Week one in Thailand...
This week has gone by crazy fast but it’s been a blast! Some good news about Thailand—they’re having their cool season right now. We got here at the perfect time-I love you, Jesus! :) The only thing is that it’s not really very cool...i would not like to experience their summer season... :S I do need to correct one thing...i’ve informed all of you that i would be in Bangkok these last few weeks but we’re actually not in the city. We’re in town/community just outside of the city about 30 minutes called RAM 2. The YWAM base is located here but they just say it’s in Bangkok because otherwise people get confused-ha! :)
So this week has been pretty busy. The first couple of days were quite a bit of orientation with YWAM Thailand, ARK International (the ministry we’re working with) and with the volunteers for the rugby camp we helped with this weekend. We did a lot of preparation work for the camp—just kind of jumped in wherever we were needed. ARK has been planning the camp for a few months now—it was supposed to be held last month, but a flood postponed it until now. God’s plans are incredible—He organized it exactly so we would be able to help out and participate. :)
The camp was for kids ages 6-18 from three different slum communities around the area. The registration fee for the camp was 20 Baht (Thai currency) which is equal to about 65 cents USD. At the camp we had crafts, games, snacks/meals, teaching and of course, rugby drills. The camp went Saturday and Sunday and it was exhausting! :D Working with kids is so much fun and so rewarding but it definitely takes something out of a person...ha! The camp this weekend was a type of introduction—a precursor—to the club that ARK wants to start up in January. So keep the Nuk Suu Tigers Rugby Club in your prayers! :)
It’s so hard to believe that my time here is already almost half over. We’ll be helping more in the coming weeks with ARK’s ministry-doing work with the kids in the slum communities will be one activity. I’ll make sure to keep you updated as much as possible. I’m getting more pictures up on Facebook so check those out if you’re in the cool crowd and have a Facebook...! ;D Sorry this week’s blog is a bit shorter...i’ll try to get you more info next week.
Love and prayers always...
Rach
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Hi all!! Sorry it's been so long...i just realized that i totally forgot to blog last week!! :S These past two weeks have absolutely flown by...my team is leaving Malaysia tomorrow!! On to Bangkok, Thailand where we only have three weeks, then back to Perth for a week of report-back and then i'm headed home on the 21st!! i can't believe how fast time is going.
So last week we were up north in Perlis, Malaysia...it was funny because we were only about 10 minutes from the Thai border--our host actually took us there one day! ha! We only had 4 days of ministry in Perlis but they were packed full...mostly filled with basketball. When we started playing i realized how much i actually miss playing basketball--it was fun. :) In the mornings we went to 2 different primary (elementary) schools and ran drills with the kids. we also played a little bit of knock-out and scrimmaged. I loved working with the kids...they're so much fun and they give it their all no matter how hot it is. We were outside each morning and i don't think i've ever sweated that much in my life!! ha! But it was good. In the evenings on the first 2 days we played basketball with some older kids and adults. The evenings of the second two days was more coaching and running drills with younger kids. Friday evening--our last day--we went to the pastor's church who was hosting us and did a little presentation for them with a skit and a few testimonies. So even though our time in Perlis was short, it was lots of fun.
Saturday morning we took a bus the 5 hours back down south to Ipoh, Malaysia. We arrived at about 3:30 and at 4:00, went to talk at and lead a high school youth group. I found out about 10 minutes before we left that i was preaching...nice. :D But then it all worked out because my leader told me to put different shoes on so i went back into the house and when i came back downstairs they had left me there! haha! it was slightly amusing. The people at the house were all worked up about it but i told them not to worry b/c i was speaking so they would definitely miss me...lol!! and they did...i got there in the middle of the service and gave a nice talk on God's love, how he wants a personal relationship with us, and speaks to us in order to share His plans for our lives and for the whole world. It was fun. :)
On Sunday evening, we went to a Chinese boarding school and played volleyball and more basketball with the kids there. We shared a video of our time in Africa, did a skit, and gave a few testimonies. I think it was pretty well-received. it was funny because after we were finished, all the kids stuck around and wanted to take pictures with us and get names and emails for facebook. ha. we were pretty much like celebrities! ;D
Monday was our day off--i did laundry, went bowling, and did a little shopping at the mall. It was an amazing, relaxing day. :) Monday morning we went to another high school and played basketball and soccer with the kids. It was again nice and hot... :S :) A couple of the kids did a dance with the dragon and drums--the ones they do for the Chinese New Year. that was pretty cool to see in person...In the afternoon we did a little bit of work around the base (they just moved into the house a couple of weeks ago). We mixed and helped pour some cement...at least we had a cement mixer (Praise God)...i thought we were going to have to do it by hand for a while! ha! Tuesday and Thursday were also work days--we painted the wall surrounding the house, dug out an area so they could pour cement for a garage, and did some other cleaning things. Today is Friday--the last day...i have a little bit of free time right now...hence the blog... :) but this afternoon/evening we're going to do a program for a children's home. I'm giving a testimony about God's love and faithfulness.
...And we leave the base tomorrow morning at 4:00 to catch a bus to Kuala Lumpur and our flight leaves at 10:30a to Thailand!! I'm pretty excited about Bangkok...i know God has some amazing plans for the last 3 weeks of outreach. The real challenge will be fighting through the exhaustion--this has been an extra long outreach since we left early and i'm getting pretty ready to stop living out of a hiking backpack...so prayers for strength and endurance are much needed. :)
Thanks for all your prayer and support!! i love and miss you all!
Love, Rach
So last week we were up north in Perlis, Malaysia...it was funny because we were only about 10 minutes from the Thai border--our host actually took us there one day! ha! We only had 4 days of ministry in Perlis but they were packed full...mostly filled with basketball. When we started playing i realized how much i actually miss playing basketball--it was fun. :) In the mornings we went to 2 different primary (elementary) schools and ran drills with the kids. we also played a little bit of knock-out and scrimmaged. I loved working with the kids...they're so much fun and they give it their all no matter how hot it is. We were outside each morning and i don't think i've ever sweated that much in my life!! ha! But it was good. In the evenings on the first 2 days we played basketball with some older kids and adults. The evenings of the second two days was more coaching and running drills with younger kids. Friday evening--our last day--we went to the pastor's church who was hosting us and did a little presentation for them with a skit and a few testimonies. So even though our time in Perlis was short, it was lots of fun.
Saturday morning we took a bus the 5 hours back down south to Ipoh, Malaysia. We arrived at about 3:30 and at 4:00, went to talk at and lead a high school youth group. I found out about 10 minutes before we left that i was preaching...nice. :D But then it all worked out because my leader told me to put different shoes on so i went back into the house and when i came back downstairs they had left me there! haha! it was slightly amusing. The people at the house were all worked up about it but i told them not to worry b/c i was speaking so they would definitely miss me...lol!! and they did...i got there in the middle of the service and gave a nice talk on God's love, how he wants a personal relationship with us, and speaks to us in order to share His plans for our lives and for the whole world. It was fun. :)
On Sunday evening, we went to a Chinese boarding school and played volleyball and more basketball with the kids there. We shared a video of our time in Africa, did a skit, and gave a few testimonies. I think it was pretty well-received. it was funny because after we were finished, all the kids stuck around and wanted to take pictures with us and get names and emails for facebook. ha. we were pretty much like celebrities! ;D
Monday was our day off--i did laundry, went bowling, and did a little shopping at the mall. It was an amazing, relaxing day. :) Monday morning we went to another high school and played basketball and soccer with the kids. It was again nice and hot... :S :) A couple of the kids did a dance with the dragon and drums--the ones they do for the Chinese New Year. that was pretty cool to see in person...In the afternoon we did a little bit of work around the base (they just moved into the house a couple of weeks ago). We mixed and helped pour some cement...at least we had a cement mixer (Praise God)...i thought we were going to have to do it by hand for a while! ha! Tuesday and Thursday were also work days--we painted the wall surrounding the house, dug out an area so they could pour cement for a garage, and did some other cleaning things. Today is Friday--the last day...i have a little bit of free time right now...hence the blog... :) but this afternoon/evening we're going to do a program for a children's home. I'm giving a testimony about God's love and faithfulness.
...And we leave the base tomorrow morning at 4:00 to catch a bus to Kuala Lumpur and our flight leaves at 10:30a to Thailand!! I'm pretty excited about Bangkok...i know God has some amazing plans for the last 3 weeks of outreach. The real challenge will be fighting through the exhaustion--this has been an extra long outreach since we left early and i'm getting pretty ready to stop living out of a hiking backpack...so prayers for strength and endurance are much needed. :)
Thanks for all your prayer and support!! i love and miss you all!
Love, Rach
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Hey again!! Another week gone... :) Malaysia has been amazing!! I think this week has been one of my favorites. The weather has been ridiculously hot and humid…it’s sick. Lol! I think this has been some of the most intense humidity I’ve ever experienced in my life. Tonight (Sunday), we went to eat by the sea and I could literally feel the water around me. Gross. ;) It is nice, though, to actually have an opportunity to be warm instead of constantly cold. My outreach team has found it amusing that I’m always cold and they now automatically offer me their jackets and sweatshirts because they know I would always want them. But I can happily say that I don’t have that problem here. Ha!
So back to the week…we got to Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday and traveled the four hours by bus to Penang. We got to the YWAM base and carried our luggage up the lovely seven flights of stairs :S. We spent that evening just relaxing and getting settled in. Wednesday was our free day/orientation. Penang is an extremely interesting city—there are numerous people groups located in the area. The main ones are Indian, Chinese and Malay which makes for some AMAZING food!! On Wednesday, a YWAM staff member took us to his favorite Indian restaurant. It was one of the most incredible meals I’ve ever had!! Our plate was a banana leaf and we got a portion of rice with a couple of different sauces, sweet potato, okra and a portion of meat. I had mutton and it was so tasty. The best part was that we ate it all with our hands-so amusing!! :) Besides an incredible food selection, there’s also quite a spread of religions. On the tour of the city we got we visited a mosque, a Hindu temple and a Chinese temple. Malaysia is about 52% Muslim with only 8% Christian. All of the different religions definitely create a stronghold over this area.
Thursday was our first day of ministry. We started out with some street evangelism around the base—we mostly went to the temples. Then in the afternoon, we got to play floorball (basically floor hockey). It’s pretty new to Malaysia still, but the church we worked with this week, Gateway City Church, is starting a sports ministry that emphasizes floorball. In the evening, we went to a park and evangelized to people who were exercising or hanging out there. Friday was more floorball and then a prayer meeting at the church. Saturday we got up and did some more evangelism at the park, played futsal (indoor soccer) and even more floorball! Lol! Needless to say, we have all been exhausted this whole week. :D On Saturday evening, we were able to do a skit and share a couple testimonies and a word with the kids we were playing sports with so that was a lot of fun.
Today was our last day of ministry and I went with part of our team to a Methodist church here in the city. We went to the 9:00a service because we were supposed to be back at the base at noon, but then we discovered that we didn’t have to be back, so we stayed for the contemporary service at 11:00…which turned out to be basically the same service. Ha! We had a little bit of free time after lunch and then left for the Gateway service at 4:00. We got to spend some time there at the church and went out to eat afterward with some of the members of the church and the people we had worked with. I can’t believe I’m leaving tomorrow!! I’ve really loved our ministry and time here and wish I could stay longer…I really enjoy the atmosphere and the busyness of Penang. One of my favorite parts (and it could be just because I’ve missed it for so long) is that even at 10:00 at night, there are still things going on and people out and about. In Australia and Africa, everything has shut down by 5:00. It’s sad! Haha. I also love the diversity of the city—how there are so many different types of people, activities, foods, etc. It’s incredible. If you ever get a chance to come to southeast Asia, make sure you stop in Penang—it’s amazing! :D
Tomorrow my team is headed up north to Perlis where we’ll be for about 5 days. I think it’s more of a rural area so we’ll have to see what type of ministry we’ll be doing. It’s also a mostly Muslim area so I’m excited to see what types of things God has planned for us there. Continue to pray for strength and energy for me and the rest of my team as well as soft hearts to be able to hear God and His plans clearly. I miss you all and think of you…
Love and prayers,
Rachel
So back to the week…we got to Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday and traveled the four hours by bus to Penang. We got to the YWAM base and carried our luggage up the lovely seven flights of stairs :S. We spent that evening just relaxing and getting settled in. Wednesday was our free day/orientation. Penang is an extremely interesting city—there are numerous people groups located in the area. The main ones are Indian, Chinese and Malay which makes for some AMAZING food!! On Wednesday, a YWAM staff member took us to his favorite Indian restaurant. It was one of the most incredible meals I’ve ever had!! Our plate was a banana leaf and we got a portion of rice with a couple of different sauces, sweet potato, okra and a portion of meat. I had mutton and it was so tasty. The best part was that we ate it all with our hands-so amusing!! :) Besides an incredible food selection, there’s also quite a spread of religions. On the tour of the city we got we visited a mosque, a Hindu temple and a Chinese temple. Malaysia is about 52% Muslim with only 8% Christian. All of the different religions definitely create a stronghold over this area.
Thursday was our first day of ministry. We started out with some street evangelism around the base—we mostly went to the temples. Then in the afternoon, we got to play floorball (basically floor hockey). It’s pretty new to Malaysia still, but the church we worked with this week, Gateway City Church, is starting a sports ministry that emphasizes floorball. In the evening, we went to a park and evangelized to people who were exercising or hanging out there. Friday was more floorball and then a prayer meeting at the church. Saturday we got up and did some more evangelism at the park, played futsal (indoor soccer) and even more floorball! Lol! Needless to say, we have all been exhausted this whole week. :D On Saturday evening, we were able to do a skit and share a couple testimonies and a word with the kids we were playing sports with so that was a lot of fun.
Today was our last day of ministry and I went with part of our team to a Methodist church here in the city. We went to the 9:00a service because we were supposed to be back at the base at noon, but then we discovered that we didn’t have to be back, so we stayed for the contemporary service at 11:00…which turned out to be basically the same service. Ha! We had a little bit of free time after lunch and then left for the Gateway service at 4:00. We got to spend some time there at the church and went out to eat afterward with some of the members of the church and the people we had worked with. I can’t believe I’m leaving tomorrow!! I’ve really loved our ministry and time here and wish I could stay longer…I really enjoy the atmosphere and the busyness of Penang. One of my favorite parts (and it could be just because I’ve missed it for so long) is that even at 10:00 at night, there are still things going on and people out and about. In Australia and Africa, everything has shut down by 5:00. It’s sad! Haha. I also love the diversity of the city—how there are so many different types of people, activities, foods, etc. It’s incredible. If you ever get a chance to come to southeast Asia, make sure you stop in Penang—it’s amazing! :D
Tomorrow my team is headed up north to Perlis where we’ll be for about 5 days. I think it’s more of a rural area so we’ll have to see what type of ministry we’ll be doing. It’s also a mostly Muslim area so I’m excited to see what types of things God has planned for us there. Continue to pray for strength and energy for me and the rest of my team as well as soft hearts to be able to hear God and His plans clearly. I miss you all and think of you…
Love and prayers,
Rachel
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