Following a long day on Friday, we had plenty of time to rest on Saturday. On Sunday, we went to the morning service at Tha Rua church, and were pleasantly surprised to see some of our friends from the Lopburi Youth House! Nung (from the Youth House) was preaching, and it seemed to be a really good sermon, though as usual we didn't really understand any of it! We went for coffee together after the church lunch, and they ended up accidentally missing their train. Mai pen rai! This meant that we could spend some more time together and had a litttle worship session before the evening prayer meeting. The meeting was really good, and a great opportunity to hear specifically what kind of things people in the church needed prayer for before we leave in a few days time!
Today we met with one of the ladies from the Church, Anne. We were expecting to pray together and then have a look around her neighbourhood, but she seemed to have other plans! We ended up heading straight to a pre-school, where they were expecting us to do a programme... We sang a quick song with the kids with Brenda's help, and then she told the story of the prodigal son. Thankfully, after this rather short affair it was time for them to have lunch and a nap, and we had to leave, so didn't have to worry about performing anything more. Thank God that this surprise encounter may have opened up doors for Tim and Brenda to reach this community!
We've had a few giggles reflecting over the past few days, too!
A child in the school we visited on Friday was fascinated by Siobhan's pale skin. She then proceeded to point at her freckles saying 'dirty, need wash!'...obviously not familiar with freckles! haha.
Joe managed to lock himself out of his room on Saturday night, much to our amusement, though due to a lack of spare keys this meant calling in some people to come and pick the lock! Really not the British way... ha. Being extra careful not to lock ourselves out now!
We have also learnt a new word,"suai", which means beautiful. Unfortunately, if you get the tones wrong when saying this, it means 'bad luck'... Much to Sarah's dismay, this information brought her to the realisation that she had accidentally told a young girl that her hair was bad luck... Not good for a Thai! No wonder she hadn't recieved the compliment how Sarah had expected she would...
There have also been plenty more adoring fans in the street shouting "Hello!" and "I love you!".... Don't blame them really, ha. Being in Thailand really has given us all an ego boost.
Only 3 more nights left in our mansion... we shall miss it dearly... ;)
Siobhan, Sarah and Aileen
Monday, 25 July 2011
Friday, 22 July 2011
If you're happy and you know it...
On Wednesday we spent the day in Lopburi in the university with Heather, an OMF worker. We were interviewed by some students in an English class and also had an opportunity to ask them questions. This led to us all having opportunities to share about our faith, which for some of the students was entirely new information. The girls Aileen spoke to had never even heard of Jesus before! Then in the afternoon some Christian Thai students got some good practice at being tour guides as they showed us clueless farangs around Lopburi. We spent the night at Heather's house which was a nice change, enjoying angel delight and warm showers!
The next day we were in Manorom for the OMF day of prayer. This was an opportunity for OMF missionaries in Thailand to get together to worship, pray and share testimonies. We were helping with the kids' programme too, encouraging them to pray for the different unreached people groups in the 10/40 window (Tribal groups, Hindus, Unreligious peoples, Muslims, Buddhists and the Christians in those areas, or those sent out to share God's word with them).
Today found us back at the same enthusiastic school as last Wednesday for an English Camp. We spent half an hour together in the morning, including an operatic appearence from Sarah and Joe, and then the kids split in to groups and went around different stations for half an hour at a time. Joe and Siobhan lead games while Sarah and Aileen sang songs with each group. It was a very tiring day, yet interesting as ever, including song requests for Jason Mraz from teachers, heckling kids desperate for Joe to touch the ceiling, various stange gifts from children (including model people made of plastic bubbles and some corn crackers...), a very spicy Som Tam at lunch time and yet another swarming of children at the end of the day.
It's really surprising how close we are to the end of our time here, but we've all learnt so much and are really looking forward to seeing all of you lovely people at home!
Siobhan, Sarah and Aileen
The next day we were in Manorom for the OMF day of prayer. This was an opportunity for OMF missionaries in Thailand to get together to worship, pray and share testimonies. We were helping with the kids' programme too, encouraging them to pray for the different unreached people groups in the 10/40 window (Tribal groups, Hindus, Unreligious peoples, Muslims, Buddhists and the Christians in those areas, or those sent out to share God's word with them).
Today found us back at the same enthusiastic school as last Wednesday for an English Camp. We spent half an hour together in the morning, including an operatic appearence from Sarah and Joe, and then the kids split in to groups and went around different stations for half an hour at a time. Joe and Siobhan lead games while Sarah and Aileen sang songs with each group. It was a very tiring day, yet interesting as ever, including song requests for Jason Mraz from teachers, heckling kids desperate for Joe to touch the ceiling, various stange gifts from children (including model people made of plastic bubbles and some corn crackers...), a very spicy Som Tam at lunch time and yet another swarming of children at the end of the day.
It's really surprising how close we are to the end of our time here, but we've all learnt so much and are really looking forward to seeing all of you lovely people at home!
Siobhan, Sarah and Aileen
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
A bit more of Thailand
Between Thursday and Monday we had some time off due to a Buddhist holiday meaning schools were closed. This meant that we had some time to explore Thailand a little!
The easiest way to be concise in telling you all about it is to let you know all of the different forms of transport we've taken...
Car, quad bikes, back of a pick up truck, squashed inside a pick up truck, raft, bus, tuk-tuk, elephant, boat, train... There was also plenty of walking, including up and down hundreds of stairs to see (and be soaked by) a couple of very impressive waterfalls in Khao Yai National Park, and through ALOT of mud, which surprisingly our shoes survived!
It seems that nobody else in Thailand walks anywhere... they all get around by scooter (usually about 3 squashed on to one) which made us stand out even more as we walked around the streets of Ayutthaya city on Saturday.
Sunday and Monday we had to rest and to celebrate Pete's birthday (who is one of Tim and Brenda's sons). This involved some very yummy food, including a coconut curry which we all want to learn the recipe for!
Today we were back in schools. This was the first time we've gone without Tim, but we all survived (thanks to Brenda's help in translation). The school was quite small, so we were joined by some other kids from another school in the area. The kids seemed really keen for us to return, so it was a shame to say we couldn't. Hopefully Tim and Brenda will be able to return, maybe with another team, in the future! The end of our visit led to yet another photo-op with the strange white girls before we were presented with a bowl of weird multi-coloured dough balls floating in some kind of coconutty soup. Yum!
Tomorrow we'll be heading back to Lopburi to join some university students for their English class. Not really done anything like this yet, so hopefully it will go ok!
Thanks for your prayers and support,
Siobhan, Sarah and Aileen
The easiest way to be concise in telling you all about it is to let you know all of the different forms of transport we've taken...
Car, quad bikes, back of a pick up truck, squashed inside a pick up truck, raft, bus, tuk-tuk, elephant, boat, train... There was also plenty of walking, including up and down hundreds of stairs to see (and be soaked by) a couple of very impressive waterfalls in Khao Yai National Park, and through ALOT of mud, which surprisingly our shoes survived!
It seems that nobody else in Thailand walks anywhere... they all get around by scooter (usually about 3 squashed on to one) which made us stand out even more as we walked around the streets of Ayutthaya city on Saturday.
Sunday and Monday we had to rest and to celebrate Pete's birthday (who is one of Tim and Brenda's sons). This involved some very yummy food, including a coconut curry which we all want to learn the recipe for!
Today we were back in schools. This was the first time we've gone without Tim, but we all survived (thanks to Brenda's help in translation). The school was quite small, so we were joined by some other kids from another school in the area. The kids seemed really keen for us to return, so it was a shame to say we couldn't. Hopefully Tim and Brenda will be able to return, maybe with another team, in the future! The end of our visit led to yet another photo-op with the strange white girls before we were presented with a bowl of weird multi-coloured dough balls floating in some kind of coconutty soup. Yum!
Tomorrow we'll be heading back to Lopburi to join some university students for their English class. Not really done anything like this yet, so hopefully it will go ok!
Thanks for your prayers and support,
Siobhan, Sarah and Aileen
Sunday, 17 July 2011
Half way there (living on a prayer!)
So it really has been a while since we let you all know what’s going on here in Thailand! First things first, we’re all still alive (despite the fact that various insects seem to have been trying to eat Siobhan and Aileen to death). There is so much to tell… this might be a long one! Our sincerest apologies.
Last Saturday, we had the privilege of attending the wedding of some Thai Christians. The ceremony was really lovely, and this couple clearly didn’t want to hide their faith! They were such a great witness to all of their Buddhist friends and family, and praying that they will continue on so strong in their faith and really live out the plan that God has for them to its full potential. The man, Ban Chan, was one of the volunteers at the Youth House we mentioned in our last post, who shared his incredible testimony with us.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of last week were spent in schools as usual. Monday was just a normal day, one school in the morning, and another in the afternoon. We did some basic English teaching, directly and also through games like Simon Says and "sky train". We also sang some kid's bible songs and taught some gospel messages through drama. On Tuesday, we were joined by the Satta Football Ministry team, who did some activities with the boys at each school while we did some teaching,songs and games with the girls. The Satta guys then came in and did a drama for everyone, which was very good, though all of the girls were instantly distracted by this large number of white boys as soon as they walked in, sweaty and unattractive as they were, ha. In the evening, they played a game against the Patchi team, and won 5 nil. The Patchi team were good sportsmen, though, and we enjoyed dinner (and unfortunately, kareoke) together afterwards.
Wednesday saw us in schools again, though this time we were in the same school all day with 3 different classes, and Joe came with us. We were all feeling really weak and tired throughout the day, but God gave us strength to get through it, and we all had a really good time! The kids were really enthusiastic, eager to ask many questions (though mainly about our personal lives) and keen to participate in all of the activities.
Since Thursday we've had some time off due to a school cancelling and a Buddhist holiday. We've had time to regain strength and to explore Thailand a little... Theres an awful lot to tell regarding this, so we shall leave it till another day. Enjoy the suspense!
Siobhan, Sarah and Aileen.
Specific prayer points:
Strength and energy for the Sattha team as they play football in the heat!
Open hearts for teachers and children in the schools we visit
Strength and determination for the Thai christians over this Buddhist holiday
Energy and determination for us as we continue to be a witness in schools
Protection against spiritual attack which we are all feeling in different ways
Thanks!
Friday, 8 July 2011
The adventure continues
Field Trip to Lop Buri - Weds 5th July
In the morning we visited the OMF LopBuri Learning Centre where missionaries go to recieve language training. It usually takes just over 3 years to gain fluency. This must take a lot of determination and dedication, a sense of humour helps as we noted by the 'Even more fun study room' sign on one of the doors (to challenge the note on another door saying 'fun study room') with a note underneath saying the validity of this sign was under investigation by the students!
Later we visited the university where Tim taught for many years and met the principle. Then we went and visited the 'Youth House' this was started by former OMF missionaries from Beeston Free church in Nottingham. The staff are all Thai Christians and are supported by an OMF worker, Heather. We were priviledged to hear some of the workers testimonies. They reach out to the uni students and took part in the Free Gospel project, similar to the one that was run in the UK by UCCF.
Today we were encouraged by one of the school leaders asking Tim to give the children an overview of the Christian faith after he handed out some Children's gospel activity books.
Derick from UK OMF was a lively additional member to our team for a few days this week. He makes the outrageous claim that he saw 2 elephants ambling down the street whilst having breakfast. For more of this tall story speak to him direct. He may just be able to produce some photographic evidence but remember photoshop is well known to us all by now :p Aileen joined Derick and Joe for breakfast the next day in hopes of seeing some elephants too, however this desire was unfortunately not met... this dissapointment was made all the more bitter when they were presented with a bowl of 'animal bits' for breakfast... The fact that Aileen is normally a vegetarian made matters worse, though all three victims at least tasted the concoction presented to them out of politeness... never again.
Over and out!
In the morning we visited the OMF LopBuri Learning Centre where missionaries go to recieve language training. It usually takes just over 3 years to gain fluency. This must take a lot of determination and dedication, a sense of humour helps as we noted by the 'Even more fun study room' sign on one of the doors (to challenge the note on another door saying 'fun study room') with a note underneath saying the validity of this sign was under investigation by the students!
Later we visited the university where Tim taught for many years and met the principle. Then we went and visited the 'Youth House' this was started by former OMF missionaries from Beeston Free church in Nottingham. The staff are all Thai Christians and are supported by an OMF worker, Heather. We were priviledged to hear some of the workers testimonies. They reach out to the uni students and took part in the Free Gospel project, similar to the one that was run in the UK by UCCF.
Today we were encouraged by one of the school leaders asking Tim to give the children an overview of the Christian faith after he handed out some Children's gospel activity books.
Derick from UK OMF was a lively additional member to our team for a few days this week. He makes the outrageous claim that he saw 2 elephants ambling down the street whilst having breakfast. For more of this tall story speak to him direct. He may just be able to produce some photographic evidence but remember photoshop is well known to us all by now :p Aileen joined Derick and Joe for breakfast the next day in hopes of seeing some elephants too, however this desire was unfortunately not met... this dissapointment was made all the more bitter when they were presented with a bowl of 'animal bits' for breakfast... The fact that Aileen is normally a vegetarian made matters worse, though all three victims at least tasted the concoction presented to them out of politeness... never again.
Over and out!
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
"Am I blue?!"
Yesterday we had our first day in schools. The first school we visited was very small with only about 30 kids in the entire school, and only 17 in the class we taught, with ages ranging from about 6-12! They didn't know much english but were very enthusiastic and enjoyed having us there. At one point, we needed the loo and so asked where to find the "hong naam" and ended up with about 4 or 5 girls escorting us there. Very hospitable: very Thai! They gave us lunch (including squid), which was followed by a very interesting dessert... Pink jelly textured coconut in a calpol flavoured syrup... Aileen kinda liked it, Sarah and Siobhan did not agree! Either way, the colouring most definitely was not natural, and slightly fluorescent...
The next school we visited that afternoon was a lot bigger. As we sat waiting in the staff room, children were fighting at the windows to get a view of these strange "farang"-foreigners (though apparently farang can also mean guava!). We used the same programme in this school as the one in the morning and it also went well, though the kids were a little more excitable! This was maybe because there were so many of them, as there were 3 classes all together. When we finished, some of the kids came over to shake our hand and thank us... This quickly escalated in to a stampede of adoring fans who all wanted our autographs, along with hugs and kisses! We all felt slighly overwhelmed, and rather undeserving, though we obliged to the kids' delight.
That evening we visited the market on the other side of the train tracks from our apartment and enjoyed our first "pad thai"-fried noodles. We also had the chance to watch part of a buddhist funeral in the nearby temple. There were a lot of fairy lights and flowers decorating the walls and coffin and the monks chanted in turns, not really like any funerals we've seen before! Many people made offerings and lit candles at a shrine in the corner of the room where the casket was. It surprised us that we could just stand there and watch it (though not go right inside) and there were many other people there watching and taking pictures.
Today we spent the whole day in a high school. This was quite a different experience to the relaxed day we had yesterday. It was a lot more formal, and the school had obviously made a lot of preparations for our visit. The focus of the day was a lot more on direct English teaching although they still enjoyed many of the same activities as the younger schools. This school was incredibly welcoming and they even gave us a gift as we left, even after being fed at regular intervals, including during class time! Many photographs were taken by pupils and teachers of this grand occasion and again we felt incredibly grateful yet humbled. Despite the fact we all ended up in hysterical laughter during one of the sketches (due to the terrified reaction of a poor girl in the front row who jumped when Sarah reached out to shake her hand), and Tim having to wing it for most of the English teaching (we definitely hadn't expected things to be so formal) the day was a really big success doors have been opened for the future, with invitations to return soon. The Christian message we put across was very clear and hope that this may have made an impact on some of the children and teachers.
All in all, the work we've done in Schools so far has been really fun and seems to be going down well, though people still treat us like we're from another planet! We're looking forward to the next few schools and English class tomorrow night.
Thank you for your support and continued prayers,
Siobhan, Sarah and Aileen.
The next school we visited that afternoon was a lot bigger. As we sat waiting in the staff room, children were fighting at the windows to get a view of these strange "farang"-foreigners (though apparently farang can also mean guava!). We used the same programme in this school as the one in the morning and it also went well, though the kids were a little more excitable! This was maybe because there were so many of them, as there were 3 classes all together. When we finished, some of the kids came over to shake our hand and thank us... This quickly escalated in to a stampede of adoring fans who all wanted our autographs, along with hugs and kisses! We all felt slighly overwhelmed, and rather undeserving, though we obliged to the kids' delight.
That evening we visited the market on the other side of the train tracks from our apartment and enjoyed our first "pad thai"-fried noodles. We also had the chance to watch part of a buddhist funeral in the nearby temple. There were a lot of fairy lights and flowers decorating the walls and coffin and the monks chanted in turns, not really like any funerals we've seen before! Many people made offerings and lit candles at a shrine in the corner of the room where the casket was. It surprised us that we could just stand there and watch it (though not go right inside) and there were many other people there watching and taking pictures.
Today we spent the whole day in a high school. This was quite a different experience to the relaxed day we had yesterday. It was a lot more formal, and the school had obviously made a lot of preparations for our visit. The focus of the day was a lot more on direct English teaching although they still enjoyed many of the same activities as the younger schools. This school was incredibly welcoming and they even gave us a gift as we left, even after being fed at regular intervals, including during class time! Many photographs were taken by pupils and teachers of this grand occasion and again we felt incredibly grateful yet humbled. Despite the fact we all ended up in hysterical laughter during one of the sketches (due to the terrified reaction of a poor girl in the front row who jumped when Sarah reached out to shake her hand), and Tim having to wing it for most of the English teaching (we definitely hadn't expected things to be so formal) the day was a really big success doors have been opened for the future, with invitations to return soon. The Christian message we put across was very clear and hope that this may have made an impact on some of the children and teachers.
All in all, the work we've done in Schools so far has been really fun and seems to be going down well, though people still treat us like we're from another planet! We're looking forward to the next few schools and English class tomorrow night.
Thank you for your support and continued prayers,
Siobhan, Sarah and Aileen.
Sunday, 3 July 2011
Settling In...
So we are all alive and well! Apologies for being so out of touch, I guess that's what happens when you travel half way around the world! We'll try and catch you up as best we can, though there's a lot to tell...
Our flights all went well and our luggage survived. We spent our first night in Thailand in the mission home in Bangkok and the next day recieved orientation (with the Satta football mission team, who will be joining us for a day on July 12th) and had a basic language tuition session in which we tried our hardest (to no avail) to make our mouths make vowels that we didn't even know existed! And then it was onwards to Ayutthaya!
Once there we settled in to our accommodation in the Tha Rua Mansion! Of course, this lived up to our expectations. Complete with refreshing ice cold shower, exotic house pets (including hungry mosquitos and an army of ants) and outside the tuneful trains and symphony of frogs and crickets to keep us well entertained at 2am!
Yesterday we looked through the programme that we'll be doing in the schools with Tim and Brenda Noble (The OMF missionaries in Ayutthaya province). It looks like we'll be having a lot of fun! We also visited a Buddhist temple in the area and prayed for the Thai people and the hold that Buddhism has over them.
Today we attended the church in Tha Rua. It was an interesting experience, though we didn't understand a single word! It was great to see Christian brothers and sisters worshipping together in a society where there are so few Christians. We then enjoyed lunch together with them, making good use of the Thai table etiqette that we have learned! Sarah is pretty sure that she ate some frog! We decided to go for a short walk in the afternoon between the Nobles' house and ours, much to the amusement of the locals who cheered and applauded us as we strolled innocently by! We also accidentally stopped a bus by pausing to let it pass by. If only catching buses back home was so easy! We managed to solve this situation with much head shaking and bowing, and were soon safely on our way. (Awkward)
Tomorrow we will begin our schools programme with drama, games, activities and songs. We're really looking forward to this, but please pray that Tim's translation will communicate our message, and that the kid's will understand (and have fun!) despite our lack of Thai.
Please also pray for:
Our health while we are here and that we would manage to cope with the heat
That we will be able to serve and encourage the Nobles and the Thai Christians in this area
The English classes that Brenda runs on a Wednesday evening (which we will be helping with) that many of the local kids attend, some of which turned up at church this morning! Praise God for that.
Sawasdee kah!
Siobhan, Sarah and Aileen
Our flights all went well and our luggage survived. We spent our first night in Thailand in the mission home in Bangkok and the next day recieved orientation (with the Satta football mission team, who will be joining us for a day on July 12th) and had a basic language tuition session in which we tried our hardest (to no avail) to make our mouths make vowels that we didn't even know existed! And then it was onwards to Ayutthaya!
Once there we settled in to our accommodation in the Tha Rua Mansion! Of course, this lived up to our expectations. Complete with refreshing ice cold shower, exotic house pets (including hungry mosquitos and an army of ants) and outside the tuneful trains and symphony of frogs and crickets to keep us well entertained at 2am!
Yesterday we looked through the programme that we'll be doing in the schools with Tim and Brenda Noble (The OMF missionaries in Ayutthaya province). It looks like we'll be having a lot of fun! We also visited a Buddhist temple in the area and prayed for the Thai people and the hold that Buddhism has over them.
Today we attended the church in Tha Rua. It was an interesting experience, though we didn't understand a single word! It was great to see Christian brothers and sisters worshipping together in a society where there are so few Christians. We then enjoyed lunch together with them, making good use of the Thai table etiqette that we have learned! Sarah is pretty sure that she ate some frog! We decided to go for a short walk in the afternoon between the Nobles' house and ours, much to the amusement of the locals who cheered and applauded us as we strolled innocently by! We also accidentally stopped a bus by pausing to let it pass by. If only catching buses back home was so easy! We managed to solve this situation with much head shaking and bowing, and were soon safely on our way. (Awkward)
Tomorrow we will begin our schools programme with drama, games, activities and songs. We're really looking forward to this, but please pray that Tim's translation will communicate our message, and that the kid's will understand (and have fun!) despite our lack of Thai.
Please also pray for:
Our health while we are here and that we would manage to cope with the heat
That we will be able to serve and encourage the Nobles and the Thai Christians in this area
The English classes that Brenda runs on a Wednesday evening (which we will be helping with) that many of the local kids attend, some of which turned up at church this morning! Praise God for that.
Sawasdee kah!
Siobhan, Sarah and Aileen
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