While back in the U.S....

I felt compelled to write about what I have been doing since I've been in the U.S.  There have been lots of opportunities to meet up with family and friends and I have been taking advantage of those times.  I was also blessed to learn that I can pick up shifts at my old job working in the group home with 12-17 year old boys.  Also, I have been working on a video from our outreach that I will be giving to the outreach team and to supporters.  The video has been a long process as I am wanting it to be done well and used in churches for presentations.  

It has been hard to be back in the states again and usually is after a DTS experience.  But I am so glad to have some great support from friends and family.  I am hoping to be able to see everyone at least once while I am back.  

I will be leaving again for Australia on May 14th as I have a training to attend in Newcastle, Australia for 2 weeks.  I am very excited to get to staff another school and I also have a friend here from Tucson who will be doing a DTS.  Her name is Brittany and she is very excited to go and also has grandparents who live in Brisbane.  Part of my job this school will be recruiting staff and I am in need of female staff.  Most of the schools that start in July have a majority of girls and it seems that there is a lack of female staff.  I am hopeful that I will get some soon. 

Thanks for all of your prayers and support and I hope to see all of you during my time back here:)   

Back from Outreach

After two months of traveling from Cambodia to Thailand, our team of twelve is back in Australia.  The last week of DTS here will include debrief where students will get to celebrate and share their outreach experiences.  We also talk in depth about plans for after students get home.  It will be a tough transition going from third world nations back home to the Western world.  This is known better as reverse culture shock.  On top of that, students are wrestling with ideas about what to do next in their lives.  Many students show up at a DTS hoping that it all falls into place (I know I did on my DTS), but it does not.  We have to base our decisions on our will and not on emotions.  Students are challenged throughout the week to continue to look for ways in which they can "continue on" with the same mindset they have here back home.  It is easy to allow the comforts of home and ease of life to distract us from getting out and doing something for God.  Also, students are given information about how they can continue with YWAM if they choose and come back to staff.  

It is without a doubt a very fun and exciting week, but it is also a fork in the road for almost everyone involved.  Please keep the staff and students in your prayers as they think about these things.  

As for the last part of outreach,  we had been helping Pastor Wasan build a pre-school and also teaching English to some Thai people at a local community center.  The guys team was so grateful for their experience with Pastor Wasan.  We all got to see a man who's heart is fully devoted to serving God and people any way possible.  He is inspiring to say the least.  

Thailand is a very unique country in that it has it's own culture apart from Western influence.  Thailand is very closed off to Christianity because they see it as being influenced by the Western Culture.  They don't understand that the Kingdom of God transcends all cultures in all times.  But meeting people like Pastor Wasan left me with some hope that there are Thai people who are making a difference and helping Christ change lives.

 

Pastor Wasan & the Thai Coast

Since February 2, our team has again split into two different ministries and gone to two different areas of Thailand.  All four of the ladies on our team have gone to Phucket to work with “She” ministries”, which helps women in prostitution.  “She ministries” tries to employ women who want out of the prostitution industry.  They make jewelry, sell chocolate, and work in various other trades. 

All eight of our guys have been working with a man named Pastor Wasan.  Pastor Wasan is an example of what Paul was talking about when he mentions doing good whenever we have opportunity.  Wasan has been helping out here on the Thai Coast ever since the Tsunami of 2004.  He has helped to build dozens of homes for people.  He is a liaison for churches and other groups who want to come and help out.  Currently he is working on a project to build a new preschool for some local children.  He also is a full time pastor, windshield repairman, and father.  He is possibly the most humble man I have ever met in my life.  Never does he consider himself before other people.  He has really had an influence on the guys of this team and myself.  We are constantly amazed at what he does for us and for others.  People stop by all the time that he has helped in the past to give him some fresh seafood or some other gift.  He always accepts them but usually finds a way to pass the blessing on to someone else.  He always says, “Praise God that He always provides for me”.  The man literally lives to serve others and loves to do it.  The people he helped after the Tsunami wanted to name a pier after him and he refused.  He is an example of a godly man for all of us guys who strive to be the same. 

We have been helping Pastor Wasan at the preschool and also with his Saturday and Sunday children’s programs.  Every day after work, Wasan takes our team to the beach for a quick swim.  It is just one of many things he does to thank us for helping him.   

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.   

Cambodian Coast

We have made it to our first outreach location located in Southern Cambodia. The town is called Sihanoukville. It is full of European tourists and motor bikes. We are working at an orphanage started by an AOG Church and also working at a school. While we are here, we are painting the entire inside perimeter fence and also helping out the school connected to the orphanage. We are helping the students learn English and we are also getting to know some of the 82 orphans living there. 80 of the orphans also attend the school which is a K-12 school. So far it has been interesting getting to know the people and the culture. The food has been equally interesting. We have been eating a lot of rice, noodles, and vegetables. Our team is very lucky to be staying in a guest house across the street from the school and orphanage called Sunday Guest house. The people here are very kind natured and like to learn English. Most people who learn English can get better jobs which is why it is so important for the children in school. It's really a blessing to be able to jump into this ministry that is already set up and build relationships quickly. I'm looking forward to the effect this place will have on the students of our team.