from Kenya Dec 08 team member Rick Conniff (Dec. 12, 2008)
Here are a few journal entries from the past five days:
12/7 – It’s amazing the swing of emotions one can go through in just a few hours. Yesterday we spent six hours with Keith Ham’s staff in Pangani learning about their ministry and touring their facilities followed by a walk thru their neighboring slum where their youth live. The living conditions defy description. From the love and concern of the Mission of Hope staff to the extreme poverty and overwhelming need, our team was left noticeably touched. The silver lining was the hope we saw in their success in reaching and changing both the kids and their families lives thru education, nutrition, and spiritual growth.
12/8 – Wow… our trip to the boarding school in Joska was amazing. What struck me the most was the spiritual level and discipline of these kids. Their worship service was powerful…from spirit-filled worship to well orchestrated skits to young kids quoting 20 memory verses. And the kids ran the service! The afternoon was devoted to playing games. The kids were so attentive and excited to do anything as long as they were part of something and getting some attention. We managed to get a group together to throw a football around and before you knew it we had two teams running plays and making a game of it. Again, the emotion we felt as a team seeing God working thru this organization to change these young lives was so gratifying.
12/9- The visit to the Huruma Madoya school to participate in their kindergarten graduation was another day of blessings for our team. We got to see much of the same – kids being loved on and fed both physically and spiritually. What a joy being able to spend time with these kids…to see their hunger for learning and their respect for discipline. The Mission of Hope staff have been incredibly gracious to us; the kind of graciousness that comes only thru men and women of God being obedient to His Son.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Received this email from team leader Tom Moen late Tue PM:
Greetings from
Our arrival here was without incident (the only way to fly)!
We hit the ground running last Saturday morning. Keith Ham (Christian Missionary Fellowship Missionary) took us through an orientation and described the situation on the ground in the
Around the table with us were some amazing people…
Josaphine – Head Social Worker
Edna – Community Health Evangelism Coordinator
Paul – Micro
Fred – Health/HIV Aids control
Maggy – Admin Assistant who helps hold it all tgether
The numbers of kids in the schools continues to grow.
Here is the break down…
Pangani (the original center) 950
Kosovo 363
Bondeni 266
Mathare North 200
Huruma Madoya 144
Joska (Boarding School) 448
TOTAL 2,371
They will open 2 more centers in January of 2009!
This is amazing! Just a couple of years ago the only school (Pangani) was around 150 with 300 children on a waiting list for a spot in the school…yesterday we had a Kindergarten Graduation for 142 children combined with a Christmas celebration for the entire school and had well over 1,500 kids and parents present in an area about the size of 1 ½ basketball courts! Our Team was never so pleased to be in tight quarters.
Amongst MANY joyful encounters already one stands out for the Team…that was meeting BARAKA and asking him his name. Many of you reading this know the story of Baraka but I am including it here so you can be informed…
THE STORY OF BARAKA…
One world…6 nations…one 8 year old boy named BARAKA from the million population slum of the Mathare Valley in Nairobi, Kenya…he is deaf and he is mute…his name, “Baraka”, means “BLESSING” in English…and that’s exactly what the community in Nairobi prayed for…a blessing!
Suffering a blow to the head as an infant, damaging the cochlears in BOTH middle ears, he has not heard a sound since the age of 6 months. As an infant his Ugandan father abandoned the family and his mother, too poor to care for him, sold him to a family that lived on a farm. A couple of years later, after his mother died, Baraka’s grandmother bought him back and they moved into the
Baraka and his grandmother came to know Mary Kamau and the
The community starts to PRAY…God, help Baraka HEAR! God, life here is so hard, help Baraka HEAR! God, give him a future, help Baraka HEAR!
Meanwhile…Baraka’s story is shared in a conversation by CMF missionaries while on furlough in the
The answer follows this global trail…
A South Korean Doctor who develops a simplified procedure for a cochlear implant…
An Indian Doctor in search of ways to help the poverty stricken children of the world…
A “chance meeting” between these two doctors in
A pilot program for the procedure started at a Nigerian hospital…
Funds pouring in from the
A boy from Kenya…who’s name means “Blessing”, who is a “Blessing”…receives a “Blessing”
One world…6 nations…one 8 year old boy named BARAKA…now he can hear soon he will speak. The Mathare slum…one million people in one square mile…Baraka truly is ONE IN A MILLION!
God cares for His world…God works through His world…God so loved the world!
On Sunday we went to Joska for a 3 ½ hour worship celebration and play day…that is where we first saw Baraka. It was hard to hold back the tears when I said to him, “What is your name?” and he said, “BARAKA!”
We praised God for this answer to PRAYER!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Africa Dec 08 Mission team arrives
Joe Leturgez (husband of team member Linda Leturgez, and MCC staff member) sent his email:
"I received a text message from them approximately 5:15 pm this afternoon.
Nairobi is 8 hours later than East Coast United States. The weather forecast for Nairobi is daily highs about 80 degrees and nightly lows in the upper 50s with no rain for the next 10 days.
The team is scheduled to return to the United States on Thursday December 18 landing at BWI at 4:20 pm on British Air flight BA0229 from London Heathrow.
Please be praying for their safety and for the effectiveness of their mission."
"I received a text message from them approximately 5:15 pm this afternoon.
Nairobi is 8 hours later than East Coast United States. The weather forecast for Nairobi is daily highs about 80 degrees and nightly lows in the upper 50s with no rain for the next 10 days.
The team is scheduled to return to the United States on Thursday December 18 landing at BWI at 4:20 pm on British Air flight BA0229 from London Heathrow.
Please be praying for their safety and for the effectiveness of their mission."
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Friday, November 7th and Saturday, November 8th 2008
Dear Family and Friends,
Friday was a long work day and we did not finish our letter. Again today you will get a double dose in the form of a combined Friday-Saturday letter.
We spent a second day (Friday) in Noun Boe at Christ For All Nations Church and Bible School.
When we arrived, some of the young men were already working on the well. The young man who was so helpful on Thursday returned on Friday. We learned that his name is Henasay. Without his help we would not have finished the project. We had hit mud at 27 feet on Thursday. On Friday morning, they hit sand around 30 feet and then flowing water at around 33 feet. Jim had them continue until about 36 feet and then inserted the well liner. By lunch time, we were pulling up sweet clean water!! The rest of the afternoon was spent on protecting the well area and instructing the local group on its’ use and care. Tom did a marvellous job of getting creating excitement and enthusiasm in the younger children. The shouts and praises were audible across the schoolyard. You would have thought the rocks they gathered were candy based on their enthusiasm for the task. We used the rock and gravel for the clean area around the well. When it came time to mixing concrete for capping the well area, the young men were far less enthusiastic about the mixing job but they got it done anyway. At the completion of the well, Pastor Jolly gathered the group together to give thanks to God for sending Jim and Tom.
Nearby to the well is a coconut tree. While we were finishing the well one of the boys asked Tom and Jim if they would like some fresh coconut. Mistakenly we said yes, and in about ten seconds a five-year old scampered up 25 feet of coconut tree. He was not strong enough to twist off the coconuts and so his friends tried to throw a knife up to him. Tom stopped the knife throwing. The five-year old came down and teenager climbed up and began tossing down coconuts. We were soon drinking fresh coconut juice and eating the meat.
Jerry and Sylvia completed their counselling teaching in the morning. Attendance was lower than on Thursday. The Senior Pastor from the Mae La Camp joined the class again. Singing by their class again provided a trip highlight. Jerry and Sylvia remarked that is was nice to hear some long familiar hymns such as Alas and Did My Savour Bleed?. Afterward Jerry and Sylvia made a tour of the local village. It is especially foreign for us to find a large number of animals living in close proximity to living quarters. However, the pigs, chickens and cows are also a stark contrast to the occasional satellite dish we see.
Alex became the Community Health Evangelism (CHE) Teacher for the day. He took the lead in teaching about water contamination, and Solar Disinfection to an interested audience.
In the evening we got a good chuckle at Tom’s expense. Ordinary Thai food is spicy to an American palate. For dinner Tom ordered a ham and SPICY cheese sandwich bagel. Within a bite Tom was commenting on the spiciness but surprisingly he kept on eating. The exercise culminated with Tom sticking his tongue in a glass of water and not being able to feel his lips. This did not of course stop Tom from teasing Alex about mixing chocolate ice cream and white rice for desert.
Saturday morning we headed to Mae La camp. A quick stop at the local supermarket was necessary to buy coffee, sugar, and milk. We needed to purchase a ‘gift’ for the camp authorities as ‘thanks’ for having access to the camp.
Mae La Camp contains about 50,000 refugees. We were told that only about 50% of these are actually registered with the UN. Registration with UN is the key for receiving food rations and possibility of securing political asylum moving to a foreign country.
Upon arrival at Mae La, the team split into two groups. Jerry and Sylvia met with the adults and Tom, Alex and Jim met with the children. While Jerry and Sylvia demonstrated teaching excellence, Tom and Jim appeared to be conducting some form of Abbot and Costello routine and Alex played the straight man. The adult session focused on counselling which seemed to resonate with the attendees. After some simple water education for the children, English practice had the children giggling, with phrases such as ‘Tom has a big nose’. Alex managed to build nicely upon the silliness with some relevant bible passages. The adult group sang for us again with gusto – with both groups faith and joy came out across the language barrier
After lunch, three of us were invited to visit Henasay’s hut and to meet his wife and son. This was a chance to learn a bit about life in the camp and some personal insights. Hanasay had built his hut when he arrived in Thailand about 2 years ago. The entire hut was constructed from bamboo and leaves. The bamboo provides everything from structural components to woven floor mats. During the visit to his house, we learned that he risked deportation by joining us in Noun Boe (outside of the refugee camp). Without offering deeper explanation, Hanasay shared with us that his border from Burma one year ago crossing was not any easy affair.
One of our translators for the day was a 23 year old young lady named Geakoh. She is the wife of Mookoh, translator for Jim,Tom, and Alex when they came to the camp on Sunday. Mookoh told us his wife was expecting to deliver their first baby within the next 2 weeks. When Tom & Alex saw Geakoh, we guessed she might be the mom-to-be. Geakoh had been a school teacher in Burma before fleering one year ago. Alex had been carrying a couple of Angel Bears entrusted to him one of his daughters. He was tasked with giving them a good home. Alex gave the bears to Geakoh.
Before leaving Mae La, we handed over medical supplies and Burmese language bibles. In Mae La, as with each of our work sites this week, we have been welcomed with open arms. The people have been friendly and giving. It is hard to imagine that we have been able to give as much as we have received.
We will be leaving Mae Sot tomorrow after worship for our drive back to Bangkok and the final portion of our mission trip. While we have said it individually to friends and family, as a team we want to recognize your sacrifice. We are only able to be here because of your support. Thank you.
Sharing our God given talents and gifts with our brothers and sisters,
Alex, Jerry, Sylvia, Tom and Jim.
Here are some pictures:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=11267&l=d7343&id=1196427976
Dear Family and Friends,
Friday was a long work day and we did not finish our letter. Again today you will get a double dose in the form of a combined Friday-Saturday letter.
We spent a second day (Friday) in Noun Boe at Christ For All Nations Church and Bible School.
When we arrived, some of the young men were already working on the well. The young man who was so helpful on Thursday returned on Friday. We learned that his name is Henasay. Without his help we would not have finished the project. We had hit mud at 27 feet on Thursday. On Friday morning, they hit sand around 30 feet and then flowing water at around 33 feet. Jim had them continue until about 36 feet and then inserted the well liner. By lunch time, we were pulling up sweet clean water!! The rest of the afternoon was spent on protecting the well area and instructing the local group on its’ use and care. Tom did a marvellous job of getting creating excitement and enthusiasm in the younger children. The shouts and praises were audible across the schoolyard. You would have thought the rocks they gathered were candy based on their enthusiasm for the task. We used the rock and gravel for the clean area around the well. When it came time to mixing concrete for capping the well area, the young men were far less enthusiastic about the mixing job but they got it done anyway. At the completion of the well, Pastor Jolly gathered the group together to give thanks to God for sending Jim and Tom.
Nearby to the well is a coconut tree. While we were finishing the well one of the boys asked Tom and Jim if they would like some fresh coconut. Mistakenly we said yes, and in about ten seconds a five-year old scampered up 25 feet of coconut tree. He was not strong enough to twist off the coconuts and so his friends tried to throw a knife up to him. Tom stopped the knife throwing. The five-year old came down and teenager climbed up and began tossing down coconuts. We were soon drinking fresh coconut juice and eating the meat.
Jerry and Sylvia completed their counselling teaching in the morning. Attendance was lower than on Thursday. The Senior Pastor from the Mae La Camp joined the class again. Singing by their class again provided a trip highlight. Jerry and Sylvia remarked that is was nice to hear some long familiar hymns such as Alas and Did My Savour Bleed?. Afterward Jerry and Sylvia made a tour of the local village. It is especially foreign for us to find a large number of animals living in close proximity to living quarters. However, the pigs, chickens and cows are also a stark contrast to the occasional satellite dish we see.
Alex became the Community Health Evangelism (CHE) Teacher for the day. He took the lead in teaching about water contamination, and Solar Disinfection to an interested audience.
In the evening we got a good chuckle at Tom’s expense. Ordinary Thai food is spicy to an American palate. For dinner Tom ordered a ham and SPICY cheese sandwich bagel. Within a bite Tom was commenting on the spiciness but surprisingly he kept on eating. The exercise culminated with Tom sticking his tongue in a glass of water and not being able to feel his lips. This did not of course stop Tom from teasing Alex about mixing chocolate ice cream and white rice for desert.
Saturday morning we headed to Mae La camp. A quick stop at the local supermarket was necessary to buy coffee, sugar, and milk. We needed to purchase a ‘gift’ for the camp authorities as ‘thanks’ for having access to the camp.
Mae La Camp contains about 50,000 refugees. We were told that only about 50% of these are actually registered with the UN. Registration with UN is the key for receiving food rations and possibility of securing political asylum moving to a foreign country.
Upon arrival at Mae La, the team split into two groups. Jerry and Sylvia met with the adults and Tom, Alex and Jim met with the children. While Jerry and Sylvia demonstrated teaching excellence, Tom and Jim appeared to be conducting some form of Abbot and Costello routine and Alex played the straight man. The adult session focused on counselling which seemed to resonate with the attendees. After some simple water education for the children, English practice had the children giggling, with phrases such as ‘Tom has a big nose’. Alex managed to build nicely upon the silliness with some relevant bible passages. The adult group sang for us again with gusto – with both groups faith and joy came out across the language barrier
After lunch, three of us were invited to visit Henasay’s hut and to meet his wife and son. This was a chance to learn a bit about life in the camp and some personal insights. Hanasay had built his hut when he arrived in Thailand about 2 years ago. The entire hut was constructed from bamboo and leaves. The bamboo provides everything from structural components to woven floor mats. During the visit to his house, we learned that he risked deportation by joining us in Noun Boe (outside of the refugee camp). Without offering deeper explanation, Hanasay shared with us that his border from Burma one year ago crossing was not any easy affair.
One of our translators for the day was a 23 year old young lady named Geakoh. She is the wife of Mookoh, translator for Jim,Tom, and Alex when they came to the camp on Sunday. Mookoh told us his wife was expecting to deliver their first baby within the next 2 weeks. When Tom & Alex saw Geakoh, we guessed she might be the mom-to-be. Geakoh had been a school teacher in Burma before fleering one year ago. Alex had been carrying a couple of Angel Bears entrusted to him one of his daughters. He was tasked with giving them a good home. Alex gave the bears to Geakoh.
Before leaving Mae La, we handed over medical supplies and Burmese language bibles. In Mae La, as with each of our work sites this week, we have been welcomed with open arms. The people have been friendly and giving. It is hard to imagine that we have been able to give as much as we have received.
We will be leaving Mae Sot tomorrow after worship for our drive back to Bangkok and the final portion of our mission trip. While we have said it individually to friends and family, as a team we want to recognize your sacrifice. We are only able to be here because of your support. Thank you.
Sharing our God given talents and gifts with our brothers and sisters,
Alex, Jerry, Sylvia, Tom and Jim.
Here are some pictures:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=11267&l=d7343&id=1196427976
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Didn't take as many today, since I was supposed to be working too :)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=11149&l=a5dee&id=1196427976
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=11149&l=a5dee&id=1196427976
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Monday, November 03, 2008
Dear Family and Friends:
Today was a great day. We worked hard.
We had breakfast at 7:00 AM, packed up our supplies, and headed back to Khwe Ka Loc Orphanage. For the next couple of days we are using a small pickup truck for team and supply transport. The advantage of this of course is that Tom, Alex, Jerry, and Jim get the chance to enjoy God’s air-conditioning riding in the truck bed.
We arrived in the orphanage by about 8:30. The sight of 200+ children of all ages – some shy, some bold, but all curious - watching our arrival was an emotive experience.
After a bit or organizing, agenda modifying, and negotiation (more on that in another letter) we jumped into our respective projects:
Jerry and Sylvia taught conflict resolution and basic counseling techniques for about 6 hours to a mixed group of adolescents and young adult men and women. Translations were a challenge; however they made it through the material like champs and most certainly planted some ‘mustard seeds’. Through God’s great providence we pray these will grow. We all find ourselves working to adapt to local styles of learning, communicating, and influencing.
Tom and Alex worked closely with younger children. Tom was thrown into the impromptu role of English teacher extraordinaire. Alex and Tom both became ‘corpsman’ using our team’s first aid kit to deliver some basic first aid for children with open cuts, scrapes, etc. Most of the young children run around barefoot in the muck – dung – sludge combination that covers some parts of the grounds. We used this as an opportunity to teach some basic first aid care for superficial wounds. We find no shortage of need and are working to prioritize our resources with the clear objective of teaching and empowering.
Jim led the well drilling effort using a team of teenage boys. These boys eagerly labored in the heat and a few of them showed potential as leaders/teachers. We were already getting water at a depth of 2 feet but continued down to about 19 feet. The effort was advancing in a good way until some of the boys dropped the drill head down into the bottom of the shaft. After a couple rather quiet moments and some tongue control, we cobbled together a grappling hook, fished around in the water, and retrieved the head. We are practicing improvisation and patience.
Alex connected with a two Catholic missionaries from the Philippines living in Mae Sot who joined us at the orphanage for lunch. These Filipina women work as teachers for the children at the God’s Love and Care Development Institute. They were very interested in our work and we have agreed to meet on Tuesday evening to share the CHE (Community Health evangelism) Program knowledge resources.
At dinner we met a missionary who graduated from Manhattan Christian College in Kansas, who knows Charles Cook and Loren Deckard. There was an immediate bond with Tom as they had both fought in Viet Nam,
Finally, we had a meeting with Somchai to understand the development and direction of his mission work here. We will share more about this when we get back.
It is only possible to report to you in this short letter a small fraction of:
Today’s sights – both uplifting and disturbing,
Today’s experiences – both joys and distresses, and
Today’s learning - some easy and some hard.
We ask you to pray for the children of Khwe Ka Loc Orphanage.
Working for the children of God’s kingdom,
Alex, Jerry, Sylvia, Tom and Jim
P.S. We missed mentioning an important highlight yesterday: When the team was separated into two groups yesterday at the Mae La Refugee Camp, Jerry got the “opportunity” to preach. While Alex was to deliver his sermon at one church (and with about five minutes notice) the local pastors delegated to Jerry to preach at another church. While caught completely off guard and filled with some trepidation, Jerry gallantly stepped up to the task. F L E X I B I L I T Y
Dear Family and Friends:
Today was a great day. We worked hard.
We had breakfast at 7:00 AM, packed up our supplies, and headed back to Khwe Ka Loc Orphanage. For the next couple of days we are using a small pickup truck for team and supply transport. The advantage of this of course is that Tom, Alex, Jerry, and Jim get the chance to enjoy God’s air-conditioning riding in the truck bed.
We arrived in the orphanage by about 8:30. The sight of 200+ children of all ages – some shy, some bold, but all curious - watching our arrival was an emotive experience.
After a bit or organizing, agenda modifying, and negotiation (more on that in another letter) we jumped into our respective projects:
Jerry and Sylvia taught conflict resolution and basic counseling techniques for about 6 hours to a mixed group of adolescents and young adult men and women. Translations were a challenge; however they made it through the material like champs and most certainly planted some ‘mustard seeds’. Through God’s great providence we pray these will grow. We all find ourselves working to adapt to local styles of learning, communicating, and influencing.
Tom and Alex worked closely with younger children. Tom was thrown into the impromptu role of English teacher extraordinaire. Alex and Tom both became ‘corpsman’ using our team’s first aid kit to deliver some basic first aid for children with open cuts, scrapes, etc. Most of the young children run around barefoot in the muck – dung – sludge combination that covers some parts of the grounds. We used this as an opportunity to teach some basic first aid care for superficial wounds. We find no shortage of need and are working to prioritize our resources with the clear objective of teaching and empowering.
Jim led the well drilling effort using a team of teenage boys. These boys eagerly labored in the heat and a few of them showed potential as leaders/teachers. We were already getting water at a depth of 2 feet but continued down to about 19 feet. The effort was advancing in a good way until some of the boys dropped the drill head down into the bottom of the shaft. After a couple rather quiet moments and some tongue control, we cobbled together a grappling hook, fished around in the water, and retrieved the head. We are practicing improvisation and patience.
Alex connected with a two Catholic missionaries from the Philippines living in Mae Sot who joined us at the orphanage for lunch. These Filipina women work as teachers for the children at the God’s Love and Care Development Institute. They were very interested in our work and we have agreed to meet on Tuesday evening to share the CHE (Community Health evangelism) Program knowledge resources.
At dinner we met a missionary who graduated from Manhattan Christian College in Kansas, who knows Charles Cook and Loren Deckard. There was an immediate bond with Tom as they had both fought in Viet Nam,
Finally, we had a meeting with Somchai to understand the development and direction of his mission work here. We will share more about this when we get back.
It is only possible to report to you in this short letter a small fraction of:
Today’s sights – both uplifting and disturbing,
Today’s experiences – both joys and distresses, and
Today’s learning - some easy and some hard.
We ask you to pray for the children of Khwe Ka Loc Orphanage.
Working for the children of God’s kingdom,
Alex, Jerry, Sylvia, Tom and Jim
P.S. We missed mentioning an important highlight yesterday: When the team was separated into two groups yesterday at the Mae La Refugee Camp, Jerry got the “opportunity” to preach. While Alex was to deliver his sermon at one church (and with about five minutes notice) the local pastors delegated to Jerry to preach at another church. While caught completely off guard and filled with some trepidation, Jerry gallantly stepped up to the task. F L E X I B I L I T Y
Monday, November 3, 2008
Alex has shared a video with you. To view the video or to reply to the message, follow this link:http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=1196427976&k=X2MZ65WYS2VMYKMGUA4ZS
Dear Family & Friends, Below is an updated letter from Jim. I also have links to photos from their church service and a video of Tom singing with the children. Please let me know if you have trouble with the links - and I'm sorry but I think you will have to copy and paste (not sure how to do the direct link thing) http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=1196427976#/album.php?aid=10891&id=1196427976
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=1065369033239
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Dear Family and Friends:
No rain today. Flooded low lying areas and plenty of mud remain, but the streets are dry!
We had an uplifting and productive day.
This morning we joined Love God Church in Mae Sot during their first service at 8:00. The church meets in a ghetto store front, while mangy dogs, interested spectators, and dis-interested bystanders loiter nearby to the open store front. We were greeted very warmly. We had the opportunity to witness to the worshippers and sing together with them. It was exciting to hear worship songs we know well, being sung in the Burmese language. Alex preached on 1 Peter and appealed to them to prepare next generation leaders for the tasks at hand.
We drove about one hour and passed through two Thai military checkpoints to reach the Mae La Refugee Camp. Temporarily the team split up to participate in worship at two separate churches in the camp. A lunch meeting with an astute local pastoral group in the camp gave us the opportunity to understand more concretely the needs of the refugees. It was encouraging to see the good judgment shown by this leadership team. We identified that the primary areas where we can contribute, revolve around teaching conflict resolution, teaching water purification techniques, and distribution of medical supplies. We plan a return to the camp on Saturday to tackle these tasks. We will save a description of the camp experience and conditions for our letter to you on Saturday.
After leaving the Mae La Camp, we made a scouting trip to the Khwe Ka Loc Orphanage. This location will be our work and teaching site for the next three days. The Orphanage conditions and facilities are rather bad. Open wells, nearby to live stock, animal waste, and garbage, are not sanitary but are used for washing and bathing. The only protected well is inoperable. They spend about 22,000 Thai Baht per year ($800/year) to bring in bottled drinking water. They are attempting to grow some vegetables but rely heavily on local donations for foodstuffs.
We are becoming well known at a local eatery named Krua Canadian which has been our home for several meals already. Within a few days, the proprietor should be able to predict our individual eating habits: Alex enjoys white rice for desert?! – Jim insists on no ice in his drinks despite heat and humidity!! – Jerry and Sylvia enjoy all foods American sounding J – and Tom continues to expect rat meat as a meal option on the menu??
We ask you to pray for energy and productivity in the coming days.
Working to bring comfort to His people,
Alex, Jerry, Sylvia, Tom and Jim
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=1065369033239
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Dear Family and Friends:
No rain today. Flooded low lying areas and plenty of mud remain, but the streets are dry!
We had an uplifting and productive day.
This morning we joined Love God Church in Mae Sot during their first service at 8:00. The church meets in a ghetto store front, while mangy dogs, interested spectators, and dis-interested bystanders loiter nearby to the open store front. We were greeted very warmly. We had the opportunity to witness to the worshippers and sing together with them. It was exciting to hear worship songs we know well, being sung in the Burmese language. Alex preached on 1 Peter and appealed to them to prepare next generation leaders for the tasks at hand.
We drove about one hour and passed through two Thai military checkpoints to reach the Mae La Refugee Camp. Temporarily the team split up to participate in worship at two separate churches in the camp. A lunch meeting with an astute local pastoral group in the camp gave us the opportunity to understand more concretely the needs of the refugees. It was encouraging to see the good judgment shown by this leadership team. We identified that the primary areas where we can contribute, revolve around teaching conflict resolution, teaching water purification techniques, and distribution of medical supplies. We plan a return to the camp on Saturday to tackle these tasks. We will save a description of the camp experience and conditions for our letter to you on Saturday.
After leaving the Mae La Camp, we made a scouting trip to the Khwe Ka Loc Orphanage. This location will be our work and teaching site for the next three days. The Orphanage conditions and facilities are rather bad. Open wells, nearby to live stock, animal waste, and garbage, are not sanitary but are used for washing and bathing. The only protected well is inoperable. They spend about 22,000 Thai Baht per year ($800/year) to bring in bottled drinking water. They are attempting to grow some vegetables but rely heavily on local donations for foodstuffs.
We are becoming well known at a local eatery named Krua Canadian which has been our home for several meals already. Within a few days, the proprietor should be able to predict our individual eating habits: Alex enjoys white rice for desert?! – Jim insists on no ice in his drinks despite heat and humidity!! – Jerry and Sylvia enjoy all foods American sounding J – and Tom continues to expect rat meat as a meal option on the menu??
We ask you to pray for energy and productivity in the coming days.
Working to bring comfort to His people,
Alex, Jerry, Sylvia, Tom and Jim
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Dear Family and Friends:
We are now in Mae Sot (a small town/village in Thailand’s Tak Province). Mae Sot will be our home base until November 9th.
Before we left Bangkok Christian Guest House this morning, we briefly met a family from Northern Ireland who had just adopted a local boy. It was difficult to see who seemed happiest: Mom, Dad, Son, Daughter, or the 3 year old adoptee nicknamed Tiger.
The full day drive from Bangkok revealed some of Thailand’s poverty and need. A great deal of rain in the past weeks has resulted in flooding of low lying areas. We saw many homes that while flooded remained occupied. We do not want the word “home” to mislead. These are more properly labeled badly maintained dilapidated shacks, lean-tos, huts or shelters. This was a clear reminder of the many blessings enjoyed by the team and their families.
The housing was in clear contrast to temples we passed along the way. The temples are richly adorned with gold leaf and ornate architecture, decorations, and flowers.
Tomorrow we will tour the local area in Mae Sotto get a lay of the land. We will visit Khwe Ka Lok Orphanage visit in preparation for our work.
On a lighter note:
§ Those from Baltimore may be familiar with being able to buy Bay crabs by the bushel at roadside stands. Today we had the chance to buy fried field rats by the kilo (2.2 pounds) at roadside stands. While tempted, we decided to pass.
§ Tom and Jerry (that is Tom Steck and Jerry Taylor) enjoyed a couple of genuine A&W root beer floats.
§ Sylvia saw a local store and just had to buy a pair of shoes! (To be fair – she needed some shower flip flops).
We ask you to pray for restful sleep as the group fights some jet lag and for God’s guidance in these next days.
Working for the Way, the Truth, and the Life,
Alex, Jerry, Sylvia, Tom and Jim
Dear Family and Friends:
We are now in Mae Sot (a small town/village in Thailand’s Tak Province). Mae Sot will be our home base until November 9th.
Before we left Bangkok Christian Guest House this morning, we briefly met a family from Northern Ireland who had just adopted a local boy. It was difficult to see who seemed happiest: Mom, Dad, Son, Daughter, or the 3 year old adoptee nicknamed Tiger.
The full day drive from Bangkok revealed some of Thailand’s poverty and need. A great deal of rain in the past weeks has resulted in flooding of low lying areas. We saw many homes that while flooded remained occupied. We do not want the word “home” to mislead. These are more properly labeled badly maintained dilapidated shacks, lean-tos, huts or shelters. This was a clear reminder of the many blessings enjoyed by the team and their families.
The housing was in clear contrast to temples we passed along the way. The temples are richly adorned with gold leaf and ornate architecture, decorations, and flowers.
Tomorrow we will tour the local area in Mae Sotto get a lay of the land. We will visit Khwe Ka Lok Orphanage visit in preparation for our work.
On a lighter note:
§ Those from Baltimore may be familiar with being able to buy Bay crabs by the bushel at roadside stands. Today we had the chance to buy fried field rats by the kilo (2.2 pounds) at roadside stands. While tempted, we decided to pass.
§ Tom and Jerry (that is Tom Steck and Jerry Taylor) enjoyed a couple of genuine A&W root beer floats.
§ Sylvia saw a local store and just had to buy a pair of shoes! (To be fair – she needed some shower flip flops).
We ask you to pray for restful sleep as the group fights some jet lag and for God’s guidance in these next days.
Working for the Way, the Truth, and the Life,
Alex, Jerry, Sylvia, Tom and Jim
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Dear Family and Friends:
Our team is well and energized after last night’s good sleep!
Yesterday we mentioned that we had seen flooding. Today with heavy rains, we have had the chance to experience flooding. The streets of Mae Sot were flooded and impassable this morning when we awoke. Local shopkeepers were sandbagging their establishments. Somchai was trapped on a bridge in his truck and was rescued by local officials in a boat. The news reported that Mae Sot has not seen this type of flooding for almost 40 years and there were reports of some mud slides in local deforested areas.
We called back to the US this morning to keep our support group updated. With the flooding and local sanitary conditions, we are taking precautions to safeguard health and well-being.
Remaining in the hotel, we used the morning to re-evaluate priorities in light of the flood circumstances. We discussed adding a focus on water purification through teaching of water purification techniques and teaching construction of water filtration units. The rain stopped mid-morning and the waters began to recede. Just after noon, we ventured out for some food. Mid-afternoon, Jim and Jerry went out to buy supplies for building a water filtration unit. While the rain started up again in the afternoon, the streets in the immediate area are now mostly clear.
Tonight we celebrated Jerry’s 65th birthday with some birthday cards, a video made by his children and grandchildren, and the team’s off-key singing of Happy Birthday.
Tomorrow we have permission to enter the refugee camp where we will worship together with the refugees and get a sense of how the flooding may have impacted them.
Alex has posted a couple of trip pictures from Mae Sot at the links below:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=10758&l=3ebcf&id=1196427976
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=10670&l=c3fa7&id=1196427976
Our spirits are high. Today gave us the opportunity to reflect on God’s purpose for this mission. The team is doing well and we remain in good hands. We ask you to pray for health and guidance in the coming days.
Working to share His love and protection,
Alex, Jerry, Sylvia, Tom and Jim
Dear Family and Friends:
Our team is well and energized after last night’s good sleep!
Yesterday we mentioned that we had seen flooding. Today with heavy rains, we have had the chance to experience flooding. The streets of Mae Sot were flooded and impassable this morning when we awoke. Local shopkeepers were sandbagging their establishments. Somchai was trapped on a bridge in his truck and was rescued by local officials in a boat. The news reported that Mae Sot has not seen this type of flooding for almost 40 years and there were reports of some mud slides in local deforested areas.
We called back to the US this morning to keep our support group updated. With the flooding and local sanitary conditions, we are taking precautions to safeguard health and well-being.
Remaining in the hotel, we used the morning to re-evaluate priorities in light of the flood circumstances. We discussed adding a focus on water purification through teaching of water purification techniques and teaching construction of water filtration units. The rain stopped mid-morning and the waters began to recede. Just after noon, we ventured out for some food. Mid-afternoon, Jim and Jerry went out to buy supplies for building a water filtration unit. While the rain started up again in the afternoon, the streets in the immediate area are now mostly clear.
Tonight we celebrated Jerry’s 65th birthday with some birthday cards, a video made by his children and grandchildren, and the team’s off-key singing of Happy Birthday.
Tomorrow we have permission to enter the refugee camp where we will worship together with the refugees and get a sense of how the flooding may have impacted them.
Alex has posted a couple of trip pictures from Mae Sot at the links below:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=10758&l=3ebcf&id=1196427976
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=10670&l=c3fa7&id=1196427976
Our spirits are high. Today gave us the opportunity to reflect on God’s purpose for this mission. The team is doing well and we remain in good hands. We ask you to pray for health and guidance in the coming days.
Working to share His love and protection,
Alex, Jerry, Sylvia, Tom and Jim
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Thursday October 30, 2008
Dear Family and Friends:
We have arrived in Bangkok and had a (mostly) restful night. We wanted to share with you a couple of highlights so far:
While not detained, Alex was asked by Thai Customs officials to join them for a special investigation of his luggage. The officials questioned the well digging equipment and charged an import duty of 30% (for which we had planned). As Tom enjoyed the experience Alex commented “Nothing is fun at 12:30 at night”
Jerry, Sylvia, and Jim patiently waited for Alex to be “released”.
At Bangkok Christian Guest House, we have met several missionaries doing God’s work in Thailand and Myanmar. One newlywed couple of three months, was headed back to Myanmar. We met two ladies from Virginia who were teaching English and Bible Studies to Burmese refugees in the Mae Sot area. They were on a multi-month mission
Today we gather supplies for our work in Mae Sot. Somchai Panya is on the way from Mae Sot to Bangkok to meet us.
Tomorrow we will drive the 500 kilometers to Mae Sot.
We thank God for our safe travel. We ask you to continue to pray for us as we travel north and for His wisdom and direction.
Sharing Christ,
Alex, Jerry, Sylvia, Tom and Jim
Dear Family and Friends:
We have arrived in Bangkok and had a (mostly) restful night. We wanted to share with you a couple of highlights so far:
While not detained, Alex was asked by Thai Customs officials to join them for a special investigation of his luggage. The officials questioned the well digging equipment and charged an import duty of 30% (for which we had planned). As Tom enjoyed the experience Alex commented “Nothing is fun at 12:30 at night”
Jerry, Sylvia, and Jim patiently waited for Alex to be “released”.
At Bangkok Christian Guest House, we have met several missionaries doing God’s work in Thailand and Myanmar. One newlywed couple of three months, was headed back to Myanmar. We met two ladies from Virginia who were teaching English and Bible Studies to Burmese refugees in the Mae Sot area. They were on a multi-month mission
Today we gather supplies for our work in Mae Sot. Somchai Panya is on the way from Mae Sot to Bangkok to meet us.
Tomorrow we will drive the 500 kilometers to Mae Sot.
We thank God for our safe travel. We ask you to continue to pray for us as we travel north and for His wisdom and direction.
Sharing Christ,
Alex, Jerry, Sylvia, Tom and Jim
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Thailand Team
After months of prayer and preparation, the Thailand Short Term Mission Team is on their way to Bangkok. They are a team of five - Alex Lozada, a pastor at Mountain Christian Church, is the team leader. He will be working with Burmese and Thai Pastors and church Leaders. Jim Boyle will be teaching how to dig and prepare a fresh water well with manual boring tools. This training will enable the pastors and others to dig wells to provide clean drinking water for their villages. Jerry and Sylvia Taylor are professional Christian counselors and will be teaching the Thai and Burmese pastors in counseling and conflict resolution. Tom Steck will be the light of God’s love to the little children at the Khwe Ka Lok Village Orphanage.
The group will arrive in Bangkok today, October 29th. After some much needed rest, they will spend some of the day on October 30th gathering necessary supplies. On Friday, they will make their way to Mae Sot Thailand which is about 300 miles north of Bangkok. Mae Sot is on the border with Burma (Myanmar) and is the home to several refugee camps that house Karen refugees from Burma.
The team will be working alongside an MCC supported Christian Missionary named Somchai Panya. He has worked in the area for a number of years. Somchai will be their guide and translator.
The team will minister in the Mae La Refugee Camp, the Khwe Ka Lok Village Orphanage and Shelter, and Noun Boa Village Bible School. I am excited to hear from them over the next 15 days and equally excited to report back to you all that can be accomplished through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Photos from the Mae La Refugee Camp
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 28: 18-20
The group will arrive in Bangkok today, October 29th. After some much needed rest, they will spend some of the day on October 30th gathering necessary supplies. On Friday, they will make their way to Mae Sot Thailand which is about 300 miles north of Bangkok. Mae Sot is on the border with Burma (Myanmar) and is the home to several refugee camps that house Karen refugees from Burma.
The team will be working alongside an MCC supported Christian Missionary named Somchai Panya. He has worked in the area for a number of years. Somchai will be their guide and translator.
The team will minister in the Mae La Refugee Camp, the Khwe Ka Lok Village Orphanage and Shelter, and Noun Boa Village Bible School. I am excited to hear from them over the next 15 days and equally excited to report back to you all that can be accomplished through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Photos from the Mae La Refugee Camp
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 28: 18-20
Hello again friends and family, I just wanted to let you know that the team has arrived in Thailand - they will make their way to the hotel for some much needed sleep. Thailand is 11 hours ahead of us so as I write this it is 1:20AM - Oct. 30th. Also, I have had a few people not get the attachment in my first mail. The attachment contains a brief intro of the team and where they will be ministering. If you were unable to open it, let me know and I will send it again. Thank you,Helen
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