Looking Back, Looking Forward

We had a restful and relaxing time in Hua Hin. Today we lounged around, did some group devotions and reflecting on our time here, and spent a lot of time at the beach. We also went out for pizza and did some last souvenir shopping at the market there, plus ice cream, of course! (We love that Dave loves ice cream!)

It's about 3am here right now, and we plan to leave for the airport in about 45 minutes or so. Our flight leaves here at 6:50am Bangkok time (6:50pm Monday CDT). But before we left, we thought we'd compile two lists for you.

Things we'll miss about Thailand:
-the MTW team and especially Dave, Melanie, Keiow, Yu, Mary, Jan, Kirk, Go, Pat, Andrew and Becky, the college interns, and everyone else! (everyone!)
-the wide variety of fresh fruit (Miss Bush)
-the kids at Mahatthai and their smiles (everyone)
-mangosteens! (Megan)
-29 cent water bottles (Megan)
-food and smoothies at the market! (Janelle)
-the staff here, and smoothies (Katy)
-food (especially gaeng paneng) and Katy Veldhorst (Kristie)
-Milo and Go (Erica)
-shopping and the kids! (Elizabeth)
-Fern and Jane (Janaya)
-fruit (Sam)

Things we look forward to back in the States:
-A tall glass of cold milk, cheese, and a baseball game! (Miss Bush)
-dairy products! (Cara)
-relaxation! (Janelle)
-my family (Katy)
-family, grapes! (Megan)
-talking to my brother!! (Kristie)
-using my phone again (Erica)
-my bed (Elizabeth)
-my bed, really (Janaya)
-my bed and McDonalds (Sam)

(Can you tell this post is written when they should be sleeping?) :)

Thank you all so much for your support, encouragement and prayers. We definitely felt them over the past two weeks. Please pray for us as we spend nearly the next 24 hours traveling back to the States. Please pray for safe travel and more importantly, for the ability to figure out how the work that God has done in us in these two weeks translates into our lives there.

This is not the end of the blog! I have a few wrap-up posts that will be coming in the next few days, so please keep stopping by!

Thanks for your partnership in the Gospel!

Fun with the Mahathai Girls and Drawing to a Close

Last night we went to Mahathai to do a bit of a "spa" makeover type thing for the girls there. Wow, was that a lot of fun. We did many girls' hair, we painted many fingernails, and even got to do some of these same things for the mothers of the town. We made some beaded necklaces too. All of the boys we had been hanging out with all week wanted to know why they couldn't play with us too!

After we did all of these things, we met with the teenage girls - about 7-8 of them - and gave testimonies, shared about inner beauty, and of course, talked about boys (but about what is important to look for in a boy). Then we took them out for dinner and did karaoke with them. Both Thais and Americans love karaoke! We laughed, ate, and talked together. This morning, Keiow told us that it was clear that they were beginning to trust us more and many families were allowing their children to spend more time with their ministry's activities. We came home tired and hoarse, but we had a TON of fun.

Today has been a bittersweet day. We worshipped with the congregation at New Community. Again, it was incredible to be worshipping in two different languages. We shared a meal together, and then joined in the prayer time after church. Unfortunately, it was also time for us to say goodbye to many of the people we have come to know and love in the past two weeks. Right now we're packing up to head to the beach at Hua Hin for a debriefing retreat with Dave and Melanie.

Please pray for us as we figure out how what we have learned here fits into our lives at home. Please pray for safe travels for us. Please pray for the people here that we have come to know and love, and many of them are not Christians.

For those of you who are interested, but don't know yet, we'll be arriving back at Illiana hopefully about 4:30 on Tuesday, June 23. We'll make some phone calls too.

Campus and Coffee House

Yesterday was a slower-paced day for us here at New Community. We spent the morning talking with Dave and Melanie about the John Piper sermon "Doing Missions: When Dying is Gain." We went to campus in early afternoon to talk with groups of students and invite them to the coffee house put on by the summer interns at the office. The coffee house was a blast! We played group games, ate food, did kareoke, sang songs, and our group performed a dance to "I Am Free" by Jon Egan. The language barrier was a little difficult, but there were enough people who knew enough Thai and enough people who knew enough English that we could converse on some level. This morning we heard at devotions that some people from the coffeehouse and from English camp are planning to come to church tomorrow for the first time! "Kareoke was very fun," says Katy. "It was a fun way to share the Gospel and meet new people. It was a good time of fellowship with friends and people we didn't know," says Cara.

Erica lost at a game, so she had to sing the Fried Chicken Dance song with the rest of the losers :)

Singing "All in All," which many of the Thai knew as well

Performing our dance

This morning we had devotions with the JoyKids staff. They run a kids club at Mahathai 1 and 3 on Saturday mornings. (Mahathai is the name of the poorer neighborhoods. There are 5 of them, and New Community focuses on 1 and 3.) During the singing, we recognized a few of the tunes and were able to lift our voices with our Thai brothers and sisters in Christ. It was incredible to hear the mix of languages but yet know that we are praising the same God and seeking to know Him more. For me, it was one of the most moving moments of the trip.

We went to JoyKids and had a lot of fun hanging out with the kids that we saw at VBS all week. They were so excited to see us again that they were running down the street after the truck as it passed. We did a skit for them and they taught us the "som tom dance" - a dance about making papaya salad, which was hilarious. We also colored, which the kids LOVE. "It was a great way to wrap up our time at Mahathai," says Sam.

Pet loves to check out pictures of himself on the camera

Jane and Sam sing "Deep and Wide"

This afternoon, we are getting ready to go out to Mahathai one last time to take the girls there out for dinner and kareoke. We are going to do their hair, dress up, and talk about true beauty and their identity in Christ. Please pray for these girls as some of them are the only ones in their families who are Christian.

Last Day of VBS at Mahathai and Wat Po

Sam, Janaya, Katy, and me on the river taxi

Yesterday morning, Dave and Melanie took us on a cultural excursion to Wat Po, or the temple of the Reclining Buddha. It is 15 meters high and 46 meters long, completely covered in gold leaf and mother of pearl. Our tour guide there was very good, yet it was still hard to go to a place where people see this as their god. We also had fun getting there - a new city bus, the SkyTrain, and a river taxi.



Our tour guide describes the artwork on the walls

When we got back, we went back out to Mahathai. Katy Veldhorst, Kristie, Janaya, and Janelle worked on the murals some more, and then we rounded up the kids for one last day in the park.



Megan, Fa, and Katy V




Chasing a frog in the park




Another cultural phenomenon here is pop in a bag - we love it!



Cheerleading led by Sam and Erica

Our last night of VBS went really well. We told the story of Peter walking on water. Being there three nights in a row has really helped us to build a relationship with the kids. We'll be back for JoyKids (another kid's class) this weekend, so we'll see many of the same kids then.

It is Thai custom to take off your shoes before entering a house, so here are all the shoes outside the sala during VBS!



The whole VBS crew!



Cara and Elizabeth hand out candy at the end of the night


Today our focus shifts to the university. We'll spend some time on campus again, handing out flyers for the coffee house tonight. We'll play a little more badminton, and then go to the coffee house being held at the ministry center tonight.

Please continue to pray for us as we start to wrap things up around here. It's hard to believe that it's Friday already and we only really have about 3 more days left with these wonderful people. Please pray for our health as well as a few of us are dealing with colds and runny noses. Thank God with us for Dave and Jan, Melanie, Go, Keiow, Yu, Pawn, Mary, and the rest of the team that has made our stay so wonderful and Spirit-led.

100 smiles, 100 games, and 100 scoops of ice cream

Out for dinner on our day off

Pet, the son of one of the Christian women in Mahathai, gets a hug from Katy

Rounding up the kids in Mahathai to go to the park

Yesterday was pretty much the same as Tuesday. We learned about Buddhism from Yu in the morning, and then after lunch in the market, we went back to finish painting at the sala at Mahathai. Janaya and Katy Veldhorst painted a beautiful tree mural on one of the rooms of the sala, and some of the local girls are very excited about being able to paint much of the rest of the room. We played volleyball, taught cheerleading, and did some more running around in the park with the small children. VBS went very well again last night, telling the story of Jonah.

Cheerleading in the park

They love duck, duck goose!

Telling stories at VBS

When we finished with all of these things, Dave took us to the ice cream buffet, which is a place where for 70 baht (about $2), you can eat as much ice cream as possible in 30 minutes. Kirk, one of the other summer short-termers here, holds the record for the most eaten - 15 scoops. A few of our girls tried to beat it. Most hit about 9, but Janelle beat him with 16 scoops - and she didn't even feel sick afterward! When we added them all up on the way out the door, we had eaten a grand total of exactly 100 scoops of ice cream!


Elizabeth and Erica on scoops 7, 8, and 9. Milo, a chocolate milk flavor, seemed to be one of the favorites


Janelle finishes scoop 16

All of us, holding up the number of fingers of scoops of ice cream we ate and we're joined by the ice cream store staff - I don't think they knew what to do with us!

A Week at Mahathai

Monday we had our Sabbath day. Dave took us downtown to the most expensive mall in Bangkok for a little lunch (Dairy Queen and Auntie Anne's pretzels was involved for most of us). We went over to another mall and did some shopping and saw Up, the new Disney-Pixar flick. Dave wanted us to have the experience of a Thai movie - they have a video montage at the beginning of the movie with the king's anthem and everyone stands to listen to the anthem and pay respect to the king. We did some serious shopping - most of these girls like to shop, as you probably know! We went for a massage, an Italian dinner, and then to the Night Bazaar. It's a completely overwhelming place with all kinds of things, and did some more shopping there. We did a lot of bartering, which was fun too. Some of the girls were pretty impressed with the deals they got.

Yesterday was a very busy day. We learned more Thai and how the Gospel applies to mercy ministry differently than to Western culture. Then we prepared for VBS at Mahathai - the poor community near New Community ministry center. We spent the (very warm) afternoon painting the sala (room/small building). When the kids started coming home from school (about 4pm) we rounded up a bunch of all ages to go to the park for volleyball, cheerleading, and just playing. Some of these kids have boundless energy! We fed all of the kids in the park and then brought them back to the sala at Mahathai for VBS. "It was tiring, but satisfying," says Katy. They had a lot of fun running after the kids and getting hugs from them. We told the story of Noah and did a craft with them. They also love candy!

Please continue to pray for us as the Spirit works in us. In the park, people will walk up to us and just start speaking with us because we are Americans and they want to practice their English. I (Kristin) had a 20 minute conversation yesterday with a woman walking through the park about her family, both of our faiths, her job, and life in general. She may be coming back today to talk with us again. Please continue to pray for our health and strength and energy level as the kids here need a lot of energy and a lot of love.

Thanks so much for your partnership in the Gospel!

p.s. Sorry no pictures today....just not enough time. More soon!

English Camp! (and a few pictures from before)

Cara and Elizabeth help a Thai university student with her English homework.

Learning about the handicraft ministry and the women who work there.

Last night we got back from English camp about 9pm. We spent two days at a resort in the tropical rainforest on the River Kwai (yes, the same famous one with the bridge from World War II - but we were farther down the river). We left early Saturday morning - early by Thai standards. Most things around here don't really get going until around 11am or noon (this is my kind of place!), but we left at 7:30. We arrived in time for lunch and a group building ropes course to bond with our color teams. We taught several different classes. Megan and Janelle taught the older kids - 11-14 year olds. "It was really fun and it was very interesting to see how much the kids knew English already - they could talk to us pretty well. They're always so happy and smiling. We taught time and storytelling, and did a nature walk with them to make a poster," said Megan. "We played a lot of games like red light, green light and duck, duck, goose. We played a lot of card games too with the Thai people and that was fun."

Elizabeth and Janaya teach about phone conversations.

Other people led classes on things like counting, introducing yourselves, telephone conversations, ordering in a restaurant, music, movies, acting, and US slang and idioms. We taught a lot of English, but also had a lot of conversations and laughed a lot. The resort was gorgeous - a lot of flowers, a beautiful swimming pool, a wonderful river walk.

A few girls got the chance to room with some Thai students. "It was a good experience. It was interesting to see the difference between American and Thai culture when we were staying with them," says Sam.

Many of the people here ask us why we are here. We explain to them that we are here to teach English and to tell them about Jesus, and they smile and nod. But they don't seem to truly understand why we would travel this great distance to tell them about these things. Please pray that we have planted seeds here that the Holy Spirit will continue to grow through the ministry of Dave's team.

Today is our Sabbath day. We're headed to downtown Bangkok for shopping, massages, eating, and a little sightseeing before a busy week working at the mercy ministry at Mahathai with VBS, volleyball, cheerleading and about a million other things. Please continue to pray for our health and strength and for our ministry here. We're doing very well and we love you all!

Everyone at English camp! Can you find us??

Sabaay dii mai kha? (How are you?)

If you walk into the second floor of the New Community Ministry Center between 10-11am, you'll hear many phrases:

"Sabaay dii mai kha?" (How are you?)
"Sabaay dii kha." (I am fine.)
"Yindii thii daay ruh cak kha." (Nice to meet you.)

This last phrase is one that we tried to use a couple of days ago, but couldn't remember when we were playing badminton with some of the Thai students at the university across the street. Everyone got into the act, but Elizabeth and Erica have been our most avid badminton players and are the only ones who have actually won a match (even though Miss Bush is pretty sure the guys let them win). Erica says: "Our new favorite phrase is 'jud hai' (bring it on! or challenge!). It's the hottest thing to do around here because it's in a building with zero airconditioning. We met these three guys and now we see them every day. They're our friends." The rules seem to change with every game we play, but we don't mind - we just enjoy having fun.

Last night we ate dinner at Dave and Jan's house. We took a bus and then motorcycles to get there, which for some has been the highlight of the trip! We had a little "Western" food, played a little Catchphrase, and then headed back...by motorcycle and again by bus! (There are no pictures because I was hanging on for dear life.) "It was totally wicked!" says Katy. "It's been something I've been wishing to do since I came to Thailand," says Elizabeth.



Today we visited the handicraft ministry shop. This is run by a few of the team members and employs 5 local women - 2 full-time and 3 part-time - in making beautiful handbags. The girls were mostly excited to have a place to go shopping, but it was also wonderful to hear the testimonies of the women who work there and also share our own. The handbags they make are beautiful. We'll be able to model some when we get home!

We have finished preparing for English camp, and we leave early tomorrow morning, so this is probably our last update until Monday. We're going about 2 hours away into the mountains to a resort there. Please pray for us as we will be coming into contact with many non-Christians. Pray that the Spirit will give us the words to speak as we have conversations with these people that they may be seasoned with salt and full of the grace of Christ.

Right now we're headed back to campus to go play badminton for awhile, and then we'll have dinner and go to the night market.

Thanks again for your encouragement and comments! God is good!

p.s. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, I am unable to post any pictures today, but I'll catch you up when we get back from English camp. Have a great weekend!

Sharing testimonies and prepping for English camp!

Last night we went to the Mahathai mercy ministry and had a prayer time there. We walked through the streets and got kids to come pray with us. Dave introduced us to a lot of people. We prayed and sang in Thai (Dave translated for us). They sang "Come, Now is the Time to Worship" in Thai, and it was great to see and hear the family of God from around the world.

Sam shared her testimony with the people there. "I thought it was cool the way they paid attention when I shared my story, even though they didn't really understand what I was saying. When they were praying for me in Thai, it was really an encouragement because even though I didn't know what they were saying, I knew that they were praying for me because I kept hearing my name. It was amazing to see how people who have way less than me they still cared and were still willing to pray for me and for my faith. I could really see that their hearts were on fire for God."

Today we have been preparing for English camp. We'll all be teaching classes there - some of us to children, and some of us to adults. We're preparing lessons on numbers, telling time, ordering in a restaurant, telephone conversations, travel, and even slang and idioms.

Dave checks in on Megan, Kristie, Erica, and Janelle making clocks.

Erica, Kristie, and Katy try out the memory game they made.

Elizabeth and Janaya making food bingo cards.

Sam stops to smell the...crayons?!?

Thailand by the numbers...so far

Leaving for the airport
It's now Wednesday afternoon. We spent the morning meeting some of the team, learning some Thai, and experiencing the world around New Community ministry center here. We went on a prayer walk with Dave, who introduced us to the university, the market, Mahathai 3 (slum community) and other places too, including 7-Eleven. :)

Thailand by the numbers:

Number of pieces of checked luggage: 16
Number of pieces of luggage lost: 0!
Days since we left: 1.5? 3? We don't know.
Hours in an airplane: 22 (too many)
Temperature on the plane when we got on in Chicago: 85
Hours waited for airconditioning to be fixed: 1.5
Airplane meals served: 4
Airplane meals eaten: 3
Airplane movies watched: 6 (7 if you count the elephant show that Elizabeth watched)
Airplane movies slept through by Sam: 5
Keychains purchased in the Tokyo airport: 7
Other mission teams to Bangkok we met in the Tokyo airport: 2
Temperature at 10:30pm arrival: 90 degrees farenheit
Number of vehicles it took to get us to our accomodations: 2
Cups of drinks spilled during breakfast/devotions: 1 pitcher, 3 cups, 2 by Elizabeth
Number of Thai words learned: 22
Number of Thai words forgotten: 21
Number of bottles of water bought already: 30
Number of students in the university classroom we saw: about 450
Number of times Elizabeth has said "sawadiikha" (hello) to strangers on the street: 1200 (approximately)
Gallons of sweat: 30
Number of mopeds: 500
Number of times we almost got ran over by mopeds: 2
Number of new fruits tried: 4
Number of new fruits liked: 3.5 (undecided on one of them)
Number of times Cara has been called Dana: 5
Adventures to come: too many to count!



Yu teaches us to introduce ourselves in Thai

Lunch in the market where Dave, Melanie, and their team often eat lunch
Trying out a new fruit...mango...something

We're really starting to get a sense of what our work will be like here. Soon we're headed over to the university campus to play badminton and other things. Tomorrow we'll start preparations for English camp this weekend.

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement!

We're here!

We arrived in Bangkok about 11pm Tuesday evening. Our flight out of Chicago was delayed by about an hour and a half while they fixed the airconditioning in coach (which we were very thankful for!), but we still made it to Tokyo on time. We had mostly smooth flights, although we flew through/around some storms that created some turbulence taking off and landing. After a couple hours in Tokyo (mostly spent checking out the shops or waiting in line for security), we got on the 2nd leg - a mere 6 hours to Bangkok. All of our luggage came through and we made it through immigration with out a hitch. Dave and Melanie met us at the airport and brought us to the homes we will be staying at. It is very hot and humid here - think Chicago before it rains in the middle of July. This morning we are at the office and will get oriented to our surroundings and get going on planning for our ministry while we're here. Everyone is great, although some of us aren't quite sure what day or what time it is. Thanks for your prayers for safe travel! God is good!

One more week!

Welcome to the Thailand team's website! We are going to use this blog to keep you updated in words and in pictures on what we're doing (almost) daily while we are gone.

In a little less than one week, we take off for Bangkok, Thailand for 15 days. We'll meet Dave and Jan Veldhorst and the rest of their team, who will guide us through the ministry that we are going to participate in in Bangkok. While we are there, we will be doing English camp, teaching English classes, running volleyball and cheer clinics, doing VBS, helping out with some teen girls' nights, and working with the poor of Bangkok as well.

We invite you to join in praying with and for us as we embark on this adventure. Here are some things that you can pray for:

• give thanks for the opportunity that God has given us to serve and spread his Gospel
• give thanks that we were able to raise our full financial support
• give thanks that enough people have signed up for English camp!
  

Pray for:

• safe travel, on-time flights, and luggage that arrives when we do, and safe travel while in Thailand as well
  
• health
• the Spirit will prepare our hearts and the hearts of those that we will encounter
• political stability for Thailand
• the work that we do will be a continuation of the work that Dave and his team are doing
• our eyes will be opened to God's work around the world and how we are his instruments in that work

Thanks for your support! Check back next week for more updates.