Day 9 Nong Kwang Village Church

Today was the first day where we actually had a little bit of a sleep in! The girls managed to get a room service massage before brekky, whilst the fellas hit the restaurant after a short run and a light weights session.

The true work began when Mark picked us up and drove us to his house for devotion, and then off for a brief lunch at a nearby establishment.

After our quick bite, we headed off to Nong Kwang Village Church. We all introduced ourselves, but this somehow soon deteriorated into an attempted ‘set up’ session for the single people involved. Eventually Tham Fuan lead a concise, yet most informative and useful leaders session for the local Compassion ministry leaders. They were most encouraged by the advice and prayer given. After that, we gave our ‘final ever performance’ of our finely tuned children’s ministry set. The children were amazing. They fully engaged themselves in the presentation and activities. Towards the end of the session, Dylan and Chris took the older kids outside to hone their Australian football and cricket skills. We are sure there will be a Thai national cricket team in the not too distant future. Whilst this was happening, Lee took the younger kids for some minor games and Jack and Danni packed bags full of goodies for all the kids.











After an exhausting afternoon, we all, Thai leaders included, went out for some authentic Isaan food. We were all relieved that our Thai friends were able to instruct us on how to eat some of the foods that we hadn’t come across before. It was great way to end a truly rewarding missions trip for all of us.

Day 8 Ubon Ratchathani

Today was a great but looong day! I (Danni) lead the morning devotion which was at 6:15am, then we all enjoyed a delicious breakfast before heading out to a village church in Buntharik which was about 2 hours away from where we’re staying. This church had recently appointed a new board and Tham Fuan was asked to encourage them and teach them about Christian leadership. We didn’t have any children’s ministries today so the rest of the team sat in on the seminar too.

It was really encouraging to see the church leaders and how passionate and energetic they were! They were so hungry for God’s Word, they can never get enough teaching (we were told tonight that they have bible study with each other every single day!) and they hung onto every word Tham Fuan spoke with great attentiveness. During our debriefing tonight we were told that there is some tension amongst the new board and the message that Tham Fuan had for them about unity was exactly what they needed to hear.

All the leaders at this church very musical and loved singing and dancing in praise to God. Their instruments were really cool and unusual – they had these two urns with a strip of elastic over the opening that made a noise when you plucked it and also an interesting looking instrument that was described to me as a trumpet organ (a wooden instrument that you blow into but that has a mini organ attached to it).

There was one old man in particular who was extremely full of joy and on fire for God. He would randomly stick his hand into the air and shout “Hallelujah” at the top of his lungs with lots of gusto. After each session we were given a break and while our team went straight for the coffee and snacks, the church leaders would take out their instruments and start playing, singing and dancing. The old man was always the first to jump up and dance around and there were 2 other women who would join him too. We found out later on that this man (who I would have guessed to be 70 or so) was actually 91 years old! Incredible…

Anyway, tomorrow will be our last day in Ubon – we have one adults’ session and one more children’s ministry too. Watch this space for more!

Day 7 Ubon Ratchathani

We kicked off with early morning devotion with Dylan leading. We travelled to Ubon Ratchatani from Surin and stopped off at the Elephant Village, which is about half way between the two cities. It was an interesting experience watching elephants stepping over the excited Thai children (volunteers) who lay down on the ground and squirm and shake as the large 1 tonne elephants step over them. The elephants do all sorts of 'tricks' and amuse the crowd by throwing basketballs through hoops and drawing pictures with their trunks. The group were brave enough to all go on an elephant ride around the block. It was a hot, humid day and Chris and Neil (Julia and Mark's son) missed out on an umbrella to protect them on the ride. Chris, the white guy, was sweating buckets by the end of the ride with his black T - shirt on.

We checked into the hotel in Ubon, had a quick break and then went to a cell group. The cell group was awesome. Meeting a new group of Christians, praying and talking to them - the language was no barrier as 'the boys' discussed soccer and the girls shared about life in Australia and listened to a testimony from the man that owned the house.. Jack and Danni shared their testimonies with the cell group.

It has been a great day for the group. We are enjoying the experience of meeting new people and learning what missions is all about.

See you tomorrow!

Comments today:
Lee says: ' I love 5 star hotels'
Danni: Danni must be a movie star because all the school children want photos with her
Chris: 'I keep seeing Pastors'
Dylan: Dylan looks like a Man United soccer player - all the Thai's think so....yeah....right....
Jack: My bag is 7 kgs and growing
Tham Fuan: That's so lame....and Lettice, can you please upload the photos.

Day 6 Chomprak Village Church

Wow… what can I say…. It’s been our hottest day yet and therefore tiring. Despite this, we’ve had a fantastic day!

We started the day at Chomprak Village church. A lovely church pastured by Pastor Oh. It was good to have a Sunday service and we felt a little more normal again. The children were anticipating our arrival and were all waiting at the church entrance for us when we arrived! Dylan was able to give his testimony and then we moved on to the children’s service while Pastor Oh continued with the adult service.

The children were all really well behaved and we seemed to be well received as the children were so attentive. We didn’t have as many children as we had anticipated because there was a wedding in the village so half the children attended that instead. We ended up with about 35 kids… so not a bad effort when you have a wedding to compete with! We also finally got a chance to play games and interact a little more with the children. We played ‘Moses Says’ (their version of “Simon Says”), heads down thumbs up and also the number game. We also started giving away props from our skit such as hats and boomerangs as we only have one more children’s ministry session after today.

Lunch was delicious… but a little spicy (yes… Danni survived and enjoyed it!). Its been good to be able to share lunch with the children after we minister to them. I’ve also been amazed by the wonder of the water cup. Its pretty much water in a bubble tea cup! Nothing spills and you just pop your straw in! Its so practical!
During lunch we encountered an older woman who came up to talk to us. She was speaking in her village Thai dialect so Neil wasn’t able to translate very much for us, but she just kept talking. We realised that she really loves Australians and would love to visit Australia. She also took out photos from her handbag of her son and his Australian friends. (As awkward as it was for us…) she stood there talking to us in Thai for a good 10 or so minutes. I’m sure she knew we had no idea what she was saying, but it was nice to feel so welcomed and loved by her. You never know… we might see her again because she self invited herself to Danni’s wedding later on in the year! She even gave us all big hugs before we left!

Our next children’s ministry session was in a town with very bumpy roads! We met under a big shelter and had about 90 kids. Unlike our morning session, I don’t think many of the children here were regular church kids.

As the weather got hotter, we carried on with our session. The kids here were great and very receptive. We also were able to see the enthusiasm in which Pastor Oh ministers to the children. It was encouraging to see his passion and love for the children through his song and games. Although we were all really hot and tired, we continued to play games as the children were still very excited! Tunnel ball was a hit and increased the volume 10 fold!

We had lots of fun in Surin and have continually improved on our intro and skit to the children!
We check out from Surin tomorrow morning and head back towards Ubon where we’ll join the Home Cell meeting at night. We’re all excited that we’ll be able to see the elephants tomorrow on the way back to Ubon… but more about that tomorrow!



Dylan sharing his testimony in the main Sunday service just before the children leave for their Sunday School. This church is pastored by Ps. Oh who is seated at the front with his daughter on his lap. Great testimonies of God's provision in his life and will share with the church when we get home.



The team leading the children's program which is held in the parsonage next to the church's main building. We usually start the program introducing ourselves and the country we come from.



We had lunch at the church with the church members after the service and children ministry. It is common for Thai churches to eat together after the service. We had noodles and rice, and food were displayed out in the open under the sun.



After lunch we set out to another village near Ps. Oh's where we ministered to another group of village children. Dylan is here leading a counting game.

No one's writing

PLEASE WRITE US>>>NEED TO KNOW PEOPLE AT CORNERSTONE ARE THINKING OF US!

Day 5 Kap Choeng

Today is another early start for us, waking up for the 6.00am devotion, still suffering from the lethargy of yesterday. We were taken to Kap Choeng church, an outreach church of Ajn Perm. The service went on for four hours, and for us whoa re Aussies, we were finding it hard to keep going towards the end.

The Children Ministry was excellent. The children seems attentive but not as excite as the ones in Osmach Village 2' kids. Had lunch with the church before shooting back to Surin.

Tomorrow we'll be travelling to another church pastored by Ajn Oh. We'll be joining their Sunday service.



Morning devotion before we set out to Kap Choeng Village Church Christmas Celebration. We take turn to lead devotion each morning, at different times in the morning depending on our schedule for the day. The last 2 began at 6.00 am. We also meet every evening for debriefing over the day's activites.



One of the many presentations during the service which lasted for 4 hours, these children were guests from another village church. They are here waiting for their turn to quote Bible verses from memory. Some of these can quote more than 30 verses at one go!



Getting balloons ready for deco and play.


Doing our gig...and getting better at it.



The MMII Bunch packing gifts for the children. It's good to know we've made their day, even if it is only for one day.

Day 4 Osmach, Cambodia

Hi all!

Well, today was the busiest day thus far - we ministered to two villages in Osmach, Cambodia which is located just beyond the Thailand/Cambodia border.

After an early rise, we managed a fairly quick pathway through all the passport and visa points to where we were supposed to go. The first village we visited consisted of mainly Khmer people. There were many children who enjoyed the presentation we provided which included a song and a skit. The gift giving was ordered chaos! It was touching to see the delight on the children's faces when they received, but also sad to see their disappointment when we ran out of gifts towards the end.

The second village was smaller in size, but certainly not enthusiasm. The people here are more of a Vietnamese origin. We were all buoyed by the enthusiasm and cooperation of all, especially the adults who chanted towards the climax of our lost sheep skit, and called for an encore of our dramatised version of 'Give Me a Home Among the Gum Trees'.


At the 1st village - Osmach, Cambodia


'Look at our nervous smiles!'


Kids waiting patiently


Children galore!


Queuing up


"Look at our new Aussie hats!"


The shepherd with his sheep

Day 3 Surin

Hi guys. This will be a quick post as it is getting late and we are a little tired. We went to the Silk Village in the morning and the boys watched Danni and Lee shop for silk scarves. We were pretty amazed at the dedication and patience of the silk weavers and realised there was no way Chris was ever going to be a weaver of the silk as he has no concentration or dedication.

We have been eating good, spicy food and enjoying the laughs and conversation taking place with our hosts Julia, Mark and Neil.

We shopped for milk, slippers, toys and shampoo for the Cambodian visit tomorrow. The pictures will speak for themselves...

Girls doing what girls do best!

Us shopping for tomorrow

Us packing boxes for tomorrow

Our sheep ears for the lost sheep skit

Surin - Thong Tarin Hotel

Well we're now at Surin after much travelling! Last night we went to the night bazaar next to Lumpini Park and despite the humidity, we managed to snatch up some bargains and watched Lee exercise her amazing bargaining skills. We also shared our first meal in Bangkok and didn't get sick - yay!

We woke up at 4:30am today (except for Jack who gets up at 3am for fun) to catch our Air Asia flight to Ubon before a 3 hour bus ride to Surin. Here are some updates from us all:

• Lee is only surviving because she has the love of her life with her - her iPhone! She is also hoping to lose weight seeing as we've been eating a lot of soup noodles
• Chris is giggling like a schoolgirl; we think the heat is getting to him...
• Dylan loves tom yum - he says it's yum. He's a man of few words.
• Tham Fuan is excited about sharing a room with Chris tonight but hopes that he doesn't snore
• Jack is sulking because there is no gym or sauna at this hotel - yes, he is a bit of a princess...
• Danni (me) is loving the food (the tastiness and cheapness!) and reeeally looking forward to the buffet breakfast tomorrow!

We met Mark, Julia & their son Neil today and will be meeting with them tonight to talk about our plans for the next few days - time to get down to work now! See below for some pics from last night and today:

Dinner @ Bangkok

From Ubon to Surin

On the plane from KL to BKK

Chris' new T-shirt

KL (Malaysia) Airport

Hi Boys and Girls...

We are currently in the ever lovely Starbucks stuck at the airport waiting for our transfer flight to BKK... just another 3 hours to go!!! Yeah!!!

All is well as can be:

- Tham Fuan has not eaten so has not thrown up yet! (YEAH!!) However, the true Asian that he is... has taken all the food off the plane to devour later!

- Dylan (apparently) rocks! He watched 1.5 movies because GI Joe is just tooooo long and boring and he's getting old

- Jack is still asking about international phone codes... AGAIN.... and playing with his new toy (a Samsung 10.2 mega pixel camera)

- Danni just discovered Green Tea Frapps at Starbucks and is currently in love

- Chris... welll..... he just likes to sit and correct my spelling and is hoping to grow a nice long mullet by the end of the trip

- me... Lee has gone through 2 movies, 2 TV shows and 4 games of Tetris and has had an hour sleep.... no point wasting free movie time.

Coffee can only do so much but we're ploughing through!

Will update you further once we've landed in BKK.

MMII

ps. here are some pics for your viewing pleasure...

@ Melbourne Airport

Away we go!!

Prayer Requests

What we would like our Prayer Partners to pray for us individually:
• Jack: Pray that I truly understand and be receptive to what God has plan for me on a mission of His choosing and making in this time of my life.
• Tham Fuan: I will be encouraged through my observation of how Christians live in other parts of the world.
• Dylan: Can people please pray that I walk close with God during the 10 days and be open to any experiences that may take me out of my comfort zone.
• Chris: Pray that I am spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally prepared for service and that I am completely focussed.
• Lee: Pray that this trip will really open my eyes to see how God works in practical ways. Also for emotional strength as I easily tear up when I see injustice and poverty (sometimes I cry watching World Vision ads!)
• Danni: Pray that I will be sensitive to how God wants me to serve over there and also sensitive to the people I will be ministering to. Also pray that I will walk away from this experience forever changed, not just touched for a few weeks after our return.

What we would like our Prayer Partners to pray for those whom we will be ministering to in Thailand/Cambodia:
• Jack: For the people that I will be coming in contact with to encounter, experience and receive the grace, the love and the spirit of our Lord Jesus and will be able to welcome Him into their hearts and that of their families and friends.
• Tham Fuan: God will use me to be his tool of blessing to the churches I minister in.
• Dylan: Pray our group makes an impact (however small or large) on those people that we come into contact with and that the work / ministering that we do is lasting.
• Chris: Pray that I encounter those whom God has set out for me to assist – as if I am a piece of a jigsaw, and those whom I am to assist are a ‘perfect fit’. I believe that God puts people in our paths for a reason.
• Lee: Pray that we will be an encouragement to Mark and his family and also that the children will be open and understand our intro & skit despite the language barrier... That God will work through the simplest of things!
• Danni: The people we meet and serve along the way will be blessed by our presence, even though we might not be able to see the fruits of our labour while on the trip. Pray that the seeds that are planted by our team will continue to grow long after we've left.