JBF to Thailand "Work-Hard,Play-Hard"

Mike and I believe in a "work-hard, play-hard" philosophy when teams come over.  There is so much to learn from the Thai people and culture and we aim to expose as much as we can to them.

Breakfasts were either at the hotel or at a quick 7-11 stop, lunches were at the work-site, and then after stopping work for the day we'd go out for dinner. Of course that was after showers at the hotel because- believe me- you did not want a whiff of 12 sweaty bodies after working in the heat all day. They were very adventuresome when it came to trying new Thai dishes (most of the time).

After work the last day, we visited a Thai museum and enjoyed this 360 look out tower all around the area of Songkhla, which is a big fishing area of Thailand.

Chloe and Hannah were two of the sweetest, hard working, lovers of Jesus,  high-schooler's I've ever met. They both came with their dad's who were also on the team.  I love these father/daughter bonding mission trips.

We took them to the Songkhla Mermaid, which is the symbol of Songkhla. The girls got a short horseback ride on the beach.

And I was thrilled to see this beautiful rainbow on the beach. 

We made one last stop to look for the monkeys near the temple.

We didn't have to look very hard, as once we stopped the van and they saw Mike buy some food- they quickly found their way to us. 

Some of the monkeys were quite aggressive, which was not a fun time for some of us. 

We've heard that the team is back to Jesup enjoying their own beds again- but changed for the better as a result of spending their vacation time here.  Thanks again JBF!  We are so thankful for each of you and your continued prayers for Thailand.  We miss you already! 

JBF to Thailand- Day #3- Ranong Kids Home

The early risers said their goodbyes and  traveled back from the island to the mainland by boats on Saturday morning.

This little guy had made a handmade boat out of styrofoam that he found around the island. (who needs Lego's?)

Life is so simple on the island.  Some just stared and watched the farangs out the window of their hut without much expression, while others engaged as best they could and waved good-bye thanking us for our visit.

It pretty much rained the whole week that the team has been here, but we were thankful it let up during our boat trip back.

Good-bye Koh Chang till next time! 

Uan, (the dorm mom) and the older girls cooked a delicious dinner for us Saturday night at the kids home.

We divided the team up to sit with the children and practice their English together.

The kitchen crew joyfully washed our dishes for us.

The team planned a fun program with the children.  We weren't sure how well "heads up-seven up" would go- but it was a great success and fun was had by all. Especially when the winners of the games were rewarded with new hats and t-shirts. Prizes tend to make the games more competitive. (thanks again for those donations)

Here's some happy kids with their new shirts. Do you recognize any of those t-shirts and hats with Iowa logo's on them? Go Hawks!

After some singing, (if you see them, ask the JBF team to sing the Thai song that they learned) and testimonies from both the kids and the team, we treated the kids to ice cream sundaes.  They only get ice cream when we treat them to it- so it was pretty special along with the American candy they enjoyed also. 

Once again, I'm not sure who was blessed more- the children who enjoyed the games and gifts or the American's who were touched by their lives, songs, and testimonies. 

JBF to Thailand - Day#2- To Koh Chang

After some more travel on day #2 via taxi, plane, songtao, ocean ferry, and Moken sea gypsies boat, we arrived at Koh Chang for two days of ministry to the village we work on. It's been encouraging all week to hear from a different team member as they have shared a morning devotional.  Some days, we've grabbed any corner that we can find to get away from the crowds and hear each other speak.

On the Sea Gypsy boat from the ferry to the village. 

It was low tide when we arrived so we had to walk through some pretty mucky stuff to get to the pier. 

When we walked into the village, our children from the Ranong Kids Home were leading the village kids in some songs and games. The team just observed for a bit, as it's a whole different world when you first arrive and there is a lot to take in.

It's so fun to watch these little ones singing Christian songs. 

We then gathered in the village community center to divide up into groups and pair up with some of the kids from the orphanage to walk around and visit the village huts and pray for the families in each home. 

I went with Caleb and Kate for awhile.  This lady was cooking dinner and proud to show us her mealtime preparations.

You may remember, that I always like to ask for the newest babies in the village since our last visit.  This baby in her hammock is just one month old. 

Kate and I both got to hold her and love on a newborn.

Meanwhile, when we arrived back at the pier, Hannah and Chloe were passing out bracelets and the kids were coming in from all corners of the village.

And the guys were observing what the Mokens were fishing for and found some cool creatures. 

The team prepared  a program of games, songs, and gifts for the villagers.  This is Chloe sharing a message on prayer for them in English. Mike translated it from English into Thai, and then Maway translated it from Mike's Thai into Moken so that they could learn from her in their local language.

The JBF team did a great job with their program and the villagers loved the special attention from the "farangs".

Everyone in the village received a baseball cap or t-shirt.  A big thanks to those people who donated them.

The villagers on Koh Chang proudly wearing their new t-shirts.

We all spent the night in the village sleeping under mosquito nets on the church floor.  Comparing stories in the morning, it seems the heat and no fans, dog fight in the middle of the night, boat engines starting up at odd hours,gave us all some memories that won't be forgotten from life in the village. 

JBF To Thailand -Day #1-Bangkok

I know that there are a lot of eager family members in Iowa wanting to hear updates on the team they sent to us and it seems this is the best place to share some photos and stories. I started this soon after they arrived but there has not been much breaking- so here's some delayed updates.

The team arrived at an untimely hour for international travel - about 5:30 am.  That's always a difficult arrival time, because with the 12 hour time change- their bodies are telling them that it is about time to go to sleep  for a good nights sleep after a long trip across the ocean.  But if we let them do that, then their bodies will get their nights and days mixed up and its a vicious cycle of wanting to sleep during the day and being wide awake at night.

So our goal for the day was to show them around Bangkok, be in the sunshine, and keep them awake.

After checking into their  KT guesthouse, showering, some orientation to Thai culture, and some of the best 'khao pot gai' for breakfast, we did a 'planes, trains, and automobiles' kind of day. Their transpo the first 24 hours was a plane, taxi, tuktuk, subway, skytrain, riverferry, and lots of walking. 7 modes of  getting them around did a good job of keeping them awake.

Hannah and Chloe on the riverboat.

Kate and Caleb exploring Bangkok.

Our river boat stopped at Wat Arun. (one of the most famous temples.)

The spire is over 70 meters high and is decorated with tiny pieces of colored glass and porcelain placed delicately into intricate patterns.

It is also known as "Temple of the Dawn"- a place where Thai's go to make merit. 

Later afternoon, we took them to the tallest building in Bangkok for a 360 view of the city. 

It never ceases to amaze me that you can see tall buildings as far as the eye can see in every direction across Bangkok.

It is usually a great place to watch the sunset over Bangkok.

We were so proud of the team and the way they stayed awake and enjoyed the day.  We ended up with a little souvenir shopping and dinner.  As they were waiting for their orders, one by one, they started resting their heads on the table  and it turned into this. Hmmm- do you suppose we may have pushed too hard? It definitely led to some good laughs for all of us.

Amanda and Evan

Amanda was on a stint (short term internationals) team with us for two years here in northern Thailand. She left 5 years ago and finally got to come back this week for a visit.  The best part was that she got to bring her new husband with her and show him her life in Thailand.  

It was so fun for her to be back and  for us to be with her again.  We didn't get as much time with her as we'd like,  but we enjoyed the times we did get with her. Today we said good bye to her after a delicious Khao Soy meal with them.  So good to have you back Amanda (and Evan)

In the meantime Papa is starting them young on the target shooting......