DTS.. Again.

Wow! I haven't posted in so long. I will do my best to get everyone caught up.
So about three months ago I got a message from the DTS in Chiang Mai, asking if I would come back and be staff. In my head my immediate response was "no way, jose!" DTS was a huge learning and growing experience for me but I never wanted to go back. Well, I'm now staff at the 2012-2013 Chiang Mai DTS. I prayed about it and realized that this was God answering my prayers. Ever since getting back to the states in February I had been asking God to send me back to Thailand, and this was Him doing. But it wasn't just that I didn't want to go back to DTS, I didn't have the money. In fact, I didn't have any money at all. I could barely pay for gas to get to work. I decided to just trust God fully and sure enough, it all came in somehow. Even now looking back I don't quite know exactly how it happened. I do know that a HUGE part of it was many of you guys being incredibly generous and offering to support me not only in prayer but in finances as well. How generous you guys were just blows my mind!
Ok so I told Bruce that I would come be staff, I got the money, the ticket, and the visa. I got on the plane, and 24 hours later I landed in Bangkok, Thailand. For some reason I can't really go anywhere without meeting people and making friends. I met two really neat girls on the trip here who really helped make the trip a little easier, even enjoyable. God is so good! He knows the things we have a hard time with, like sitting in airports alone and being on a plane for 11 hrs, and helps us get through them. When I arrived in Bangkok I was about to spend a few days with a good friend from my DTS. After that I took the 9 hour bus ride to Chiang Mai, where I started a DTS staff work shop the next day. It is only the second day into it and I have already learned so much! And I am really able to enjoy it, which is a miracle all in itself considering sitting in classrooms was never something I really enjoyed. We stay here until Friday, then we go back to the base in Mae Taeng, which is about an hour and a half outside of the city of Chiang Mai. The DTS doesn't start until the 10th of September so until then me and the other staff member, Jup, will clean up the base. I will also have to travel to the boarder to exit the country and then re-enter.
I will try to keep this and my email list updated as often as possible!
Here are a few things you could pray for:
There are going to be 17 students and only two staff, and that is including me. So one on ones and small groups will be a challenge but I am certain that God will use this in a huge way in both the student's lives and mine.
I also have been thinking a lot about doing an SBS (School of Biblical Studies) ever since my DTS and it hadn't worked out yet. There is an English SBS in Chiang Rai that I really feel like I am being led to do, but I am still praying about it. It overlaps with this DTS a little and it is about $5,000 dollars, and I don't have any money. So I am really praying and seeking God about whether this is the right time and place to get involved with this.
Please pray that the students will come with an open heart to learn and grow as well. And that I will be able to right along with them.

Exciting news!

I have officially been accepted as DTS staff for the Chiang Mai school, starting in August. I am so excited, probably more so then when I found out that I was excepted as a student there last year. This is a huge answer to prayer for me. Ever since returning home my thoughts have constantly been on going back, and now I finally get to! I will be leaving a little early so that I can go and meet with a few organizations that I have been in contact with, hoping to find a position with one of them. It is my hope that I will be able to just stay and serve in Thailand when the school ends next year. I have two major prayer requests for the time being.. The first is that I will be able to focus on what I am doing while I am still here. That has been hard enough since being back, but now that I know that I am actually returning to Thailand I am sure that I will be extra hard. The second is that I am in need of at least $3,500.. That is to cover the airfare, the visa to China and Thailand, and the room and board while there. I am currently working as a barista at Forza Coffee and trying to save up as much as I can, but that doesn't give you the best money. I would greatly appreciate prayer about both of these things.
Thank you all!
Annie

New opportunities!

So while I was on my DTS a few months ago I started thinking about possibly going back and helping on staff during one of the following schools. I really wanted to do it but it just didn't seem possible. Since being back I have been searching for ministry/job opportunities in Thailand, because during these few months that I have been back I have felt a constant pull on my heart to go back and I can't seem to ever stop thinking about it. I have been messaging a ton of people that I met over there asking if they know of any possible openings over there. The leader of the DTS school in Chiang Mai messaged me back this evening saying that they are looking for a western girl to be on staff this year. Putting it simply, I instantly got excited. So excited that I might have started dancing.. At work...... Anyways... I feel like this would be a perfect fit and exactly what God wants me to do. The only thing holding me back is the money.. Well timing isn't exactly ideal either but I mentioned it to my boss and she was supportive. So the only thing is the money. I would really appreciate if you guys could pray about this and consider supporting me yet again. I know that it isn't a for-sure thing yet, and it seems almost impossible to get enough support in the short amount of time that I have.. But there is truly nothing that is impossible with God.  I also know that this economy makes it difficult to support people financially, but in my opinion prayer support is as good as gold so even if you don't feel led to support me financially, prays would be soo appreciated. And even if this doesn't work out and it turns out that God has other plans for me, I am still searching for chances to minister in Thailand. So just having prayer for that in general would be fantastic! Once again, if you have any questions, advice, prayer needs of your own, ect.. Feel free to contact me! My email is sara_ann93@juno.com and I have facebook: Annie Petersohn  It used to be Sara Petersohn but everyone was confusing my mother and I so I changed it.
I love you all and appreciate everything you guys have done for me:)

The end..

Wow, it is so crazy to think that DTS officially ends tomorrow! We graduate tomorrow evening then Saturday morning I will go into Chiang Mai and hang out in the city one last time (for this trip at least) before flying out at about 7 that evening. I cannot believe that it is almost over.. This has been my life for the last five months, and now it's all about to end. And then I will be starting all over when I get back to good ol' Mossyrock.
When I get back I am planning to live with my family until March and just get back into the swing of life in the states again, then I am planning to move to the Puyallup area and get a job and work for a year or two saving up money while taking a ESL (English as a Second Language) course. But those are just my plans.. Who knows what God has in store for these upcoming months. I'm just waiting and seeing what God has planned, but in the meantime those are my plans.
I am so thankful for all the support and prayers you guys have given. Every time I talk to my family or friends they are always telling me about people who are thinking about and praying for me. Every time I hear that it is such a blessing to me. I can definitely feel the support, even all the  way over here in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
I'm not going to post any stories or any other updates in this post since I will be home on Sunday and can just tell you guys everything in person when I see you. Or if I won't be seeing you for awhile email me and we can skype sometime. Or I can email or facebook message you:)
I love and miss you all and can't wait to see you guys! Thank you again for helping me get here, and for the prayers.

Prayer requests

Okay, I always forget to add all the prayer requests to my posts so I will do a whole post just for that..
1. EE and Thun: A married couple in my outreach group. EE was very sick for a while, then when she went into the hospital, she found out she has pnemonia. The whole family had to go back to their home in Fang, and one of the staff is there with them to take care of their two kids, Hosanna (2 1/2) and Daniel ( 9months?) She is a little over a month pregnant, so please pray that she gets well soon and that the baby stays safe.

2. That this village that I am in, Wiang Haeng, will just be set on fire with a passion for God and that revival will sweep through the valley. There are a few faithful believers here, and we have led some of the villagers to Christ. What we really want to see is for a few of the believing men to step up and continue the work that we have started here and really try to get the church growing. I strongly believe that this church will go from about 25 members (over twice what it was when we first came) to overflowing with people.

3. There is alot of spiritual warfare going on in this town, so please also pray for safety for the members of the church here.

4. For all the people doing DTS. Some don't know what to do or where to go after this is over in two weeks.. Please pray that they will listen for Gods plans and follow them concerning what to do next. (And everything in their lives:) )

5. I just heard that my friend Vickie is in the hoptial with ITP.  It is where where some of her blood cells are attacking her platelets.  It is a fairly serious condition, but the doctors said it is very treatable. Please be praying!

Wiang Haeng

It's been forever since I've last posted, sorry guys! So much has happened since I arrived here in WH, and time has gone by so fast. I don't even know how many weeks I've been here now. But I do know that I only have one more left! I'm so excited to get back to the base in the city. I'm very sad to be leaving everyone here though.
Our team has seen some amazing things happen here, as well as made some wonderful relationships with the village people. Everyone here is just so wonderful. Well almost everyone.. One day me and Kathryn were walking back from the night market and this boy started following us and then he gave us a note that said "I love you I like you." He followed us all the way back to the camp that we are staying at and just stayed there for awhile. So we gave him some food and evangelized to him. He left soon after we started sharing about Jesus with him. Later we found out that he has something wrong in his head and is also on drugs. And possibly running from the police? So when I say everyone, there might be a few exceptions haha
For the second and third week here our team was split up into two groups. One group went to a jr high/high school and taught English and the other group went evangelizing. I was in the group that taught English. It was so much fun and a really great experience. I also discovered a passion for teaching English to high schoolers, which I might do if I move back to Thailand. The other group had a great time too, and also witnessed God's healing power! They were praying for a man that had a shriveled up hand, and while they were praying the man started to be able to stretch it out a little, so they kept praying, and now it is fully restored to normal! We were also praying for a lady whose legs were swollen and very hard. About two weeks ago they were healed. It's amazing the things God is doing in this town!
We have also seen the church here grow so much, and many people come to know Christ. When we first got here there were less then 10 people who came to the church. Now, there are about 25 or 30. And the people have been coming to Jessica's classes and learning how to evangelize and be leaders not only in church, but also in the community. Our hope is that when we leave here they will step up and keep going with the work that we have started here. Please keep these people in your prayers!
Way to much stuff has happened here for me to fit it all into one post. If you want to know more either email me or set up a time to get together when I get back, only two more weeks! And please keep praying for me too.. I am having very bad back pains and head aches. I went into the city on Thursday and got my back x-rayed at the hospital, but I need to go back next weekend for an MRI because the doctor isn't really sure what he saw. But there are two potential problem areas. And he doesn't know what is wrong with my head, he doesn't think it's connected to my back. It is very hard for me to walk, or stand, or even sit for a while. The only thing that doesn't hurt is laying down, so that makes doing anything difficult. But I know that God is in control. Just please keep praying for me:)

Prayer

China was so amazing! I actually really don't like it there, but just the fact that I was able to go and everything that I was able to do and the amount that I grew while I was there is just incredible to me. I think God showed me that China is not where I'm supposed to be, but also that me not belonging there long-term doesn't mean that He can't use me there short-term. At first I had a really bad attitude about being there and just wanted to go back to Chiang Mai, but as things began to happen I was able to put my negative attitude aside and just watch God work through all of us. It totally changed my attitude. And me.
The first night there we had soup for dinner. Not a good start to any trip in my opinion. Then on top of that I got into a little bit of an argument with the leader when we got back to the apartment. Those two things happening on the first night was a sure sign to me that me being there was a huge mistake and that this entire trip was going to be a huge failure.. I might have a little bit of a negative attitude sometimes.
I was so wrong. China was one of the greatest experiences of this whole trip so far. After a few days I was able to see that my negative attitude towards everything was not just making myself miserable, but it was also affecting my work there. I never wanted to go to the English Corner (it was always at night so it was very cold and it was also a 30min walk from the apartment.) and I hated having to get up early when I had to go teach at the University. But after I realized what I was doing I was able to put it all aside and just put my whole self into my work, and it turned out so much better! It started to get easier to talk to people at the EC and I was able to make a few good friends, and even the walk there became enjoyable! Dodging cars at the intersections with P"Bow is so much more fun when you have a positive attitude. I even started to look forward to getting up early, which is very good because the second week I had to get up at six every morning to go teach at the Christian kindergarten. In the class I was in it was just P'Bow and I, with the teacher that doesn't speak English and the kids who don't either. It was difficult at first, but then it just became fun. Then after that we would go have lunch then go straight to the orphanage to teach classes and just hang out with the kids. Then we would go have dinner then go right to the English Corner at the University and talk to students and make friends. The EC was probably my favorite part of the trip. I was able to learn a lot about Chinese culture and life, and make some really good friends at the same time, which I am able to still keep in touch with.
I learned so much and really matured on this trip. I feel like a completely different person then when I left Chiang Mai. And I really learned again the importance of prayer and spiritual warfare. I also realized that praying isn't just something that we should do or have to do. It is something that you can really enjoy and that you can do all the time, no matter where you are or who you are with. And when you pray, things happen! It may not be exactly what you want or expected, but there will always be results and God can do amazing things in response. It has been such an awesome experience these last few weeks.
I love you all and miss you! Please feel free to message me on facebook or email me! I love hearing from you guys.