This month in Thailand I will be working with Lighthouse in Action’s ministry at the Wongen Café!! I am really excited about doing this because my new team and I will get to participate in the daily life of the café, hanging out with the students from the Chiang Mai University [which is right across the street], helping teach English, and building relationships with the students who live in the building. There are some students who are Christians and others who are not, but who we get to love on anyways. Oh yeah, a perk is also seeing some talent at open mic nights every Friday night in the café.
Wongen Café is amazing. We have been debriefing there for the last four days. The food is wonderful, the people are spectacular, and the vision is brilliant. I would try to put it into my own words but the best way to describe it is in the words on their website.
WonGen exists to serve university students and youth in radical and practical ways.


On the most basic level wongen is a community of young people passionate about life, relationships and the pursuit of truth. We seek creative ways to apply truth in daily life so we all can bring lasting & positive change to the world around us.


At wongen kafe’, we are a real coffee shop that opens daily Monday – Saturday. We serve great food, coffee & smoothies. Students can drop by, hang out, spend time with friends, and practice English conversation. Wongen hosts an English club for anyone whould come and study. We also have English camps and extra activities. We even have students who live in our dorm. They help take care of the place, and we help them along life’s journey. Wongen is involved in the music scene both locally and internationally. Wongen hosts bands for concerts and promotes good music from many genres. This makes wongen a music venue.
We are located directly across from the front gate of Chiang Mai university (CMU), and a few blocks away from another technical college. Chiang Mai University (CMU) is one of the top five universities of Thailand. With over 45,000 students, its sprawling campus covers a large section of the west side of the city. We know that reaching this school and many other local colleges is key to shaping the future of this nation since many of the up-and-coming leaders are being educated there.


We see the potential to shape the future of the nation through these students. These future doctors, lawyers, engineers, politicians, mothers, and fathers will soon be making decisions that affect this country for generations. They will either make those decisions based on relative and passive beliefs of Buddhism, because 95% of Thais live their lives this way, or they will make those choices based on the absolute truth of the Word of God. By establishing a place to experience life, culture, fun, and faith, we will see young people’s lives changed through personal relationships with their Creator.


In short, Wongen is all about being creative and living life with Jesus.
You can check out more at their website : Lighthouse In Action
Yes. That is Wongen. I love it and I am super stoked to be working in this ministry this month.
This month is also a month that I have some needs that you can help me to meet.
This month seems to be the “month of running out”.
- shampoo
- conditioner
- body wash
- toothpaste
- q-tips
- razors
- a scrubby thing
- personal money
- a cord for my computer
- pens
- clean clothes
- clothes that fit
- journal and pens
I am out of all of these things. We shower twice a day here in Thailand, which is more than I shower at home. It is always hot and humid and sticky here so I desire to shower that much. That also affects our laundry situation. I have been here for 6 days and I am already out of clothes with no money to do laundry. Clothes cant really be worn more than once around here because you are just so hot and sweaty that your clothes get disgusting. It costs extra money to wash our clothes this month. For our ministry, we need to look sort of, mostly presentable… not like missionaries…My clothes are disgusting after being worn and hand washed for the past 8 months. I’m not going to lie, I could use some new underwear and some clothes that fit properly [and are compatible with the weather]. In this season I am in need. I am seriously so over fundraising and asking for money, but I also currently have no way of having any sort of personal income unless I ask for it. Not only am I in need for myself, but, the ministry we are doing this month requires a little extra attention as well. If we want to take some of our new Thai friends out, if we ask them to go with us, as a cultural norm we are expected to pay. I don’t want to go the whole month not trying to build relationships with people with the only reason being that I wouldn’t be able to take them out for coffee because I can’t pay. As part of my ministry this month, that is what we will be doing. I will have the opportunity to love on college students who God has brought me here to minister to. I would love if you all could continue you generosity to help me do that to the best of my ability and consider supporting me in my personal account for this month in Thailand.
I know this is a bold thing to ask, but please just trust that I am not going to squander your dollars. I understand the value of a dollar, a quarter, a dime, a nickel, a penny. I understand that you have given so much already and I am not taking any of that for granted. I just want to be able to love on the people God puts in my life and love on them well. I also think my teammates would appreciate it if I had stuff to keep up at least some sort of personal hygiene in this heat.
Thank you for loving me and partnering with me so far on the race.
If you would like to donate any amount please send cash or check to my parents and they can deposit it:
Amanda Fackler
PO Box 2
Peck, Mi 48466
or you can Donate now through paypal and it will deposit directly into my account.
Either way would be a great help and I would be so grateful. Thank you for supporting me and my ministry and I cannot wait to share what happens this month in Thailand.
Much love from Thailand,
-A
