Thursday, February 1, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
Home again
In case you haven't figured out, we're back. The trip was long but went fine thankfully. The weather was okay when we arrived back in Saskatoon at 8 p.m., -4 or something, so it wasn't too much of a shock to the system. But it's getting colder again.
It was strange to see snow again and the flat, straight, almost empty roads were also a switch. I slept 12 hours and feel like I've almost gotten back into the right time zone, 13 hours back. We'll see how it goes tonight because it takes time to adjust.
I'm very thankful for how well the trip went. Can't believe it's over. Will post pictures soon, hopefully tomorrow.
It was strange to see snow again and the flat, straight, almost empty roads were also a switch. I slept 12 hours and feel like I've almost gotten back into the right time zone, 13 hours back. We'll see how it goes tonight because it takes time to adjust.
I'm very thankful for how well the trip went. Can't believe it's over. Will post pictures soon, hopefully tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
On way home
I'm in the Hong Kong airport. So far our trip has gone well and almost uneventfully - our vans to get to the Bangkok airport were a bit late but we arrived in good time. Connections for our flights through Vancouver and Calgary are good, not long, but it will be a very, very long day. Pray for safety and rest for us.
I'll send more details on our last day which was really good and post some pictures when I'm home.
I'll send more details on our last day which was really good and post some pictures when I'm home.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
2nd last day
Yesterday was a hard day for many people on the team. After a very long (10 hour bus ride) from Pua to Bangkok, we boarded vans to Chonburi for another 2 hours. We then spent a good part of the day at the Tiger Zoo here. The team was really looking forward to this but exhaustion and the shock of the heat and humidity made it a bit hard to enjoy. Please pray especially for Ashley and some others who are quite tired now.
The Tiger Zoo was pretty neat though. For a bit more than a dollar, you could hold and feed a baby tiger or ride an elephant (I did both). I also volunteered during the elephant show to lie down on the ground and be stepped over by 7 elephants. Fortunately, they knew what they were doing and I survived the ordeal! We also saw a girl stick her hand and then her head in the head of a crocodile. Wow!
In the evening, we watched a new hip-hop ministry that they have started at the church and spent some time sharing and praying together. As I said earlier, many of the team are pretty spent and ready for a rest and home. We are staying at the church and do not have the same privacy and comfort in accommodations as we did up north - all the guys are sleeping on the floor in one room and the girls in another. Pray for continued strength and energy and health as we finish up here. Please pray especially for Ashley and others who are quite tired now. Pray for Karis who is actually not getting better from her sickness - has a bad cold at very least. And pray for Sherry who is also quite wiped by the heat and tiredness. I'm feeling and doing well thankfully.
Today, we heard from some of the Team 2000 people about what they are doing now here in Chonburi. We also heard testimonies of three Thai women who became Christians because of Team 2000's witness. So cool! We saw a little baby who they are caring for at the Abundant Life orphanage - he was diagnosed as having HIV/AIDS when he first came to them but since then the doctor has told them that he no longer has it - he and another baby were miraculously cured!
Tonight we will help the TREK team that is here with teaching English to university students at the church. Tomorrow we will put on a kids carnival in a new area where they are planting a church about 8 km from here. We'll also spend some time in personal and corporate debrief. Pray for God to encourage each one of us and continue to lead us in our next steps. We want to finish strong and be able to celebrate what God has done in and through us.
We leave early Thursday morning the 25th, 6 a.m. for the airport and home. We'll finally arrive in Saskatoon at 8 p.m. that same day. A very long day!
Thanks for your prayers!
The Tiger Zoo was pretty neat though. For a bit more than a dollar, you could hold and feed a baby tiger or ride an elephant (I did both). I also volunteered during the elephant show to lie down on the ground and be stepped over by 7 elephants. Fortunately, they knew what they were doing and I survived the ordeal! We also saw a girl stick her hand and then her head in the head of a crocodile. Wow!
In the evening, we watched a new hip-hop ministry that they have started at the church and spent some time sharing and praying together. As I said earlier, many of the team are pretty spent and ready for a rest and home. We are staying at the church and do not have the same privacy and comfort in accommodations as we did up north - all the guys are sleeping on the floor in one room and the girls in another. Pray for continued strength and energy and health as we finish up here. Please pray especially for Ashley and others who are quite tired now. Pray for Karis who is actually not getting better from her sickness - has a bad cold at very least. And pray for Sherry who is also quite wiped by the heat and tiredness. I'm feeling and doing well thankfully.
Today, we heard from some of the Team 2000 people about what they are doing now here in Chonburi. We also heard testimonies of three Thai women who became Christians because of Team 2000's witness. So cool! We saw a little baby who they are caring for at the Abundant Life orphanage - he was diagnosed as having HIV/AIDS when he first came to them but since then the doctor has told them that he no longer has it - he and another baby were miraculously cured!
Tonight we will help the TREK team that is here with teaching English to university students at the church. Tomorrow we will put on a kids carnival in a new area where they are planting a church about 8 km from here. We'll also spend some time in personal and corporate debrief. Pray for God to encourage each one of us and continue to lead us in our next steps. We want to finish strong and be able to celebrate what God has done in and through us.
We leave early Thursday morning the 25th, 6 a.m. for the airport and home. We'll finally arrive in Saskatoon at 8 p.m. that same day. A very long day!
Thanks for your prayers!
Monday, January 22, 2007
Chonburi
We arrived safely and uneventfully in Chonburi. It was a very long bus ride though - 10 hours! After quick showers, we left for the Tiger Zoo. This was really neat. We got to feed milk to a baby tiger, watch elephant, tiger and crocodile shows, get rides on an elephant and do other things. I volunteered to lay down down on the ground and be stepped over by 6 elephants!
Tomorrow we'll be meeting some of the missionary team (Team 2000) here, doing some
English teaching prep and then teaching university students English in
the evening. A pretty slack day. Lunch on the beach too!
I didn't have time to write about our last few days in Pua. They went really well. Saturday afternoon we put on a carnival for the kids at Kathy's Home. Then in the evening we had a birthday party complete with birthday cakes and ice cream for Mike and spent some time affirming Mak and Narola and praying together. Sunday we had church at Kathy's Home with the children there and also had lunch with them. It was a very very nice way to end our time in Pua.
Now there are just two full days left here. We leave Thursday morning - it's Monday night now. Please continue to pray for team dynamics and personal transformation for each of us as we continue to see what God is doing here. Thanks!
Tomorrow we'll be meeting some of the missionary team (Team 2000) here, doing some
English teaching prep and then teaching university students English in
the evening. A pretty slack day. Lunch on the beach too!
I didn't have time to write about our last few days in Pua. They went really well. Saturday afternoon we put on a carnival for the kids at Kathy's Home. Then in the evening we had a birthday party complete with birthday cakes and ice cream for Mike and spent some time affirming Mak and Narola and praying together. Sunday we had church at Kathy's Home with the children there and also had lunch with them. It was a very very nice way to end our time in Pua.
Now there are just two full days left here. We leave Thursday morning - it's Monday night now. Please continue to pray for team dynamics and personal transformation for each of us as we continue to see what God is doing here. Thanks!
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Traveling south to Chonburi
We are leaving in an hour for the south. We'll ride on a bus overnight for 10 hours and then take a van ride to get to Chonburi and Team 2000. Please pray for safety and good rest. Our vans will be comfortable. Also pray for team unity - nerves are starting to get frayed a bit more as the days go on. Thanks! Sorry I don't have time to write more right now. No real health concerns - praise the Lord!
Friday, January 19, 2007
Last day teaching
Today was our last day teaching. I was glad to be able to get into the classroom again. It has been a challenging experience for our team. Some classes are very eager while others are quite undisciplined, show up late, and do not pay attention. But I'm glad we could all have this opportunity. John and I taught 3 classes this morning - the first two were quite good but the last was not very good at English or interested. Being in the classrooms has definitely given us some unique insights into the culture here and the education system. One thing they seem to do is group the best students in a class and the worst in another. We did clearly see the differences in the classes although there did seem to be one or two eager students regardless of the class.
As I wrote yesterday, we were given part of the morning assembly. It turned out we only had about 1/2 an hour. First, some of the Thai students performed Thai dancing and music. Then our team sang some worship songs, did a skit about how we do not need to earn our way into heaven, and Matt Smith gave a short talk on the invitation to accept Jesus as the only way to be saved. Some of the students and teachers paid close attention, others did not. Not sure if they understood much even with Mak translating. But we are glad that we could praise God at this public school. And if even one student is starting to think more about God and how Jesus is different, that is good. One small step at a time! Sherry and I were given seats of honor at the front and at the end, they presented all of us with beautiful handmade cloth bags and took pictures of us with the teachers. Very much a culture of ceremony!
Tomorrow afternoon, we will put on a carnival/children's day at Kathy's Home. We will prep this tonight after we go to Kathy's Home as usual. This should be a lot of fun. We have brought face paint, balloon animal materials and miniature hockey sticks from home among other things. The kids there are really nice and it will be great for our students to serve them in the way and just have fun with them, without having to be limited by language.
Please continue to pray for each of us. I am doing well now, over my bronchitis, and looking forward to the rest of our trip. Karis is also getting better. Please also pray for Mak and Narola - they work very hard, are tired, and haven't gotten any break for a long time now and will be receiving another team as soon as we leave.
As I wrote yesterday, we were given part of the morning assembly. It turned out we only had about 1/2 an hour. First, some of the Thai students performed Thai dancing and music. Then our team sang some worship songs, did a skit about how we do not need to earn our way into heaven, and Matt Smith gave a short talk on the invitation to accept Jesus as the only way to be saved. Some of the students and teachers paid close attention, others did not. Not sure if they understood much even with Mak translating. But we are glad that we could praise God at this public school. And if even one student is starting to think more about God and how Jesus is different, that is good. One small step at a time! Sherry and I were given seats of honor at the front and at the end, they presented all of us with beautiful handmade cloth bags and took pictures of us with the teachers. Very much a culture of ceremony!
Tomorrow afternoon, we will put on a carnival/children's day at Kathy's Home. We will prep this tonight after we go to Kathy's Home as usual. This should be a lot of fun. We have brought face paint, balloon animal materials and miniature hockey sticks from home among other things. The kids there are really nice and it will be great for our students to serve them in the way and just have fun with them, without having to be limited by language.
Please continue to pray for each of us. I am doing well now, over my bronchitis, and looking forward to the rest of our trip. Karis is also getting better. Please also pray for Mak and Narola - they work very hard, are tired, and haven't gotten any break for a long time now and will be receiving another team as soon as we leave.
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