Twelve weeks into the mission...

LAOS: On April 28 Cory, Robin, and I set out on our journey to Laos to renew our Visa’s. Our plan was to arrive on the 29th then apply for our Visa’s and pick them up the next day and be back in Bangkok by the first of May. As usual with life in Thailand, it did not work out as planned. We were scammed at the border and after getting our Laos Visa’s found out that the next day was a holiday so the Consulate was closed. Thankfully we were able to spend the weekend with some other SM’s in Vientiane (the capital city of Laos) and toured some of the main spots around Laos. We also had a chance to attend one of the only Adventist Churches in the Communist country of Laos. All in all it was a learning experience for all of us.

HAIRCUT: I had a choice to make: the hair on my head or the hair on my chin. I took the road less travelled...or trimmed.

Hanging with the Monks

Laos Temple

NORTHERN THAILAND: For the next three weeks Robin, a Thai translator and I will be travelling around Northern Thailand filming stories and editing. We don’t have any idea what this trip will hold in store for us so keep us in your prayers.

Ten weeks into the mission...

 

SONGKRAN: The Thai New Year did not disappoint any of us. The morning of the 13th we really didn’t know what to expect. We left our apartment on guard but we didn’t have to wait long. We immediately were attacked from every angle by the neighborhood kids armed with super soakers. After a morning of filming seminars at the Chinese Church in Bangkok we armed ourselves with our own water guns and took to the streets. Here’s a taste of what it was like...

DR. ROBERTS: This Sabbath we had our second taste of prison ministries at Khantonabori Prison, province about five hours out of Bangkok. I chose to pull teeth again and it was just as fun as before. I felt like a seasoned veteran.

Pulling teeth

YING’S VILLAGE: After spending Sabbath at the prison we were able to visit a Thai missionary named Ying. She let us spend the night and Sunday at her village. It was amazing to see how the people lived on such limited resources. It was a much needed and refreshing break from the city.

Mango Picking

Village

Weaving Rooftops

Eight weeks into the mission...

LIFE IN BANGKOK: For the last week and a half we have been stationed here at our church plant in Tomburi, Bangkok. The plans for video production have been halted because of the lack of a consistant Thai translator but hopefully we will be provided with one soon. I am teaching English classes morning and evening with students ranging from 9-40 years old. The days are hot and the Thai tell us that it only gets hotter. The one bright spot we are all looking forward to is a holiday called Songkran. This is the celebration of the Thai new year that lasts from
April 13-15. It is pretty much a massive water fight across the whole country. The Thai tell us that foreigners get it pretty bad, and only time will tell.

Thai child

Swimming with the locals

Muay Thai near our house

Videos from the past...Part 2

Slip and Slide

Playin Around

My Kids

Seven weeks into the mission...

CHAING MAI: On March 19 we embarked on the ten hour bus ride to Chiang Mai. Along with three other Filipino teachers from around Bangkok we set off to teach English at the first annual “Chiang Mai Summer English Camp.” On Friday Adjan Siapan took us to a Mong village and a famous Buddhist temple. On Sabbath we were able to go to the beautiful Mae Sa waterfall where we spent most of our day.

Bottlecap Checkers

Thai Temple

Mae Sa

MR. B: But the main reason we were sent to Chiang Mai was to teach English to Thai, Karin, and Mong children ages 9-16. The camp started on Sunday and went through Wednesday. Getting kids at this age to cooperate is hard. Getting kids this age that speak a completely different language to cooperate is harder. At first we were pretty frustrated. Since most of the SM’s teaching experience is minimal this was an eye opening experience. But, as it is with all Thai people, it’s hard not to love them. After the first two days we were in love with our kids and not wanting to leave them. Just once it seemed we had a connection with them it was time to go. Although the time was short the mission was great. Now we can only pray that lives were touched and Jesus love will somehow touched their lives and their future.

Teaching headquarters

Teaching

Group 2

The Cool Kids

The Crazy Kids

The Crew

Videos from the past...

Swimming in Ayutthaya

No privacy for the poor baby

Five weeks into the mission...

AYUTTHAYA: This weekend we were able to travel to the city of Ayutthaya with Pastor Doug and a few other SM’s for a mini retreat about how to reach Buddhists. We learned that they have many similarities to us as Adventists but also have distinct differences. Many of the Buddhist beliefs about doing good and leaving a positive mark on this earth resemble those of Adventists. Even the Buddhists ultimate goal of nirvana closely resembles our belief in heaven. But there are differences that separate Adventists and Buddhists. The major principle in which they disagree is the view of God. Buddhists believe that God is a being that cannot be understood unlike Adventists who believe He is a Being that is personal and cares about His people. It was an eye opening experience and will prove useful as we go about our work across Thailand. Overall it was a nice break from teaching and working on video. We were also able to visit an elephant farm and the ruins of the ancient capital of Thailand.

The ancient ruins of Ayutthaya

Elephants

A Ride Through Bangkok

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)

Since last time...

TEACHING ENGLISH: This week I taught English for the first time. I learned that the preparation needed to teach English is….knowing how to speak English. Since we are attending Thai classes which take up most of the day we are not expected to teach English during this time. But twenty minutes before the English class for the day pastor asked me to teach for him. The first class ranged from children 8-15 years old. Their English was surprisingly good and they were fairly well behaved. I had them draw pictures to describe the words they were learning and they seemed to enjoy that. The second class ranged ages 18 and up. Some can speak English almost fluently but others struggle very much. Teaching with this range of capabilities is difficult but they are so nice about everything it’s hard to know if you are doing a good job or not. They are so happy to be there and are so eager to learn.

Our Church

Children On Our Street

THE THAI PEOPLE: The Thai people are quite possibly the friendliest people on this Earth. They are so kind to you and absolutely love to hear you try to speak their language. I now understand why this is called the Land of Smiles.

BUDDHISM: Nearly 90% of Thailand is Buddhist. The monks walk the streets and even have a reserved seat on the BTS (Bangkok Transportation System). It is not uncommon to see a person stop what they are doing when they pass a Buddhist temple and bow. It is part of our mission to reach these people but it is a great challenge to get through.

7 ELEVEN: There is a 7 Eleven on nearly every single street corner. Literally. This doesn’t mean the food inside is American either. Some of the Lays chips flavors vary from Squid to Seaweed along with a complete aisle dedicated to Soy milk.

THE SANDWICH: Thailand didn’t get the memo about the sandwich. There is seriously no sandwich to be found for miles. Kelly introduced us to an American that runs a deli/coffee shop that makes amazing sandwiches but it is an hour or so travel from our home. I never thought the sandwich would be such a delicacy to me.

THE PINEAPPLE: When I thought of Thailand and their exotic fruits I never thought of the pineapple. They are amazingly sweet and juicy. But we are definitely looking forward to mango season which is right around the corner.

Home Sweet Home

INTERNET: We had internet installed in our church plant today. Hopefully this means I will be able to update the blog more often and communicate with everyone on a more regular basis.

Contacting me

If you want to send a package or contact me please email me at

b r a n d a m a n 1 3 @ h o t m a i l . c o m

One week into the mission...

LONG FLIGHT: My day started Wednesday morning February 6 at 3:30 am. A short trip to the Sacramento Airport and off to LAX where I had a five hour layover until my 1:50 PM flight to Taipei, Taiwan. I sat in front of China Air for two hours napping and reading. It took me a while to get worried that no one was even in line to check in so I asked and it turned out I was flying Air China and not China Air. This made me glad the layover was long enough but I still had about an hour to spare. Before we boarded I met up with the other Student Missionary, Robin. We were able to fly aisle seat (thanks Christy) and this added leg room was most appreciated. After 15 hours of smooth flying we landed in Taipei and boarded China Air again to Bangkok. This flight was only about 4 and we arrived in Bangkok around two Friday morning Thailand time.

FIRST DAY: After two hours of sleep we headed off to Thai language school. We took motorcycle rides to school and it was quite the introduction to Thailand. I liken riding one of these to playing an arcade game of Road Rash…except it’s your life at stake. They pretty much take the fastest way possible to your destination which means passing parked cars at high speeds and close distances. Keeps you awake and gets your adrenaline pumping for school for sure. Robin and I were starting a day late so it took us a little while to catch on. The language is pretty unique and will definitely be a challenge to learn but is already becoming a way of life as we talk to street venders and the locals.


A begger/saxaphone player on the street

BON KRUT (Or something sounding close to that): We learned that we arrived just in time for vacation. So after eating grabbing some food and packing up we rode third class on a four hour train ride to Bon Krut and the beach. We met up with some other SM’s from Chang Mai and from other bases around Bangkok and settled in for the uncomfortable ride. After about four and a half hours we learned that our actual stop was still a full two hours ahead of us. So after two full days of travel and running on only two hours of sleep we pulled into our destination and slept. On Sabbath we hung out on the beach and drove to a Buddhist temple. Saturday night we went to a Muiy Thai kickboxing match. It’s pretty crazy because they have kids fighting from ages 7 all the way up to heavy weights. I guess they want to start them early. But I would not want to take on any of these kids even at their age. They know how to use their legs and are as agile as gymnasts.

Temple in Bon Krut

Robin swinging at the beaches



Riding in Bon Krut



The four SM's at Bon Krut

SHAVED HEAD: My dreams of dreads were shattered when I realized the hair is not worth the heat. It bore down on me quick and on the third day in Thailand I shaved my head. Hope your happy Kim

TOILETS: The toilets here are squat and spray. I hear it builds the thigh muscles.

OUR HOME: We live in the third story of the building across the street from the church plant. Entering this building is like levels on a video game. We have four doors to lock every time we enter and exit the building. The walls are only sheet rock so the sound travels pretty freely through the house. We are very grateful for the roof over our head and the A/C is an added comfort we are very appreciative of.

A rare look at free flowing traffic along side the BTS

BTS: Bangkok Transportation System. We board this every day for school and back. It is also called the Skytrain. It is just one of the many means of transport in this massive city but is probably the most efficient. We use student passes and get discounts but a normal trip is around 40 baht. That’s around one dollar US.

Our side of Bangkok at night

Some wild life