Joel Vestal

I am Kathmandu for a few days to meet a team from Denver coming to work at our orphanage here and in the beginning stages of trying to set up an animal farm to provide ongoing support for our growing ministry in the region.  At breakfast this morning, I read an interesting piece of information that you may not be aware of.  Bhutan is a country of 734,000 people nestled between India and China. It is the officially only Budhist state in the world. It is the first nation to ban tobacco sales and also bann smoking in Public. The interesting little fact is that the King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck (photo above speaking at UN) told reporters in New Delhi yesterday, “I am a smoker. I am trying to cut down but will not stop.  With my 4 wives, I better stop but cannot.” He would not confess how many cigarettes he lights up everyday.

I took these photos right off the beach in southern Thaiand. (taken from my video) With over 5300 dead and 3100 missing from the Tsunami in Thailand, the Thai people believe the beaches are haunted by evil spirits of the dead. These men were performing “cleansing rituals” and seeking the spirits of the dead and sending them off to “peaceful rest”. The other day we were visiting houses that we are looking to rent out or possibly purchase for church planting and relief offices. We came across this old house that was abandoned for several years. A very large ant hill had grown inside the house. The Thai community believed that it was haunted by evil spirits and no one will rent it or buy it.   (What a great deal for realestate investing, right?)   “Greater is HE that is in US than he that is in the world. Amen” I do not deny the power of the spirit world and spiritual bondage that millions live in through idol worship and ritual.  There are many doors to proclaim the power of the Holy Spirit of God that is alive and greater than all spirits!  Read this YAHOO NEWS article to get some more on this On a personal note: Elise and I saw the baby at the hospital via ultrasound for the first time today. We were both filled with tears and joy. She is still having a great deal of nausea, do pray for her.  What a sobering reality to walk by the 100’s of posters of the missing (most likely dead) victims posted on the walls of the hospital -  Seeing these who lost their lives as we walk by in preparation to celebrate a new life coming into the world.  Not the way most experience their first ultrasound…

I made it back to Phuket tonight and it was so great to see Elise and Zayd!  Cyndi is still here from California and doing a great job helping. I could not have gone to Africa without her here serving.   Zayd was eager to show me our new little community swimming pool that just opened. I missed the Buddhist blessing, with monk and all.    I have read several theological articles and papers since Dec 26 (the tsunami) -  A friend,  Dr. Jim Denison is  a former seminary prof. & pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, TX.  shares some amazing perspective that helped me process the things going on in my mind.. He asks, Why does God allow bad things to happen? Denison points out that “theodicy” (from Greek words for God - theos and justice - duke) was coined by the philosopher Willelm Leibniz in 1710.  Leibniz defines his term, “The question of the compatibilty  of metaphysical, physical, and moral evil in the present world order with the justice and absolute power of God.”  He suggests several basic approaches that Christians have wrestled with through history with understanding God, suffering, and our response, etc.:   1.) The Spiritual Warfare Model  2.) The Free-will theodicy  3.)   The soul building model 3.) The eschatological model  4.) The existential model Click here to read entire artile

The eyes of Joseph (ServLife field staff) and other Sudanese were beaming with excitement as he showed me for the first time the ServLife Resource Library for local refugee pastors.  Even though there were just 25 books, you would have thought he was showing me a library filled with original manuscripts or first editions of Mark Twain or Shakespeare.  The new library was a huge success for the Sudan pastors I met. All of them have no kind of resource for their sermon preparation and study.  It will serve several dozen pastors and hopefully we can grow it to be a ministry to the community. We were able to increase the inventory form 25 to 53 while I was there.  What a sense of empowerment and excitement in the midst of seeing this happen!  I thought to myself, “What if we could open up 100 of these small library centers throughout the world to serve poor indigenous pastors who do not have any resources?”  Possible? anything is possible!   Tonight I am  in route on a red-eye (flying through the night) from nairobi to bangkok.    I think “Nairobi to Bangkok” should be a name of  song or something, has a nice ring to it.     Hope to sleep a bit, but not counting on it.

You have to admit that this is an image I should sell to a wireless company’s marketing department.  I am in a refugee camp on the Uganda/Sudan border yesterday: no electricity or phone lines, over 65,000 Sudan refugees reside in numerous settlements, yet I was able to take Joseph’s cell phone and call Elise in Phuket, Thailand.  My…how wireless technology has reached most regions of our globe. Our connection was very clear.  After donating several oxen to our local committee of pastors who will use the oxen to plow their fields and support themselves and officially opening a new library and resource center/library, I was able to call elise and hear about her day in Phuket, and pretty reasonable rates (35 cents/min) Much to say about my time here and perhaps more to come and reflections..But allow these images speak for themselves. The first two images are of  a fishing lodge on the Nile RIver built by an Austrian man…it is ranked up as being one of my favorite places. We stopped by for a coke, as it is right in the same area as the refugee camps.  I can’t believe it is still open, as security issues in northern Uganda have really prevented people from going there.  If you are looking for a good ‘get away’ place, you should go check it out -

I arrived Nairobi at 3:45 am - Have about a 4 hour layover here. Luckily, found a network to plug my laptop in to get some work done. I am really behind. I fly on to Entebee/Kampala, Uganda later this morning and hopefully can sleep some.  Not much sleep on my 9 hour flight from Bangkok. I am grateful it is a direct flight from Asia.  Tomorrow we head up to the Sudan border.    It is such a change of context, culture, and climate here..  Africa really rests my soul. The people, smiles, smells,culture, temperament, I don’t know what it is.   About yesterday:  AMAZING!  One of those momentous moments of many little pieces, relationships, and conversations coming together –  About 50 Thai believers gathered from about 4 churches to minister and distribute ServLife relief items that we purchased.  The beauty is that the Thai believers gave them out, prayed for the victims, and planted many seeds of hope in their hearts.   It will be one of many of these kind of days. It has taken several weeks to lay the groundwork, network, and organize the key people to do this again.  We researched the victims of the Tsunami to find out what other organizations and the govt was not providing and we came in to meet this need. Small things like a cooking knife, cutting board to larger things like a fan.  Indeed, relationships were begun among the Thai believers to those in the settlements camps.  It is not known how long they will live in their temporary home, perhaps weeks, months.. depends if they can get their vocations up and running, have a home, etc. So complex. Yet, so many doors to share the love of Jesus in both word and deed to many who have not heard and have been very resistant to the gospel.  (More photos posted in the photo album)

I am off to Uganda/Sudan tonight. I am flying through the night. We were all suppose to go together, but Elise is still not doing well with her pregnancy and Cyndi is in town (a new friend from Costa Mesa, CA) to help her out and hang out with Zayd - So I am going by myself-  ServLife’s work is ongoing in several other regions of the world and duty calls. Will be dedicating several Oxen to indigneous pastors as a means to support themselves and dedicating the new ServLife library in the refugee camps (a resource for local Sudan pastors)  stay tuned.. many photos to come!  TODAY, was a AMAZING day.  ServLIfe mobilized About 50 Thai believers from 4 churches to distribute “love packets” and pray and minister to those who lost their home. It was a GREAT moment to see the small band of followers of Jesus unite to minister.  Will be posting photos, I am at the airport now.   Please do pray for all of this.more soon!

A child does not lie. Their innocence and perspective speaks in the midst of fear and confusion. The images here are drawings that Thai children did who survived the Tsunami, many of their parents did not.  Processing and healing from trauma and grief should always be done with giving people paint, markers, and paper - One girl gave me one of her drawings, without me even asking. It was the most moving experience, among many, the past several days.  My days start at about 6:30 am and end at about 11 pm.  New friends  have arrived to serve. Our guests have increased from 1 to 3 others, Nate from Chicago: (here he is with his new best friend as we were in a meeting at theTsunami Volunteer center) Cyndi and Janel, from southern California are here with eager hands to serve.  They are helping take care of Elise and Zayd to allow me to get out more and getting out to the camps: (photo of them soon) It is so great to have them here. They both have great loving and serving hearts and doing whatever is necessary to allow us to continue to serve the people here in the name of Jesus.   We are working on getting more people and volunteers to do whatever it takes to bring a smile or encouragement to people:  pass out stickers, hold a child, do research work, distribute items, ALL to simply LOVE people.  Please email me if you are interested.   Please pray that God will continue to sustain us all, give us wisdom, soften people’s heart to the gospel, allow us to plant seeds, and most of all merely love people.

It is so great to pick up an old friend, Darin Petersen yesterday. Darin and his wife currently live in Oakland, CA. I thought I was high tech, until I saw Darin’s gear - Here we are currently at “my local office”, a local coffee shop that offers free wireless internet connection. He busted out his headphones, camera and starting talking to his wife back in Oakland and other people. Darin pastored in Omaha, NE and we met a few years back and spent time with them in Omaha right after Elise and I got married - This next Monday, two women from the Crossing Church, Costa Mesa, CA — are coming out to help care for Zayd and Elise (Still very bad morning sickness from her pregnancy, please pray for her); — WE are so excited. That actually leads to a request for all you readers:; If you or someone you know is looking for an opportunity to serve and respond to the Tsunami tragedy; I have a way you can do it. Please consider this request — My request is for a woman volunteer to come out and help and serve our family. It may not be anyone reading this but someone you know or in your church who would love to serve in this capacity.; We need a woman to come help care for Zayd and Elise (as she is 2 months pregnant and experiencing extreme morning sickness & heart palpitations) Her morning sickness will pass, we realize this, but this is a strategic need — Her current condition is keeping her from her daily routine of caring for Zayd and all of the other things she does so wonderfully- Basically, we need help so I am can get out and meet with the victims and get educated on the needs more, assess where ServLife’s funding should best be allocated, and network with local churches and other groups helping — We need someone after Feb 2 - Anyone interested? If so, please email me

Remember my friend Rana? Click here to read story- Zayd and I ran into him today and got this photo with him.  We had a long talk and he seems a bit searching in life for meaning and purpose –  (he is from nepal and had his tailoring shop destroyed)   Also, talked to Ning for a long time - Click here to read about him - he has lived on this beach since he was 6 years old, raised by community on the beach- He currently lives in a tent.  he asked me today, “i helped save 6 people from drowning when the waves came..i think i am ready to die but not sure. i sometimes scare to die..”  needless to say, our conversation led to the gospel. seeds were planted in his heart today –   Here is ning’s tent…