Phang Nga, Thailand

Our team is now in Southern Thailand where we will spend the rest of outreach phase.  Some things have changed for us since we have been here.  My co-leader and I both agreed that our team was hard to manage because we were 12 people.  We found it overwhelming to try and disciple everyone with our different leadership styles.  Fortunately, a staff person from YWAM Sunshine Coast came out to visit for a few days.  I mentioned Merv in last week's blog.  He suggested that it might be more effective to split our team up.  This allows us to put more responsibility on the students and allows us to challenge them to step up.  We also can give more attention to each student on the team.  

So far, it has been much better.  The students had mixed feelings about leaving one another but I know this was the best decision for our team.  I have already witnessed people stepping up and taking more initiative. 

So far, my team has been working with a church here in Phang Nga.  Of a town of 50,000, there are mostly Buddhists and Muslims here.  We have had a chance to go into a couple of schools and teach English.  We are also helping out with a community center this week that is building a fence and a coffee shop.  The challenges here in Thailand are new, but the work is very similar.  I'm hoping to see the students gain an understanding of how much people need to hear the the Truth here.  We have been so blessed with this opportunity and have already seen so much here.  Compared to Cambodia, the quality of life is much higher here.  The food is phenomenal, but we have had a lot of sicknesses over the past week.  Please pray that our team gets healthy and that we seize any opportunity we have to share with people here.  

Remembering Cambodia

It is our last day here in Cambodia.  We leave tonight for Bangkok, Thailand for the 2nd half of our outreach.  Our last days in Sihanoukville were really amazing.  We were able to finish both the inside and outside walls of both the school and the orphanage.  We also developed so many relationships with the orphan children and with the school faculty.  On Wednesday, the school surprised us by having a traditional dance presentation as well as a fruit basket gift for our team.  Also, all of the children from the orphanage were giving gifts to us before we left on Thursday.  One thing I have come to realize from being on two separate outreaches is that it seems as if the most poor people in the world are able to give more of what they have than we can.  They love to give gifts.  Part of me wants them to keep what they have because they don't know how much I already have.  But it would break their heart not to take it so we do.  We accept their gifts gratefully and it is most humbling.  I am reminded of the story in Luke 21 when Jesus comments on the gifts given by the widow versus the rich.  The widow gave out of her poverty and the rich gave out of their surplus.  It truly is much better to give than to receive.  

Once we are in Bangkok, we are spending a few days there for orientation and to have a break.  We have a man named Merv from our base who is coming out to encourage and see how things are going.  We are excited to have him. He is the former base director of the Sunshine Coast YWAM base.  Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support.     

Painting and Teaching

We have now been in Cambodia for nearly 3 weeks.  As you know we have been working with a school  and orphanage set up by Assemblies of God Church.  We are nearly finished with painting the walls and teaching English to the Khmer children.  We have also had opportunities to host all of the school's chapels as well as join in the Sunday services at a local church.  The pastor of the church is probably the most kind person I have ever met.  He is so excited for us to be in fellowship with his church.  One things that has been challenging on this outreach is team unity.  We have 12 people from 5 different countries trying to serve beside one another.  We have been so blessed to have all these opportunities mentioned above.  Please keep us all in your prayers as we learn to serve beside each other and truly understand what missions are.  I don't know if I have shared this before, but I heard the best way to know if you have a servant's heart is to see how you react when someone treats you like one.  I think I have a long way to go.  

We have had a few people get sick including myself but I am feeling great now and most of our team is now in good health.  We leave here on Thursday the 15th and go to Thailand on the 17th.  We have another opportunity on the 16th in Phnom Penh to go to the city dump where children pick through the trash for food.  We are going to bring them food and hopefully play with them as well.  It should be a humbling experience.