The Adventures from Thailand

How Leonie's Sermon went

2010-01-28T10:46:00.001+11:00

Sermon went well - God had it under control :)

So my aim was to preach suffering, God's love and discipline.

After some crazy times of the church members saying that I could not preach (because their had been too many guest speakers in the last month) and then Mimee quiting (!) and then I did end up preaching. And their was a lizard in the bathroom on the Sunday morning and Mimee was running late... it was one of those crazy times when everything is going on and you just have to run with it and know that God is in control!

So I introduced myself, prayed, then spent the first half of my time sharing about family stuff - explaining that I grew up in a Christian home, parents got divorced, I was like God 'why?' / no answer, things were not so good at home, then growing closer to God, Philippines and God realisations / that lead to life changes. Then I shared about Isaiah 6 and the way in which God encountered Isaiah before he called him and about what he called him & etc. Just spoke the whole way though the chapter highlighting God's love, redemption and plan. Then I tied it all up by answering my running question of 'what sort of God sends his own son as the sacrifice for the people?' with the theme of the whole Bible - creation, wandering, encounter, realisation, forgiveness, redemption, new purpose and a bit of JESUS! and then Ephesians - 2:8-10 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. to finish.
Then after I finished (I beat the 40 minute minimum mark by 5 min's!) I got the congregation to pray for each other (MBC night service style) which kind of worked - it is very different to the way they normally do corporate prayer over here (normally all at once out loud or one person from the front).

When we all got down from the stage (three languages, two translators) one of the members (elders equivalent) got up and talked for a few minutes - I was like 'I thought it went well... what is he saying to finish off my sermon???' But Mimee explained that he was just sharing his thoughts on the sermon / how he had been challenged. Roughly from memory the things he shared were - 'see ferungs have problems too / the christian life isn't easy for anyone' (suffering) - 'she did the right thing by turning to God in her hard times, we should do that too' (discipline) - 'we should wait upon the timing of God and pray more together' (God's love - I'd talked a lot about God's timing). So that was some pretty good, instant feedback that at least one person managed to listen!

January 26, 2010 12:57 AM

The pictures of the trip....

2010-01-23T16:16:00.002+11:00

These 4 are team photos and the rest are roughly in chronological order. Don't forget to be praying for Leonie's sermon tomorrow morning at Mimee's church! (2:30-3:30pm Melbourne time)

In KL

With Pastor Joe
Singing in Mimee's church
At the waterfall garden restuarant in Mae Sot

2010-01-23T16:14:00.001+11:00

Mimee with her dad
Debrief lunch- Macca's home delievered
Saying bye to Malaysia
Chris with a participant
Deep fried quail anyone?

2010-01-23T16:11:00.002+11:00

Coconut anyone?
Erin on spycam taking a picture of her dad with Peter
Lanching, Vincent and Erin with the team
At the drug rehab centre eating area
The leaders of the drug rehab centre with Vincent and Lanching

2010-01-23T16:08:00.001+11:00

Daily program at drug rehab centre
On the way to KL
Erin taking a deep interest in Leonie's Bible
Lanching and Chuilian catch up
On the plane to KL

2010-01-23T16:06:00.001+11:00

Mimee's teeth
The boys in the back of the ute- before the return trip with more throwing up!
Leonie killing Chuilian, with Mimee and Chris not stopping it!
The travelling crew to Nani village
The boys with their ice-creams

2010-01-23T16:03:00.002+11:00

Bamboo worms for lunch anyone???
At Nani village the local females in church
With the village leaders wife sitting with us before devotions
kids min at the Ahka Training Centre
The wedding Peter and Mimee and Chuilian and Puii and Asholi went to

2010-01-23T16:00:00.001+11:00

Boys (and girl) after their performance
Dinner
Chris wearing his armour of God
Chuilian teaching the song at Banana Village
Songs in kids min

2010-01-23T15:57:00.002+11:00

Peter & his wife
Sacrifice of praise on site of Pastor Joe's new church
Pastor Joe's current church and steep steps
Mimee and Leonie with their new shoes
Paul and Penny

2010-01-23T15:54:00.001+11:00

Dinner on night off
Farewell Mae Sot
With Melissa
Peter preaching
Burmese family's house

2010-01-23T15:50:00.001+11:00

With Niell and Diana
Oasis
At the waterfall

New Years Eve!

2010-01-23T15:47:00.001+11:00

Lunch with Mimee's church member
At the Burmese rally
Phillip & wife Mary
With Niell & Diana

2010-01-23T15:10:00.000+11:00

Pastor John
Roselyn at the Blessing Centre

The Blessing Centre
Arrival dinner

Leonie preaching

2010-01-23T00:12:00.001+11:00

Apologies in the delay in getting photos up. They will be here tomorrow (well today-just when i get up-Saturday!)

In the mean time- be praying for Leonie- She's preaching this Sunday at Mimee's church, and would appreciate the prayer... stay tuned...

Split ways...Mae Sot, Bangkok, Melbourne

2010-01-17T00:05:00.002+11:00

Well, its with sadness that Chris and Peter arrived back in Melbourne 1 hour ago, as they've left many friends back in Thailand.

Thanks so much for your support over the last few days as well. A brief rundown:
Wednesday:
After leaving the Thai girls with each other, the Melbournites regrouped themselves and spent some time seeking out God's will for the next few days, and it was an encouraging time of seeing God working in even the small ways (subtle answers to prayer- always great). That afternoon Peter and Chris spent a good chunk of time speaking to LanChing and Vincent, and it was obvious that people were praying as the Spirit led that discussion into the depths of their hearts where we were able to encourage and help them in their questions.
Thursday:
We left KL to head back to Bangkok, and despite an early morning, the time in KL was looked upon fondly! It was encouraging to hear how the Thai girls found it going into a culture where they didn't understand the language, so they could get a glimpse of what it's like for all the farangs (foreigners) who come and do mission work in their home towns! Thursday arvo Chris caught up with Chris MacCartney while the rest of the team thought about some of the debrief questions. It was a really great time with Chris, and able to speak heart to heart even if only for an hour or two while supervising Chris's kids at a birthday party!
Friday:
Debrief day. No one knew what this day would hold. It had the potential to be great or simply ordinary, but once again it was great to see the way that God constructed it, even in the organising of the day. A highlight would have to be that fact that the 2 Thai girls while with us, both realised that they didn't need us around to do what we do. As in, they don't need foreign missionaries to come over to Thaliand and do kids ministry stuff in villages or boarding places or churches. They have the skills and can do it themselves. What was really encouraging was that they were the ones that said that to us, and we didn't have to say 'have you thought about this'. Other highlights were simply understanding how God had used each one of us in his own individual unique ways. On paper, it wouldn't look like any one person did an aweful lot, but in reality it was obvious that in the team of only 5 people God used each of us, in our areas of strength to achieve his purposes while away. Thanks heaps God!!!! It was also great to hear the future visions of each of the team members and where they thought God was leading.
Saturday:
Peter and Chris left at 530 in the morning to get to the airport, waved off by Mimee and Chuilian (as Leonie slept-and rightly so after such a big day the day before!). They arrived home at 9 and cleared customs by 1030. Meanwhile back in Bangkok, Mimee, Leonie and potentially Chuilian (not sure) spent the day touring the city and even doing ice-skating. At last contact Mimee and Leonie were heard to be at Bangkok bus station ready for the windy overnight 9 hour bus ride back to Mae Sot for Mimee's church service tomorrow morning.

Once again thanks for all your prayers and blessings, and if you want to find out any more of the goings on, please come and speak to me, as i'll be more than happy to talk. If you want a short report of the trip as well let me know as I may be putting something together this week too (if I get a chance). and if I get a chance I may put some photos up here too!

Thanks once again, and most importantly thanks God for being willing to use us, your humble servants to achieve the unachievable in your strength.

Chris

In KL...

2010-01-13T01:42:00.004+11:00

In a motel in KL, looking at the schedule for only 3 days left and yet so much to do. Its a humbling task, as we believe that God's got so much more in store, and we've only got 3 days. Please be praying for us. After 2.5 weeks for Peter and Chris and 5 weeks for Leonie, its getting tough to stay with it. We've been sucessful in being able to help those who we are ministering to as a team who we visit. And we've still got a couple of days to go and maybe 2 other people to catch up with like Lanching and Vincent tomorrow night (Wed). But as well as prayer for that we'd really appreciate prayer for team unity, for God's Spirit to just be ministering to each of us, and that any breakthroughs in relationships with our Thai team members can just be Spirit led and directed, even now as I write this.

Praise:
1.that we were able to come to KL and that luggage could get through, and that we were able to catch up with LanChing and leave Mimee and Chuilian with her. She's the only female at the drug rehab place where her husband works, so its such an encouragement to her to see her friends come and to be able to speak her tribal dialect with Chuilian, so we're praying that is a really blessed time.
2. that while the Thai girls were catching up Leonie was able to find a physio in KL to have some work done, was cool the way God directed us to the right person, and it didn't cost a fortune! Pray that her back and neck can now hold up for the rest of the time she's over here.
Prayer: as above, and thanks so much for your faithfulness in supporting us. Its getting to crunch time, so we'd really appreciate them especially over the next 3 days!

Thanks again!

End of the hill tribes...onto KL...

2010-01-11T01:02:00.002+11:00

In an internet cafe and not sure how long the connection will last so...
Its been amazing the way God worked while in the hill tribes.
The first night we got there we were hoping for a bit of relaxingness, unfortunatly they'd planned for us to do a service with the kids that night so we did a bit of planning. But through it all it was great to see God working in our weakness. Youth came along who the missionaries in the village hadn't seen before in the church. After the service we decided to ask if any boys from the village would like to be in a drama that we were doing in different villages over the next few days. Luckily the drama was on Ephesians 6 and the armour of God so it involved fighting, and once again we/God were able to get the boys who were not even regular church goers to volunteer to participate. Which meant they would sit through a further 2 church services as the gospel was shared as well as getting them involved in Christian stuff which was actually fun. It was a great time as we took them with us and included them. It was a funny sight, riding in the ute behind them seeing them in the ute in front smoking then coughing then throwing up from motion sickness (it was very windey) and laughing about it all!!! We bought them ice creams on the way back from the service today and they loved that too- all 10 of the locals!!!

Other God moments: Chuilian got talking to one of them in the back of the ute who didn't go to church and shared about how life has its problems but God provides purpose, and he listened and asked questions about it too!!!

One of the boys his grandparents are the local witchdoctors but he was still willing to come along and see what the God thing was all about and have fun

Just the way God worked in our weakness.

Yesterday Leonie and Chris had a half day off which was great, although since Leonie started to slow down a little, its all catching up to her a bit so she's a bit under the weather with a cold now, which when combined with really hard beds and still not 100percent sleep, its a bummer.

So most of the team's still pretty tired (I'm fine at the moment- Thanks God) and its starting to show in the interactions within the team, so please pray for grace, wisdom, and an understanding of how we can all work together best. It was great doing kids ministry cause we each found we had a specific purpose, but now as we move to KL, pray that we can also understand what God wants to do with us there. Pray also that we can understand where each other is at, so we can encourage accordingly.

Still confirming if we'll catch up with the MacCartneys, it may just be me, just praying that we can do it the best way to not be a burden to them.

Getting to the tough end of the trip, so prayers are especially appreciated.
Chris

Hill Tribes and Kids Ministry

2010-01-08T21:34:00.003+11:00

Hi All,

Update from Thailand. The team are quite tired and would still really value you prayers for strength as they still have a week to go. The next few days they will be going to a Youth hostel with about 60 children. Please pray for them as they travel and that they will be led as to what activities to do with the children.
Peter (dad) is preaching again on Sunday so please keep him in your prayers.

Chris mentioned the prayer points and verses on the prayer calendar are proving to be particularly relevent each day so keep following along on it. (If you don't a copy, scroll down the blog and you can view the prayer calendar yourself).

As they are currently in the hill tribe areas, they have limited communications so I'll try and keep this up to date as much as possible through any phone conversations I have with them.

Regards,

Mike

Thursday 7 Jan- Half way- still half to go!!!

2010-01-07T12:59:00.002+11:00

Wow, so much has happened since Sunday!
Sunday: Caught up with Melissa Crouch and had a great time with her encouraging each other and meeting her neighbours too. We spend a couple of hours with each other
Monday: Travelled from Mae Sot to Chiang Mai and said farewell to all our friends from there. In Chiang Mai we went to the Bible Society and had a relaxing evening
Tuesday: Travelled from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, as soon as we got in we went off to a shopping centre Big C then as soon as we got back Paul Wilcox was there at our motel waiting for us so Peter and Chris caught up with him while the girls went shopping. It was an amazing time catching up with the Wilcox's, God's hand was definatly in it as so much was discussed in so much detail in the 4 hours we had with them, it was great. (Meanwhile the girls picked up Mimee's first pair of shoes since highschool and she may have just worn them to bed that night!) We had a great devotion and most of us got some more direction as to what God would want us to be doing over the coming days.
Wednesday: The verse of the day was about offering a sacrifice of praise and the the prayer was that we can be an encouragement to all we meet.
Well We offered a sacrifice of praise on the site of the new church that Pastor Joe is looking to build as well as spending most of the day with him. At night we went to have our customary once a trip ice-cream splurge at Swensens, and on the way we met a translator named Peter from our trips in 2003/4, following the ice-cream we took one step outside and met the pastor we'd stayed at on the 2003 & 2004 trips as well. He was on a prayer walk for the city and just happended to think he should be walking past the ice-cream shop tonight. So after a few words and a bible exchanging hands, we left for home with happy hearts!

The versese of the day have really been spot on along with the prayers. Once again thanks for all your prayers. Its been increasingly obvious, especially over the last fwe days when we've all beeen pretty tired (getting up round 640ish each day).

Today we leave for the hill tribes and we'll wait to see what God's got in store up there. Maybe including the locals in the drama presentations to make it more meaningful, maybe doing something different. We've got no idea yet, but we'll see what we've got when we get there!!! (Sorry for no photos)- bit of a rush this time and haven't even had a chance to download them!

Sunday..the last of Mae Sot

2010-01-03T20:01:00.003+11:00

New years eve celebrations
Dad preaching

Chuilian giving her gifts to the Burmese school kids

--------//--------

Ok so the day off didn't really end up being a day off. We were kind of tired after going to be at 1am but New Years day was slightly slower which was nice. While dad had an in depth discussion with some American missionaries, Leonie, Chuilian, Mimee, Chris and the Filipino missionaries went to a waterfall. It was good but after a long night we were all pretty tired.

Yesterday after a bit more sleep, we visited some Burmese kids which Leonie had seen at the church/Elpis prior to our arrival and gave them some Chrismas presents. They were a needy family so it was great to be able to bless them. This was Chuilian's idea.

Today we had church at Mimee's church and dad preached going through 2 translators. Tonight we're meeting up with Melissa Crouch and then leaving Mae Sot on the 8am bus tomorrow to hopefully get some R&R in Chiang Mai for the rest of the day.

God has been great this whole week, and its still been amazing how we've been able to catch up with everyone just at the right time. Its great that the last day or 2 has been a bit slower as that has allowed Leonie (who was doing crazy hours with the locals before we got here) to catch up a little on sleep. Prayer points: that over the next few days we can be perceptive to the needs of those we meet and on the team. That we can get the necessary rest, and also that we can stay in step with the Spirit as we serve the people over here. Thanks heaps again!

NEW YEARS EVE!!!!

2010-01-01T01:50:00.002+11:00

Our first team shot!

The Filipino ladies who are missionaries over here, who we took out to lunch tonight. Very pricey restaurant- cost $3.50/person!!! Some of these missionaries have been here for 10years, we've been able to have some great chats with them, and its been cool to see the way God's working there!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We're going out in 5 mins for NYE celebrations at the Filipinos house for more food! And probably a day off (I say that now!) tomorrow.

31 Dec...

2010-01-01T01:36:00.002+11:00

Philip & Mary- at Burmese 'Christmas Celebration' the first time he's done some thing like this in the area. A few hundred people turned up to hear the gospel message in a way that was relevant to them. (Dad also gave a short 5 min greeting). They wanted some foreigners to come along as that meant they could say to the Burmese factory workers we've got special guest speakers!

For lunch we went to a ladies place we met last trip and who Leonie had been to her house to carol last week. We ended up talking and after a while we asked if she'd like prayer to which she was SO appreciative of! She became a Christian just last year and we were able to pray for her family with her. She'll be at church on Sunday when dad's preaching too.

So much so soon!!!

2009-12-30T20:22:00.002+11:00

So much has been happening just at the right time, that it appears to be no coincidence!!! (not that we thought it was anyway!).

On Monday, we went to have a look at a bakery that the Filipino missionaries had started up, and its a good thing we went then because it was closing the next day for the rest of the time we're in Mae Sot and we wouldn't have been able to see it.

On Tuesday we were able to have lunch with the local pastor-Pastor John, and encourage him and pray with him, he said he could only spend an hour with us but after 1.5 hours and making his wife wait 30mins we finally convinced him to leave. He's doing an amazing work. The combined churches of Thailand have finally decided to work together (after stacks of disunity) and have a joint vision to reach every household in Thailand. They've divided Thailand up into quarters and Pastor John in organising a conference for the pastors in his quarter for March and was asking us if we knew of any speakers who could come. To which we were able to suggest one. And pray about it with him. We'll see where the Lord leads with that.

At night we were able to have dinner with Niell and Diana and have a great chat with them regarding where they are at, where they would like to go and what God is doing in their hearts and lives right now. It was a blessed time and God was able to speak to both us and them through the conversation. Thanks God!!!

Today (Wed) we were able to catch up with Philip Tin Aung, and after giving him some letters from Australian friends yesterday he was very appreciative of that. Today we had lunch with him and four of his pastors that are leading a Christmas celebration tomorrow morning. We're invited to that and dad will give a '5 min encouragment' tomorrow, before the guest speaker. He's expecting 1000-3000 Burmese factory workers so it'll be exciting to see how that goes.

The team is fairing well. Mimee's brother arrived today so she is spending some family time with him and her niece as well. She's still working long hours though. We're having daily devotions and looking at how God uses people in prayer and what kind of blessings he gives out. Thanks for your prayers and support. We couldn't be doing what we're doing without it!

Made it!!!

2009-12-28T20:17:00.003+11:00

So, after a day of travel we were finally all able to meet up together. We left home at 8pm 26th and arrived here at 7pm on 27th. We were met at the bus station by Leonie, Chuilian and Mimee along with some Filipino missionaries. We were pretty tired so after taking them all out for dinner we had a good sleep. Dad even slept for 10hours- a new record for him!!!!
This morning we met together as a team and we're praying through what we should be doing this week for the program in Mae Sot. It looks like there a fair bit of eating that we're going to be doing, taking a number of different missionary groups out for dinner, as well as maybe going to a Burmese rally on Wednesday night. Other than that, its pretty open at the moment. Mimee's still pretty busy trying to get things done before we head off to the rest of the country. Thanks for all your support, and we'll keep you updated when we next have internet!

And we're off...

2009-12-26T18:21:00.002+11:00

So the day has arrived when we depart so in 1.5hours Dad and I will depart and embark on 24hrs of transit to meet Leonie, Chuilian and Mimee in Mae Sot. Thanks for all your prayers already. I'm really excited about this trip and about what God's going to do while over there. I get the feeling there's going to be a lot of stuff happening. So stay tuned...

The engine room...

2009-12-20T01:55:00.001+11:00

Here's a copy of this years prayer calendar.
Hot off the press...

The Team...

2009-12-20T01:22:00.005+11:00

This year's team is made up of 5 people. Smaller than usual but perfect size for what God's got in mind...

Peter . Chris . Chuilian . Leonie. Mimee

Profiles:
Peter works in Australia and has been over to Thailand many times before previously assisting on Short Term trips in leadership capacities. In Melbourne, he is an engineer, married to Marilyn and father of Michael and Chris

Chris is currently on placement and studing in Wangaratta and will be on placement up there until July, however he's on a 2 month break so living back at home with his parents. He's been to Thailand many times before, and has assisted in the planning of a number of such trips. He and Peter are co-leaders on this trip

Chuilian is a valuable member of the team and resides in Thailand. She has participated in every Short Term trip since 2003 and has been a faithful translator for each of these. She can speak at least 5 languages including Thai, Ahka, Chinese, Lahu and English

Leonie is a student and involved in a number of activities at Mitcham Baptist. This will be her third trip back to Thailand. She is currently over in Thailand already and will be staying there a number of weeks after Peter and Chris have returned to Australia.

Mimee is a school teacher and pastor in Mae Sot. She works at Elpis school during the week as a teacher for Burmese Refugees and on the weekends (as well as during the week) she pastors the local Chinese church congregation. She is also a valuable member of the team and has been on many Short term trips before. She is fluent in Thai, Burmese, Chinese, English, Karen, Tagalog, and other languages which she finds interesting.

THAILAND 2009/10... is fast approaching

2009-12-20T01:15:00.002+11:00

And so we are here again... In the preparation stages for another trip to Thailand. This year we are going out under the name of Mitcham Baptist again and are visiting a number of people all over Thailand. We'll be starting off in Mae Sot and then moving up to Chiang Rai area where we'll be heading into the hilltribes to assist with the local pastors there, probably doing some more kids ministry stuff! After this we'll be heading down to Kuala Lumpur (in Malaysia) for a few days to visit some other Christian workers down there, then finishing up by heading back up to Bangkok.
Stay tuned for more details...

home...

2009-01-14T14:50:00.003+11:00

Just a brief one to say that after 18hours of transit we made it home. The trip home was interesting but we made it! More to come when I've woken up!

Home Tomorrow

2009-01-13T13:16:00.002+11:00

Latest update from Thailand:
"Most of us have colds now or at least sore throat. Pray for good wise informal debrief/chats on the plane and logistics for travel home goes well."

They will be arriving in Melbourne soon after 7am tomorrow (Wed) morning.

Thanks for praying and don't stop yet!

Mike

Nearly Finished

2009-01-13T08:56:00.003+11:00

Hi All,

Got an email from Dad yesterday saying that a few days ago their cook had a cold and now most of the team have colds. Please remember to continue praying for them and particular for their health. Even though their ministry part of the trip may have finished, there is still a lot of travelling to go and decisions to be made. So please don't fall in the trap of stopping to pray for the team as can be easy to do near the end of these trips!

Thanks again all for your support of the team.

Regards,

Mike

Bangkok

2009-01-12T10:58:00.002+11:00

Update from Chirs on Sunday night:
"Made it OK to slum. Catching up with Chris and Jodie tomorrow (Monday). Just did a prayer walk from tourist central to shopping centre with Porche in shop front on level 4. I am leading a study tonight on Isaiah 6 and call to mission. Thanks for the prayers. It's been a long day and last official ministry tomorrow."

Lifehouse Play Tonight

2009-01-08T21:17:00.004+11:00

Hi All,

As Chris doesn't currently have internet / email contact, I've been in touch with him to get an update for you all so you can continue to pray specifically for them.

Tonight they are doing the Lifehouse play (the same one they did last year) but with one of the translators travelling with them as the girl in the play (sorry to those that don't know the play) to try and make it even more relevent for the people of Thailand. At Urban Summer at Mitcham Baptist last year this had a huge impact on the youth resulting in a number of them decided to get baptised. Pray that this play can have the same impact on the locals there watching it and that it makes sense to really allow some open discussion with the team members.

On Sunday, Chris will be leading the team down to Bangkok while Dad stays in Chiang Mai. Chris and the team will then be returning back to Chiang Mai on Monday arvo. Pray for Chris as he leads the team down into this currently politically sensitive area of the land and for safety as they travel as a team.

Team wise, continue to pray for each of the guys on team.

Leonie as she continues to experience God challenging her in many ways... pray for discernment for her.
Sonya as she experiences the Thai culture and the
Dan as he gets acustomed to the flexible times required of being on a mission trip
Dave - is going well and finding a good balance between spending time with the team and outreach activities.
Chris - daily leadership decisions and leading the group down to Bangkok and back
Dad - daily leadership decisions and guidance and direction while meeting with locals and the missionaries they are going over there to support and encourage.

There are effectively 5 days left for the team over in Thailand. Continue to pray for the team as a whole and for tiredness as they are continually on the move.

Thanks all for your valued support. They really appreciate it and can tell there are people praying for them. Keep it up!

Mike

Chiang Mai-Judy & day off

2009-01-06T11:32:00.003+11:00

Judy in front of her church with our team

Hi Guys, well we've had a great last few days. 2 days ago we were able to catch up with Judy for most of the day which was great! We went out to lunch with her then went back to her place and she showed off her apartment and office where we took lots of snaps for the people back home. We then went and worshipped with her at her church and then had dinner with her too. To finish it off Sonya had some quality 1:1 time with her which was invaluable. Thanks for the prayers for this. As we were leaving Judy was so appreciative of all that we (or more the fact God through us) had done for her, and she commented on how uplifted and genuinely encouraged she had been.

Success!!!!

Yesterday was team day off so most of us spent the day just lazing round the motel, one or two went off on a day trip, but it was a relaxing day for all and also refreshing.

Today we catch up with Sarah this morning for a couple of hours then have a windy 3 hour bus trip to Chiang Rai then catch up with Susie this arvo/evening, so a pretty full day.

Following this we'll be heading up to do some different sort of night ministry with Asholi& Puii, we're not sure what that will entail so I'm thinking we'll be kept on our toes.

The next week is going to be more intense with living conditions and also what we'll be doing. There may not be too much internet access so i may have to sms for some others to update the blog too.

Well I'm late for brekky, blessings to all, and thanks for the prayers- cause they're working!!!!

2009-01-04T01:43:00.003+11:00

Dave in front of where he lives

During our study time. We're doing a study series on young people of the Bible. Dad has previously done David and this morning Sonya covered Joseph. Tomorrow I'll be doing Jonathan. Others which we'll cover include Ruth, Timothy, Isaiah, Josiah, Hannag and a couple of others.

Chiang Mai- Dave P

2009-01-04T01:22:00.002+11:00

After catching up with the staff from Elpis school the other night (which went really well and we were able to both encourage and be encouraged) we caught the bus to Chiang Mai the following day. It was an early morning so after the 6 hour bus trip we were pretty zonked again so we pretty much had dinner, had a quick look around Chiang Mai and went to bed.

Today we caught up with Dave Prior and had a good time seeing where he lived and taking plenty of pictures of the place so that we can show his family when we arrive back in Melbourne. I was able to have a good chat to him also to be able to find out how things are going in a bit more detail and how we can best be praying for him.

Tomorrow we'll be catching up with Judy at 12 and going to her church in the arvo. So we're all looking forward to that as well. Trust everything is going well back home with beachmissions and coffeeshops and whatever else! Blessings from Thailand :)

happy new year!

2009-01-01T20:16:00.002+11:00

It was to the sounds of fireworks at 10pm that most of us went to bed last night!

Although it was midnight in australia so we figured that was good enough. We had a really good chance to chat with Neill & Dianna last night and a great time of encouragement and support was had going both ways. Dans now over his tummy bug and almost up to full strength again. Give thanks that it only knocked him out for 1 day, as normally it could be a bit longer.

We're about to have a cultural lesson from our cultural advisor Mimee (translator) and then catch up with the staff from Elpis School. They school mainly illegals from Burma and have roughly 200 in the school and what we'd normally fit 25 students into they manage 80 so the classes can be quite large.

Tomorrow we're heading back to Chiang Mai on the 6hr bus trip so prayer we can be open to divine appointments all along the way would be fantastic. thanks for the encouragment and sms's!

mae sot bugs

2008-12-31T20:41:00.004+11:00

We had a good trial run at some kids games at a small orphanage

Houses overlooking the Burmese border where we did a prayer walk today

Hi Guys,

we're into another day and Dan wins the prize for the first person to get sick. He had it going both ends and has been out of action all day. We've confined him to barracks (the guest house) to try and give him a chance to recover. Its always hard though when you go somewhere to do mission, you want to be where God wants you but you get layed low with sickness. So its been a tough day for Dan. Be praying also for Sonya.

Today we went on a prayer walk with the team from Brisbane who we met on board the plane to Chiang Rai. Funny how our paths continue to keep crossing!!! We walked with Philip and he showed us the area he's ministering to.

This arvo we went to meet Niell and Dianna and to see an orphanage they run. Tonight we're catching up with them over dinner to hopefully get some insights as to how their ministry is going and also how long term missionaries function.

Yesterday we managed somehow to get away with double booking oursevles for new years eve parties (both a day early-go figure!), and we were able to encourage those we saw at both events also.

Thanks for your prayers, they're really useful. Blessings, to all and hope your new years eve celebrations are an encouragement to all!

Maesot

2008-12-30T19:35:00.002+11:00

We arrived last night in Maesot after a 6 hour-ish bus ride, met up with Mimee at the bus stop and made our way into Maesot (I got to ride on the back of Mimee's motorbike!). Thankfuly David and Chuilian managed to catch the last bus of the night from Tak to meet us at the hotel shortly after not being able to catch a direct bus from Bangkok . We are staying on the highway (105) that leads into Maesot at the Pin Guest House.
Last night was an early night and we had a guided tour of Maesot today with Mimee, mainly looking around at the market (lots of interesting sights and smells... pigs heads, fish paste and live frogs :S ) Tonight we will be heading out to two different churches New Years / Christmas parties (we managed to double book because the two invites we accepted were thought to be for the same party...) of the local churches. Over the next few days we shall be having some cultural and Thai lessons from Mimee as well as catching up with many missionaries that Peter and Chris know in the area from previous trips.
Prayer for quick adjustment for the whole team to Thailand and also for some good team time over the next few days as they are expected to be a bit more relaxed than later on in the trip...
I believe that Mike has all of our Thai phone numbers if you want them or I have my normal number as well. Until the next post :)

Chiang Mai in transit...

2008-12-29T00:23:00.002+11:00

Ok so we've been able to see God at work already. All flights and baggage got to Chiang Mai tonight on time (except Dave but he was on a different flight and we'll hopefully catch him tomorrow).
We caught up with Judy to collect our bus tickets for the next leg tomorrow and we were able to spend just an hour chatting and providing her with some stuff for her sore throat that we brought from Aus with us, along with some hopefully comfy ear plugs!
Randomly we bumped into a guy at Chiang Mai airport waiting to pick up a group from Brisbane and he just happened to start speaking to us and saw I was wearing a 'gutenberg bible' t-shirt and said he was into that kinda stuff too. Turns out he works for a mission organisation that we'll be visiting and we'll be meeting his co-worker next week in Mae Sot. To top it off his crew of 6 people are on the same bus going there tomorrow. Random- I think not- God ordained - I think so.

Teams dead tired so i'm off too bed!

singapore...in transit...

2008-12-28T14:01:00.002+11:00

free internet at singapore airport so thought we'd make the most of it.- we're in the middle of our small 10 hour stopover here before flying to Chiang Mai to catch up with Judy briefly tonight. Just thought we'd let you know we're still alive :)

And they're off...

2008-12-28T09:42:00.002+11:00

Last night at 9:30pm, a farewell crew of nine of us went out to Melbourne Airport to make sure Peter, Chris, Dan, Sonya and Leonie left the country without any problems. There were no hitches or delays and by 11:55pm they were taxing out for take off for an on-schedule arrival in Singapore.

Dave Keen will be flying over separately and leaving today. He has been told his flight has been delayed 4 hours.

Pray for safety as they travel and that they can all meet up together in Thailand OK with any further delays.

prayer calendar/itinerary

2008-12-26T23:04:00.003+11:00

Thanks Mike for that last post, For those who want to know here's a copy of the prayer calendar/itinerary for our trip.

Team Update

2008-12-26T22:54:00.003+11:00

Hello all, here's a visual of the team members for this trip including their 2 translators.

They are departing tomorrow night (Sat 27th) at 11:55pm from Tullamarine Airport. Feel free to come and join us in bidding them farewell. We will be meeting at the airport from 9:30pm. They are scheduled to be returning at 7:15am on Wed 14th Jan back to Melbourne.

Cheers,

Mike

Thailand: trip for blessing

2008-12-25T00:11:00.002+11:00

So another journey is about to begin:
A team of 6 this time are heading out to Thailand to visit about 15 different people/couples/ministries with the primary aim of encouraging, supporting and blessing those we meet.
The team consists of: Leaders Chris & Peter Ford, Leonie Hosken, Dan & Sonya Sullivan and David Keen.
I hope in the next day or so to have a copy of the prayer calender up for your perusal while we're away. We leave on the evening of the 27th and arrive back on the 14th.
Until next time...
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Home-back in Aus!

2008-01-24T23:33:00.000+11:00

OK, so we made it home today safe and sound, and while some of us slept a bit others of us went to work! But we made it back. Dave, Howard, Mel, Roy, Di and Kim are also (or should be) back home now, leaving just Steve and Chee in Malaysia. More updates/feedback to come when we're a bit more awake. I'll try and get a few other team members to put their contributions up also so you don't always have to hear from me. (so if you're one of those team members feel free to email me something to put here!)

Once again thanks heaps for all your prayers and support and concern and encouragment while away. It was certainly really appreciated by everyone and we were able to see God move in even the small things. Thanks again!

rounding up

2008-01-23T21:07:00.000+11:00

Ok guys, We made it to singapore airport and i have 3mins to update this blog. Kids min stuff ended up going really well. And I managed to break both Sherida and Leonie's heart (but they'll get over it!) The medical side of things was a bit slacker over the last week or so but it meant we could focus a bit more on developing relationships with the kids for that side of the ministry.
We still have to try and get Dave and Howard on the same flight back as us, so that's the next job. Anyway thanks heaps for your prayers and i'll update more when i get home.
Chris :)

Now the work is done, it's time to have some fun!

2008-01-19T19:11:00.000+11:00

The team finished up the kids ministy and medical stuff today. Just doing the final meetings with the local tonight. The translators that were accompanying the team are both coming down south to Phuket with the team for a team debrief which should be good. Thanks for all prayers. It's going to be an early morning tomorrow and flight connections are going to be tight. Thanks for all prayers. Sherida and Leonie say Hi to all.

2008-01-18T16:15:00.000+11:00

Ok so its the first time that we've been able to access the internet while away in Thailand. We are in a little internet cafe about 20 metres from the northern Thai/Burmese border. Some of the team members are currently in Burma(I think)...
We are all being pushed to the max with language challenges, learning new skills on the run and not always getting enough sleep. Although we'd expected to be able to use internet earlier, plans have always change or time run short. Plans changing and our schedule being a moving target has been something that everyone on team has had to learn to deal with, as it has happened a few times and sometimes at short notice. We are all much more flexible now...
Anyway, we're off to Phuket Sunday morning for a relax and debrief before flying home Wednesday morning.

One Team Member Coming Home

2008-01-15T01:20:00.000+11:00

Today (Mon) Chris dropped Peter off at the airport as Peter had to return home to Australia for work. Pray for Steve, Roy and Chris as they take up the leadership roles Peter was undertaking.
Apart from tiredness, the team is doing well but Mel is not feeling 100%.
The kids ministry is going freat. They were able to run kids church yesterday with only 30 minutes warning. They've got 2 different drama's they're doing too.
The medicine is going well also.
Thanks again for your interest. Keep the prayers and words of encouragement coming as you never know what impact it can have on people serving overseas!

Some long days ahead

2008-01-12T00:45:00.000+11:00

The team is doing OK with a few flat days in between but overall doing very well. The team is going out to a different village tomorrow and staying overnight so they are expecting some long days ahead burning the candle at both ends of the day, so prayer against tiredness would be really appreciated.
The kids ministry is going well and so is the medicine with the team having just the right amount of medicine on hand.
Chris gave his testimony the other night and Chee and Howard were giving theirs tonight as well as a native Aka (Thai) woman.
The drama they've been doing has also been going really well with the Thai people really enjoying it.
Thanks for your prayers, support and encouragement. They are all greatly appreciated.

Luxury

2008-01-09T21:19:00.000+11:00

The team have now moved from Chang Rai to Mae Chan and they are quite happy to no longer have to use a squat toiler but have a flushable one. At the time I spoke to them, they were currently in Banana Village eating oranges! They are learning lots of languages (they have been in 3 tribes each of which have their own language) plus Thai as well. Sleeping is OK as they have improved their sleeping arrangements from bamboo floors (apparently not all that comfortable), onto concrete floors. They are getting to bed around 9:30pm-10pm each night and geting up when the roosters crow around 6:15am!
The team still really values their prayers. They are getting a real spiritual workout. Overall it is all going well but a few of the team have colds but nothing worse thankfully. Keep praying for the individuals on the team as well as some of them are feeling a bit burdened with lots of things on their minds.
Thanks for your prayers!
(Mike)

Tiredness

2008-01-06T10:36:00.000+11:00

The following was sent through from Chris yesterday (5th Jan):
"The team is getting a bit tired. We left Paya Pai 2 days ago and went to Semiko yesterday. We caught up with a previous translators sister and did medical work there. Today's our day off and we're in transit at the moment from there to a village we haven't been to before. Feel free to send messages back. The prayer ministry is doing well and some days has its work cut out for it."

They do have limited internet access over there depending on where they are and can check this blog site so feel free to post any comments so they can read them when they get a chance and can pass them onto the rest of the team.

Keep up your prayers for the team as it's not easy of there.

Chang Rai

2008-01-02T19:56:00.000+11:00

The latest news from Thailand... the group arrived with no problems into Bangkok. They got the medication through customs without any problems although they wanted to check every one of the 17? boxes of medication they had. They picked up Mel in Singapore and after arriving in Bangkok, set off for a 10 hour bus ride up north to Chang Rai. 13 hours later they arrived at their hotel at 1am and had a rest day the following day after more than 24 hours of non-stop travelling! The team all managed to get 8 hrs sleep which was great considering the travelling required.
Since being in Chang Rai, they have visited one of the villages where they had 'Yudanese' converts, another 'Aka' (excuse my spelling) village where there were only 4 or 5 Christian familes and they felt a need to have an outreach time at mid-day after their clinic. Surprisingly a few witch doctors were challenged and questioning things. (An awkward time for the witch doctors considering their role and status in their society.) Another Thai interprettor (Joe) who has been with them on previous trips has now joined them. He relates well to all people, especially the young ones.
If you've heard any more, please feel free to add any comments or email me so I can post it on this site. The team want to thank you all for your prayers so far and those still to come.

They're Off!!

2007-12-29T00:01:00.000+11:00

Well, the group is finally on their way! We have just returned from the airport after seeing off the 11 people travelling to Bangkok from Melbourne (Mel is already up in Bangkok and will be meeting them up there). After a pretty hectic day for a few today they had no troubles getting through their numerous boxes of medications and didn't have to pay anything extra for any excess baggage... (Prayer point number 1 answered). The second and third big praise points today also included Leonie having to get a new passport today after realising last night (the night before they left that she had lost her passport. Steve (team leader) accompanied her into the city and after explaining to the passport people that Leonie was an 'integral part of the medical team', they issued her with a new passport within an hour. Howard (from Crossway) today also managed to get onto a return flight home with other team members after still being waitlisted up till today.

So that's the update for now. I'll be keeping you up to date as much as possible on behalf of Chris while he's away. Thanks for your prayers so far and keep praying, especially for sleep and rest on their way up to Chang Rai as they'll be flying through the night and will be hitting the ground running when they arrive.

Best wishes.

Mike (on behalf of Chris and the Thailand Mission Team)

Group Mug Shots

2007-12-28T16:55:00.000+11:00

Here are the pictures of the team to pray for:

Steve (team leader)

Peter (co leader)

Roy (co leader)

Me (Chris co leader)

Mel Sherida

Leonie

Howard

David

Chee

Trip details

2007-12-24T17:41:00.000+11:00

Ok so here is the basic plan of where we're going on this trip. Just click on the image to enlarge it! This is also the prayer calendar for the trip. Enjoy.

Next Adventure details...

2007-09-05T16:58:00.001+11:00

OK, So it's been a very long while between posts, and since my last post I have returned, started uni and am now planing a return medical trip.
The date we're looking at leaving for the next trip is 26 December for 3 weeks. We have a meeting Sunday week (16th) about it, so if you want to come and haven't told me yet, let me know!!!

Phuket- explaination

2007-04-21T03:16:00.000+11:00

Oh, and by the way- the reason Phuket- is that that is where she works when she's not translating for us, so it was easier for me to go visit her!

Phuket- how do i explain this as a mission???

2007-04-21T03:13:00.000+11:00

Hey guys,
Sorry its been so long between posts! Things are going really well here and are starting to wrap up. I've just spent 1 day in Chiang Mai after catching up with our other translater in Chaing Rai for a few hours, then 3 days in Phuket with our translater from our previous mission trips. 3 days of speaking broken English/Thai/Chinese often mixed up with each other- fun, but tiring. Tomorrow I head back to Bangkok, and then from there to Melbourne mid next week!
Lookig forward to catching you all soon, but at the same time sad to say bye!
Catch ya,
Chris

Songkran II

2007-04-21T03:06:00.000+11:00

Sorry guys this was meant to be the photo for the last post.

The call would go out... "Farang" (meaning foreigner), then 2 seconds later the water would come down my back, front or all over! This went on for 30mins every 30sec or so- hence the wetness!

Thanks heaps for all your comments too! I love staying up to date with whats happening back home!

Songkran

2007-04-16T14:40:00.000+11:00

Chiang Rai

2007-04-15T20:18:00.000+11:00

Hey Guys, i'm in some dodgy internet cafe in Chiang Rai so i'll just be quick. Just spent 3 days touring the Akha hill tribes with a bunch of Austrian musicians. That was fun! Tell you more about that later. ALso caught up with our translater form our previous trip. Also the water festival is on at the moment, so when I walk back from here i am going to get saturated, as they particularly love throwing water on foriengers! They drive along the street in the back of utes and throw water on people on the side fo the road, on other utes, and on motorcylists. they also have people on the side of the road just throwing water back. The streets look like it's rained. It's insane. Tomorrow i'm bussing down to Chiang Mai at 230 and then 2 days later i'm flying down to Phuket to catch up with one of our other translaters who's working there. Anyway better go. Chris :)

Pix info

2007-04-11T19:25:00.000+11:00

The pictures below:
Top left: Easter Sunday breakfast
Top right: Easter Sunday church service
Middle left: In Bangkok one of the English Classes
Middle right: In Bangkok- kids bathing at Community Centre
Bottom: View from motel window (not bad for $7/night- and that price included mozzies!!!)

More pix

2007-04-11T19:14:00.000+11:00

Nelson, his wife Be and daughter Carolynne in Sangkhla Buri

2007-04-11T19:11:00.000+11:00

This was the family I went to Sangkhla Buri to visit

Kids at church on Easter Sunday

2007-04-11T19:05:00.000+11:00

In transit- Sangkhlaburi-Chiang Rai

2007-04-10T23:01:00.000+11:00

Hey guys, I just realised i made a boo boo on my last post- i was meant to say english teachin is now finished instead of 'not' finished. he he whoops!

Anyway, i made it back from Sangkhla buri today after a great time there. I spent only 3 days there but it felt like i got to know all the people there really well. I visited a school that was being built, and heard the frustrations of building it, i visited a hospital where a New Zealand person showed me round, that was cool to get their perspective of it all. They were on placement.

I had to suffer in a lakeside resort overlooking this scerene lake, which is where i stayed. The food was good, the company was great, and I managed to write up 39 pages of my journal from just 3 days. i think my hand is about to fall off! Thank goodness for keyboards!

The 6 hour van trip back to BKK from there was an adventure. A Christian guy met us in burma and asked us if we'd like a lift back to bangkok to day. we accepted and took the 7 seater van back to the city, although the aircon wasn't working, and so we were all a ball of sweat for the entire time. when we got out in bangkok, the outside temperature was around 30 and it felt like we'd just jumped into the beach at wilsons prom in the middle of winter! Ahh the funs of travelling. Mozzie count- not bad, Food assessment- Nelson- (the guy i was visiting) his wife is an excellent chef.

Anyway- off to the airport for a 640am flight tomorrow to Chiang Rai. HOpe you all keep having fun!
Chris :)

In Sangkhla buri

2007-04-08T16:15:00.000+11:00

Hello and thanks for all the updates. They are very useful. Congrats Dan on being dunked (insert exclaimation mark here- im using a german keyboard so i cant find it)

English teaching is not finished and it was a great time. Everyone has now shipped out of bangkok either to Melbourne, Phuket, Malasyia or where i am.

I left at 730 yesterdaz and made it to the bus station at 929 and bought mz ticket for the 930 bus. Just made it. Then a 6 hour bus trip and got in at 440. It was a nice long daz then to top it off i got asked to preach this morning bz mz contact here Nelson- so I did. Small congregation but still gave me something to do/prepare last night.

Iäm stazing at a place called sangkhla buri which is on the border of burma and thailand and i leave here on tuesdaz. (sorrz z is a y on this kezboard) There is a house here where some people from Swityland and New Yealand are stazing. One is a doctor and the others are looking at helping the burmese.

God is looking after me verz well with things just falling into place at the right time and thanks for all zour prazers. Iäm being eaten bz moyyies alot but other than that its great.

Oh zear, the pictures were of camp and Chris and Jodie in case zou were wondering.
Catch za,
Chris :)

2007-04-06T00:47:00.000+11:00

camp photo

2007-04-06T00:43:00.000+11:00

teaching

2007-04-03T16:08:00.000+11:00

Hey guys,
i'm writting this from between teaching gigs today. its the usual high 30's and the area we taught at this morning had a lovely aroma of sewerage and dog do do! lunch is about to be called with the traditional thai meal there. it's great to see the kids actually taking some of the english stuff in!!!
feedback from camp: it was the best experience of my life- from one of the boys

Back from camp

2007-03-31T16:55:00.000+11:00

Ok, so I returned from camp after eating rice for breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper, and went straight to Maccas for a Chris triple hamberger special.
Camp went great, 50ish kids some who'd never been to the beach before all going on a party bus (disco music, bass thumping for 3 hours, dancing up the back of the bus) was a great experience. Taught english for only 4 hours, but spent time with the team and kids. This morning I also counted 12 mosquito bites on my right hand- I guess i forgot about the aeroguard on that one hey! Today is the day off and had a good sleep in- better than getting up for 'exercises' on camp at 630 or even 5am! Plenty more camp experiences but I'll tell you when I get home.
Next week will be teaching English to some of the guys who went on the camp so that should be fun! Teaching in both the morning and evening. Well, keep me posted on how things are going in chilly Melbourne (apparently its meant to be 41 degrees here today!) Hope you're all keeping well
Chris

Off to the Beach!

2007-03-27T09:55:00.001+11:00

Ok so after I made it, I relaxed for a day or two. The team arrived in dribs and drabs over the last 2 or so days. The 7 people from Blacky Church of Christ arrived 2 days ago then the other 9 or so arrived yesterday.
We went to church yesterday- and you had to laugh as they sang their own songs then they sang choruses from the '80s in Thai but we could sing along in English- well i found it humerous anyway!
Had an orientation day today and I am know going on a sports camp to the beach from tomorrow (Tuesday) through to Friday, which should be fun (thanks mum for packing the sleeping sheet!!!) What I'll be doing: teaching English with 4 others Robyn (from YFC), Ella from Blackburn, Rob from Swanston Street COC and Ash- UNOH director. We'll be one of 4 workshops the 8-14year olds do each day so we'll be teaching English for 4 hours each day- (the same session 4 times over for the 4 different groups!) When we're not doing that we'll be leaders on the camp with the locals from the church, it also means I wont (probably) have internet access for the next few days.
Weather is still muggy as anything and despite being a ball of sweat by the time i've even entered the slum, I still managed to play soccer with the young boys and then go for a 5km run with one of the UNOH workers- it was fun and a good chance to chat and see what their really on about. (aparently it got down to a mild 30 last night!)
Caught up with Chris and Jodie today and Grace and Ruby, and visited their house today. Quite spacious really- a 3 room plus toilet house about the size of our lounge room and varanda.
So, hope you're all keeping well. Sorry this is such a long post, but you wont get one for another couple of days! Thanks for all your prayers as well. Really appreciate them. From here on in I think i'm required to get up and be ready for action at 730, so no sleepins for Chris (until saturday!)
Catch ya!
Chris

Made it!

2007-03-24T00:20:00.000+11:00

Hey Guys. Made it safely to BKK (at midnight Melb time) 8pm Thai time and by the time I got out of the airport I decided to take it easy (as I had a headache too) so I booked into the motel i'll be staying in for the next 2 weeks, and did not much except go up the street and buy food and check out the motel. I've attached a picture of my plane food (being jet star had to bring my own) but it was quite a nice spread.- Picture may not work as internet is really slow here!
Now for the deeper stuff:
How's this for a saying- i thought of this morning!
"First in order to work most effectively...you must first confront your own demons"
So feel free to be praying for that!
Ok enough deep stuff- The rest of the crew get here tomorrow or Sunday so that should be good to catch up with them and get to know them. Hope all is well with all of you!
Thinking of you (while melting in 35 degree heat!)
Chris

Melbourne- Bangkok

2007-03-22T10:14:00.000+11:00

Ok, so I leave in 5 minutes. I hope to be able to access this as frequently as possible to keep you updated, but no promises as who knows when I'll have internet access!!!
I seem to have everything packed at the moment, including my lunch for the plane!
In terms of preparation, I think i am ok. I have got maps of Bangkok and I'm staying on Kho San Rd tonight, although I haven't booked accomodation yet, that's half the fun of just walking up and seeing if there's any room!
In terms of bags- I'm taking one backpack and one bag full of goodies to be left at the slum and one carryon bag. Thanks for all your prayers. They're always appreciated.
2 Corinthians 1 first bit on comfort, was a scripture that also stuck out to me as I was preparing.
Catch ya soon!
Chris

3 Days to go!

2007-03-19T00:00:00.000+11:00

As of today (Monday) there are now only 3 days to go before i jump on a plane and scoot off to Bangkok. And it hit me tonight that I'm still not really prepared to teach English, but at the same time God's got everything under control. (Good thing that too!)

One week and one day to go.

2007-03-14T13:06:00.000+11:00

Well the Adventure to Thailand is only 1 week and 1 day away now, and I'm attempting to learn at least some Thai so that when I'm teaching English to the Thai kids I can at least say something to them they'll understand!

My itenerary at the moment is as follows:
Thursday 22 March: Depart Melbourne
Saturday 24 March- Sunday 8 April: Teaching ESL in the Klong Toey slum with UNOH
Monday 9 April- Thursday 12 April-ish: Heading west to Sanklaburi
Friday 13 April-ish- Saturday 21 April-ish: Catching up with Pastors/missionaries in Chiang Rai
Sunday 22ish: Head back to Bangkok
Monday 23: Leave Bangkok for Melbourne
Tuesday 24: Arrive back in Melbourne

Of course this in Thailand so pretty much only the departure dates from Mel & BKK are set and the ESL teaching. All the rest of it is pretty fluid at the moment!

Welcome!

2007-03-04T21:36:00.001+11:00

Welcome to the first of I don't know how many postings that will keep people up-to-date with the travels and fun of Chris!