the zoo, birthdays, and the fair

On Wednesday, we went to the Chiang Mai Zoo. We had to be ready by 5:00 am. We took the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. Unlike an American field trip, the kids weren't closely supervised. We got to touch the elephants, which was really cool. Yesterday, we had a party for a member of our team who had a birthday. The cake ended up being something like Twinkies (but not) stacked on each other. We invited some of the teachers from the school, but none came. A few of us got to go spend some time with an elderly couple we have been praying for. He has a bad shoulder due to a blood disorder he got from drinking, I think. We hope to watch a movie that we have that explains the gospel in the Northern Thai language next weekend with them. Today, we are currently at a yearly festival in Mae Chem. As soon as I finish on the computer, I'm going to check it out.

Prayers:

That God would continue working the way He has been in my life

That we would be able to watch the movie with this couple (and that God would be working in their hearts)

That teaching would go well this week.

Praises:

God has been doing some great, but painful, things in my life

We are trying to make the most of every opportunity.

Boy scout camp

This week, the father of one of the teachers died. So Joanna (one of the team members) and Tom, (our team leader), went to the funeral in Chiang Mai, about three and a half hours away. We also had "Boy Scout camp", where the fourth, fifth, and sixth graders, both boys and girls walked for about an hour, with our team members as the only adults walking with them. They went in groups, and stopped at stations where teachers taught them, or had them do activities. Tom and I rode in the truck. At the last station, which was at the camp, the teacher had them look at objects taped to a board, twice for a few seconds each time, They then had to write down what they remembered. They also had to sing a song with motions (one was similar to the "Chicken Dance"). They put up tents and cooked what they could catch over fires. They had tables and chairs for us to sit at, and the Thai teachers ate in a pavilion-type thing. In the evening, a very drunk teacher from a nearby village led them in games, skits, and songs. It was so different than any American school trip. The kids had so much freedom, and there was very little structure. I was able to get to know some of the teachers better. Camp was Wednesday and Thursday. We didn't stay overnight, but came both days. Yesterday (Friday) the students didn't have school. So we prayer walked around town in groups, and spent the afternoon hanging out with anyone we could see. Tirzah (a team member) and I went around taking pictures and talking to shopkeepers and mothers with children. The moms and kids loved the pictures. The opposition that we had against the kids spending time with us is gone. We're not sure if it was just a misunderstanding, or what.

Praises:

Am building relationships with a particular teacher here.

Prayers:

What to do after Thailand?

We have reached the halfway mark of our stay. That the last three weeks would be spent well, investing in the lives of the children and teachers here.

God's direction on my life

Death drives, spiders, and mountains

Today, we went on a trip to a school up in the mountains about an hour away where they had games for the children, and they were building a house for the teacher who teaches there. It's really a one-room school. The drive there was very eventful...almost had a heart attack three times just because I looked out my window at the very steep cliffs (no guardrails). The road was almost too narrow for our truck. We drove through two rivers, but that wasn't the bad part. The bad part was the mud puddles that slid our truck all over the narrow road. Fortunately, we didn't have any traffic coming the other way, except for one truck when we were on the way back, and there was just enough space in that "passing zone" to avoid collision. We had five people in the cab of the truck, and seven in the back. Thursday, I woke up to see a massive (literally as big as my hand) spider on the wall. It disappeared before we could catch it...but we took everything out of our room that night and found it...took three hits with a shoe. Last Sunday, we climbed the highest mountain in Thailand...it was great.

Prayer:
We are having opposition from some of the teachers, one in particular, who are telling the kids if they come near us (come to our house, or invite us to their houses, or come to our after-school bible studies), they will be spanked. They don't want the kids studyng the bible.

Health issues

Praises:
We survived the death drive

We are getting into a good routine for teaching.

We are building relationships.

A bike, potholes, and a wedding

We started teaching English on Monday. We taught for four days this week, because Friday was Student Day. Student Day is a very crazy time where all of the hill tribe people dress in colorful tradional outfits covered in bells, and a lot of people come to share in the fun. There were songs sung by tiny preschool age children. There was also a raffle where prizes were given out. Bikes, huge boxes of chips, and electric teapots wer some of the prizes. Most people received a great prize, but I felt bad for one of my students. Mint is a fourth grader who is somewhat chubby. The prize they gave her was a little boy's bike...much more appropriate for a kindergartener. She was so embarrassed. The reasoning is that she is fat, so she deserves to be embarrassed. I felt terrible for her. She had to take the bike.
Today (Satuday) we went to a wedding. They fed us rice noodles wirth spicy vegetables and lots of Coca-Cola. As foreigners, we were given honor, and they made us get up and do Karaoke...which works ok, except when you don't know all of the words to "Sweet Caroline", and the machine freezes. There is a Buddhist ritual where those older than the bride and groom tie a string around both the bride's wrists (like bracelets, not handcuffs), and then the groom's while offering prayers for the marriage. Our leaders, Tom and Lisa, were the only ones older than the coule from our team, so they tied strings on the couple, while the rest of us knelt and prayed. The Thai people did not know we were praying in English to the One True God. My teaching partner, Seth, and I have finally gotten in a rythym teaching English, learning what works, and what doesn't. It has poured here the last 24 hours...starting about 5 am the last two mornings, and then quitting sometime in the morning about 10. This is unusual in the dry season. I've never heard it rain that hard in my life. The roads are really bad, and extremely narrow...we've had a couple of close calls, and there are no seat belts. Our truck fits two in the front seat, three in the back in the extended cab, and seven in the bed of the truck...plus about six 10 gallon jugs...very crowded on the weekends when we come to the nearest "big" town and get water and use internet for the week. We take icy cold showers of death at night, because there is no guarantee that there will be water in the morning. We keep two 5 gallon buckets filled with water so we can "flush" the "toilet" in case there is no water. This is a lot harder than I expected, and I'm resigned to the fact that I won't feel clean until I get back to the US and can use a washer and take a hot shower.

Praises:
We've been safe driving.
We've been able to pray for a man's shoulder to be healed...people are a little open

Requests:
That God would make people ask questions
That we would teach with excellence

Songtaos and spice

We left Chiang Mai around 11 am, and rode in a songtao to Nahong. A songtao is somewhat like a truck, except there are bench seats, one on each side, and a roof in the back, It was quite comfortable, considering our ride was four hours long, and there were many many potholes and hairpin turns. Our luggage was in a truck driven by our leader, Tom. We arrived in Ban Nahong (Nahong village) last night about 6 pm. We had dinner at one of the teacher's houses (outside, actually), where we ate hotdog soup with rice noodles, and meat and vegetables over rice. We are living in the village (last year, the team lived outside the village). We have a duplex- style house, with three guys on one side, and seven girls (the six from our team, and our translator) on the other. Each side has a kitchen-type area, a bathroom, a bedroom, and a front living area. The only furniture is a low double bed in the bedroom, and a few plastic patio chairs and a few tables in the kitchen. Showers are about two degrees above freezing, and western toilets are a luxury we don't have. Today, we are in a "city" about an hour away, and we rode in the back of a truck to get here. A songtao is so much more comfortable. We have to be very careful here about our behavior, because everyone knows us as the "farang teachers of Nahong". It's a position that carries respect, but also great responsibility. Today, as we had breakfast (ramen noodles with very, very spicy broth- I drank it too quickly, and it made me cry and want to rip out my throat) and team time (a time of worship and prayer), we had a line of boys right outside our door and window, hanging on the windowsill, almost inside the house. Everything we do is watched.

Praises:
We got to Nahong safely.
The water store was open today, so we could buy water.
I survived the coldest shower ever (and no, pretending it's hot doesn't help)

Prayer:
We begin teaching on Monday.
That we would represent Christ well to all we meet.
The boy's side is infested with ants and huge spiders.
That the children (and adults) who watch us would see Jesus in us.

Farang in Chiang Mai

Well, after days of travel, we farangs (foreigners) are finally in Chiang Mai. We left Wisconsin at 9:00 am on the 31st. We arrived in Chicago about 4:30, then caught our flight to Beijing at 8:pm. We arrived in Beijing, and spent several hours there, then flew to Bangkok, were there are crazy foreigners, who are very culturally inappropriate. Our plane was delayed twice. We were supposed to leave at 8 pm, and left at 11:30. I finally got tp bed at around 2:30 am January 3rd (about 1:30 in the afternoon on January 2nd in Central time)in the morning. We are staying at a hotel, because the guest house run by a Thai friend is full (of other YWAMers). Last night was the best sleep ever!!!!! I'm still jet-lagged. For now, we haven't experienced squatties or cold showers. That will change soon. We are going to visit some temples tomorrow. The food is spicy and delicious, or aroi mak mak. I've taken many pictures already, but can't post them til I get back.

Prayer requests:
Team Unity
Health

leaving

We are leaving in about two hours for Chicago. We fly to Beijing, then Bangkok, then Chiang Mai...then take a truck several hours to the village. Pray.