The Prayer Center of Thailand

This morning we went to visit the residents of the McKean Rehabilitation Center for leprosy. This is a picture of a couple that invited us into their little home to sing and pray with them. Gaio and his wife Kaleo (I know I mispelled both their names) have lived here for over 50 years. The picture does not show it, but neither have fingers and they seemed about 4 feet tall. Gaio was very talkative and excited to sing with us (we had a book of some Christian Thai songs). He shared a little bit about how he had been at McKean for a long time and had met his wife there 50 years ago and they both became Christians. He was a really sweet man, probably more than one of us were choking back a few tears this morning ;)
We called McKean's the prayer center of Thailand because many of the people there are Christians and can not go out into the world as easily as we can. Their ministry is prayer, which was very evident by the fervent desire of Gaio, Kaleo, and Wile (another woman we sang and prayed with) to be prayed for, and to pray with and over us.

Happy Father's Day, I love you Dad!

The picture says it all :)

Hairy Berries

Chiao! Sooo much has happened this week since we got back from English camp, I hope I can squeeze it all into one post w/o being too long winded!
First off, I did get sick when we got back. Whether it was from the altitude change or the four meals of rice or the fact that the food was not really clean I am not sure. BUT after lots and lots of pepto bismal and bottled water I am feeling a ton better and much more energized.
We started our English lessons at the Zone this week. The English lessons are not only meant for language practice, but to get Thai students comfortable around the Zone and build a bridge for them to relationships in the church. My student's name is Hom, and she is about 15. I am not sure what she thinks of me yet, our first lesson was kind of a fiasco. We took a break about half way through to play some Uno (which she is very good at) and after a few games I asked her if she wanted to finish the lesson. She gave me a definite "yes", gathered her things and ran, not walked, out the door and down the street. Apparently there was some miscommunication! I was tickled pink though when Hom showed up for a fellowship night on Friday and then joined us today for games.
The red fruit I am about to devour is what us interns call a "hairy berry". I wish I could remember the real name, I'm not sure I could spell it if I could. It is peeled, and a clear fruit is inside. It tastes a bit like a plum. While we were in the mountains we also had a really sticky fruit called Jack fruit that tasted a lot like bubble gum.
I'm afraid if I write too much more this post will not upload, so I must cut it a little short! I will update soon about our adventures exploring caves and climbing waterfalls on our play days. If you are reading this (which you probably are) please pray for Hom and our ministry to her, that we would not only strive to teach her English but serve her as a Christian community, so that she may see the light of God here.
P.S. I'll give you a hint about our plans for tomorrow. It involves jumping and a bungee cord.
Chiao!!

Ban Bokaeo English Camp

Sawatdeeka! We are busy busy busy here in Chiangmai. Yesterday we got back from teaching an English camp up at Ban Bokaeo school in the mountain villages. It was a lot of fun, but completely exhausting. I was paired with P'Poi to teach a class of 38 7th graders. They have English lessons once a week for an hour, so I'm not sure if they really understood anything I said. P'Poi and I taught them the parts of the body, shapes, colors, and feelings. The kids had a lot of fun singing the "hokey pokey" and the "head, shoulders, knees and toes" song- especially when it got faster and faster each time. We also played a few other games and divided them boys against girls. The girls won overall, so the boys had to sing to them- everyone was giggling of course!

While we were up there we stayed with some of the Christians who lived in the mountains. I was blown away at how giving the family was when they had so little. We were blessed to have the chance to worship with the village church that evening and shared some fruit with them. I imagine their worship was very similar to early Christian worship- it was very communal and simple. I realize of course that I have only an outsiders perspective and the worship was completely in Thai. One thing that has been prevalent in the Thai Christians we have met here is joy in the Lord. On Sunday a girl from a nearby church came to Payap to be baptized. I was moved to tears by all the excitement and joy shared by the Chiangmai churches.

The picture above is a game we played with the entire school. I am not sure I understood the rules, but the gist was a number was called in baht (such as 1 baht 75) and everyone had to find a group that added up to that number. Boys were worth 50 and girls 25. I'm pretty sure I may have accidentally cheated a few times. Whoops ;)

From the U.S. to Chiangmai

Hey Everyone! We finally made it into Chiang Mai on Wednesday. We got into Bangkok late Tuesday night and spent the night at the Bangkok church. We found an afternoon flight on NokAir and were greeted by some members of the Thai church. Robert, the missionary at Payap Christian Zone met us and took us to Carrfour where we were able to get a few necessities. Wednesday morning we had Equipping time with Sean, David, Robert, and Larry (all missionaries to Thailand). We met some more of the Thai teens, they are a lot of fun! They have been very patient with teaching us Thai phrases and helping us get around. We had some spicy Thai food for lunch- actually it was "Mai pet" (not hot) but to us Americans it was very hot! After an afternoon of Equipping we left with four of the Thai college students and Robert to the mountain retreat. We stayed on a houseboat and were able to have some quiet time to pray and meditate about our focus for the summer. The mountains were absolutely beautiful. I was still feeling really bad from the 36 hour trip over, so I crashed pretty early. It has been a lot of fun (and sometimes a little difficult) getting to know the Thai people, but they are definitely more welcoming to foreigners and most are very friendly. My first phrase to learn, and probably most important, has been "Sa wa dee ka". Hello.

Welcome!

Hello friends and family! This blog is created to keep y'all updated on my summer internship in Thailand. Feel free to browse the posts and pictures (soon to come). Thank y'all for all your prayers, support, and encouragement!
~Whit :)