Well, the weekend turned out to be a lot of fun! It was very busy, but we had a great time with the kids! Friday night, we took some of the kids out to dinner in Mae Sot. Then, we went to the Taiiwan cultural show. It was the craziest thing...we were at a Taiiwan cultural show held at the Chinese school in Thailand! Interesting combo, huh? The kids liked it though...then, we brought them back and let them watch High School Muscial 2 (I brought it with me from the states for Andrea b/c the kids requested it) and they were so excited about that! They don't get to watch tv or movies much, so it was a special treat for them!
Saturday, we got all the kids together and taught them some new Christian songs in English. We also played some games with them and we even taught them the electric slide and the macarana. They loved that! It was so much fun! Then, Saturday night, we had a missionary from a remote village come and visit us with a few friends that were here from the states and they gave a message to the kids. Then, Sunday night, the YWAM girls showed up. So, there really wasn't a dull moment!
This week has been a lot of fun being Cru Becca (Teacher Becca). The teachers gave me a Thai name the other day...they named me "Nam Peung," which means honey. I thought that was cute. I love getting names in other languages. It's fun! Anyway, this week has been great so far. Monday and Tuesday, I taught the preschoolers, who are actually more like kindergarteners. They don't have kindergarten here, so the kids go straight from preschool to first grade. The kids were very smart and I had fun teaching them songs and teaching them about colors and numbers and animals. I love that I can teach Christian songs at a public school and it's ok here. Then today I taught first grade. It was a lot of fun. I was able to teach some things that were a little more advanced than the preschool curriculum. I had a great time with them. Tomorrow, Andrea and I will go back to our team teaching at a school about an hour and a half from here. The school is kind of an outreach Andrea undertook awhile back. Then, Friday I leave for Chiang Mai to help out with the clinic. I am really looking forward to that!
Well, things have been going well with the YWAM group! The kids have really enjoyed their songs and skits and we have all enjoyed getting to know them. They went to the school where Andrea and I have been teaching (Hoi Bong) on Monday and did a program for the kids there. One skit was about how just reading your Bible or praying the right way doesn't make you a Christian and how you have to actually know Jesus personally. That was really neat. It is so great that there is such a strong Christian influence at the school. All the teachers there are Buddhist, not necessarily because they are so dedicated to Buddhism, but because it is just part of their culture and nearly everyone here just end up following that religion. It has been neat though because Andrea and I have lunch with several of the teachers nearly every day and they always have us pray before we eat and we just try to be a good, Christ-like example to them.
So, I was thinking today about how I have been in Thailand now for exactly 2 weeks…it's crazy…it has gone by so fast and yet I feel at the same time like I have been here forever. It's funny because when the YWAM girls first came, one of them asked me if I ever get homesick here…I was like "No, I don't…but, then I have Andrea with me"….then, when their leader found out I'd only been at Agape for a week when they first came, she was really surprised too…apparently I fit in really well here…I think part of it is also that I speak quite a bit of Thai (well, that's what they thought anyway...I don't think I speak that much)...I have been blessed to have the kids teach me a lot though...I guess I was just blessed to find my place here really fast...which is good because Agape just kind of feels like a second home to me now. It will be hard to leave when I do have to go…even the thought of being away from the kids for a week during my time in Chiang Mai is sad to me…they are just amazing kids!
Oh, one more thing….thank you for your prayers for me as I hadn't been feeling well…I finally got over the severe heartburn I was having and I'm feeling much better…the kids are getting over the malaria too….It has been great too because I've been able to play my role as the nurse here a little bit too with some minor injuries. I bandaged up a wound the other day when one of the boys gashed his knee and wrapped a girl's ankle last night after she injured herself playing sports. So, God has really answered that prayer of helping me find my place here in many ways. I am just loving it! Yesterday, the pastor's daughter and her husband told me I should extend my trip and stay longer…it is tempting, but it probably won't happen….I do have to say, though, Thailand is a place I don't think I could ever get sick of…it is so beautiful and the people are amazing!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Life at Agape
Well, I have to say that Thailand just keeps getting better and better. Every day, I just fall more in love with the children here. They are so precious. It didn't take long for them to warm up to me…after a day or two of being here, they started coming up to me to tell me they loved me and to get hugs…they are such cuddlers too…I love it! Every morning and every night, when we have worship, they all want to hold my hand or lean on my shoulder…it is so sweet…even the older girls do it…they are very affectionate here in Thailand and I just love it because I am the same way!
So, this past week, I got to go to school to do some team teaching with Andrea. We taught 4th-9th grade. It was a lot of fun and I was impressed with how well some of the older kids speak English…they still are far from fluent, but they are doing really well. It was fun teaching and getting to interact more with the kids at school since not all of them are from Agape. We also got to spend time with the teachers, as they really liked having lunch with us. I have to say…the cafeteria food in Thailand is better than any cafeteria food I've ever had! They are amazing cooks here and everything is so fresh! It was fun too because one of the teachers from the school had us over at her house last night, along with some of the other volunteers from Agape. They taught us how to cook Thai food…my favorite was learning to make papaya salad. But, Pi Ham, the teacher who was showing Andrea and I how to make it put 20 chilis in it (I only put four chilis in my first batch and it was still really spicy)…I only had one bite of her batch and I had to drink 8 glasses of water to make my mouth stop burning…Andrea and I were both dying. I guess we can't take it as much as they can since we're Americans and aren't used to it…We both had horrible heartburn all night and even today…so bad that I couldn't even eat breakfast because it hurt too much…I think I learned my lesson though…I wanted to prove I could be a tough American, but I just have to face the fact that I'm not Thai! It was still a fun experience having our little Thai cooking class though!
Yesterday, we were supposed to teach at a school that is about an hour and a half away, but the people who usually come to pick Andrea up never came. So, we ended up going with Pastor Winai to the refugee camp where his brother lives. There are about 80,000 refugees in Thailand because the Burmese people have persecuted the Karen people (they felt threatened by them apparently since there were so many) to the point where they have given them no choice but to leave the country. So, Pastor Winai has a brother that lives in the camp and we got to visit him. It is really crazy how the camps are set up. There is one bamboo house after another. A lot of them use their front porch as their little market to set things up and then sell them. The people who live there cannot leave the camp unless they get special permission, so they are basically stuck there. The camp is pretty big, but they can rarely, if ever, get outside of that place.
After visiting Pastor's brother, a friend of his named Solo took us to see the school within the camp. The principal there asked us to speak with the students there, so we got to practice English with them and had them answer some questions in English…it was really fun. They were all college students, so it was nice to do a little teaching for people closer to our age.
Anyway, I have had some really great experiences already and I'm excited about all that's still to come. I have really been bonding with the kids. One of my favorite things to do is run with the kids. We have made it a daily thing. The kids are so amazing. This one little boy named Paradon is only about 5 years old and runs faster than anyone else…and he runs barefoot! He never gets tired either…it's incredible. I don't think that all the kids who go running with us all really enjoy running…but, it's an opportunity for them to spend time with us, so they choose to come along anyway. It's really sweet.
Well, this weekend we will be taking the kids to this cultural show at the school. Tonight we are watching High School Musical 2 with them (I brought it for Andrea) and they are so excited! They always talk about High School Musical even though I think they've only seen it once…they hardly ever get to watch tv or movies, so it's a special treat.
Sunday, we have a group from YWAM coming to join us for about a week to do some special activities with the kids, so that should be fun. I'm really excited and I know the kids are too. It will be fun to have some more Americans around to speak English with. I do have to say, though, my Thai is coming along. I came here only knowing to say hello and I have learned a lot in the last week. The kids are great at teaching me.
Well, I have many stories to share, but I'll stop here. Pra jiou oi pon (God bless you)!
So, this past week, I got to go to school to do some team teaching with Andrea. We taught 4th-9th grade. It was a lot of fun and I was impressed with how well some of the older kids speak English…they still are far from fluent, but they are doing really well. It was fun teaching and getting to interact more with the kids at school since not all of them are from Agape. We also got to spend time with the teachers, as they really liked having lunch with us. I have to say…the cafeteria food in Thailand is better than any cafeteria food I've ever had! They are amazing cooks here and everything is so fresh! It was fun too because one of the teachers from the school had us over at her house last night, along with some of the other volunteers from Agape. They taught us how to cook Thai food…my favorite was learning to make papaya salad. But, Pi Ham, the teacher who was showing Andrea and I how to make it put 20 chilis in it (I only put four chilis in my first batch and it was still really spicy)…I only had one bite of her batch and I had to drink 8 glasses of water to make my mouth stop burning…Andrea and I were both dying. I guess we can't take it as much as they can since we're Americans and aren't used to it…We both had horrible heartburn all night and even today…so bad that I couldn't even eat breakfast because it hurt too much…I think I learned my lesson though…I wanted to prove I could be a tough American, but I just have to face the fact that I'm not Thai! It was still a fun experience having our little Thai cooking class though!
Yesterday, we were supposed to teach at a school that is about an hour and a half away, but the people who usually come to pick Andrea up never came. So, we ended up going with Pastor Winai to the refugee camp where his brother lives. There are about 80,000 refugees in Thailand because the Burmese people have persecuted the Karen people (they felt threatened by them apparently since there were so many) to the point where they have given them no choice but to leave the country. So, Pastor Winai has a brother that lives in the camp and we got to visit him. It is really crazy how the camps are set up. There is one bamboo house after another. A lot of them use their front porch as their little market to set things up and then sell them. The people who live there cannot leave the camp unless they get special permission, so they are basically stuck there. The camp is pretty big, but they can rarely, if ever, get outside of that place.
After visiting Pastor's brother, a friend of his named Solo took us to see the school within the camp. The principal there asked us to speak with the students there, so we got to practice English with them and had them answer some questions in English…it was really fun. They were all college students, so it was nice to do a little teaching for people closer to our age.
Anyway, I have had some really great experiences already and I'm excited about all that's still to come. I have really been bonding with the kids. One of my favorite things to do is run with the kids. We have made it a daily thing. The kids are so amazing. This one little boy named Paradon is only about 5 years old and runs faster than anyone else…and he runs barefoot! He never gets tired either…it's incredible. I don't think that all the kids who go running with us all really enjoy running…but, it's an opportunity for them to spend time with us, so they choose to come along anyway. It's really sweet.
Well, this weekend we will be taking the kids to this cultural show at the school. Tonight we are watching High School Musical 2 with them (I brought it for Andrea) and they are so excited! They always talk about High School Musical even though I think they've only seen it once…they hardly ever get to watch tv or movies, so it's a special treat.
Sunday, we have a group from YWAM coming to join us for about a week to do some special activities with the kids, so that should be fun. I'm really excited and I know the kids are too. It will be fun to have some more Americans around to speak English with. I do have to say, though, my Thai is coming along. I came here only knowing to say hello and I have learned a lot in the last week. The kids are great at teaching me.
Well, I have many stories to share, but I'll stop here. Pra jiou oi pon (God bless you)!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Loving Thailand
Sawatdee ka (Hello in Thai)! Well, I arrived in Bangkok on Thursday and finally made it to Mae Sot yesterday...The first few days in Bangkok were just for fun and relaxation…Andrea was just coming back from a trip to a rural village, so it was good for her to have a little break before getting back to Agape…I also really enjoyed being able to tour around Bangkok. Andrea and I got to see a few tourist attractions in Bangkok and spent a lot of time just catching up. Then, we took a bus to a town called Pattaya on Saturday and went to the beach. It is very tropical here so the weather was perfect for swimming. It’s funny because there were so many tourists there, but very few of them spoke English. Most of the tourists come from other parts of Asia or from Europe. Sex trafficking is very common in the big cities and we saw a lot of that in Pattaya and a little in Bangkok as well. It was so sad to see some of these girls. You can tell they’re not happy and their eyes are so full of desperation and sadness. The people here really need Christ.
I haven’t had any culture shock yet….although there have been some experiences that have taken me out of my comfort zone…When we were in Bangkok, Andrea and I had to take motorcycle taxis…you just jump on the back of a motorcycle with a guy you don’t know and tell him where you want to go. So, Andrea and I had to take separate taxis and I knew about 2 or 3 words in Thai at the time…So, I get on with this guy and he is driving really fast and weaving in and out of traffic, in between and around all the cars…I kind of just wanted to close my eyes and not watch…they drive pretty crazy here…besides the fact that I didn’t even have a helmet on. Finally, about halfway through the ride, some guy on another motorcycle said something to him in Thai, apparently telling him to give me a helmet…So, he reached into this basket and got a helmet out…all that time, he had been holding out on me…I felt a little better after I had a helmet on though…I have to admit that I always get mad when I see people ride motorcycles in America without helmets on…then, I do it in Thailand…well, I guess sometimes you just know things are gonna be different in a foreign country and you just have to go with the flow…I have to say though, I was definitely praying during the ride…it was pretty scary…It was fun too though….a little bit of a rush I guess…kind of like riding a rollercoaster….Afterward, I almost wanted to do it all over again J
Well, yesterday (Sunday), we took an 8 hour bus ride from Bangkok to Mae Sot. We got to Agape Children’s Home in the evening and all the kids were so excited to see Andrea. I can tell she’s really been able to build some great relationships here and I’m praying that I can get to know a lot of the kids on the same level. My Thai definitely isn’t as good as Andrea’s, but I am learning more and more every day.
After we arrived in Mae Sot, Andrea introduced me to a bunch of the kids and I got to take a tour of Agape. Later, Pong, one of the girls asked if we would come with her to the hospital because she wanted to visit her brother there. We also had to take one of the children from Agape because he was sick. It turned out he had malaria, but thankfully we were able to get medicine for him at the hospital. We had a good time visiting Pong’s little brother. He had been injured in a pretty intense game of soccer. I thought it was interesting to tour around the hospital and compare it to the hospitals in the states. The nursing care seemed to actually be pretty good. It’s definitely not as clean as American hospitals though. One thing that I thought was funny is that everywhere you go in Thailand, you have to take your shoes off when you go into a building. So, everyone takes their shoes off when they walk into the hospital. I’ve never walked around a hospital barefoot before, but thankfully it was pretty clean and there weren’t any needles on the floor or anything…We got to talk to some of the other patients and their families…Well, Andrea talked and I said a few words and just smiled the rest of the time…It’s even harder up north because the people speak both Thai and Karen. So, now I have to learn words in two different languages. I really like learning new languages though and the people are so helpful. The kids love to speak English to me and I try to talk to them in Thai a little bit.
Well, today we got up early for worship. It’s so cool to watch the children all huddled together early in the morning singing worship songs in Karen and praying in their native language. Today was our day to get settled in and make plans for our English lessons at the school this week. I am planning on teaching with Andrea in the school this week and also possibly doing some English lessons for the staff.
Well, that’s all for now. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. It has already been such an adventure and I’m excited for all that God still has in store!
I haven’t had any culture shock yet….although there have been some experiences that have taken me out of my comfort zone…When we were in Bangkok, Andrea and I had to take motorcycle taxis…you just jump on the back of a motorcycle with a guy you don’t know and tell him where you want to go. So, Andrea and I had to take separate taxis and I knew about 2 or 3 words in Thai at the time…So, I get on with this guy and he is driving really fast and weaving in and out of traffic, in between and around all the cars…I kind of just wanted to close my eyes and not watch…they drive pretty crazy here…besides the fact that I didn’t even have a helmet on. Finally, about halfway through the ride, some guy on another motorcycle said something to him in Thai, apparently telling him to give me a helmet…So, he reached into this basket and got a helmet out…all that time, he had been holding out on me…I felt a little better after I had a helmet on though…I have to admit that I always get mad when I see people ride motorcycles in America without helmets on…then, I do it in Thailand…well, I guess sometimes you just know things are gonna be different in a foreign country and you just have to go with the flow…I have to say though, I was definitely praying during the ride…it was pretty scary…It was fun too though….a little bit of a rush I guess…kind of like riding a rollercoaster….Afterward, I almost wanted to do it all over again J
Well, yesterday (Sunday), we took an 8 hour bus ride from Bangkok to Mae Sot. We got to Agape Children’s Home in the evening and all the kids were so excited to see Andrea. I can tell she’s really been able to build some great relationships here and I’m praying that I can get to know a lot of the kids on the same level. My Thai definitely isn’t as good as Andrea’s, but I am learning more and more every day.
After we arrived in Mae Sot, Andrea introduced me to a bunch of the kids and I got to take a tour of Agape. Later, Pong, one of the girls asked if we would come with her to the hospital because she wanted to visit her brother there. We also had to take one of the children from Agape because he was sick. It turned out he had malaria, but thankfully we were able to get medicine for him at the hospital. We had a good time visiting Pong’s little brother. He had been injured in a pretty intense game of soccer. I thought it was interesting to tour around the hospital and compare it to the hospitals in the states. The nursing care seemed to actually be pretty good. It’s definitely not as clean as American hospitals though. One thing that I thought was funny is that everywhere you go in Thailand, you have to take your shoes off when you go into a building. So, everyone takes their shoes off when they walk into the hospital. I’ve never walked around a hospital barefoot before, but thankfully it was pretty clean and there weren’t any needles on the floor or anything…We got to talk to some of the other patients and their families…Well, Andrea talked and I said a few words and just smiled the rest of the time…It’s even harder up north because the people speak both Thai and Karen. So, now I have to learn words in two different languages. I really like learning new languages though and the people are so helpful. The kids love to speak English to me and I try to talk to them in Thai a little bit.
Well, today we got up early for worship. It’s so cool to watch the children all huddled together early in the morning singing worship songs in Karen and praying in their native language. Today was our day to get settled in and make plans for our English lessons at the school this week. I am planning on teaching with Andrea in the school this week and also possibly doing some English lessons for the staff.
Well, that’s all for now. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. It has already been such an adventure and I’m excited for all that God still has in store!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
God decides to send me on another adventure
Well, many of you were probably initially surprised to hear that I was gonna be going to Thailand as it kind of came up out of the blue....So, before my adventure begins, I wanted to tell the story of how God led me to this trip in the first place...
After returning from Kenya in October, I began to pray about some important decisions I needed to make at the end of the year....I had already been considering leaving my job at Phoenix Children's at the end to begin a travel nursing job within the United States...but, in between ending my job and beginning a travel assignment, I knew I would have a break and so I wanted to take a trip to Latin America that my friend and I had been trying to plan since the summer...
When I was in Kenya, one of the nurses on the trip had told me about her friend Kris who was also a nurse and was very involved in missions....she suggested that I email her when I got back from my trip because I had talked about going to Latin America and she thought Kris might be there when I was going down....This will be important later...
So, I got back from Kenya and found out about a week later that my trip to Latin America with my friend wasn't going to work out because she had some changes in her plans that prevented her from being able to take the trip with me....So, I was really bummed out about that because I always wanted to backpack around Latin America...
I started looking into a few different things I could do in January, but nothing really seemed to fit...I just didn't have peace about all these different options I was looking into....I was praying but didn't seem to get any answers....
About a week later, I started to notice that all of a sudden, I seemed to be hearing about Thailand wherever I went...I had 4 different people talk to me about Thailand in a variety of different settings...the people didn't know each other and had all been there for different reasons...I thought it was really strange that within a few days, I had heard from these 4 people about their experiences in Thailand...I thought maybe God was trying to get my attention and show me that He wanted me to go there...In this same few days, I had gotten sick and had to go to the Urgent Care...as I was sitting in the exam room waiting for the doctor, I looked up at the wall and saw a picture of a Thai boy...underneath the picture it said "THAILAND" really big....I thought that was an odd picture to have in an urgent care room...So, I was like "Lord, this is strange...are you trying to tell me something?"
3 days later, I got an email from Kris, my friend's missionary friend...I had emailed her about 2 weeks before and hadn't heard back, so I had kind of just given up on that and didn't expect to hear back....well, it turned out she had just gotten back from Africa....she emailed me to tell me that she was going on another trip in January if I wanted to go....and of all places, where do you think the trip was? Thailand!
So, that's kind of how God led me to this trip...I had prayed that God would make it really clear and He definitely did...I guess I'm kind of like Gideon and just needed a sign to confirm God's calling....I know He doesn't always work that way, but I was grateful that He showed me so clearly!
Ever since Kris told me about this trip, things have fallen into place...one thing after another.... God definitely just put everything right into my lap and was so gracious to me...
So, now I'm heading out to Thailand in a couple of days...I will be spending the first couple of weeks teaching English at an orphanage called Agape Children's Home in a town called Mae Sot...Then I will head to another town called Chiang Mai for a medical clinic....after the clinic, Kris and I will head back to the orphanage...She and I will be teaching CPR and some other medical basics to the people who work in the orphanage...
Well, that's the story...please keep me in your prayers...God is good and I know He will continue to be faithful to me...
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