THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Beloved,

Your team returned home on this Lord’s day.  Thank you for coming to the airport to greet us.  Although the Hawaii members departed Korea 4 hours after the California members, they arrived in Honolulu 2 hours earlier.  As we said our farewells in Seoul, it was evident that we will miss serving as a team and will remember our time together and pray for one another.   An awesome team.  An awesome God.

While in Thailand, we were challenged by Bryce to draft personal vision statements that we will use to help us in pursuing the Holiness of God in our lives.  Here is a sampling of those statements that will direct our paths in the coming year.

- Know My will

- Love God and one another

- To attain uncompromising, intangible excellence

- Do as He would do

- To love as He loves

- Jesus’ greatest hope for me is to be faithful to the end

- Take part to make a difference

- Love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind and strength

- New life in Christ

- Please God

- Love like God does

- To live for Christ’s Kingdom more than man’s opinion

- Live in My love

- Jesus and love in my (every) heart

So our short term missions trip to Thailand comes to an end.  But we covet your on-going prayers as we continue to apply what we have learned in Thailand.  Bless you for your faithful prayers on our behalf.  And may you know His great love for you and may you continue to demonstrate it to others in a very special and tangible way.  Thank you for being a vital part of our team.

To God be the glory, now and forevermore,

Your Thailand Missions Team  

FAREWELL AND REMEMBRANCES

Beloved,

It’s Sunday morning and we’re sitting in the Seoul airport waiting for our flights home.  We have long layovers – 8 hours for California and a whopping 12 hours for Hawaii.  But don’t feel sorry for us.  While we’re anxious to get home, we are still warm in the faithful blessings that God has laid on us here in Thailand.   These blessings were capped with a wonderful farewell to the children, students and staff at ZOE last night.  Their demonstrated love for us fills our hearts.  Our cups overflow.

 Saturday was a full day for us.  Breakfast at 6:00am, off to ZOE at 6:30 for a debrief meeting for the team.  In this debrief, we were asked to complete a questionnaire on our expectations and impact of our mission trip to help ZOE plan for future trips.  There were 9 questions and after several hours, we were still discussing question number 2.  This is just an example of how rich the time was for all of us.  We give all thanks to God.

We then gathered the children and students together and JoAnn led a lesson on the subject of gravity.  She did it through the building and use of paper helicopters and gliders.  It was such a joy to see the kids using their imagination in altering the construction of the gliders and chasing them on the large front lawn of ZOE.  Bryce followed with games and relay races.  The kids are very competitive, but show good sportsmanship in winning or losing.  Their reward was candy!  Great job, JoAnn and Bryce.

The weather was still cloudy with on and off showers.  But it was very comfortable with a slight breeze blowing through the campus.  The weather could not have been better.  Thank you for your prayers.

We spent most of the afternoon preparing for a BBQ dinner which we were hosting for the ZOE family in the evening.  We skewered a bunch of pork sticks and received a lot of help from the older kids and Bible students.   It was good to see the laughter and interaction between the team members and the kids.  We had enough time to get back to the hotel and finish our packing.  Then it was back to ZOE for the dinner and our farewells.

The dinner was well run with about 20 mats laid out with a little hibachi in the middle.  The team members were assigned to meet with at least 4 groups of 7 of the ZOE family.  When the bell rang, the team member moved to the next mat.  It was great fun getting to meet so many of the family in the short time that we had with them.  Our team served them, and ‘tried’ to clean up.  I say ‘tried’ because the families would not allow us to clean up their mess.  Such humble people.  They  really do live out their humility.   

We then retired to the worship room for a short program.  It was so good.  Alli and Brooke led the new hula troop from ZOE.  The girls had practiced hard and they really did a great job under the watchful hands of their instructors.  The applause and whistling brought the roof down.  Marvin then led his Kazoo band of 4 kids.  They got off to a very slow start, but through Marvin’s perseverance, we were able to recognize that familiar tune of “Jesus loves me”.   Well done, Kazoo’ers!  And lastly, a small size chicken entered the room (Bryce really looked and walked like a chicken, especially in his leotards). He got everyone to tie a chicken beak to their faces.  It was “Chicken Dance” time.  By the time Bryce got through with us, he had everyone (including the macho young men) jumping around like chickens.  This time, the entire house came down and they wouldn’t let Chicken Little get off the stage.  You missed your calling, Bryce. 

In closing the program, several young students, Ann and Chai, thanked the team for coming and for providing great blessings on to them.  Stan spoke for the team, and thanked the ZOE family for showing us how to pray, how to worship and how to love.  And he corrected Ann and Chai by telling the family that it was our team who truly received the blessings of God through them.  Stan assured them that we would pray for them and asked them to pray for us.  We praised God for His blessing on us. 

And then came the difficult part – saying good bye to everyone.  Lots of hugs and teary eyes.  It was so joyful.  We could feel the genuine love that flowed to us.  We will thank our God every time we think of them.

Our flight for Seoul left Chiang Mai at 11:50pm.  And as we waved good bye to Greg, Jessica, Ming, Lee, and Lay, our hearts were filled with gratitude for God meeting us in Thailand.  And we remembered again, all of you who have supported us.  Thank you.  We love you.  We praise God for you.

“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you because of your sharing in the Gospel from the first day until now”  Amen.            James 1:3-5.                         

And we will praise Him,

Your Thailand Missions Team.       

WINDING DOWN AND REFLECTIONS

Beloved,

It’s Friday evening and it’s raining again.  But it’s a light rain and the temperatures have been very moderate (78-80 degrees) over the past week. Thank you for your prayers. 

It’s 9:40pm and we just returned from ZOE after a wonderful and meaningful worship service with the ZOE family.  If you talk to anyone who has been on a short term mission trip with ZOE to Thailand, they will have reflections of an active, spirit filled service that taught them what worship was all about.  We are learning just as they did.

Your team slept in this morning.  We had a leisurely breakfast and met Carol at ZOE in the mid-morning for our team’s devotional.  Carol challenged us to focus on making our lives count right now by deliberately deciding to be devoted to God.  She reminded us that when we die, we leave behind all we have, and take with us all we are.  So are we living for God or are we living for self?  We were created to live for our creator.  Amen!

After lunch, we spent time with the Bible students and helped them with their English.  Stephen and Alli taught the beginners and as it turned out, Kalei was the only one that didn’t understand the class instructions.   The students were eager to learn and worked very hard on their skills.  The intermediate group was taught by JoAnn and Greg and they were rewarded with “dessert” pizzas after using English to name the pizza ingredients and follow the recipe.  Pretty clever.  Debbie used Bryce and Marvin and helped the advanced students use observation and storytelling  to improve on their presentation skills.    This was a fun time and their actions confirmed their commitment to use their God given talents to make a difference in the world.

We ended the day at ZOE by teaching the elective classes to the adult staff and students.  Last Saturday, these classes were taught to the children and students under 18 years of age.  Here’s a summary of what happened:

-          Karate:  Stan retired to pizza making while Kerry continued to impress his students with his power.  His class was at capacity.

-          Basket Weaving:  One of Kristen’s students appeared to be making a wig instead of a basket.  In the end, he tried to wear his basket on his head.  Pretty funny.

-          Computers:  Debbie did the impossible by teaching Microsoft Excel in one hour.

-          Pizza Making:  Everyone enjoyed Lauren’s pizza class and the pizza makers ate all of their profits.

-          Photograph:  Ron’s large class walked away knowing all the perks in buying a new camera. 

-          Hula:  Alli’s hula girls brought tears to Cissy’s eyes (full time missionary from Hawaii) as she reflected on the joys of growing up in Hawaii.

Bryce needed a second class to help the ZOE leadership and staff with establishing a vision statement and implementing action items to get them there. 

We have a full day tomorrow (Saturday) with our vans leaving for ZOE at 6:30am.  We’ll be having a fun day and BBQ with the ZOE family.  Saying good bye tomorrow night will be hard as we have gotten attached to the children, students and staff of ZOE.  So we need to prepare ourselves.  But after our good byes, we’ll take the 1 hour drive to the airport.  Our flight leaves Chiang Mai for Seoul at 11:50pm.

During the long flights home, we will have time to reflect on our time in Thailand - reflections of our experiences, of our joys, our work, our fun, our tears, and our God.  But most of all, we’ll reflect on you and your faithfulness to us in prayer.  Thank you, Beloved.  We look forward to seeing all of you and sharing the joy of our trip.

Our Love,

Your Thailand Missions Team.       

A FIRST KISS, DREAMS AND LOVE

Beloved,

It’s Thursday and we have a day off to add joy to the enjoyment that we already share with one another.  The team went to meet the elephants, did some last minute shopping and took in some customs and traditions of the Thai culture. 

We forgot to mention yesterday that Dr. Marvin bought some Durian fruit for the team to taste.  For those of you who are not aware of this fruit, in a prior team that was sent to Thailand from the Holiness Conference, Tommy P. snuck some Durian into the hotel, and due to the distasteful smell of the fruit (it really stunk up the place), the team was almost thrown out of the hotel.  So with such a reputation of this unusual fruit, most of the team gave it a taste while Alli ran away from it.  Durian even looks scary – like a porcupine ready to devour you.  The vote was mixed.  I think most of us wanted it to taste good, but…….  Try it, you’ll like it.

The rain stopped, but the sky was full of dark clouds.  So we thought it might rain, but then it might not.  Then we concluded that it should be OK, but we’ll take our umbrellas anyway.  And……… oh, what the heck, we just decided to go out and enjoy ourselves in the….whatever.   And we did.

Our first stop was the Elephant Camp which was about 50 minutes from our hotel.  These elephants and their trainers are quite amazing.  The elephants played soccer and scored goals, popped balloons with darts, and painted better than any other elephant we’ve seen….. well, since we haven’t seen any, at least better than Stephen or Bryce.  Riley volunteered to challenge one of the elephants at darts and drew loud boos from the crowd (aka our team) as he annihilated the poor pachyderm.  For goodness sakes, Riley, pick on someone your own size!

Then it came – that first kiss in Thailand.  One of the elephants placed a smack-a-roo right on the check (or should we say face due to the size of his nose) of Alli!  Sorry, Jason, we weren’t quick enough to stop that.  Alli loved it, snot and all.  Lots of laughs and fun.

The elephant ride was a little intimating to some of our team members.  There was mud all over the place.  I guess the one thing that caused some in trepidation in their hearts was when we waved and said “good bye” as they left the loading dock.  More hilarious fun.  Kristen just loved the slipping and sliding  ride and was all smiles when she returned with her Mom who was just glad to get back.  You could see it clearly written on both their faces.

The team enjoyed a great lunch and it was off to do some last minute shopping.  I don’t think the team knows what “last minute” shopping means.  One should not be buying more in the last minute than was previously bought.  But be proud of your team as they put up their own money to buy toiletry items for the Bible students who have so little and have done so much for us while we’ve been here.

It’s 10:00pm and we just returned from a dinner/show which gave us a taste of the customs and traditions of the Thai culture.  Brooke almost dislocated her hand trying to over bend her fingers to simulate the hands of the Thai dancers.  When it came time for the crowd to participate and perform with the dancers, Riley was up and dancing before he was even asked.  It must have been that pineapple blend drink.  And Ron, Allie and Brooke were quickly on (or should we say, “pulled to) the floor to join Riley.  We liked the hula much better, but Riley came in a close second. 

The ride home was very quiet.  We were all fast asleep as the van whisked us home through the very dark roads in the remote areas outside of Chaing Mai.  Even fun gets one tired.  Our dreams were of you, our beloved friends and supporters.  

Even though we say “thank you” over and over again, words cannot truly express what you have meant to us.  Your prayers sustain us.  Your love encourages us.  Our thoughts of you bring smiles of joy to our hearts.  Thank you, dear ones.  We pray that you will also sleep well and have dreams of His goodness and lovingkindness to us all.

“And now faith, hope and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love”  Amen.                         1 Corinthians 13:13

And we will praise Him,

Your Thailand Missions Team.       

OPEN HEARTS, FAITHFUL GOD

Beloved Supports and Partners,

Wednesday:

It’s still raining.  Not sure why we thought it wouldn’t be raining, but our guess is that the weather men out here have more credibility.  By the way, it is the monsoon season here in South East Asia.

Riley was up and around this morning.  Well, at least he was able to stand up and smile a little.  He remarked that it sure wasn’t fun being sick in Thailand.  Our response was that it’s no fun being sick anywhere.  We missed his engaging and jovial spirit.  But he’s back!!  Thank you, Lord, for your protective hand over our team.

We’re into our normal routine – 6:00 am and we’re eating again.  Our team devotions started at 7:00 and they were so good.  The songs that Kalei led reminded us of why we are here in Thailand and of the joy we have in serving our God of everlasting love.  Bryce shared a homily and challenged each of us to reflect on what God has called us to be, His hope for us, our personal vision statement of who we are.  The team committed to complete this challenge before we depart from Thailand as one way to encourage one another.  We need to strike while the iron is hot!  We ended our time with prayers given up in an edifying style that we learned from our ZOE family.  Prayers lifted in a clear and audible outcry to God.  We prayed for the outreach programs set for the day, and rested in His faithfulness to respond.  We are blessed.

We were off to a public middle school about 45 minutes away.  There were 140 students waiting for us.  This time, we did not have the talents of the Bible students who were in their classes at ZOE.  But we did have Alli, Brooke, Kalei, Isa, Kerry, JoAnn, Greg and some of the ZOE staff and everything in the 2 hour program was done without a hitch.  Beloved, you should be proud of your team and how each member performed so faithfully.  

The rain has stopped and the sun is trying to break through.  Maybe those weather men aren’t that good after all.

Later in the afternoon, we visited a children’s home which was home to 50 children.  This home is Christian run and there were several things that immediately caught our eye.  This home was poor.  The children did have bunk beds to sleep on, but outside of 2 aged buildings that housed the boys in one and the girls in the other, both in crowded quarters, there was very little else that we could see.  But the children had a depth of joy in their eyes that was very evident.  Their polite and courteous behavior did not reflect their poor living standards.  They were cheery and loving.  It was such a joy to be with them.  When we departed and said good bye to smiling eyes that were the windows to their precious hearts, we could only give thanks to God for ‘saving’ these children from a life that we cannot even comprehend.  Thank you, Jesus, for your sacrifice for these little ones.

OK, it’s raining again.  Oh, it’s really raining again. 

It warms our hearts to be together in ministry.  We have already shared much and there is great joy in serving together.  We’re having fun, too.  It is so evident to us that God put our team together.  He set a divine appointment for each of us to be here in Thailand right this minute.  So we give thanks to Him, and we give thanks to you, our partners in ministry.  We love you, and give thanks to God for you.  We pray that He will bless you richly in all that you do.

“The Lord bless you and keep you.  The Lord make His face to shine on you, and be gracious unto you.  The Lord lift up His countenance to you, and give you peace this day, and forevermore.”  Amen.   Numbers 6:26

And we will praise Him,

Your Thailand Missions Team.       

ZOE'S VISION AND THE TEAM

Beloved Supports and Partners,

Tuesday:

It’s raining right now.  It’s been raining since we returned from the Hill Tribes yesterday afternoon and it is expected to rain for the next 5 days.  The steady rain seems so natural as we gaze into the lush green forest that surrounds our hotel.  It is quite beautiful and calming.

Well, all of that good eating and dining caught up with some of the team members.  Early this morning, Riley was down with an upset stomach and some flu symptoms and had multiple visits to the bathroom.  Thank goodness he could sit on this pottie.  But he still doesn’t regret putting that extra dose of spicy, hot sauce on his dinner last night.  He was the center of our prayers this morning, and it is so good to have a doctor in the house.  As Riley’s guardian, Stan stayed back at the hotel with him.  They were very disappointed that they would miss the work projects at ZOE, but showed a sly sense of glee as they sent their teammates on their way.

Our dear Kristen ate something that didn’t agree with her while we were at the village and was out for the morning, but she rebounded very quickly.   Greg was “running” all around the village and somehow survived.  At the ZOE prayer meeting last night, Stephen concentrated on a single prayer for himself to cover similar symptoms.  But they are well and your prayers were answered even before they were uttered.  God is so good. Thank you.

Anyway, breakfast was served at 6:00am this morning, and the team met for devotions at 7:00.   Kalei led us in worship and the good doctor provided encouragements to us.  Marvin related two personal stories from his life that provided great lessons for what he is experiencing on this trip.  One lesson was that when you give of your time and resources, it is always the giver, rather than the receiver, who is truly blessed.  Amen!  And secondly, when you think that you’ve fallen short of what you feel you are expected to deliver, God always finds an unexpected way to show you how your actions worked for good.  Amen, again!  His homily and text came from Luke 21:1-4, the story of the Widow’s mite, and how God used an ordinary person to do extraordinary things under His wings.  Our friend and doctor encouraged all of us. 

The team was off to ZOE (minus Riley and Stan) to complete some work projects.  Prior to starting the projects, Carol reviewed the long range plans and vision of ZOE with the team.  When one looks at all of the minute details of the plans, it is amazing to see how God has caused Mike and Carol and the staff to consider every possible need for the future.  An example is the building of space to accommodate “elder orphans” – those seniors who have nowhere to live or go and will be used to teach the young ones about the traditions and values of the past.   There is just no better way to describe this than just “amazing”.   With God, nothing is impossible.

The work projects included painting two and a half rooms and organizing the myriad of teaching materials that have accumulated at ZOE.  The sense was that the paint that was used would not be legal in America - pretty tough stuff.  But everyone survived and the rooms looked great.  The team is still working on the teaching materials, but it will get done.

Bryce was requested by ZOE to conduct a seminar on leadership with the missionaries and Thai leaders.   Carol was very thankful for Bryce sharing his talents and skills to help make ZOE a more productive and efficient organization.  Bryce was certainly in his element and enjoyed every minute of it.

Wow, the rain is really coming down in buckets right now.  No thunder and lightning……yet.

 

Today, during our devotions and after dinner, the team members shared about why they came to Thailand and what they expected to learn from God on this trip.   The sharing was rich and transparent and it enhanced the relationships that have been built and the bonding that has been solidified thus far on this trip.  So, we have learned from each other.  We have learned through the children we served.  We have learned through the work we shared.  We have learned through your faithful prayers for our team.  And we will continue to learn about the love and Grace of our loving and faithful God and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Thank you, Beloved, for teaching us.

We will be up early, again, tomorrow with devotions starting at 7:00am after breakfast.  We look forward to reaching out to another Buddhist school and a children’s orphanage tomorrow.  Send your light before us, O Lord, and open the hearts of those who seek You.

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus.”  Romans 15:5.

And we will praise Him,

Your Thailand Missions Team.      

THE HILL TRIBE VILLAGE AND PRAYER

Beloved,

It’s Monday evening and your team returned from the Hill Tribe Village earlier in the afternoon after being away for 2 days.  We settled into a simple, remote and beautiful hotel which is just 10 minutes from the ZOE home.  It’s hard to believe how the internet has become such an essential part of our lives.   On second thought, maybe it’s not that hard.  But we are thankful that we are able to communicate with and encourage you with all that the Lord has done through your team.

It was just yesterday (Sunday) morning that the team checked out of the hotel and was in the lobby with their bags at 6:00am.  After breakfast, we met Mike for the morning devotional.  Mike shared about the Bible students and the mission that we all have in sharing the good news of Jesus.  One of the passages that he shared with us was from Matthew 11:1 which says, “When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities”.   Mike’s teaching brought new meaning to the faithfulness of God.  The scriptures tell us that while we are here in Thailand serving, God is with all of you, who have sent us, and is ministering to you.  We were blessed to know of His care for all of you as we are allowed to serve.  Thank you, Jesus.

This time, we left in 4 wheel drive vehicles for a 3 hour ride to the hill tribe village.  We made a stop to join the Bible students and had a sweet time of prayer together.  At this point of our trip, it was time for a ‘prank’ to be played on one of our team members, and Hawaii finally did it to our innocent and gullible Riley.  In net, Riley’s lunch bag was short sandwiches and snacks which were taken by Stephen and Kalei.  Riley sadly (he was really hungry!) thought that his lunch was just packed incorrectly until the sandwiches magically appeared in the midst of great hysteria. 

We arrived at the village before noon and were sent out in teams of 4 to visit the homes of people who did not know Christ.  There are about 400 residents in the village and approximate 40% of them are Christian.  While this is a staggering percent for any village, the persecution of the church and its pastor by the non-believers is very strong.  Some of the team had a chance to sit with Pastor Somchai as he shared of the attacks on him and his members.  It was difficult for us to fully comprehend them.  Our time of prayer with him was so good.  During our visits with the residents, the Lord used Stephen to lead 2 of the residents to Christ.  Great is Thy faithfulness.

OK, we know you want to hear about our adventures with the ‘squattie potties’.  Well Brooke was the first ‘newbie’ to use one at a break station enroute to the hills and she came out smiling.  Debbie couldn’t wait to use one (and if you believe this, you’re from Mars) and we’re hoping that she snuck in to use one during the wee hours of the night.  Did you, Debbie?  Riley was using one with the pottie door wide open and cameras flashing, but we quickly realized that he was only practicing.  Thanks for your prayers.   We didn’t lose anyone.

After dinner, we were off to do our 2 hour outreach program with the villagers.  We met in a school classroom and there were about 25 children and 35 adults present.  Pi Det and Go did a wonderful job engaging the kids with the rest of us joining in.  The program was filled with singing, testimonies, dramas, prayer and altar calls.  The team sang, signed and danced its song, “Holy is the Lord”.  Alli and Brook did a special hula accompanied by Isa and Kalei.  They did a great job.   Kalei shared his personal testimony that encouraged everyone.  By the time the night was over, the crowd had dwindled down to several kids and adults.  But it didn’t matter.  Everyone continued to serve and love these special people.  At the end of the evening, we all gathered around a man who was the only Christian in his family.  It was so good to hear the very audible prayers that filled the room and gave this man to God.

By 10:30pm, most of us were under our mosquito nets and lying on a ½” sleeping bag that was the only thing between us and the hard wood floor.  It was great!!  The cool air of the evening was being blown through the room by a little fan.  We were all bedded down in one large, open air room with hanging blankets separating the gals from the guys.  Soon everyone was slowly slumbering into a ‘shallow’ sleep…….except that the snoring from the gal’s section of the room kept the guys up most of the night.  (Note: most of the depictions in this blog are totally true……most.)

Good night, dear ones.  It was a good Lord’s day.  And thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness to us.

Monday Morning:

God had a reason for making roosters.   The first one crowed at 4:27am and the rest joined in until they finally got all of us out of bed.  We were up early to get everything packed away In time for our 7:30 breakfast.  The Bible students were remarkable.  They had the food all cooked and served by the time we got to the church.

We were then off to our outreach program at the village school.   There were about 100 students in attendance.  We teamed with the ZOE Bible students and presented a mixture of fun games, singing, dramas and testimonies.  There were 3 additions to our portion of the program – JoAnn led the “Hokey Pokey” which was so much fun for the kids, Kerry presented the Gospel using a wonderful snake illustration that mesmerized the children – awesome!!, and Greg led the craft section which gave the kids something to take home.  Everything was very well done.  One thing that ZOE recently added to its outreach program was small groups.  The children were broken into groups of 8, and the Bible students explained the Gospel at a more intimate level.  And there were hands raised to receive the living Christ into their precious hearts.  AMEN!

Today (Monday) ended with a time of prayer with the children and students of ZOE earlier this evening.  The team members will not forget this precious time which occurs every Monday evening.  One hour was devoted to prayer.  The lights in the worship room were dimmed and there was music playing, a little on the loud side.  We sat on the floor and prayed for anything and everything.  Then we felt the touch of the hand of one or more of the children, and we received their simple and heartfelt prayers for us.  It was so beautiful.  And it caused us to also roam the room and stop to pray for others.  So very beautiful.  Please ask your team member about this and you will be blessed with abundance.  We have much to learn about prayer.

   

Our mission trip just gets better and better.  There is increasing joy and laughter around the dinner table.  There are tears in receiving God’s Grace and love through the prayers of a child.  There is thanksgiving for all of you who have faithfully prayed for this team.  We are forever indebted to you. Thank you so much.

We face another normal day tomorrow.  Breakfast at 6:00am, devotions at 7:00 and then we’re off to ZOE to do some manual work in support of their needs. 

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”   Colossians 4:2.

And we will praise Him,

Your Thailand Missions Team.