Three weeks into the mission...

DR. ROBERTS: Last Sabbath (Feb. 21) we went to Pataya Prison to do prison ministries. We had to get up at five in the morning for the two hour ride to the prison in the church’s caravan buses. Part of our reason for going to the prison was to shoot video and get interviews with the prisoners to make a promotional video. When we arrived the prison had higher security than expected and they wouldn’t let us bring our cameras in. When we entered the prison we immediately set up the booths for the different ministries we were going to run: eye exams, counseling, physical exams, caricature drawing, and dentistry work. I chose to help with the dentistry work. This pretty much included pulling rotten tooth after rotten tooth out of prisoners as they lined up. Having never pulled a tooth in my life this opportunity sounded pretty exciting. About two prisoners into the activity the dentist called me over and, after showing me how to do it, said "Here, pull this tooth out." So I did. Soon the dentist would just point out the tooth that needed to be pulled and have me pull it out while he moved on to the next patient. The dentist would work on the ones that were hard to pull and since we didn’t have a drill he used a chisel and a wrench. Literally he would pound on these teeth until they broke loose. Most of the prisoners wouldn’t even flinch. After pulling about 40 teeth myself and seeing just as many mouths full of rotten teeth we called it a day. I don’t think I’ll ever be a dentist but if you need a tooth pulled and you can handle some pain I just might give it a shot….or a pull.

INTERVIEWS: This week Pastor Doug needed us to interview pastors from Southern Thailand. We interviewed them for stories of church members that have turned their lives around with God help. Some of the stories ranged from drug addiction to intercession with evil spirits. Of the estimated 70 stories we dug up we will be picking out specific ones to document and film. These will be our projects in the upcoming months.

BEARD: My beard is thickening up and I have already passed my previous record of rhree weeks of unshavenness. Only 5 months to left to go…or grow.

A BREAK FROM THE HEAT: This weekend we were able to go up to Chaing Mai to visit the other Student Missionaries that have been working and filming in the Northern part of Thailand. After a ten hour bus ride in a not so luxurious bus, we arrived. Their mission is finished and we were able to say goodbye to Ricky and the rest of the crew. Chang Mai is a beautiful place and was a perfect break from the blistering heat of Bangkok. At night it was cool enough to wear a jacket but we didn’t. Cool weather is hard to find so we soaked it up, wishing we could somehow bring it back with us to the big city. On Sabbath we were able to go to the most amazing waterfall I have ever seen. It is one of only two waterfalls in the world that you can actually walk down. I know it is hard to believe but you could actually walk down the flowing water of the waterfall. It resembled a man made waterslide but was completely natural. Truly a glimpse of heaven.

Chiang Mai Nights

Chiang Mai Days

THAI FOOD: I never thought I’d have a craving for fried rice and vegetables….until now.

SCHOOL: Thai school ends this week. The classes were a blessing and have truly helped us begin our work of communication with the Thai people. We will miss our fellow classmates and our great kruu (teacher) but not having our mornings tied down will give us more time to do the work planned for us here in the city and beyond. Sa-watee-krap!

My favorite Kruu with my daily dose of sapparot (pineapple)