village in Northern Thailand and I am STOKED. It will be great to be there and hopefully to be used by God to bring about His kingdom on earth!

Cheyenne and I along with another Discipleship Training School staff member spent the week in Minneapolis Minnesota. We joined our DTS class with theirs and we shared the Speaker Troy Sherman. The topic of the week was entitled "Identity and Destiny". The week went extremely well for our students who are now all back at YWAM Northwoods. Troy works with Youth With A Mission and among other things is focused on changing the world in sex trafficking and fresh clean water world wide. Troy's teaching for me personally, changed my life. God used him in my life to speak truth into my life and change my world. I was extremely blessed this week. God is good. http://www.troyandalisa.org/troyandalisa.com/INFUSION.html

We just sent in all of our Thailand Visa applications in on Wednesday! Please pray with us that everything goes smoothly with the Thai consulate.

On Saturday December 10th we will be having a Na Hong prayer summit at YWAM Northwoods. We will be praying and interceding for the village of Na Hong and the summit will end with a Thai meal. If you would like more information please facebook or email me. You can pray from where ever you are at!

God bless

Lucas N

Flight Ticket Update

Hello everyone!

Tomorrow we will be ordering our flight tickets to Bangkok Thailand. We fly from Chicago- Beijing China - Bangkok and then hopefully a domestic flight to Chiang Mai. The total cost is about $1,500. Praise God that support has been coming in! That coupled with the money I have saved this year has got me moving in the right direction!

Tomorrow I am taking a step of faith and booking my flight on my cred

it card. Please continue to pray that finances come in to pay off my credit bill and also for my ground fees while I am in Thailand.

The flight leaves on Dec 31st and returns to Chicago o

n Feb 22nd!

Thank you for your prayers and support!

*Pray for our team as a whole as we are growing together as a team, striving for unity and trusting for provision!

Bangkok Thailand

Awesome song! Praise God

Savior, Worthy of Honor and Glory! Worthy of all our praise, YOU OVERCAME!
Jesus, awesome in power forever, AWESOME and GREAT is YOUR NAME!
We will overcome by the BLOOD of the Lamb and by the WORD of our testimony!

http://youtu.be/FqXZD_z3eCc

Quick update

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to let you all know what the current situation with Thailand looks like.

Our team found out on Friday that we will probably have to order our plane tickets within the next two weeks! I've raise a little over half so right now I need right around $700 to purchase my right of passage! If you are interested in helping send me to the mission in Thailand send all checks/money orders to YWAM Northwoods W14580 County Highway D, Weyerhaeuser WI 54895.

Please call/text or email me! I would love to talk with you all. 612-247-9437 lukieneraasen@yahoo.com.

Fall News Letter!

Hello everybody!

I am sitting in my office on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon looking out at the changing colors of the trees across the lake. It's amazing how fast time goes by! Just a couple years ago I was a student in the DTS not knowing what I was going to do with my life. Wondering what my future looked like and praying that I would allow God to change my heart, my mind and my life.

Today I am in the third week of the third Discipleship Training School that I have been involved with and the second Training School that I have staffed. God answered my prayers and persistence, He has changed my heart, my mind and my life. I am so happy with where my life is right now and looking forward to what is ahead! (I'll get to that later).

I now know so clearly what to live for and what I want my life to be about. I am a fallen person but I want my life to be a light for Christ through Him. The things of this world that I considered important have become dim in comparison with serving God and preaching His grace, love and justice to the hurting and searching.

This is me “getting to that later”. So what is next for me? I will write about the short term first seeing as that is definite.

I am planning and preparing to go to Thailand again in late December. I can't wait to get back there. The people of Nahong and even of Chiang Mai are so on my heart. Sometimes even certain smells will trigger a longing in my heart to go back to the hurting people of Thailand that need to know the love of Christ so badly.

I am in great financial need for this to happen. If God lays it on your heart please contact me and I will let you know all the details about the trip and the mission. I do NOT want our relationship to be a one way street. I want to know you more and be able to pray for your needs as well. I am not the only one with great needs so I would LOVE to stand with you in prayer with any need that you might have. I will also get you hooked up with my more personal updates of what is happening with the DTS and especially Thailand.

After the trip to Thailand I am still in contract with Youth With A Mission until the end of August and after that is not completely clear at this point but it is becoming more clear each day. I know that I want to remain in ministry both locally and internationally. I don't know if that is going to be with YWAM or not but I believe it will be something big and I wait with excitement and anxious anticipation for what is next.

Thailand is something that is very strong in Cheyenne's and my own heart. We want to be involved in what is happening there for at least the next season in our lives and again, we don't know what that will look like in terms of what organization/ministry that will be with but we know that is is part of what we will be doing. We are also praying about the future timing in our relationship!

Prayer needs: FIRST, I want to know if YOU have any prayer needs! I want to stand with you in encouragement and prayer for whatever you might be going through. Please do not be afraid to use the relationship we have. Even if I do not know you that well the point of this invite is to know you more and encourage you!

- Pray for the people in Thailand! Cru Nit, Cru Taweeb, Cru Dang, Cru Nung and Mr Ankahn to name a few. Mr. Ankahn is the principle of the school and is a man of influence. Please pray that he finds Jesus soon, (Cru means 'teacher' in Thai)

- My friends Pii Taa and Beer (bea) they are both Thai Christians.

- Pray that the students of this year's DTS would come away with a picture of Christ worth dying for.

- My back is getting much better (thank you for your prayers) but it has it's flair ups and I am definitely not at 100% so pray that the improving trend continues.

Other needs and ways you can help:

Finances, I sorely need finances in order for this trip to Thailand to happen this year. We are planning on getting airline tickets by the end of this month. Airfare to Thailand runs right around $1,700-$2,500. You are along side me in the mission field because without you there isn't a way that I could be there. I have to ask for your help now.

Supplies for outreach:

A sleeping bag cold meds, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. Bug spray, peanut butter, protein bars soap and shampoo. Basic needs.

Contact info:

Mailing Address: W14580 CTY HWY D, Weyerhaeuser Wisconsin, 54895

Email: lukieneraasen@yahoo.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lucasRSN

Personal phone: (612)-247-9437

Work phone: (715)-353-2280 (Ask for Luke)

Also I have a paypal account that will soon be available for quick easy donations.

You can make out all checks to YWAM Northwoods. If my name does not appear on the check it will be tax deductible to you.