Catch up

I apologize for our inability to update this silly thing. As the blog stands, it doesn't seem like we've done much, but I'll try to convince you guys otherwise.

Last Saturday, we went to a village about an hour away from the Jasper Kids Home with a small church--the first church plant by the missionaries here.


The church building was small, and the congregation only had a few families, but a good amount of kids came out to our VBS. A total of about 25 kids came out and we held our first VBS. The kids had a good time with the two skits, and the bible story of the Good Shepherd. We had some time of games, and ended with our three crafts. We had a great time with the kids, and we were grateful that they all came out. Our efforts were reaffirmed when the kids told Junya that they all had fun. We then visited the only devote Christian family in the whole village, and were encouraged to see him standing strong, despite persecution and a village rule that now limited the four Christian families to be the only Christians allowed.





Then on Sunday, we had service at the Jasper Kids Home, where Frank gave his moving sermon on Peter. He also said the phrase "you know..." at least 75 times (Daniel started tallying late), 16 of which were in the last prayer.

Monday, the two missionary families took us to do some sight seeing, and then took us across the border to Myanmar. First, we visited some villages in Chiang Rai, where the long-necked Karen live. It was pretty interesting... definitely a good tourist experience.


Then we went to the golden triangle, the area where the three countries--Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos meet. This is an area where a lot of drug trafficking, specifically opium, takes place. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Triangle_(Southeast_Asia)

Here's a picture of the team

The "highlight" of the trip was Mae Sai, the northernmost city in Thailand. We came there to cross over into Myanmar. After paying a small fee, and entrusting our passports to the guards, we crossed over. I was the only one of the group who was reluctant to go, and I was tense the entire time. I don't know anyone else who can say they've entered Myanmar, so I was pretty terrified of going. The missionaries couldn't leave the country, so the four of us went by ourselves, without any real guidance, expectations, plans, or ideas of what we were going to see. The moment we crossed over, people came up to us with pictures of landmarks, telling us that they'd take us with their taxis. The buildings were run down, the streets were filthy, and the people looked so bleak. We walked around for a little, and took shelter at a small mart, where we purchased a few umbrellas. Daniel said, "Who else do you know that can say that they've purchased an umbrella in Burma?" Good point. We visited the market area, and were instantly pressured by beggars for some money. Little boys and old ladies would come by, poking at us asking for "please, one Baht." It was so sad and frustrating--Frank put it best when he said, "Ugh, I wish I could just speak to them and share the Gospel like Peter and John did in Acts. Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you." We only spent an hour and half there, but the experience will linger with me forever. Please, pray for Myanmar.


The Gate at Mae Sai
At the border, just behind the gate


Crossing over to Myanmar



It was so hard to smile in this picture. :/

This is what separates Myanmar and Thailand, oppression and hope, poverty and wealth.

We spent the night in Chiang Rai, and then headed home the next day. On the way back, we stopped by the only white Buddhist temple in the world. It was beautiful, but very ominous and haunting. The entrance features pools of hands reaching up, which represent hell. I'm not quite sure what that really means in Buddhist culture, but it was really haunting.


Yesterday, we went to the village of Ajan Somsuk, the original staff teacher and the now new director of the Jasper Kids Home. The road was windy, but we made it there safely. The second we got off the truck, we were absolutely amazed by the view.


We were so close to the mountain, and we were so high up that the clouds were trapped in.

We held a short hour and half VBS for the kids there, and our expected 40 kids actually turned out to be over 60 kids. It was encouraging to see such a church thriving in the village. The praise time was great, and we could see the Spirit working in the church. We did our body worship and one skit, and then did crafts. Meanwhile, the adults were outside, trying on reading glasses and sunglasses, and that was a great success. Although we were unprepared for the number of kids, it was truly a blessing. The kids had a great time, and the villagers were really grateful that we came.


We spent the night at a BALLER house (for village standards), which had an indoor bathroom, electricity, running water, two stories, and full furnishing. We slept very well that night in our mosquito nets.

The next morning, we visited the local kindergarten, which had about 40 kids. We taught them english, did some coloring, same some songs, and did crafts. It was a lot of fun, and although it was hard teaching English to 3-5 year olds, it was a blessing. Some of the kids were at the VBS the night before, so we hope that we made at least a small impact on them.





On the way back home, it started raining like crazy, but by the grace of God, we made it back safely.

Well, I hope that entry made up for the lack of all the previous ones :) We'll keep you updated on what else is coming up as well. The ministry portion of our trip will most likely end here, as another team from Texas will be coming for the next week. We will partner with them, and assist them in whatever ways are necessary. Thanks again for keeping us in your prayers

-Thai Missions '08 (Young Kwang)