Christmas Parties

In America it seems that you always have a Christmas Party to attend. You know, the neighbors, friends, church, or whatever else. Well, as surprising as it is we had several parties to go to also. We put on a Christmas party for our Rajabhat students at the Dealy's house. We had a sugar cookie decorating contest, games, dirty Santa, and even sang Christmas carols. We had an awesome turnout of about 28 students, many of whom were new faces.


Decorating cookies


This is the King as a sugar cookie


Ring the tree game

We also had Friday Night Lights Christmas style including a gift exchange and a drawing for gifts. We of course sang Christmas songs and played some fun games. The Thai staff did a really great job of decorating the stage and providing 5 star chicken and sticky rice.


P'Pai and P'Gaa as the MCs for the night


All of the students and staff sitting on mats in the gym

And finally, we had our big staff Christmas Eve party with all of the Thai staff and everyone involved with Campus Crusade. The theme for the party was "Fancy Christmas." So all of the farangs thought that meant dress fancy or nice right? Well it seems that many of the Thai staff thought it meant "fantasy Christmas" as in wear a costume. It was so funny to see the range of outfits. Each team had to do a special performance. So my team thought it would be fun to do the 12 days of Christmas Thai style.

Here's how it went... On the 1st day of Christmas my Thai friends gave to me a bowl of green curry! (keep in mind that we of course had to do motions for each of the 12 days)
1 bowl of green curry
2 2B coffees (a coffee shop down the street)
3 squatty potties
4 traffic whistles blowing
5 star chicken (the only brand of chicken that I will eat)
6 mosquito zappers
7 Recreation teams
8 Karen frogs croaking (wooden frogs that Karen ladies try to sell us at night market)
9 Thai ladies dancing
10 stray dogs running
11 people in a song taw (like a truck)
12 kilos of khaaw niaw (sticky rice)


Our rendition was hilarious to all of the foreigners, and only slightly funny to the Thai people. It's all about perspective I suppose.

Christmas Outreach

Hey there everyone! Sorry for the slowness in updating the blog. Things have been crazy busy around here. So time to get everyone up to speed!

A week before Christmas we had our outreach on campus. We had an opportunity for students to come take pictures with Santa Claus, to play games, and to receive a Jesus Film. Jon, Bjorn, and some of our students created a backdrop out of styrofoam (you can find foam on every corner in Thailand) and paint--it looked fabulous! Andrew dressed up as Santa Claus, and David was our designated photographer. We had about 150 students come to get there picture made. It was really great fun to meet new students and to share with them why we celebrate Christmas.


Andrew as Santa


Keam (pronouced gam) working the Christmas games

CM 2007

3M Momentum, Multiplication, Management = Movement Everywhere

This past weekend approximately 400 students and 100 staff rolled into Chiang Mai. They came from all corners of the country, the east, central, south, and of course the north. The success of this conference goes all to God! I am still in awe that a conference of this size was planned in about a month's time.

The students stayed at nearby hotels and were bused to our neighborhood of Sri-Anan where the gym is located that held the conference. Most of the key students and staff stayed in the Stint houses or the office. At one point Shana and I were housing two families on the first floor and about 20 some girls on the second floor. There were mats everywhere! Let's just say we went through a lot of toilet paper.

The week leading up to CM all of the staff were working non-stop on setting up, constructing random things, practicing for special performances, and recruiting students. Personally it was a very hard week for me. I hate having the feeling of role ambiguity. I knew that I was part of the backdrop committee and in charge of setting up seminar rooms, but many times the staff struggled to delegate specific jobs. And when they did, I had the privilege of cutting down branches in the jungle with a machete! Let's just say I wasn't too thrilled about this. And then there were chairs. Wow, we moved over 500 chairs around the gym and seminar rooms. It really was hard work. I am so thankful for my team helping me everyday and giving me encouragement when I was feeling frustrated about having to change the set-up or suddenly move 60 chairs across the street.

From what our students tell us, they had a great time learning about how to create movements on their campus. And of course they had a great time meeting students from all over the country. I think that it was such an encouragement to see so many young Christians in a predominately Buddhist culture.

I praise the Lord that everything went so smoothly and that we all got through the week!


Some of the members of the step team--they did such a great job!


Praise and worship in the conference room (aka gym)


Rajabhat Girls!

Thanksgiving!

My team had the wonderful privilege of traveling 3 hours north to Chiang Rai to spend Thanksgiving with the Stint team there. Similar to other traveling experiences the roads were really winding and rough in some places, but we made it there with no car sickness.

Naturally, we all wanted to have turkey, but it was just too expensive for the imported birds. So, we decided that chicken and fish from the market would do. Almost all of the women on the teams made some sort of side dish and dessert; therefore, we had so so so much food!! It was incredible!



I'll go ahead and give you the list: 10 small chickens, 10 fish, scalloped potatoes au gratin, broccoli rice casserole, chicken rice casserole, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, home-made bread, black and green olives, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, salad, and cranberry sauce!




Dessert included Tricia's famous chocolate chip cookies, cake, pumpkin pie, peanut butter cup cake, peach cobbler, and ice cream!

We all sat on Thai mats on the floor in a big circle. We also had the Thai staff over, and 2 other friends that run a coffee shop down the street. After the feast we all went around the circle and said what we were thankful for. It was so touching that all of the Thai staff said they enjoyed their first Thanksgiving and felt so special that we had invited them.

I was so thankful that the Lord provided a family in Thailand for me to spend Thanksgiving with and to do life with. I am so thankful for my team and how they have been God's provision for me while I'm away from my family and friends.

Thanks to all of my supporters for all of your encouragement! Thanks to all my family and friends that attempted in various ways to contact me this holiday--it was so encouraging that y'all remembered me! Much Love!

The Big Event: Bowling

Our team decided that each week we would try to have a "Big Event" that would allow us to invite our students and their friends. This past week we invited all of our contacts to go bowling with us. We had 24 students come!! Praise the Lord! This was the most Rajabhat students that we have ever had at one event.

Lane 22 was my lane and I had all Chinese students. It was so hilarious teaching these girls to bowl, mainly because I am not that good. They were all first time bowlers--good times. After we had bowled two games, P'Pai, one of the Thai staff guys, gave a brief message about discipleship. I think the students had a really great time, I know my team did.


The Lane 22 Girls: Helen, Cathy, Ching Ching, Wendy, Me, and Wan Soon.


All of the students that attended the Big Event

Speaking the Hard Truth

Speaking the truth is not always easy. There is this spectrum, one end grace and the other truth. Personally I am more of a grace giver, meaning that if someone was to do me wrong I would usually extend grace. It is hard for me sometimes to speak truth to that person. However, it is usually easier for me to accept truth, than it is for someone to give me grace. I have learned that you need to have balance and let the Holy Spirit guide you in which is best in that particular situation.

The past three days I have found myself in situations where speaking the truth was very challenging. It was challenging because it affected these students' lives and beliefs directly. Many believers realize that the gospel of Jesus can be highly offensive, and I think that it should be. It is powerful because it is the power of Christ. The gospel reveals sin and the serious problem that arises from man's sinful nature. We cannot have fellowship with God when we have sin. This is bad news. But this is when the gospel shows love and hope. Jesus died once and for all of our sins past, present, and future. Through the redemptive blood of Jesus, we can have fellowship with God. All those who accept Christ into their lives and yield their own will to Him, will have life in Christ for eternity.

We met this cute girl named Tety. I cannot explain to you how hard it was for us to tell her that believing in Jesus and becoming a Christian doesn't mean life would be a breeze and that she wouldn't face hard times. In fact, in Thailand where the Christian population in less than 1%, it may actually be "harder." Tety's family is Buddhist. And not just claiming to be Buddhist because they are Thai, but really practicing Buddhists that go to temple and are involved with the rituals. Tety said that her family would not approve of her if she claimed Jesus in her life. Tety's cousin went to American to study, and while she was there she had accepted Christ. Tety said that she saw her cousin's life change because she was now living for God. But her cousin was met with disapproval from the family. Tety was facing a serious stronghold. She expressed the desire to accept Christ, but was scared that her family would shun her. The hard truth was telling her that she was right and that her family might shun her. She would face persecution, she would have to take a stand to not go to the temple when the rest of her family went. Jesus says in John 15:18 "if the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." And while it is so hard to be hated on, Jesus also says in Matthew 5:11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you."

After speaking on the phone with one of our staff girls P'Muu, whose parents do not like the fact that their daughter is Christian, Tety prayed to accept Jesus! Today Tricia and La, one of our students, were able to meet with her today to talk more about what the Christian life is about. Tety even came to Friday Chapel tonight and was bold enough to go up to the front, get on the mic, and tell everyone there that she had just become a Christian four days ago. And, she told her parents! We are praising the Lord that her parents didn't get angry and totally cut her off. Tety says that she is now praying that her family will become followers of Jesus, and so is my team.

This is just one example of how God is moving in Thailand. There is so much spiritual darkness here especially with idol worshiping, spirit houses, and even with homosexuality. But despite all these strongholds, we know that the Lord will win the battle! This is Thailand...

Things Thai People Love

Some cultural insights on the day...things Thai people love..

~The King, his picture is everywhere
~the color yellow, it is the King's color and it is worn on Monday because the King was born on Monday.
~Hello Kitty
~Motorbikes
~Markets
~Liverpool football team
~Volleyball and badmitten
~Thai massages
~Driving trucks with tons of stuff strapped down

That's all I could think of today, I will update when I can think of some more.

I thought of some more..
~little plastic bags
~drinking out of plastic bags with ice and a straw
~straws, you always get a straw
~7-Eleven, they are on every corner. They don't sell gas there, but you can pay bills there.
~Rice, duh.
~Chicken, but don't eat too much otherwise your knees might hurt.
~yo-yo and pocky candy
~Eating seaweed sheets
~Fruit of all kinds, but most important is Durian followed by the Mango
~Soy milk
~Roti, kind of like a crepe but it's fried and you put sugar and chocolate on it. Only 10 baht.