I have so much I could talk about that was significant to me on this trip. One of the youth asked me in the middle of the week why I was the one teaching the younger kids. I'm not really sure how that happened exactly, but my first thought was that I was the shortest, so it made the most sense : ). Seriously, the younger kids amazed and astounded me in their knowledge and depth of insight. They were able to handle the changes in schedule that happened daily and were able to follow my impossilbe tangents and random comments (I try to filter them, but it never really works). They asked great questions and were always eager to volunteer to read or help in any way. I had random moments during the week where I was sad that I was not getting to know the older youth better, but God blessed me in that the last couple of days when I was able to spend more informal time with them.
The second thing that was significant to me was the afternoon that we went to the orphanage. This was the day that held the most uncertainty for us as leaders because we did not have a lot of detail beforehand about what we would be able to do at the orphanage. So, since the leaders had no idea what to expect, we could not communicate to the youth or prepare them in any way. But when we got to the orphanage and learned that we had a couple hours to do whatever we wanted, I loved that the youth took the lead without any questions. We as leaders were able to step back and watch them do what they do best. I know that many of the youth are used to doing similar things in the countries where they serve, but it was significant to me because they were officially on "vacation" during their time in Chiang Mai and they could have easily protested, but instead they served with glad and grateful hearts.
I could go on and on. God blessed this trip in so many ways! I praise Him for putting 8 "adults" and 31 kids into one place to learn from and encourage one another! What an awesome God we serve!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
from kevin
I want to thank all the MK's for their enthusiasm, flexibility and maturity, which made a big difference in what we could do and how much we all enjoyed each day. Being able to take everyone on the afternoon activities was a great blessing. I never would have guessed that at this age (not like Storm who is really old) I would find myself searching around a 700+ year old city on the other side of the world with 7 youth and one adult. Coming in 2nd (what?) in the Amazing Race, behind the team who picked all the clues...(shady) Go Monkeys!
I learned that I'm not very flexible (ok, I already knew that), but I saw how being flexible and open minded pays off big time and doesn't have to require stress. God was in control of all our circumstances, and He showed clearly that He was and still is doing an enormous amount of work for our good. It was so easy for me to take things for granted like safety, conveniences, the MK's attitudes and the week's inique experiences. I grew very attached to our little community at the hotel, and I miss it very much. I look forward to following the Lord's work in people's lives who I was able to be a part of for several days.
Oddly enough, I have grown more sensitive to RBI's since leaving Thailand. Did you know that:
-Texas has changed it's capital 13 times
-Ghandi was a lawyer before before becoming Mahatma
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
we're home...
The Team (or the majority of it, at least) made it safely back to Peoria Sunday afternoon. We'd like to thank everyone for all the prayers and words of encouragement while we were in Thailand. It was an amazing trip and we're all very grateful for the experience.
Later this week different members of the team will be sharing their experiences and stories, so please check again soon.
- Thailand Team
Later this week different members of the team will be sharing their experiences and stories, so please check again soon.
- Thailand Team
Saturday, March 8, 2008
headed back to the states
Just a quick note before we head to the airport...
Had a great last day in Thailand! This morning we said goodbye to Peter and LaNae who are headed to Taiwan to see some of their family. Lyall and Teresa hung back in Chiang Mai while the rest (Kevin, Kim, Kari, and Storm) went down to the Maetang River.
In an attempt to refamiliarize ourselves with the States, we had dinner at Miguel's, a local Mexican restaurant, followed by a stop at Starbucks (you're welcome, Storm). While at Starbucks we struck a conversation with a woman at a table and learned that she was a missionary here working on the border between Thailand and Burma - she and another missionary witness to both armies and visit IDP camps throughout the border region. She had a very fascinating background...
After that we pulled a quick stop off at the bazaar, picked up a few last minute things, and completed our last walk back to our hotel. Although we are very excited to be heading home, it has been an amazing experience and we are all a bit sad to see it over.
To our newfound friends throughout the world - below are our email addresses. Please drop us a line sometime and let us know how you are doing, if there is anything we can pray for you about, or if you need an emergency resupply of snickers, dingdongs, or reese's peanutbutter cups. It was an honor spending this week with you and we are thankful to God, and to you, for this experience.
Until next time...
Peter Huang
petra041175@yahoo.com
LaNae Huang
ldietzpt@hotmail.com
Teresa Forsberg
Termfor@aol.com
www.termfor.blogspot.com
Kim Turner
nurse4kids07@gmail.com
Lyall Sutton
lyall@bethanycentral.org
Kevin Gustafson
kevin71481@yahoo.com
Kari Rabenhorst
kari_rabenhorst@yahoo.com
Storm Huse
shuse@aol.com
Had a great last day in Thailand! This morning we said goodbye to Peter and LaNae who are headed to Taiwan to see some of their family. Lyall and Teresa hung back in Chiang Mai while the rest (Kevin, Kim, Kari, and Storm) went down to the Maetang River.
In an attempt to refamiliarize ourselves with the States, we had dinner at Miguel's, a local Mexican restaurant, followed by a stop at Starbucks (you're welcome, Storm). While at Starbucks we struck a conversation with a woman at a table and learned that she was a missionary here working on the border between Thailand and Burma - she and another missionary witness to both armies and visit IDP camps throughout the border region. She had a very fascinating background...
After that we pulled a quick stop off at the bazaar, picked up a few last minute things, and completed our last walk back to our hotel. Although we are very excited to be heading home, it has been an amazing experience and we are all a bit sad to see it over.
To our newfound friends throughout the world - below are our email addresses. Please drop us a line sometime and let us know how you are doing, if there is anything we can pray for you about, or if you need an emergency resupply of snickers, dingdongs, or reese's peanutbutter cups. It was an honor spending this week with you and we are thankful to God, and to you, for this experience.
Until next time...
Peter Huang
petra041175@yahoo.com
LaNae Huang
ldietzpt@hotmail.com
Teresa Forsberg
Termfor@aol.com
www.termfor.blogspot.com
Kim Turner
nurse4kids07@gmail.com
Lyall Sutton
lyall@bethanycentral.org
Kevin Gustafson
kevin71481@yahoo.com
Kari Rabenhorst
kari_rabenhorst@yahoo.com
Storm Huse
shuse@aol.com
Friday, March 7, 2008
something fishy is going on...
This time tomorrow we will be sitting at the Chiang Mai International Airport waiting for our flight. We have had such a great week and we just thank God for allowing 10 people from Peoria, IL (8 here, plus 2 that are here in spirit) to be able to come all the way to Chiang Mai to be a part of this conference. Amazing.
Today was a great team-building day and we ended the evening with our final team dinner (Peter and LaNae leave in the morning to head to Taiwan). It was a great meal and we were blessed to have shared it with Catharine Coon.
Below is our flight information. Due to tail winds, we should shave off about 1 hour from each leg of the flight, so we're looking at a total flight time of about 18 hours.
Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support this week. We look forward to heading back to the States and sharing our many stories with each of you. We will try to post once more prior to catching our shuttle to the airport, but if not, we will see you all soon!
Sunday @ 01:55am Depart Chiang Mai (KE 0668)
Sunday @ 11:40am Depart Seoul Incheon (KE 0037)
Sunday @ 10:30am Arrive Chicago O'Hare
Today was a great team-building day and we ended the evening with our final team dinner (Peter and LaNae leave in the morning to head to Taiwan). It was a great meal and we were blessed to have shared it with Catharine Coon.
Below is our flight information. Due to tail winds, we should shave off about 1 hour from each leg of the flight, so we're looking at a total flight time of about 18 hours.
Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support this week. We look forward to heading back to the States and sharing our many stories with each of you. We will try to post once more prior to catching our shuttle to the airport, but if not, we will see you all soon!
Sunday @ 01:55am Depart Chiang Mai (KE 0668)
Sunday @ 11:40am Depart Seoul Incheon (KE 0037)
Sunday @ 10:30am Arrive Chicago O'Hare
Thursday, March 6, 2008
thailand super-sized
Is the week with the MKs really over? Seriously? Man, that was way too quick...
As of 11:00pm (Thai Time) on March 6th (today) in the year 2551 (that's right, it's not 2008 here in Thailand, but don't worry b/c you're not missing much - no flying cars - but I can tell you that the Cubs still haven't won a World Series) our time serving the missionary families of World Venture is officially over. And today was a great way to finish it off...
Sticking with a good routine, the kids showed up at around 8:30am in the Cave. We had some great youth led worship time, followed by a fun game with Kim where everyone got a chance to mention someone else in the group that had a positive influence on them this week. After we broke into our two age groups, Teresa taught the lesson to the younger MKs and Kim shared a her testimony and a great devotional with the older MKs about not being ineffective or unproductive in our knowledge of Christ. The TCK (Third Culture Kid) Coordinator also came and spoke to the kids and shared some great insight into the week and for their trip back home. Also, the staff of World Venture presented us with some gifts to thank us for serving this week. It has been such an honor to work with both World Venture and SAM, two organizations that have gone above and beyond to support us this week.
After lunch we headed out to the Elephant Camp where we watched the elephant show and then took elephant rides. The show was a lot better than most of us expected (the elephants danced, played soccer, painted, built a wall, played harmonicas... really, you just need to check out the pictures). After the show we loaded up onto about 20 elephants and took a 30 minute elephant ride around the camp (Kari got some great shots of everyone on the elephants). On the way back to the hotel we also stopped off at the Asia Craft Center and the Butterfly/Orchid Farm here in Chiang Mai. When we got back to the hotel we passed out goodie bags to the youth and kids with things their parents had emailed us that they liked.
Much to the non-delight of Peter (although he went along and was a great sport about it) the Team went to dinner tonight at McDonalds! That's right, McDonalds. What's so special about the McDonald's here? Well, not too much but they did have Double Big Macs and pineapple pies! So we scarfed down some healthy dinner and then headed on back to the hotel.
At 8pm we hosted our last event with the MKs - movie night in the Cave. We watched The Ultimate Gift and it went over very well. The movie was really good, but the kids also really liked that the hotel staff brought down mattresses and laid them out on the floor. The Team brought down the last of the goodies and we had a buffett of candy bars, dingdongs, smarties, oreos, and other assorted treats. Good times.
And of course we have more pictures...
The boys (Kevin and Storm) would also like to take this opportunity to apologize to the girls (Kari, Kim, and Teresa) for wrongly accusing them of resetting their alarm clock. When the boys returned to their hotel room last night they discovered that someone had changed their wake-up time to 7am, which would have made them late to breakfast the next morning. The boys, assuming it had been the girls since they were the only ones with access to their room key, went ahead and hooked the girls up with a 4am wake up call from the front desk. Unfortunately, as it turns out, the girls had nothing to do with the alarm clock...
Oops.
We're sorry.
The boys would like the girls to please read Collosians 3:13 and Matthew 6:15.
As of 11:00pm (Thai Time) on March 6th (today) in the year 2551 (that's right, it's not 2008 here in Thailand, but don't worry b/c you're not missing much - no flying cars - but I can tell you that the Cubs still haven't won a World Series) our time serving the missionary families of World Venture is officially over. And today was a great way to finish it off...
Sticking with a good routine, the kids showed up at around 8:30am in the Cave. We had some great youth led worship time, followed by a fun game with Kim where everyone got a chance to mention someone else in the group that had a positive influence on them this week. After we broke into our two age groups, Teresa taught the lesson to the younger MKs and Kim shared a her testimony and a great devotional with the older MKs about not being ineffective or unproductive in our knowledge of Christ. The TCK (Third Culture Kid) Coordinator also came and spoke to the kids and shared some great insight into the week and for their trip back home. Also, the staff of World Venture presented us with some gifts to thank us for serving this week. It has been such an honor to work with both World Venture and SAM, two organizations that have gone above and beyond to support us this week.
After lunch we headed out to the Elephant Camp where we watched the elephant show and then took elephant rides. The show was a lot better than most of us expected (the elephants danced, played soccer, painted, built a wall, played harmonicas... really, you just need to check out the pictures). After the show we loaded up onto about 20 elephants and took a 30 minute elephant ride around the camp (Kari got some great shots of everyone on the elephants). On the way back to the hotel we also stopped off at the Asia Craft Center and the Butterfly/Orchid Farm here in Chiang Mai. When we got back to the hotel we passed out goodie bags to the youth and kids with things their parents had emailed us that they liked.
Much to the non-delight of Peter (although he went along and was a great sport about it) the Team went to dinner tonight at McDonalds! That's right, McDonalds. What's so special about the McDonald's here? Well, not too much but they did have Double Big Macs and pineapple pies! So we scarfed down some healthy dinner and then headed on back to the hotel.
At 8pm we hosted our last event with the MKs - movie night in the Cave. We watched The Ultimate Gift and it went over very well. The movie was really good, but the kids also really liked that the hotel staff brought down mattresses and laid them out on the floor. The Team brought down the last of the goodies and we had a buffett of candy bars, dingdongs, smarties, oreos, and other assorted treats. Good times.
And of course we have more pictures...
The boys (Kevin and Storm) would also like to take this opportunity to apologize to the girls (Kari, Kim, and Teresa) for wrongly accusing them of resetting their alarm clock. When the boys returned to their hotel room last night they discovered that someone had changed their wake-up time to 7am, which would have made them late to breakfast the next morning. The boys, assuming it had been the girls since they were the only ones with access to their room key, went ahead and hooked the girls up with a 4am wake up call from the front desk. Unfortunately, as it turns out, the girls had nothing to do with the alarm clock...
Oops.
We're sorry.
The boys would like the girls to please read Collosians 3:13 and Matthew 6:15.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Teresa's a pepper
The Thailand Team has voted and the ballots have all been counted - today was the best day yet in Thailand! Before I get to why that is, I'll give you a rundown of today's activities...
(side note: we have uploaded over 400 photos tonight - we know that it's a lot, but this afternoon was really awesome and we added some photos taken by some of the youth, including John G...)
The morning began the same as the previous two - the team met for breakfast at 7am and then we had our quick planning huddle. The team scattered to finish last minute details for the day and our friends began to show up around 8:30am. Kim started us out with some great icebreaker games to get the blood flowing and give us all a chance to learn more about each other. We were blessed again today to be led in worship by our youth friends - it's amazing how talented they are and how eager they are to praise God with the talents that He has given them. After the younger kids split off with Teresa, Storm shared the devotional with the youth and discussed a part of the Team's verse for Thailand (2 Peter 1:3-9) and discussed the significance of increasing our knowledge in Christ, maintaining self-control in our lives, and the benefits of persevering in troubling times. After that the youth split up into small groups and discussed submission - a lot of really good conversation came out when discussing submission to government authorities with youth from certain parts of the world.
After lunch the team met back up with everyone and this is when it got really good. Don't get me wrong, up to this point we were having a fantastic day, but today's afternoon activity, in the opinion of the team, eclipsed the activities from the previous two days. We all hopped onto four vans and drove to the outskirts of Chiang Mai. After approximately 30 minutes we stopped at the Blessing Orphanage, an orphanage run by the Calvary Community Church. This orphanage, as we found out, is very different than other orphanages. At Blessing the kids there are not there to be adopted, rather they will spend their entire childhood at the orphanage. It is their church's vision to raise these orphans in Thailand, but under the influence of Christianity. Their church knows that, if adopted, the kids will most likely not receive an upbringing that is centered around Christ.
Only in it's second year Blessing can have up to 35 children, but currently has 20. When we arrived we immediately went into the inner courtyard of their facility and met with the kids. From the moment we walked through the gate we were immediately impressed with the kids, as well as the workers running this ministry. Individually the orphans stood up and told us in English their names, ages, and year in school - the kids were between the ages of 1 and 11. After a quick time of getting to know each other we let the our group interact and play with the orphans. Some stayed in the courtyard to play games and work on art projects, while others went outside to play basketball, soccer (sorry, football), and baseball. One of the Blessing leaders told us that the kids had been asking for a week or so to learn how to play baseball, so a group of us went over and began showing them the basics of batting, running the bases, and fielding the ball. I am not lying when I say that after only a very short period of batting instruction that some of these kids were knocking the ball over our heads! And the joy that was in the faces of these children was just amazing!
Snack time ended the games and both groups met back up in the courtyard. After snacks the kids went and grabbed their musical instruments. Six of them sat in the courtyard and played us two songs - very cool. After that the girls got up and danced for us. A few of the youth repaid the gesture and played the guitar while the rest of us sang along to praise songs. What was really cool is that the orphans already knew the English words to the songs that were chosen to sing, so they were able to sing along and learn knew motions!
The Team and the youth were very sad when we had to leave at 4:30. It truly was a great experience to meet those orphans and the leaders that are sacrificing so much to care for these children and raise them in a Godly environment. This morning we had no idea what to expect later today for our 'service time at an orphanage', but God truly was in control. We praise God for allowing us to see a glimpse into an awesome ministry here in Thailand.
After dropping the MKs back at the hotel at 5pm we hurried to get prepared for our evening festivities. Tonight the Cave was taken over by the whole conference for open-mike style performances, but first the jazz ensemble from the Grace International School played a jazz set for us that was just amazing. After their performance Pastor Lyall hosted Jeopardy: World Venture Edition. Pastor Lyall was a hit and the crowd really seemed to enjoy the competition. After Jeopardy we opened it up for musical performances (and a juggler, good job Caleb!) and several different groups of families and friends got up there and led some praise and worship. In between some of the events tonight Kevin put up a slideshow of pictures from this week, and we all shared in some ice cream and other desserts while we mingled.
Sandy from World Venture surprised us tonight during the show and called us all up to the front. WV had bought Thailand journals for each member of our Team and is having the youth and kids write messages to us for us to take back home. We are so excited to read their comments and to take something back with us in which we will be able to remember them and this experience.
Although we don't want this week to end, we know it must... and tomorrow is our last official day with our new friends. Tomorrow morning will be spent in the Cave followed by a trip to Elephant Park! The Team and youth have been looking forward to riding the elephants for a long time and are really excited that tomorrow will be the big day - you can obviously expect a lot of photos!
Praises/Prayer Requests:
Catharine Coon recieved her luggage! She thanks everyone for the prayers.
The Team praises God for an awesome day at the orphanage.
The Team praises God for their safety and health thus far in the trip.
The Team asks for prayer for strength to not become complacent with the trip winding down and to continue to seek God's will for the rest of this week.
(side note: we have uploaded over 400 photos tonight - we know that it's a lot, but this afternoon was really awesome and we added some photos taken by some of the youth, including John G...)
The morning began the same as the previous two - the team met for breakfast at 7am and then we had our quick planning huddle. The team scattered to finish last minute details for the day and our friends began to show up around 8:30am. Kim started us out with some great icebreaker games to get the blood flowing and give us all a chance to learn more about each other. We were blessed again today to be led in worship by our youth friends - it's amazing how talented they are and how eager they are to praise God with the talents that He has given them. After the younger kids split off with Teresa, Storm shared the devotional with the youth and discussed a part of the Team's verse for Thailand (2 Peter 1:3-9) and discussed the significance of increasing our knowledge in Christ, maintaining self-control in our lives, and the benefits of persevering in troubling times. After that the youth split up into small groups and discussed submission - a lot of really good conversation came out when discussing submission to government authorities with youth from certain parts of the world.
After lunch the team met back up with everyone and this is when it got really good. Don't get me wrong, up to this point we were having a fantastic day, but today's afternoon activity, in the opinion of the team, eclipsed the activities from the previous two days. We all hopped onto four vans and drove to the outskirts of Chiang Mai. After approximately 30 minutes we stopped at the Blessing Orphanage, an orphanage run by the Calvary Community Church. This orphanage, as we found out, is very different than other orphanages. At Blessing the kids there are not there to be adopted, rather they will spend their entire childhood at the orphanage. It is their church's vision to raise these orphans in Thailand, but under the influence of Christianity. Their church knows that, if adopted, the kids will most likely not receive an upbringing that is centered around Christ.
Only in it's second year Blessing can have up to 35 children, but currently has 20. When we arrived we immediately went into the inner courtyard of their facility and met with the kids. From the moment we walked through the gate we were immediately impressed with the kids, as well as the workers running this ministry. Individually the orphans stood up and told us in English their names, ages, and year in school - the kids were between the ages of 1 and 11. After a quick time of getting to know each other we let the our group interact and play with the orphans. Some stayed in the courtyard to play games and work on art projects, while others went outside to play basketball, soccer (sorry, football), and baseball. One of the Blessing leaders told us that the kids had been asking for a week or so to learn how to play baseball, so a group of us went over and began showing them the basics of batting, running the bases, and fielding the ball. I am not lying when I say that after only a very short period of batting instruction that some of these kids were knocking the ball over our heads! And the joy that was in the faces of these children was just amazing!
Snack time ended the games and both groups met back up in the courtyard. After snacks the kids went and grabbed their musical instruments. Six of them sat in the courtyard and played us two songs - very cool. After that the girls got up and danced for us. A few of the youth repaid the gesture and played the guitar while the rest of us sang along to praise songs. What was really cool is that the orphans already knew the English words to the songs that were chosen to sing, so they were able to sing along and learn knew motions!
The Team and the youth were very sad when we had to leave at 4:30. It truly was a great experience to meet those orphans and the leaders that are sacrificing so much to care for these children and raise them in a Godly environment. This morning we had no idea what to expect later today for our 'service time at an orphanage', but God truly was in control. We praise God for allowing us to see a glimpse into an awesome ministry here in Thailand.
After dropping the MKs back at the hotel at 5pm we hurried to get prepared for our evening festivities. Tonight the Cave was taken over by the whole conference for open-mike style performances, but first the jazz ensemble from the Grace International School played a jazz set for us that was just amazing. After their performance Pastor Lyall hosted Jeopardy: World Venture Edition. Pastor Lyall was a hit and the crowd really seemed to enjoy the competition. After Jeopardy we opened it up for musical performances (and a juggler, good job Caleb!) and several different groups of families and friends got up there and led some praise and worship. In between some of the events tonight Kevin put up a slideshow of pictures from this week, and we all shared in some ice cream and other desserts while we mingled.
Sandy from World Venture surprised us tonight during the show and called us all up to the front. WV had bought Thailand journals for each member of our Team and is having the youth and kids write messages to us for us to take back home. We are so excited to read their comments and to take something back with us in which we will be able to remember them and this experience.
Although we don't want this week to end, we know it must... and tomorrow is our last official day with our new friends. Tomorrow morning will be spent in the Cave followed by a trip to Elephant Park! The Team and youth have been looking forward to riding the elephants for a long time and are really excited that tomorrow will be the big day - you can obviously expect a lot of photos!
Praises/Prayer Requests:
Catharine Coon recieved her luggage! She thanks everyone for the prayers.
The Team praises God for an awesome day at the orphanage.
The Team praises God for their safety and health thus far in the trip.
The Team asks for prayer for strength to not become complacent with the trip winding down and to continue to seek God's will for the rest of this week.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
tuesday in thailand
Praise: Catharine Coon made it to Thailand!
Prayer Request: Her luggage did not!
After an exhausting 4 day journey from Uganda to the UK to Thailand, Catharine has finally made it to Thailand. The Thailand Team was fortunate enough to have been able to eat lunch with her today and passed on many of the comments and well-wishes from you guys back in the States.
It's hard to believe that our time with the MKs is half way over! It has flown by so quickly and yet it seems like we've known these guys for a while now. Today was another great day spent getting to know them more and getting to share so much with each other.
We spent the morning in the Cave, but we had an extra special worship time - today's worship was led by Anika (vocals and rhthym guitar), Abbi (bass), Luc (electric guitar), Luke (vocals) and Dave M (vocals). They did an awesome job today and we look forward to two more days of praising God with them!
During the daily devotional time Teresa and Kevin shared their devotionals with the MKs. Afterward Pastor Lyall gave an overview of Buddhism to help equip the MKs for their tour of a Buddhist temple later in the day. Throw in some fun games with Kim, a few laughs from Pastor Lyall, and some great snacks from the staff of the Empress, and the Team had another great morning with the MKs.
After lunch the Team and the MKs hopped in a bus and drove 30 minutes west to the Doi Su Thep temple. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai and sits atop a mountain overlooking Chiang Mai. Unfortunately we had heavy cloud cover, so the views from the top were not the greatest. But the MKs were troopers and hiked up the 300+ stairs to the top and we were led on a tour of the temple by our guide named Par. Around 4pm we made the 300+ step back down the mountain and rode back to our hotel where we met under some trees to discuss our trip to the temple. Throughout the day the MKs asked some great questions about Buddhism and some shared from their varied experiences in other countries.
The Team again wandered out into the city to find dinner. Lyall had something special in mind and took us to a Thai open-air marketplace for dinner in order to saturate us in the culture. Each of us were give money to buy dinner and then we wandered from vendor to vendor finding what we wanted. Peter and LaNae went straight for the Thai food because they just can't seem to get enough (you won't see them at the Chiang Mai McDonalds with Lyall and Storm this weekend!). Kari, Kevin, and Lyall once again stayed true and went for the local cuisine - Lyall got extra fried shrimp and shared with the group, it was really good! Teresa, Kim, and Storm managed to find what seemed to be the one vendor selling something other than Thai food and jumped on it. All three got chicken pita sandwiches and two orders of fries. After some good food, relaxing conversation, and a quick discussion on tomorrow's timeline we headed out into the night market to take a look around.
What happened next will not be discussed on this forum. If you would like to know, you will just have to look at our pictures. Moving on...
The team spent some time together in the market and then we split up into groups, because, let's face it, some people on the team enjoy shopping more than others. So now it's 11pm and the entire team has made it back to the hotel. A few of us are writing emails, a few prepping for tomorrow, and I'm sure a few are out cold right now.
Tomorrow will most surely be another enjoyable day spent with the MKs. The morning will follow the normal routine up through lunch. After lunch we are heading down to a local orphanage here in Chiang Mai and spending some time with the kids at the orphanage. Tomorrow night will be basically an open-mike night for the MKs and their missionary parents to come down, hang out, and share their musical talents - the team is definitely looking forward to that!
Please pray:
that Catharine Coon's luggage arrives here soon.
for strength for Sandy, Marty, and the rest of the organizers here as they continue to do a great job!
that the Team would continue to be open to God's plan for them this week.
that the Team would remain in good health for the duration of the trip.
that the Lord would be glorified in all things this week!
Prayer Request: Her luggage did not!
After an exhausting 4 day journey from Uganda to the UK to Thailand, Catharine has finally made it to Thailand. The Thailand Team was fortunate enough to have been able to eat lunch with her today and passed on many of the comments and well-wishes from you guys back in the States.
It's hard to believe that our time with the MKs is half way over! It has flown by so quickly and yet it seems like we've known these guys for a while now. Today was another great day spent getting to know them more and getting to share so much with each other.
We spent the morning in the Cave, but we had an extra special worship time - today's worship was led by Anika (vocals and rhthym guitar), Abbi (bass), Luc (electric guitar), Luke (vocals) and Dave M (vocals). They did an awesome job today and we look forward to two more days of praising God with them!
During the daily devotional time Teresa and Kevin shared their devotionals with the MKs. Afterward Pastor Lyall gave an overview of Buddhism to help equip the MKs for their tour of a Buddhist temple later in the day. Throw in some fun games with Kim, a few laughs from Pastor Lyall, and some great snacks from the staff of the Empress, and the Team had another great morning with the MKs.
After lunch the Team and the MKs hopped in a bus and drove 30 minutes west to the Doi Su Thep temple. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai and sits atop a mountain overlooking Chiang Mai. Unfortunately we had heavy cloud cover, so the views from the top were not the greatest. But the MKs were troopers and hiked up the 300+ stairs to the top and we were led on a tour of the temple by our guide named Par. Around 4pm we made the 300+ step back down the mountain and rode back to our hotel where we met under some trees to discuss our trip to the temple. Throughout the day the MKs asked some great questions about Buddhism and some shared from their varied experiences in other countries.
The Team again wandered out into the city to find dinner. Lyall had something special in mind and took us to a Thai open-air marketplace for dinner in order to saturate us in the culture. Each of us were give money to buy dinner and then we wandered from vendor to vendor finding what we wanted. Peter and LaNae went straight for the Thai food because they just can't seem to get enough (you won't see them at the Chiang Mai McDonalds with Lyall and Storm this weekend!). Kari, Kevin, and Lyall once again stayed true and went for the local cuisine - Lyall got extra fried shrimp and shared with the group, it was really good! Teresa, Kim, and Storm managed to find what seemed to be the one vendor selling something other than Thai food and jumped on it. All three got chicken pita sandwiches and two orders of fries. After some good food, relaxing conversation, and a quick discussion on tomorrow's timeline we headed out into the night market to take a look around.
What happened next will not be discussed on this forum. If you would like to know, you will just have to look at our pictures. Moving on...
The team spent some time together in the market and then we split up into groups, because, let's face it, some people on the team enjoy shopping more than others. So now it's 11pm and the entire team has made it back to the hotel. A few of us are writing emails, a few prepping for tomorrow, and I'm sure a few are out cold right now.
Tomorrow will most surely be another enjoyable day spent with the MKs. The morning will follow the normal routine up through lunch. After lunch we are heading down to a local orphanage here in Chiang Mai and spending some time with the kids at the orphanage. Tomorrow night will be basically an open-mike night for the MKs and their missionary parents to come down, hang out, and share their musical talents - the team is definitely looking forward to that!
Please pray:
that Catharine Coon's luggage arrives here soon.
for strength for Sandy, Marty, and the rest of the organizers here as they continue to do a great job!
that the Team would continue to be open to God's plan for them this week.
that the Team would remain in good health for the duration of the trip.
that the Lord would be glorified in all things this week!
Monday, March 3, 2008
monday in chiang mai
Three words to describe our first day with the MKs: Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!
For the Team the day started at 7am with breakfast, followed by a quick huddle to align our azimuths and get focused on the day. At 8ish we began meeting with MKs in the lobby of the hotel and taking them down to the Cave (this place is incredible, you have to see the pictures to understand how fun this place is). At around 8:30 and with the majority of the MKs in the Cave, we started our week with introductions and games to help us all learn each other's names. We also broke into groups based on their mission fields (Americas, Asia, and Europe) and played the m&m game to help everyone get to know other people from their mission field area. Kevin and Lauren (one of the older MKs) then led the group in worship and we broke down by age groups for the devotional time. Teresa led the game and devotional time for the younger MKs and Peter led the devotionals for the older MKs.
Through these He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:4
We came back together for snacks followed by some additional teaching, as well as some down time for the MKs to get to know each other. At noon we broke for lunch and released the kids back to their families...
Today's afternoon activity was the Amazing Race: Chiang Mai! After lunch we quickly broke the MKs down into four groups (Team Elephant, Team Monkey, Team Snake, and Team Dragon) and gave each group their first clue. After locating their drop off point on their map, the teams hopped in the back of their respective 'red trucks' and we convoyed down to the middle of Chiang Mai city. In teams of 8 the MKs navigated their way through the Old Chiang Mai City (the original city which is still partially protected by the wall and moat) using their map and clue sheets given to them by their 'Thailand Tourguides'. Some of clues included:
Find your way to the pagoda located in the middle of the city that was partially destroyed in the 1500s by an earthquake. How many elephant trunks are on the building? Take a picture of your team ringing the bells.
At the corner of Mun Muang Rd and Ratchamaka Rd exchange $12 into Thai currency. Cross the street to the local market and purchase enough elephant carvings for each member in the team. The team who gets the best deal will earn bonus points.
The MKs had a great time working together using their clues, their map, and their experiences in foreign countries to make their way around this new environment. In a little over two hours the first team made their link up at the rendezvous point having hit all the objectives - Team Elephant! Shortly thereafter the rest of the teams arrived and we hit up the local transportation (a mixture of different vehicles) for rides back to the hotel. Once at the hotel we met up at the hotel pool and spent a good hour listening to the words 'marco' and 'polo' being yelled out with such power that the news reported there were dogs in Cambodia barking back.
After swimming the Team walked up the street to another restaurant recommended by the local missionaries - The Duke. After sitting down and reading the menu we realized that the 'chef' was a local but had spent a good majority of his time in the Chicago area, so most of the food old fashioned american grub - pizzas, burgers, sandwiches and Teresa even ordered some bbq ribs!
After dinner we hosted movie night in the Cave for the MKs and then called it a night. It was a long day - for the MKs and for us, but we are so excited that the first day was a success... only by the grace of God are 8 'adults' from Peoria able to spend hours with 30+ MKs (ages ranging from 1.5 to 20) in the middle of Chiang Mai city with ZERO incidents. Praise God!
Tomorrow is a whole new day and we are already anticipating it! The morning will be similar to today, but in the afternoon we are taking the MKs to one of the largest, and oldest, Buddhist temples in Thailand. We expect great dialogue to come from this experience and look forward to some of the MKs sharing with us knowledge that they have acquired from their own countries on the subject.
Many people have asked about Catharine Coon - her travel has been unfortunately delayed, but she is hoping to make it in to Thailand Tuesday evening. Please pray that her flight will come through and that she will be able to spend some time with other missionaries here in Chiang Mai... the Thailand Team is definitely looking forward to meeting her!
155 pictures were uploaded tonight, so feel free to check them out!
For the Team the day started at 7am with breakfast, followed by a quick huddle to align our azimuths and get focused on the day. At 8ish we began meeting with MKs in the lobby of the hotel and taking them down to the Cave (this place is incredible, you have to see the pictures to understand how fun this place is). At around 8:30 and with the majority of the MKs in the Cave, we started our week with introductions and games to help us all learn each other's names. We also broke into groups based on their mission fields (Americas, Asia, and Europe) and played the m&m game to help everyone get to know other people from their mission field area. Kevin and Lauren (one of the older MKs) then led the group in worship and we broke down by age groups for the devotional time. Teresa led the game and devotional time for the younger MKs and Peter led the devotionals for the older MKs.
Through these He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:4
We came back together for snacks followed by some additional teaching, as well as some down time for the MKs to get to know each other. At noon we broke for lunch and released the kids back to their families...
Today's afternoon activity was the Amazing Race: Chiang Mai! After lunch we quickly broke the MKs down into four groups (Team Elephant, Team Monkey, Team Snake, and Team Dragon) and gave each group their first clue. After locating their drop off point on their map, the teams hopped in the back of their respective 'red trucks' and we convoyed down to the middle of Chiang Mai city. In teams of 8 the MKs navigated their way through the Old Chiang Mai City (the original city which is still partially protected by the wall and moat) using their map and clue sheets given to them by their 'Thailand Tourguides'. Some of clues included:
Find your way to the pagoda located in the middle of the city that was partially destroyed in the 1500s by an earthquake. How many elephant trunks are on the building? Take a picture of your team ringing the bells.
At the corner of Mun Muang Rd and Ratchamaka Rd exchange $12 into Thai currency. Cross the street to the local market and purchase enough elephant carvings for each member in the team. The team who gets the best deal will earn bonus points.
The MKs had a great time working together using their clues, their map, and their experiences in foreign countries to make their way around this new environment. In a little over two hours the first team made their link up at the rendezvous point having hit all the objectives - Team Elephant! Shortly thereafter the rest of the teams arrived and we hit up the local transportation (a mixture of different vehicles) for rides back to the hotel. Once at the hotel we met up at the hotel pool and spent a good hour listening to the words 'marco' and 'polo' being yelled out with such power that the news reported there were dogs in Cambodia barking back.
After swimming the Team walked up the street to another restaurant recommended by the local missionaries - The Duke. After sitting down and reading the menu we realized that the 'chef' was a local but had spent a good majority of his time in the Chicago area, so most of the food old fashioned american grub - pizzas, burgers, sandwiches and Teresa even ordered some bbq ribs!
After dinner we hosted movie night in the Cave for the MKs and then called it a night. It was a long day - for the MKs and for us, but we are so excited that the first day was a success... only by the grace of God are 8 'adults' from Peoria able to spend hours with 30+ MKs (ages ranging from 1.5 to 20) in the middle of Chiang Mai city with ZERO incidents. Praise God!
Tomorrow is a whole new day and we are already anticipating it! The morning will be similar to today, but in the afternoon we are taking the MKs to one of the largest, and oldest, Buddhist temples in Thailand. We expect great dialogue to come from this experience and look forward to some of the MKs sharing with us knowledge that they have acquired from their own countries on the subject.
Many people have asked about Catharine Coon - her travel has been unfortunately delayed, but she is hoping to make it in to Thailand Tuesday evening. Please pray that her flight will come through and that she will be able to spend some time with other missionaries here in Chiang Mai... the Thailand Team is definitely looking forward to meeting her!
155 pictures were uploaded tonight, so feel free to check them out!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
buses, scooters, and cars oh my!
As our Sunday closes out here in Chiang Mai we can't help but feel extremely excited and blessed to be here. Today was an awesome day of getting to meet most of the families that we will be working with and spending more time venturing out into the city. We are just so thankful to God for this incredible opportunity and pray that we are humbled and in tune with His will and calling for our lives this week.
After breakfast we spent time down in the lobby welcoming families and getting to know the missionaries. We were impressed by the maturity and eagerness of the kids and we are definitely excited to spend more time with them this week. We also met together as a team to go over the plan again for Monday. After the meeting and lunch we broke into groups - some continued to greet the families as they arrived, while others went into more detailed planning for Monday's adventure.
At 4pm we met up with some of the international missionaries, as well as some local missionaries, and headed out by 'red trucks' to church. We were invited to attend the Chiang Mai Community Church - a church in the middle of the city that caters to the english speaking international community. It was a unique experience and definitely a blessing. The Senior Pastor, Rupert Abbott, spoke on our need for healing. Heather Smith, a woman who has worked at the McCain Rehabilitation Center treating lepracy patients, shared two testimonies of God's hope, joy, and salvation for two individuals suffering from lepracy.
At the end of the service the congregation was each given three pieces of paper. On the orange paper we wrote down something in which we were thankful to God. On the green paper we confessed our sins to God. And on the white paper we wrote down hurts in which we were suffering. Each of us rose and took our pieces of paper to the front of the church. We placed our thanksgivings and confessions in baskets under the cross, and pinned our hurts to the cross. We then took communion and made our way back to our seats. It was a very moving and powerful symbol of the power of Christ in our lives.
One of the more memorable moments of the church service was when we were worshipping God in song. Some of the songs were not as familiar to us, but it seemed everyone knew Father in Heaven...
Father in heaven, how we love you
we lift your name in all the earth
May your kingdom be established in our praises
as your people declare your might works
And as we hit the chorus the whole congregation was standing and singing, many with their hands raised high...
Blessed be the Lord God Almighty
who was and is and is to come
Blessed be the Lord God Almighty
who reigns for evermore!
After church we headed back through the city towards our hotel. Along the way we stopped off at a hole-in-the-wall mexican restaurant that we would not have been able to find had a local missionary not recommended it. The sun had gone down, a light breeze had picked up, and we sat in an open aired restaurant reflecting on the day and sharing good fellowship.
The Team is asking for special prayer as we begin our week with the kids tomorrow:
After breakfast we spent time down in the lobby welcoming families and getting to know the missionaries. We were impressed by the maturity and eagerness of the kids and we are definitely excited to spend more time with them this week. We also met together as a team to go over the plan again for Monday. After the meeting and lunch we broke into groups - some continued to greet the families as they arrived, while others went into more detailed planning for Monday's adventure.
At 4pm we met up with some of the international missionaries, as well as some local missionaries, and headed out by 'red trucks' to church. We were invited to attend the Chiang Mai Community Church - a church in the middle of the city that caters to the english speaking international community. It was a unique experience and definitely a blessing. The Senior Pastor, Rupert Abbott, spoke on our need for healing. Heather Smith, a woman who has worked at the McCain Rehabilitation Center treating lepracy patients, shared two testimonies of God's hope, joy, and salvation for two individuals suffering from lepracy.
At the end of the service the congregation was each given three pieces of paper. On the orange paper we wrote down something in which we were thankful to God. On the green paper we confessed our sins to God. And on the white paper we wrote down hurts in which we were suffering. Each of us rose and took our pieces of paper to the front of the church. We placed our thanksgivings and confessions in baskets under the cross, and pinned our hurts to the cross. We then took communion and made our way back to our seats. It was a very moving and powerful symbol of the power of Christ in our lives.
One of the more memorable moments of the church service was when we were worshipping God in song. Some of the songs were not as familiar to us, but it seemed everyone knew Father in Heaven...
Father in heaven, how we love you
we lift your name in all the earth
May your kingdom be established in our praises
as your people declare your might works
And as we hit the chorus the whole congregation was standing and singing, many with their hands raised high...
Blessed be the Lord God Almighty
who was and is and is to come
Blessed be the Lord God Almighty
who reigns for evermore!
After church we headed back through the city towards our hotel. Along the way we stopped off at a hole-in-the-wall mexican restaurant that we would not have been able to find had a local missionary not recommended it. The sun had gone down, a light breeze had picked up, and we sat in an open aired restaurant reflecting on the day and sharing good fellowship.
The Team is asking for special prayer as we begin our week with the kids tomorrow:
- Renewed strength and energy after the jet lag and adjustment to the climate change - both for the leadership as well as the kids (some of whom are still arriving!)
- Safety for all as we travel around the city tomorrow on our adventure race
- Humbled spirits to be open to God's will for this week
Thanks again to all our pray partners and trip supporters who made this trip possible - please continue to pray for us and share your words of encouragement!
We have added new pictures, so check them out...
Saturday, March 1, 2008
the sun sets on day one
The sun has set on our first official full day in Thailand. It has been a very tiring, yet productive, day that has definitely increased our excitement level for this week. The Team awoke this morning and met for breakfast at 8am (7pm cst). After breakfast we met up with the SAM staff who showed us around the hotel compound to the different rooms and locations that we will be using this week. After our tour we had a Team meeting, followed by a walking tour of Chiang Mai which took up the better part of the afternoon and early evening. As we walked back to the hotel from the heart of the city, we stopped off at Sojo's and had dinner. As we ate many members of WV, including two of the kids we will be with this week, came into the restaurant and we were able to meet them early.
The accomodoations that WV has set up for us is far greater than we had expected. We will get into more detail on the setup later, but it is evident by the accomodations that our work here is a priority and not just an after-thought.
We will be eating breakfasts and lunches each day at the hotel. They are buffet-style meals with all types of different foods, but mostly a sampling of local cuisine. Breakfast today was fairly conventional, but lunch was more fun as people began trying new and different types of food - some with positive outcomes, others not so much. And at lunch we were serenaded by a karaoke-esque piano player who sampled some american classics, so really can't beat that.
We have begun uploading our pictures onto an alternate site which will allow us to upload more pictures and organize them better. The link is below...
http://picasaweb.google.com/thailandmissiontrip2008
It is the intent of the Team to update daily, however with the schedule we are not sure how feasible that is. With that being said, comments and words of encouragement will definitely motivate us to update more often. Also, ask any questions you might have and we will try to answer them!
Thanks to everyone for the continued prayer and support. We look forward to sharing with you all the amazing things God is doing here in Chiang Mai!
The accomodoations that WV has set up for us is far greater than we had expected. We will get into more detail on the setup later, but it is evident by the accomodations that our work here is a priority and not just an after-thought.
We will be eating breakfasts and lunches each day at the hotel. They are buffet-style meals with all types of different foods, but mostly a sampling of local cuisine. Breakfast today was fairly conventional, but lunch was more fun as people began trying new and different types of food - some with positive outcomes, others not so much. And at lunch we were serenaded by a karaoke-esque piano player who sampled some american classics, so really can't beat that.
We have begun uploading our pictures onto an alternate site which will allow us to upload more pictures and organize them better. The link is below...
http://picasaweb.google.com/thailandmissiontrip2008
It is the intent of the Team to update daily, however with the schedule we are not sure how feasible that is. With that being said, comments and words of encouragement will definitely motivate us to update more often. Also, ask any questions you might have and we will try to answer them!
Thanks to everyone for the continued prayer and support. We look forward to sharing with you all the amazing things God is doing here in Chiang Mai!
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