Sunday, Feb 8

Well today is my brother's birthday, so happy birthday, Bro, from the other side of the world! It's a big one!

Today was a special day as GROW hosted guests from ACT (Aka Christians Thailand) for church. Nine pastors and leaders represented the group. This is a group of Christian Aka people who are seeking to spread the Gospel to their own tribe of people all over SE Asia.  Aka people live in several surrounding countries.  One of the pastors/professors was traveling to Burma to share the Gospel there.  But the Burmese stopped him because he looks like the king of Thailand.  They said the king cannot just walk around like this.  He needs security.  We need to be prepared to welcome him in a big way.  He needs to be honored. Even when they looked at his passport, they didn't believe he wasn't the king.  Since he doesn't speak the Burmese languages and the border security doesn't speak Aka, they held him there for 5 hours until they found someone who could speak both.  So now he cannot travel to Burma because they will stop him thinking he is the king of Thailand.  Wow! he really does look like the king!

This group of people have commissioned one of Faa's brothers to be a missionary in the surrounding countries, but they have no money to send him. They are praying that God will provide a way for them to send him out.  He is a volunteer pastor in his village and a member of this group.  The two women here today desire to teach their women how to let God change their lives as well as how to care for themselves and their children.  These ladies say it is hard to overcome a mindset of "this is how we have always done it so why change".  But their health is poor and their relationships with their children are not strong.  Please pray for these two as they seek to train new Christians and share the Gospel.

After spending time with this group of Aka and playing with the GROW kids a little more, I stopped by Grace Place to spend a little time there and then say goodbye.  The girls and I had a lot of fun playing games.

I always love seeing this little girl below.  She almost died twice from 2 different accidents (one involving water and the other fire), but God rescued her twice, and she is thriving today!

Back to Chiang Mai earlier than originally planned because we just haven't had enough time to finish things here. Please pray as a team from Fremont is here too.  Tutu is going to ask them if they have luggage room for me to send stuff back with them to Ohio.  It would really help if they have room and are willing to carry items for me. We hope to figure this all out today.  If not, we will need to ship some things back which isn't cheap, but doable. Then some things will wait for Faa to come to the US and the Wooster team to come in August.

The Chiang Mai flower festival is going on this weekend, so this town is hopping! Sunday night market was a lot of fun.  Hopefully you caught my Facebook post about Faa helping a vendor sell things as I was shopping for GROW there! You can find those pics on my FB page. So fun!

Faa and I have both been under the weather, but doing better.  I think I gave whatever I had to her.  But now that I am back at Tutu's, I learned that her son has been sick with a head cold.  Today I feel like I might be picking that up.  Too little sleep, too much go go go, such a short time! But Oh so fun!

Pizza Company Day!

The GROW kids were so full of excitement and anticipation for today as today was the first time in about a year that they were able to go for pizza.  Now that GROW has moved to the mountains, it is a 1 1/2 hour drive to the nearest pizza place. It is also pretty expensive to order pizza for 20 here. But thanks to board member, Jim Pike who picked up the tab, I was able to take the kids there today.  Two of the boys were so excite that they jumped in the back of the truck when Bee came to pick me up from my hotel this morning. They thought he was leaving for Pizza Company and didn't want to miss their ride.

So an hour and a half ride and 14 pizzas later, the kids were full of pizza and smiles! They then went to FUN PLANET, a game room in the mall were we ate, and played games.

Faa and I were going to head over to the day market for some shopping.  As we were driving through town though, we saw the sign for the flower festival that has been taking place since Christmas.  We stopped and walked around.  It was beautiful.  They had these statues dresses in different colors around the place. I put some of the pictures together below, and guess what? It tells the Gospel!

My heart was black with sin.

Then Christ's blood washed me

And made me white as snow.

Heaven rejoices!

 

Well, I have been a little under the weather these past few days. Some kind of bug.  I think Faa might have a touch of it too.  Here's my electrolyte replacement. You got to make use of what you can get a hold of! I also drank some fresh coconut juice and a mixed veggie and fruit juice sort of like a V8.

 Ok, well, we couldn't find a place to park for the day market, so we couldn't go. LOL. That was ok with me since less activity right now is best.

 

 

After dinner at the GROW home, the kids wanted to honor me and say thanks for coming by giving me the gift of song and dance. Oh so precious to me! Then the kids took turns sharing their thanks with me and prayers for our family and I did the same with them. Then it was game time with the new things I brought for them. I think the hit was "Mustache Smash". Sorry no pics of this, but I was in the thick of the game with them!

Faa Gets Hit On

Lol. After a day of shopping and meeting people, we decide to eat a late dinner before hitting the night market. Our goal was to be home by midnight. So we are standing on the street outside the Night Bazaar and see a Babylonian restaurant. Why not?! So this place sits above the street on the second floor is pretty cool. The Iraqi owner greets us and immediately begins hitting on Faa. "Welcome, you are so beautiful." He is speaking in both Thai and English. He's probably old enough to be her dad.  He sits us at a booth and asks Faa if she is married or has a boyfriend.  Faa says, "No. But I have children.". This, she has found, is usually a deterrent to unwanted male attention. But not to this guy. "Oh, I understand.  It's ok."

Well, dinner was amazing and it refueled us for more shopping for GROW. At the end of the meal, I left the table for the restroom.  The owner came back over to Faa and asked her for her cell phone number.  Faa told him he had to ask her father and her mother. "Oh really, I have to ask your parents?" She said, "Yes, if you can find them, you can ask them." He was in agreement with this plan until Faa said, "my mother and my father are in heaven." "What? Are you crazy?" he asked. "No. If you can find them, you can ask them."  That pretty much put an end to that!

Did I mention though that the food was amazing! Faa said she would go back thereto eat, but never by herself. I think the owner agreed to feed all 13 of her children. LOL

Well, I was a little under the weather during the day.  There's some stuff going around here. Flu like stuff.  But I am drinking lots of water and doubling up on vitamins. Little sleep and its of activity doesn't help much to fight off bugs though Pray for me.  This morning, Friday here, I am still not feeling  great, but heading out soon for more meetings and shopping then up to WPP.

Sorry, I am still having problems getting pics on here.

Finally, more pics posted!

 

Shampoo Cambodian Style!

 

Today, Feb 5

Yesterday Faa and I spent some time shopping for GROW items. We also had lunch with Faa's mentor, Maria, of whom I had the opportunity to meet once before.  We had dinner with a Korean American newlywed couple from DC that met Faa 10 years ago on a mission trip here who were here honeymooning and contacted Faa yesterday. Very neat to meet them. Today it is more shopping! Oh so much shopping to do and so little time!

 New Drip Bag Coffee from GROW! I am bringing some of these home to sell for GROW.  Just position the bag over a mug and pour hot water into the coffee bag.  Makes 2 cups! Really good and great for travel! Sure beats hotel coffee here!

                                                                      Soup Dinner!

 

                                                    Buying chicken at the market!

more pics

some pics from last two days

Feb 1-2 Sunday and Monday

It's always interested me how each trip I ever take tends to develop its own theme. Some have been fun and exciting, but there was one that took on the theme of death and sadness.  This one seems to be taking on the theme of adventure! From driving in Thailand to riding (a lot) on a moto in Cambodia, to walking the streets by myself in BB and engaging people on my own here, to riding a moto with a 20+ lb backpack on my back, to having my hair shampooed (this is a 30 minute appointment and you have no idea), to having nail art put on nails (twice because after she was finished the first time, she decided it was the wrong color and started over) to venturing out with a woman who doesn't speak a whole lot of English when I speak very little Khmer and spending a good part of the day together (sign language and laughter abound).

This trip has also given me the opportunity to see more of what it would take to live here.  I see more of the daily schedules and struggles of both missionaries and our Cambodian Grace Place staff. Imagine going to the market on a moto and buying food for 30 people, putting that on your moto and heading back to prepare lunch every day. I also see more of the opportunities that are here to help people succeed in life and of course, to hear about Jesus.

Worship was awesome as usual with the kids, but one missionary family from Canada that I know here told me how difficult it is to not worship in English and have Bible teaching in English for their own spiritual growth.  So, they found a church service in English to be a part of.  Yes, it is fun to be with the kids, but I can see, having been here several times now, the importance of studying the Bible with others of the same language.  This is very true if you only speak English well and not the other language you are in. It is also good to learn how people in other cultures understand the Bible through their culture.  It makes me see how sometimes we interpret the Bible through American eyes instead of God's eyes and even understanding culture through God's eyes.

Well, I am sitting the airport at Siam Reap, Cambodia, awaiting my delayed flight back to Thailand. I have one more week with Faa and so much work to do. Pray as I once again switch gears in my brain and languages and culture and to be able to finish my next week all there if you know what I mean.

Also pray for Sambo.  He has started a second school and has 10 students to start.  He is looking for 200 children to come to the Christian school. He is also trying to raise money for the gov't school in his village grade 7-12 to give them a library.  He feels if he can do this for the school, they will let him come in once a week for English classes.  He is looking for an in with these kids that will eventually lead to the Gospel. He needs $1500. He already is working with a ministry that is going to provide the books, but the room they are offering him needs some work and then book shelves and things.

Ok, I can't get my pictures on here right now, so I will try later. I am about ready to strangle all these English speakers who are badgering this poor airline worker about our delayed flight.  Really????  Ugh, what is with people?  The poor man needs to make a sign!