Bergens in Bangkok

The Bergens are here and although it's late and I'm ready for bed, I want to give a little report of their first day. Last night their 24 hour flight from Atlanta arrived about 20 minutes early. Mike was coming up from southern Thailand and I was coming down from northern Thailand and our plan was for us to meet in the airport about an hour before they arrived. My plane had some mechanical problems and I ended up getting to Bangkok three hours later, so they were all there to welcome ME to "MY" country.

Today was their only day to see Bangkok, so we drug them around the city non-stop. Favorite Thai breakfast, taxi to Sky Train to pier- boat trip on Chao Phaya river to floating market, to views of Grand Palace and temples and then Sky Train to Thai shopping centers and ended the day with a trip to the highest building in Bangkok to watch the sunset. I must have been a little camera happy, because I have like 130 pictures-- but here's just a few of the day.

Kyle learning the Skyway system and buying his ticket.

Betty tasting a new Thai fruit.

Floating Market

Do they look like tourists?

Temple of the Dawn

Thai's making merit and giving offerings.

We saw a magnificent double rainbow over the city as we watched the sun go down over the "City of Angels."

Special Guests

There's alot of excitement in my heart right now. I leave in a little bit to pick up our very special guests at the Bangkok airport. It is my cousin and her husband, Kyle and Betty Bergen. I'm so excited for them to get here that I can hardly stand it. Betty and I grew up really close, in fact our relationship is probably more like sisters than distant cousins. We were the same age and spent alot of time with each other through every age of life. Somehow our combination of personalities sort of gave us a reputation of being very... rambunctious??? I once heard that the counsellors at the camp that we went to every summer, would fight over who had to have us in their cabin. Even throughout our adult years, we've remained very close. Our family has visited at their house many times, but she has never been to Asia to visit our life here. The dream has finally come through for both of us. We have alot planned for them. They are bringing suitcases of clothes and toys to give out on the islands and orphanages. We also have some opportunities for them to share their testimonies with our students and staff. I'll try to document all the fun activities we have planned over the next few weeks.

We feel a need to ask you to pray for safety and protection here. Last night one of our summer project students from Guam ran through a glass door and ended up having surgery late last night. Yesterday the work project of around 25 people that Mike has been directing this week ended. Today the students went to a waterfall before returning to Bangkok and had a vehicle accident. It rolled their van and some of them are injured, too. We appreciate your prayers for both of these situations.

And great news--- Lori's director wrote us today and told us that Lori is sleeping again and doing much better in the training village. Gotta run and catch my flight to Bangkok.

Flip That Room

My "flip that room" project didn't turn out to be as big of deal as I was hoping-- but then it wasn't really a "flop" either. Coming back from the states a few months ago, I knew it was a project that I really wanted to get done. When we moved into this house 12 years ago, one thing that we liked about it was the guest room. We're not sure what the former occupants used the room for- but it has been a perfect guestroom for us. It is a separate building outside, with it's own bathroom, AC, and we've made a little kitchenette for some of our long term guests. Our friend, Reatha helped us decorate it in 1998. The decor was perfect for that time, but the pink and blue flowers were so "over" and I've been very ready to make some changes. The furniture is Burmese antique and we've tried to use local bits and pieces for accents. I was planning to totally start over with different furniture, but Mike and I decided that didn't fit the budget, so we didn't really do that much. Basically, fresh paint, new window coverings, and few other changes in accessories is all I did. The whole room feels so much better to me now. I still need to add a bit more, but it's very usable. Our first guests came just a few weeks after we got back, which helped me to "get the job done quickly". They stayed for a month, and it's time now for out next "very special guests" to arrive. (To be announced in my next post)

OK, OK, it's time to show the before and after photos.

BEFORE........and AFTER......before...... (I feel like a decorating magazine "wanna-be" article, right now) and after......I forgot to mention, that the most important piece in this room now is my Dad and Mom's chenille bedspread. After Dad's funeral, I tried to figure out what I could bring back of theirs that we could put in our home here as a family keepsake. Since furniture is a bit difficult to bring on the plane, I decided their bedspread was the best I could do. I am so glad that I did and it is so special to me. I remember them looking and looking for this bedspread several years ago, because mom really wanted a "real bedspread" and all they could find was comforters. They loved it and when I asked Dad about getting a new bedspread when he moved, he told me so often how pretty he thought it was. It brings with it so many memories to me.

bathroom and kitchenette area....It's amazing to me to see what a difference the paint alone does. The artwork is pictures of Chiang Mai and our actual road that we live on, done by a local artist. Well, thanks for joining me on my walk-through. It's almost time to get to the airport for our next guests. We're so thankful for this comfy guestroom. Y'all come on over now!

Evidence of Buddhism

The longer a foreigner lives in a country, the more familiar that culture feels. This is definitely true for Mike and I here in Thailand. However, the other day, I was thinking about how much Buddhism is tied into the culture of Thailand. They really go hand in hand, and it is difficult to separate the two. My love for Thai culture, will never take away my desire to see Thai people reached with God's love and my longing for them to understand that they do not need to "do good things" to make merit for a better life. God has given each of them his free gift of eternal life, and can break their bondage to idol worship. Here are a few evidences of Buddhism seen everywhere in my daily life.

Every taxi driver has a monk bless their vehicle by drawing a sacred design onto the car ceiling. The purpose is to protect the car and driver and bring more customers and money. Buddha statues are seen along the country side, while driving between villages and cities. These monks walk past my kitchen window religiously every morning to receive their daily alms (food) from my neighbors.

Most vehicles have a menagerie of Gods, monk statuettes and a variety of trinkets in them chosen for their ability to protect the driver and car. This was in a van we rode in last year and was a bit overdone as it clinked and clanked at every bump and turn.

The van was actually one that we rode in with Lori last year when she made her whirlwind trip into Burma to help after Cyclone Nargis. She knew I was trying to get a photo of the idols, so jumped in the picture. I love and miss that girl so much!

Please pray for Lori as I try to give you a brief update on her. She has now been in South America a for 5 1/2 months and learning Spanish at rocket speed. She now reads her Bible in Spanish, and is memorizing Bible Stories in Spanish for when they leave their training camp to go into the communities. Certain aspects of her training have been very difficult for her to the extent that she was having such bad sleeping problems that she needed to leave the base camp last week. She went into the city for rest, counsel and a time of recuperation. She is back in the jungle again, but we are concerned for her. Without being there, we are not sure of what is going on in her life-- but know that our prayers are the best we can give her. We won't be able to communicate with her for another month now, so pray that God will do a refining in her life and that she will learn to fall on Him for the strength she needs in a way she has never experienced before.

Practice of the Presence of God

I decided to read this little book again. It's small and 300 years old, but powerful in helping me continue to learn how to cultivate a deep presence of God throughout each simple day. As a humble cook, Brother Lawrence learned that his communion with God was the same whether he was in the kitchen or on his knees in prayer. Some of my favorite quotes from the book are:

"I'm not anxious about my purpose in life because I only want to do God's will."

"The difficulties of life do not have to be unbearable, It is the way we look at them- through faith or unbelief- that makes them seem so. We must be convinced that our Father is full of love for us and that He only permits trials to come our way for our own good."

"God desired to keep saints for himself until the end of the world. These saints would pay Him a respect worthy of His grandeur and majesty and would be models of virtue because of the holy example they set. God was not content to have these extraordinary men born in the early centuries only. He still raises up people who perfectly fulfill these two duties of a saint and who guard the fruits of the Spirit in themselves, transmit them, and make them live again in others."

And here's my favorite... Brother Lawrence knew that the more the thing he did was opposed to his natural inclination, the greater was the merit of his love in offering it to God. He knew that the pettiness of the deed would not diminish the worth of his offering, because God- needing nothing- considers in our works only the love that accompanies them.

Happy 21st Jennifer Joy!!!

This picture was taken in a Bangkok hospitol 21 years ago today when God blessed our family with our 4th baby girl! Happy Birthday Jennifer Joy! We love you and are so proud of you for investing your summer in the lives of young people there at KAA! Have a great day and Celebrate Big!!

Where are those Christian Girls?

Here is a brief update on our daughters and their summer whereabouts:

Jenny is working at Kids Across America Kanakuk Kamp this month. The vision of the Kamp is: To revolutionize inner-city America through evangelism and to equip urban youth and their leaders through sports camping. Each week Jen has a different group of girls in her cabin,ages 9-12 from the inner city. She is actually just finishing her first week and since they don't have cell phones while they work there- I'm not sure how it's going. I did talk with her briefly after the 10 days of training and she was pretty excited about all she had to look forward to. Jenny turns 21 in two days on June 8. This fall she'll start her last year of college.

This is a picture of the two college girls that I found on one of their pages-- just so you can feel their sweetness along with me.

Bethany has just moved into her first apartment after 4 years in college dorms. She has a summer job on campus, but so far hasn't been able to find more work off campus, much to her disappointment. She said that she feels her full time work has been job searching/applying lately.(Especially since she's learning how bills in the adult world add up) She has just one semester of college left.

Lori is in Peru with the International Mission Board in jungle training for the Extreme Team. She's finding the training to be pretty "EXTREME" in preparation to live in the jungles, and it's been a real challenge. When I think of how much she's advanced in her Spanish I'm amazed, since a year ago now she knew "zero" Spanish. She now reads the Bible in Spanish and does all her communicating in Spanish. She is struggling with some sleeping issues and nightmares, so we really appreciate your prayers for her. Here she is during part of her training.
Jon and Marisa made their road trip out to California and are helping staff a Campus Crusade Summer Project. The one they are at is the Santa Cruz Summer Project. Their family of five is living in a budget hotel room for the summer. Have a look at their blog to keep up on their summer of ministry.

They stopped at the Grand Canyon on their trip between Arkansas and California, and were in absolute awe at God's creation. Made me want for Mike and I to have a look at it. We got a postcard from Marisa that she sent from there and she said that her and Collin stopped to thank God and told Him that he did a "great job" :)

Frito-Lay's Chips (Thai Style)

It's pretty exciting that there is a Lay's Potato Chips factory here--in fact, it's not too far down the road from us. They have the Original flavor that we are use to from home-- but also have added to their selection several different Thai flavors. Today I was at the store buying some chips and since my guests will be Thai, I decided to pick some of the Thai flavors. In case you can't read all the descriptions... here's the flavors that I chose today.

• Thai Chili Paste
• Garlic Softshell Crab
• Hot Chili Squid
• Nori Seaweed
• Barbeque Spareribs
• Spicy Seafood
• SHOCK (that's the only English word on the package, but there's also lot of pictures of red peppers, several seafood's, and fire)

So... which one do you think would be your favorite? Seems that they really like their chips to have a seafood flavor, eh? A good example of "East meets West".

Home Alone Weekend!

Last weekend was unusual for us. Mike and I were both home in Chiang Mai alone. It was so nice to spend the weekend together. Friday night was the GIS graduation. I was reminded of "how time flies". Doesn't seem that long ago that I was one of those ultra- involved mom's with all the graduation activities. We also played tennis (first time in ages) and got one of our $4/hour foot massages. On our way home from church Sunday, a car we were helping had a problem so we ended up on the motorcycle (me in a dress) and then to add to the adventure it started raining. We also enjoyed two good movies...

First was Amazing Grace, here in our home on DVD. It is based on the life of antislavery pioneer William Wilberforce. As a member of the British parliament, Wilberforce's radical commitment to Christ and his conviction that all people are created in the image of God led him to fight for 20 years for the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire. Wilberforce led a movement which resulted in freedom and life for people around the world. If you haven't seen it yet, I think it should be on your "must see" list. The story is really inspiring.

We also went to Slumdog Millionaire, for my 2nd time. I love this movie, and the soundtrack- not because it got 8 academy awards including "Best Picture of 2008" - but because it stirs a passion in my heart for street children. How many times in Thailand and other Asian countries have I had a small child come up and pull on my leg with their hand stretched out to me? How many of them are sent out by a syndicate? The first time I saw it I had just been with my grandkids, enjoying their innocence of life (the way it should be for young children) and was reminded in contrast of the life of these street kids.

After a wonderful weekend together, Mike is now in the south again preparing for a new team to come in. Last night they had a huge wind/rain storm and they lost two of their boats.

Please pray for our Lori in Peru. We finally got a call from her and found out she is still struggling with spiritual warfare and sleeping issues. I'll share more later-- but really ask you to pray for a victory in her life.

More of "Life on the Island" last week.

We'll let the pictures tell the story in chronological order this time..... The shot below was taken soon after the team of 10 arrived from the USA and Mike was giving them an orientation in the hotel lobby before heading out to the island. At the pier we met up with the 8 stinters and students who had driven down 22 hours from northern Thailand to join us. It was one of the girls birthday and I had bought her a birthday cake, but the sun was melting it so fast, that we had to give it to her immediately.

On the boat trip out we passed several fishing boats that were quite interesting.

The trip out is always such a fun time as everyone is so excited to see all the new sights and there are lots of conversations as people from different cultures are getting to know each other. I love this photo. Somebody must have said something funny.

Some friends of my Dad's had sent a whole suitcase of newborn baby clothes for me to pass out on the island. I was excited to give them out; so soon after we got settled, I asked one lady to take me to all the new babies under one year old. This baby was 2 days old, and I had a following of people go with me to give him some new clothes.

This was the teenage mom, sitting by the fire in her house for the first 7 days after birth as is their custom.

This grandma was sitting under the hut of the new born baby weaving a handmade mat out of grass that she cut down herself. Some of the team from the USA were with me later and really wanted to buy it from her, but she was pretty adamant that it was for her new grand baby and she could not sell it. She ended up making three more of them in the three remaining days for some of the team members to buy from her. Here's another little guy and I wanted to show you his "before and after" outfits. He stays right by his mama or grandma's side all day long.

He was pretty thrilled with his new little stuffed rabbit and clothes. Thanks to Karen and the ladies group in Gilbertville.

These little guys were snacking on fried grasshoppers.

I had a little craft/coloring time with some of the kids in the church during the afternoons. The first day it was all preschoolers who were very unruly (yelling, crawling on the tables, etc) and I was a bit discouraged with their behavior. The next day, I waited till the school kids got back, and they all (the same preschoolers) sat like angels, coloring quietly and comparing each others techniques. I couldn't believe the difference of the two days, and decided that peer influence was a good thing in this situation.

The group stayed in some bungalows about 5 minutes away, but we had to take a boat to get back and forth each day. Here's the crew coming to work one day.

And just as they arrived the kids were leaving the pier to go to school all dressed up in their school uniforms.

It's not a "school bus", but a "school boat". These children see it as such a privilege to get to go to school.

Emily and David playing jump rope with the kids after school.

Pastor Somsak and Uan are absolutely amazing. They have been working for Mike full time this year on the islands. They have such loving hearts for the Mokens and are gifted in so many ways. Uan did all the cooking (three meals/day) in this little kitchen for the week. Her food is honestly so delicious and everyone loved the food. They have such servant hearts, wanting everyone to be well fed and cared for and they never ever complain.

They even fed us cold watermelon on our return boat trip at the end of the week.

Next week, June 8-12 will be another project with a group coming from the USA and students from Thamasak campus in Bangkok. They will be building a boat repair shop on the mainland.

The most recent new project (this week) for Somsak and Uan is a group of orphans that they will be caring for. It started out with a few kids who didn't have parents anymore and it has now turned into 11 children. Lots of excitement is happening as they are preparing to make a Christian home for these 11 children at our center on the mainland.