Kim = Khem = "Happy"

This is my new friend - KHEM! She told me that
Khem = Kim = HAPPY!
She is a believer in Thailand who serves as a tour guide.

Well, it has been a long time since I posted but I have had alot happening. On Christmas Eve, I was reflecting on the year and remembered that the pastor had asked for volunteers to help with a missions conference in Thailand. One question I asked myself was "what is holding me back?" When I tried to come up with the answers I realized that each and every one was temporal. So I called to discuss the needs and within a week, I committed to lead the youth part of the retreat. This is in a land that is 95% Buddist but these 50 families are in China serving.



On our way to Chiang Mai, we stopped for a day in Bangkok. I got to see Kat Ford (recent BU grad) and Kirk and Suzie Persons and family (they are also BU folks serving in Bangkok). It was a fun and quick reunion. Then we took a short long-tail boat ride to tour Bangkok on our way to the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.



We then flew to Chiang Mai where we had until 2:00 pm the next day to see the sights in Chiang Mai...we went to an MaeTang Elephant Camp to see and feed the elephants. We saw them play soccer, play harmonicas, work with logs and paint!



Then we rode them across the pass to the village of the "long-necked people." They are supposedly Christian in their beliefs but at the age of 5 these iron rings are placed on the necks of the girls to make their necks long...the rings never come off but they add one each year. It struck me as bondage but then I thought that their bondage is visible...whereas, ours here in America may not be visible but is just as uncomfortable and our burdens just as heavy. This village broke my heart...but we stood in the middle and prayed out loud for the freedom of these Burma refugees and the power of the Word that is spoken in that town to release them soon.



The retreat was for 50 families serving all over China. They all work for Christar, based in Pennsylvania. We all met in Chiang Mai, Thailand at the Imperial Chiang Mai Sports Resort (i know...suffering for Jesus!). The facilities were great but the people were the ones who won my heart. I had 7 girls and James had 4 guys.

The Girls: Irina J, Margie, Charlotte & Emily C, Becca T, Alicia V & Nicole B

The guys: Michael B, Caleb O, Matthew J, Paul C

We spent 5 days together...talking about ourselves and our faith. We also played water polo and went white water rafting down the Mae Ping River over some class 4 rapids. We had a great time and laughed and screamed for about 10 miles. Sarah Rogers put it best when she said, "I feel like I stepped into the Discovery Channel." It was a surreal experience.

I have left out so many things...but one really neat part is that one of the girls that I had coached and had in Sunday School at Woodway over 10 years ago was on the trip - on our team with her grandmother. This was a sweet reunion for us. We laughed and prayed and worshipped and finally decided that we would get together on a regular basis back in Waco to pray and share and lift up our new friends. Sarah is one young woman who knows the hand of the Lord and experiences Him in creative and unique ways.

God is Good - All the Time!