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grxthailand06
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Name: GrX Thailand 2006
Gender: Female
Interests: Find out what and how we're doing in Thailand on our GrX short-term missions trip. Check back often to get stories, updates, and pics from our team members.
Expertise: Love one another
Occupation: Servants
Message: message me
Member Since:
7/31/2006
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| i'm still verklempft from saying goodbye to the team two days ago, *sniffsniff*. i really suck at goodbyes - it's so sad to be at the end and yet exciting to know there are new beginnings for everyone:
felix - new year at school, gearing up for epic, coming back to the bay for thailand team reunion
tim - campus crusade in bakersfield (he needs more supporters yo), the search for seaweed and sweet basil potato chips in the states
sam - interesting job situation to return to plus our cfo probably has more accounting to complete for our team
joyce - jumping right back into school, funding for extra class (she deserves it!), big fall push for college ministry
randall - big fall push for college ministry, compiling all quintizillion of our trip photos
jenny - wedding planning, career transitions (hello, nurse!)
kijoon - massage withdrawal, revelations/healthy fear of god
natalie - job interviews, relax the back, shake n bake chicken
steve - big fall push for college ministry, 300 hours of well-deserved rest that probably won't happen, post-trip debriefs
judy - classes begin!, new life direction, small group facilitation
jeff, bev, joanne, and i head back to the states on wednesday. we are all getting a bit homesick (ok, maybe not jeff). please keep our safety and health in your prayers.
xoxo, sandy | | |
| sweet sassy molassy! is it already august 18?!?! we leave thailand tomorrow, and you know what that means - mass shopping frenzy!
it's very bittersweet to near the end of this awesome journey. leaving ko yao was kinda sad - no more opportunity to work in the mangrove swamp (dude, i love axing. i especially love axing away at huge logs while singing broadway tunes with my teammates :P), no more seeing a child's face light up at the recognition of a new word or the cool temporary tattoos that bev brought, no more party light and machine-gun laughter in the van, no more reckless riding on the back of a pick-up truck which swerves dangerously all the time, no more deep, insightful debrief sessions, no more fun high-five or heart-making exercises for felix to inspire us with, no more kayaking and jumping in the ocean with bev and joanne, no more fat, succulent shrimp, no more making sure that the boys get enough to eat ("tim is our tank")...*sigh*
at the same time, we're so excited to return and share how god has moved in us and continues to move in thailand. please pray for safe travels and minimum jet lag! (ps - judy, we miss you so much!)
xoxo,
sandy
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| after a huge day at the mangrove swamp (sam reported that we completed 12 pile-ons; i think he was quite excited that at that rate we could match the newsong team's 75 pile-ons over two weeks), we dined al fresco at this cute little roadside cafe. it was decked out with hanging plants potted in coconuts and lamps made of straw hats. very festive. man, we chowed down. so great to eat local food - um, minus the spice (we say "mai pet" - no spice - wherever we go). i think we all love the "morning glory" (we chinese call it "hollow heart veggie") - gotsta get our fiber!
a few workers that steve met during last year's trip dropped by to say hi. one of the workers, john was especially open with last year's team. he had shared his sorrow over losing his wife in the tsunami, his nightmares, his struggle to explain this to his two small children, and so forth. steve remarked how good it was to see that john had gained some weight; he asks that we pray for john and the other workers that their hearts continue to be open and one day accept jesus.
later that night, as we slept, nestled in our mosquito nets in our bungalows, a huge storm whipped across the island. the wind howled so loud our huts cowered to and fro. rain dripped through the roof. and the ocean surged and crashed furiously mere yards from our resort. we felt really vulnerable with only wicker and wood as shelter. joyce said she got so worried at dawn that she put on her contacts so that if we were blown away, she wouldn't risk losing her glasses - heehee, so cute! the fierce beauty and closeness of god's powerful presence was undeniable and so awe-inspiring.
in the morning, we had no running water and more than a little anxiety. but thank god we were all safe. in fact, the rest of the day felt like a big adventure as we braved the rain as we rode in the back of the slippery, muddy pick-up trucks. it was very bonding to huddle under two dinky umbrellas as the rain just soaked us anyway. i nearly died laughing when tim tried to wrestle this huge blue poncho of joanne's, and we were all concerned that he'd strangle himself.
we taught english to students in grades 4-6 in the morning. this particular group is being trained to eventually become tour guides for the island. so hopefully, we were able to help them just a little - or at least bring a smile to their faces with our silly songs. it's so encouraging to see how my teammates open their hearts to the thai children.
the rains continued, so returning to the swamp for more work was not possible. you'd think we'd be relieved to have the afternoon off, but we were kinda bummed because the swamp had been this incredible experience of trusting in god to see us through and looking out for each other's safety and health. still, i think it was a blessing in disguise because even though people did not complain, i think some people's bodies were a bit fragile. instead, we toured the marine research institute where the lobster breeding is based. i'm a big fan of lobsters so i just have to say that successful lobster breeding is very rare, and the marine research institute has been able to raise seven generations already - plus, these fellas are not only gorgeously colorful, but also enormous! they make maine lobsters look anorexic.
later on, we were able to have some solitary time with god. i sat with my journal, dipped my feet in the ocean, gazed out at the misty coastline...and felt so small. but for once i felt peaceful in my smallness - no self-loathing, no frustration at inadequacy, no helplessness. just accepting that i was small enough to fit in the palm of god's hand. that storms may brew around me, but because he always cradles me and protects me, i may be able to even appreciate them. and that is sufficient to fire up a storm of praise in my heart.
to all our supporters, we can feel your prayers across the ocean. while it's certainly been an adventure on ko yao, it seems like god continues to intervene in mysterious ways to keep us safe, healthy, and focused on his sovereignty beyond our expectations. so we are so grateful for all your devotion. we miss you all and can't wait to share with you all the incredible experiences and lessons that god has blessed us on this trip.
-sandy | | |
| so yesterday we left bangkok & flew to phuket. then we took a ferry (the oldest and rustiest looking ferry ever!) to koh yow island. the ferry ride took about an hour. though the boat was kinda scary, some of us sat outside & looked at the beautiful blue water and little islands dotting the ocean. when we arrived, we hopped into the back of two beatup old nissan pickup trucks, and cindy and sam (yup our teammembers!) drove us to the resort where we're staying. they did a great job of staying on the LEFT side of the road! yikes!!!
now, when i say resort...i don't mean resort like in hawaii or anything. i'm talking about wicker huts on stilts w/o air conditioning or flushable toilet. and we sleep under a mosquito net! but still, praise God that we have running water for showers, electricity that works most of the time, mosquito repellent/zappers, and the best part....we are RIGHT ON THE BEACH! so far so good..God is taking care of us. but i must admit, living w/ these conditions is hard for me, so i'm definitely praying for a positive spirit to tough it out thru this :)
today we went to the construction site, which is this swampy, mucky area where we take BIG logs and chip down one end of the log so that it looks like a pencil point, using axes. then we take these logs and drive them into the ground. we are helping to build part of a walkway that leads from dry ground (and over the murky swampiness) and into the ocean where they will be breeding lobsters (i think). we are only doing a small part of the work over the next couple of days, but i'm so excited to be able to contribute to the BIG picture of what God's doing here on the island!!! praise God :)
-joanne | | |
| When we were at NewSong Bangkok yesterday, we split up the congregation into smaller groups by birth month. As my group shared with each other about our broken dreams, we got onto the topic of God's sufficiency in our lives. "Is God enough?" we asked each other. Living your life out for Jesus is rarely the easiest or most conventional thing to do, especially in the world's eyes. When I reflect on my own life, I realize that God has blessed me with so many things- friends and family who care about me, health and safety, educational and career opportunities- but often, I find myself finding comfort and identity in those things as opposed to the one true God, the giver of every good and perfect gift. I often wonder, if all these things were stripped away, would I still be able to joyously and genuinely praise God and cling to and obey Him with all my heart?
It was inspiring to hear the response of one girl in my group. The only child of Muslim parents, she recently became Christian, fully acknowledging that her conversion conflicted with the paradigms she had grown up with and that her parents would be upset and hurt by the circumstances. God is enough for her, though, she explained. Choosing to follow Him wholeheartedly meant letting go of certain expectations and facing less-than-pleasant consequences. At several times, God was all she had to hold on to, but even throughout the hardships, He has continually proven his faithfulness. She has been able to plug into NewSong, and she is steadily growing in her love for and faith in God. Her mom even knows that she goes to church, and yet, surprisingly, has yet to bring up any negative comments. Her courage and sincerity were compelling.
Throughout the past day, I've just kept thinking about how desperately I would love to have that same conviction... that even in the tough times, even in the darkest hour, and even when the world turns its back on you, I would remember that God is always with me and His love is sufficient. Please pray that our team would grow in our unconditional and child-like trust in God and His goodness. When we talked to Jim Gustafson last week, he reminded us that God is on the move here in Thailand and everywhere. He has great plans in store, and He calls us out to partner with Him. The question I continue to ask myself is: When you open your heart and hear His voice... are you willing to let go of some of your own comforts and trust Him enough to listen and follow?
- Judy
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