If it's Sunday, it must be slum time!

The day starts well, as the guys kick off the 8:00 a.m. service with worship.

My friend, Greg Brown, had a stirring message about God's call to holiness. See his blog through the link on the left side of this page.
At Ja Rurat, I taught about David as a shepherd boy, and then we had some games related to that concept. Here, the shepherd calls his sheep to 'follow me.'

The kids knew the answers to all the review questions after the lesson.

Vee led the kids in a game where the loser got smeared with talcum powder.

The shepherd here is blindfolded and has to find the sheep by the sound of their voices.

Things go better with Coca Cola... even in Thailand.


We caught up with the team at Bearing just in time for supper. In Thailand, we don't have escargot. Just snails.

J's buddy (and mine), Son like his snails. Look at the pile in his plate!

Happy birthday to one of the crew, then worship and another great day draws to a close.

Lazy Saturday Morning in Bangkok

I got up this morning to find my beautiful view had vanished! The fog was incredible. You could not see four feet out, it seemed.

Hey! Where did Bangkok go?

I know it's out there, somewhere !

Eventually, the fog burned off and I went about my day. Stopped at my favorite little hole in the wall restaurant for an omelet and pork with garlic, with fish sauce and chilis. And Thai iced tea with milk, which J nicknamed 'crack in a cup,' while he was here. Whenever I do return to the US, I have no idea how I will ever adjust to not eating Thai food. Oh, and with the Thai tea, this set me back a bit under two dollars US.

Miscellaneous images from J's visit

Vee, relaxing in Pak Ping Church.

Playing with kids in Khao Lak on National Children's Day.

A final meal with Ah Jan Achara and her daughter, Anchalalee.

J at the national sea turtle hatchery.

Too cool. J and Son.

Not quite so cool. J and me in Ayuttayah.

On the beach at Khao Lak. This is where the tsunami hit.

J and my boss, Vera, at a lunch with my friends at work.

Memorial signs for tsunami victims.

An elephant takes a tip from J on the sidewalk outside my condo. Not something he ordinarily sees on the sidewalk in front of his home in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Going out in style...

J's last day here was hectic... like most of them were. He started the day by preaching at the 8:00 a.m. service at Immanuel Baptist Church, where he spoke on Nehemiah and the importance of planning, but waiting for God. We went to Sunday School, where he was asked to share his story with the class. At the main service at 10:30, Ah Jan Winit 'interviewed' him before the congregation, leading him through telling his story and about the impact of this trip on him.

After church, he went with me, Son, Ting, Pai, and Nok to Ja Rurat, for his first exposure to the slums. His heart was just broken by the kids and by the conditions they live in. He now understands what I have meant in telling him that you just can't 'get it,' by looking at the photos. We played a game and he taught them a lesson about David. (I'll go on with stories about David for the next few weeks.) After that, we explained to the kids that J works with children at his church in America and that we wanted them to make cards to send to those children, with their names on them and with some drawing.

After Ja Rurat, we headed to Bearing, where the team was mid-way through the English lessons there. He observed some of that and went with us to the farmer's market nearby to get food for supper. After the kids left, the team had supper and a time of worship and he was asked to share one last time, a kind of going away testimony. Son drove us back to my condo, where he showered and finished packing. Ah Jan Vee, who had been gone on a retreat with a class form his seminary, was back and came by with his wife Mhewy and Son to take us to the airport about 11:00 p.m. and we shared one last meal there and said our good byes.

Without a doubt, this will be a life changing event for J. He has fallen in love with the folks here and with the nation of Thailand. He hopes with all of his heart to open doors of cooperation between his home church and Immanuel. It's been an awesome week of watching him experience one new thing after another and of watching him being used by God to impact the loves of others. He's eager to see his wife and kids again, but he hated so bad to leave behind such special new friends.

A young lady visiting church for the first time, Ah Jan Winit, J, me and Mhewy, after church yesterday.

J helps the kids with their drawings.

A little girl named Ice makes a card for Jason.

One of J's photos. The little girl on the right is being raised by an old lady in the slum because her mother is serving four years in prison.

After the slum ministry, the team gathers for supper. J is eating a chicken foot. He also got to try moo hoo, pig ear. Son is next to him. As Son always says, "New experience!"

More dining adventures

J was wanting to try some crazy foods. When the bug cart came through the slums at Bearing yesterday, he was not up for that, but I did buy a small bag of dried frogs and after I ate a couple he got his courage up and gave it a shot.

Yummm... sun dried frogs.

Looks like its trying to escape!

I also found some deep fried duck bills and bought one. No photo proof, but I DID eat it. Crispy and not altogether awful. As Son would tell J, "New experience!"

God stuff in Kanchanaburi

J getting prayed up before we head up to Sangkhlaburi.

Chris, Derrick, David, and J visit with Nondo.

We spent a day and night with folks who run an incredible ministry just outside Sangkhlaburi. Nondo and his wife Tulolo are people of the Karen tribe that lives primarily in Burma (now officially called Myanmar.) The Burmese government has led a brutal crackdown against the Karen for years. Many years back, this couple's village was destroyed by the army and the people forced to flee. These two fled to Thailand. Over time, as their lives stabilized, they began to minister to Karen and others who were in hopeless situations. Today, their ministry has three areas of focus. At their home, they operate an orphanage which serves about twenty five or thirty children. In another building at their home, they house a half dozen or so older people who can not care for themselves and have no one to care for them. Finally, about two hundred meters up the road is Safe House, a housing facility for people with various illnesses that make it impossible to care for themselves. Everything from AIDS to malaria to mental illness. At Safe House, the workers are cared for and given simple job training in weaving and brick making, which gives them the chance to earn a small amount of money and to feel a sense of accomplishment. Nondo and Tulolo are amazing people, giving all they have to serve others here in the remote western edge of Thailand.

Thursday evening, we got to share in the regular time of devotions and worship with the kids in the orphanage. In addition to their formal schooling, the orphanage here teaches Karen, Thai, and English to the kids, so most are tri-lingual and fairly fluent.

It is tough to think about what these kids have already had to face in their young lives. J has just been thunderstruck by this week, and spending the evening with these orphan kids only added to the impact this trip is making on his life.

The people at Safe House are trained in weaving and operate a small store, selling items they have made. We each bought several things to take with us.

Sights of Kanchanaburi

Various scenes from this week's trip to Kanchanaburi...

The bridge on the River Kwai. Yes, THAT bridge on the river Kwai. It was rebuilt after World War II and is a major attraction in the area, for obvious reasons.

Standing in the bridge. Also inside the city, there is a large WW II cemetery where many US soldiers are buried, some who were POWs during the war and who were forced to work on the bridge and/or railway.

We stopped for breakfast at an Islamic Thai restaurant.

Houseboats on a lake along the way.

J and I went with Chris and to of his friends new to the area, Derrick and David, both from Southern California. (Chris is taking the photo.)

Derrick and J at a restaurant along the way. The family that owns the restaurant also lives there, like they do most places in Thailand. Notice in the background, the kids sitting in their 'family room,' watching TV.


J and me at the Thai-Burma border at Three Pagodas Pass.

A long wooden bridge leading into a Mon tribal area. We walked over. As we did, some kids passed under in a small boat, and one of them hopped out of the boat and scrambled right up the side of the bridge and took off walking.

That's a big ol' Buddha! Reminds me of the Audio Adrenaline song:

Never gonna be as big as Jesus.

Never gonna hold the world in my hand.

Never gonna be as big as Jesus.

Never gonna build a promised land...

Learning the Culture

While J is here, I felt it was important to mix in some cultural stuff with the straight up ministry opportunities he would have. I am hoping this will not be his last trip here, and if you hope to work with people in a foreign land, it is vital that you understand the things that make them unique. That is what Monday and Tuesday were about. Monday, we went to the Grand Palace. This is Bangkok's cultural jewel. A believer in Bangkok needs to see it to get a sense of this country's spiritual background and foundation. (And it is also one of the most beautiful places on earth.) Tuesday, we traveled two hours north to Ayutthaya, the original capitol city. Ayutthaya was destroyed by the Burmese army hundreds of years ago, but spectacular ruins remain.

Gold plating is everywhere in the Grand Palace. The grandeur of the place is hard to absorb.

The palace grounds are so big and filled with such intricate and beautiful buildings that photos really do not capture it well.

There are many intimidating figures here.

We took a water taxi back to a Sky Train station to get home. These are dirt cheap. Maybe thirty cents to go a couple of miles down stream. And they are fun.

When you are told you are going to go look at ruins, it can be underwhelming. Until you get there and see. And to think all of this was once covered by gold before the Burmese burned everything to get the gold.

Beautiful and haunting.

OK, sure, it is cheesy, but you can not visit Thailand without riding an elephant. This is J and Bamboo Pai. Pai joined us for the day, and it was great that he got to meet and spend time with J. Most of you know Pai's story. He is a young believer who I first met here in '06. He is a university student,majoring in environmental science. We were happy to have him with us.

Pai and J eat guitio (noodles) at a local roadside shop in Ayutthaya. J used chopsticks for the first time and did fine with them.
Tuesday night, Ah Jan Vee and Mhewy invited us to join them and a few others from church at Baiyoke Tower for dinner. Baiyoke is one of the world's tallest buildings and there is a restaurant near the top. Because Vee is in an intensive week long seminar at his seminary, he and J will get almost no more time together, so it was great to see them laughing and joking and just being friends last night.