Gett'n Ready to Say Goodbye

Tonight we celebrated our last night together before heading off to Bangkok. Debrief has been awesome, so awesome in fact, we thought we'd post some photos to fill you all in on the fun. Here are some of our photos from our final night in Koh Samed. 

Burmese Small Group

One of the moments that will forever stand out to me from this mission trip was the evening Julia, Joleen and I (Cory) trekked out to a Burmese small group late at night. We were asked to head out to the home of a Burmese man to encourage him and his friends in their new faith. We hopped into a truck and headed out for his home. It was already late in the evening causing this trip to end with a walk through a swamp with only flashlights guiding our steps. As we approached his home, we were shocked to see the conditions in which he lived. His home was made up of tin siding and scrap pieces of wood. In fact, there were only 3 walls to the structure. There was one room, about 10 feet by 10 feet. The house was situated in the middle of a swamp with what seemed to be acres of empty field and swamp on every side. We entered his home and sat with him and his friends for almost 3 hours. We worshiped together, prayed together, and encouraged him in his faith. Julia and Joleen both shared with him what God meant to them and how He has been working in their lives. As a youth leader, this was a very cool moment for me. I've known both these young ladies for years beginning in Junior High and now I have the privilege of listening to them share about there faith in the middle of Thailand. Crazy. It was an experience that I find difficult to put into words. He shared with us how grateful he is that God has provided for him in abundance. He was so grateful for his home, his work and the food he has everyday. The three of us sat there humbled, knowing full well we would not be taking such joy in the same situation. I felt challenged in my faith in that moment. Do I take such joy in the ways God has provided for me? To be honest, most days go by where I don't acknowledge the blessings in my life. Yet, here I sit with this man who arguably has nothing, and yet he thanks Jesus with such joy for what he has been given. The three of us left encouraged but also challenged. We have a lot. We all do. All of us are blessed and we left feeling that because God has blessed us in abundance, we have a responsibility to love and bless others. God has entrusted us all with much, and that encourages and motivates me to keep on living and loving God. Here's a few photos from that evening. 

Cory J Bell

A Few More Photos

Guys Room

Dinner Time!

You never know what you might find in the market

Inside Sothorn Temple

This one's for YOU Verena!

Sothorn Temple - Chachoengsao

Girls Room

Farewell Chachoengsao

Well folks, the end is near. We left Chachoengsao yesterday for Koh Samed to start our debrief portion of phase12. Saying goodbye was hard, but not to the rice for some. ha. We took two vans to Rayong and boarded a boat for the island. The waves were CRAZY and we spent most of the ride screaming and monitoring Sarah Wolfe for puke. The Island is gorgeous and it feels surreal to be here. I've had countless moments on this adventure where I stop and think, "wow. as if I'm doing this with my youth". Im so proud of our group and can't wait for you all to hear the stories. Our debrief time is filled with sessions, small groups, and of course, the beach. Everything is going great here and the realization that this is almost over has begun to sink in for us. We really are just enjoying these last days together as a team. Debrief is incredibly important in an experience like this as our students are now preparing to re-enter the "normal" world back home. Please be in prayer for our team as we dig into what God has taught us during our time here and what He's calling each of us to as we prepare to come back home.

More blogs to come today. Our regular bloggers are distracted with beach, showers, and american food.  ha!

Cory J Bell

Bethel Community

Bethel Church

Day 12+13: Goodmoning Teachaaaa

 We spent the past two days teaching English in a very wealthy Buddhist private school, on the outskirts of Chachoengsao. Every class greeted us by standing and reciting “Goodmoning Teacha” and as soon as dismissed, would repeat “Sank-you Teacha”. This time we were split into four classrooms for four periods of teaching. Their English was slightly better than the previous school, so we had to up the anti with sentence structure exercises, word scrambles and an un-translated story (bible story hehe). However this time we got some heat from one of the senior teachers about the subject material, yet by the grace of God we were allowed to continue teaching. It was a lot of fun and we once again advertised our English camp in hopes of more attendees. Following our first day of teaching at the new school, half of us went to Dave and Louise’s to create an outline for the English camp, while the other half visited missionaries Edd and Ingrid to lead more children’s ministry activities. Later that evening we gathered together for a larger cell group at one of the local’s houses. Two Thai women shared their inspiring testimonies and we followed with some incredible Thai/English worship where God’s presence was undeniable. We ended the night with spicy, fire breathing-worthy Thai food. It was one of the most memorable nights by far. The second of the two nights we followed our English lessons by hosting a youth night at the “Hope Centre”, spending time doing crafts, games and worship with the kids. Just as we got home from our night of fun it suddenly began to pour… hard. Because we don’t have proper windows, a lot of water filled the mezzanines and stairways causing a few wipeouts. For the past few nights it always seems to rain just as we get home, providing a peaceful lullaby and a cool breeze for a more comfortable sleep.

-J&B

Private School Courtyard

Cell group worship

Kids Ministry

Imagine us skipping rope here

Day 11: Break Time!

Today was our day off, and we got to spend all day together. We got cozy in a 12-seater gangster van and travelled an hour and a half to Pattaya, where we ziplined through the jungle. The mighty jungle. Where the lion sleeps tonight. Weeee wam bam ba wayyyy…….. anyways, it was even cooler than we expected, and the lines were sketchier than expected. The only thing keeping us on the line was a handheld pulley that could come off with a flick of the wrist. They picked out the weakest links (Acksanna and Sam) and would hold them over the edge and shake the lines just to hear them scream. Afterwards we took a safari ride around the open zoo and fed giraffes, elephants, hippos and evil monkeys that took a swing at Dave’s bananas. Luckily there were no fatalities so we piled back in the gansta-mobile and drove out to the ocean for a walk along the beach. Altogether it was another fantastic bonding experience for the team, always learning new things about each other (some things better than others) through many different circumstances.

-J&M&B

Core 4 hit the lines

The ultimate treehouse

Extreme ziplining selfie

Over 150 feet high

John's out, rhino's in

Day 9 &10: Did you just call me Miss?!

We spent these two days as English teachers at a private school in Chachoengsao. We were divided into three classrooms and taught for three periods. The students didn’t know very much so we reviewed things like animals and colours, using songs, games and skits. We also snuck in a little bit of Jesus teaching and handed out flyers to attend our big English camp this weekend.  All of the students were really involved, and loved our gecko impressions… I think you’d be able to find Jake on Instagram because of all the pictures they took with him (#afro). What can I say, we were pretty much celebrities. While the team split off into what is called “cell groups” the other half prepped for our next English lesson and spent time doing on-the-spot children’s ministry with some of the other missionaries. Cell groups are when a few of us gather in someone’s home to worship, share and pray.  Some of these homes consist of just three walls, which provided an incredibly humbling experience. Our schedule is so packed that we’re constantly on the move, so when we were told of an up-and-coming break day, everyone was ecstatic.

- J&M

Driving to School (But imagine 16 of us in here... all the time)

 

In the Beginning...

This is a video I put together of our time at Falcon Lake. Click on the link below and catch a glimpse of our time during orientation on Phase12.

Phase 1 - Falcon Lake

All is well everyone! More blogs to come.

Cory J Bell

Sa-wat-ee-ka!

Day 8: Its day two here in Chachoengsao. Although it’s a 12 hour time change, we all slept right through the night all thanks to the eight fans we have.  We’re staying up on the third floor of the lighthouse church all sharing one small, humid bathroom, consisting of a sink, toilet and a hose to shower.  Yesterday we woke up, and Maya and Cory headed out to a Burmese steel and tin factory to preach, share testimonies and pray in their homes. The rest of us took a sawng-tao (big chicken truck) to Bethel Church, which is located on a dirty canal called a clawng. There we played with the kids and attended their church service. Dave Sinclair-Peters translated the sermon while we enjoyed the air conditioning. They generously prepared a Thai lunch for us, and soon after we came back home to prepare our English lessons for the next day. During our spare time we explored the nearby night market and made many awesome three-dollar purchases. At 7pm we attended another church service in the building we’re staying, where Jeanette and Morgan bravely shared their testimonies and our team performed a skit about the story of Shadrach, Meeshak and Abednego. We decided to hit the hay early to get over the jet lag.  Our first impressions are: it’s suuuuper hot, humid and sticky… the smells are interesting… and the food is exotic… the people are incredibly welcoming… and very passionate about God. This morning we  were very well rested, after an 11 hour sleep and some of our team picked up mini bananas, leechi and yogurt  from the street market. Then we piled into the sawng-tao and taught English to the students for two hours. Our lessons consisted of basic English phrases, games and songs.

P.S. Right now we're all sitting in a circle sweating in places we’ve never sweat before.

-J&M

Day 5: Still Alive

Falcon has been good to us, but sadly it’s time to go. We’ve learnt so many things, and we have already seen changes within our group. Although the challenges seemed like fun and games, they truly created a bond. But even more so, I think that the late night tears and vulnerability shown by each of us strengthened the bond even greater. This orientation was a success, but most of us still feel uneasy about the things we can’t prepare for. We understand there will be times we’ll have to openly pray for people in very difficult circumstances and share about our faith. This takes boldness and wisdom and your prayers are greatly appreciated!
Live update here: We’re currently on the 11^th hour of our flight from Vancouver to Shanghai… and we’re starting to go crazy. Getting excited!! Lahgòrn (goodbye!)

-          -J&M 

Day 4: All for One, One for All!

Hey there family, friends and others! It's time for a change of pace and this time it's Brigitta and Maya here to tell you about our day. Today was our final full day here at Falcon and the leaders treated us to a big brunch and some much needed sleep. They prepared a meal of bacon, pancakes, eggs and more and let us sleep in till 10! WOW. After being well fed we had our first session of the day which was led by Dave. He talked about spiritual gifts and how each of our gifts helped create our team as a whole. He then tied that into how as team our gifts are much more valuable than on our own. We looked at the board where we had written down the gifts and names of people who belonged to them and realized that as a team we had almost every part of the board covered and that we really are meant to be here together to serve God to the fullest. Following that touching session we jumped into Cory's final and most epic challenge yet! Cory, if you please...

 

My pleasure! The teams merged into one final grey team. The team had to create a post bridge and transfer 13 of the 15 members to a designated buoy. The catch was, once you completed the bridge, you could not help hold the posts for team members to follow, therefore making the bridge much weaker. If the team did not complete the challenge in 20 minutes, we would ALL be have nots for the rest of the week. However, members could volunteer themselves to be a have not and gain 5 minutes for the rest of the team as the finish time drew closer.. If the team succeeded, we would also win a team reward... a drive in movie outside! In order to finish this challenge, we would all have to rely on and trust each other. It. Was. Awesome. I've never been more proud of our team!!! Back to you girls!

 

Thanks Cory! So as he said, the challenge was awesome and in the end the have nots were Melissa, Sam, Cory and me (Brigitta). After we successfully completed that final HOC we settled down for our second session. Cory brought us all down to earth and explained the Romans Road to us, pulling certain verses from Romans that that simply explained the Christian faith. He put us into groups of two and three and each group was given a verse to pull apart summarize. In the end all the verses were put into order and they explained how we as sinners come into the Kingdom of God through Gods love, grace and compassion. It was definitely a session to remember. We were then given some time for ministry prep, which allowed us to build on ideas for songs, games and english lessons. Our creative minds were then treated with a great BBQ supper prepared by the one and only Acksanna! After our mini feast it was time for our final fire-side of the week, however there were no testimonies this time, but some very intimate foot washing. We sat around the fire and as you felt lead you went and sat in the chair with the basin, and someone would come to wash your feet, and pray over you afterwards. While you're feet were being washed the rest of the group would silently pray for you and when the foot washer sat back down, the group members spoke words of encouragement for you. It was something I don't think anyone will ever forget and was one of the most intimate moments for our group as a whole, as we saw the soft and the humble and even the vulnerable side of each member. This amazing experience was followed by a great drive in movie (which ended up inside due to mosquitoes) where we all laughed and had a great final evening together, with everyone looking forward to the trip ahead of us.

 

-M & B







Sharing About Our Spiritual Gifts

















Cory and Morgan Crawl Their Way To Safety





Sam and Joleen Brave The Waters

Sarah Enjoying The Shore...While The Team "Enjoys" The Water

The Team Members Who Crossed The Chasm First

 



The Team of Winners!



 

Some Fireside Singing And Sharing

 

 

 

 

Day 3: The Day We Feared an Icy Death....

Greetings Winnipegers! Acksanna started our morning off with devotions, teaching on how everyone receives love differently and how we need to specify the way we give love to others. "The 5 Love Languages" are: words of affirmation, physical touch, gifts, acts of service and quality time. This made a lot of sense and provided clarity in understanding why some relationships seem harder than others. Cory began session by making us close our eyes, and picture a situation where God is sitting at a table with us. He asked us what God would say to us – What is he proud of? What is he trying to teach you? How did you feel? Then he challenged us to spend alone time writing a letter from God to you. It was difficult yet revealing, as we were able to identify the areas we are doing well or struggling in. Quickly changing the tempo came the third HOC competition. Cory, explain the madness…



Ok. So today we saw teams merge into three teams of 5. This was pre-determined to get students working with new people on the team. The green and blue teams were dissolved into the white, pink and yellow teams. Funny how things turned out as we were left with an all-female team, an all-male team, and an all-female plus Dave team. Haha! He loved it. Teams used a 4-man bicycle to complete a photo scavenger hunt around Falcon Lake. Slowest time inherited the oh-so-feared have-not lifestyle. Pink took the plunge and we saw our first female Have-Nots.



Pink lost (boo), but with a shocking twist one member could be nominated not to suffer the consequences of a Have-Not. We decided to draw names, and I (Julia) was saved by the grace of God! After some ministry preparation and a delicious spaghetti dinner, Cory sat us down for an "emergency meeting" explaining that we needed to endure "Thailand Boot Camp." Panicked, we were driven out the other end of the lake and told to swim across with a large boat that had holes, two dingys and a rope. No paddles. However, they bribed us with several plates of different disgusting items to eat (cat food, whole onions, bottle of syrup, raw fish, a stick of butter and more) explaining that if we finished everything as a team we would receive paddles and bailing cups. We decided we could do it without, but Gabe agreed to eat the plate of cat food for the team to get a knife in order to cut the rope. Soon enough we were in the lake, strategically placed around the boat - some pulling, some pushing and others paddling with their hands from inside the sinking boat. We seemed to be going nowhere; the current was against us and we began to get frustrated as the leaders laughed from ashore. The water was so cold and our muscles were tiring as Cory and Adam encircled us with a motorboat, offering for us to eat baby food in exchange for paddles. They seemed like the devil tempting us because we were so angry. As a team we agreed that we wanted to finish without help, and continued on. After over an hour of tough swimming we came closer to the dock, and the leaders cheered and told us how proud they were. I couldn't lift myself up onto the dock because my arms felt like frozen jello. I was still shaking until we got back to the cabin and into the hot shower. Even though it was very physically and mentally challenging, we were so proud of each other and felt even closer. The night ended with the last few testimonies and late night laughs.



- J&M



The team reacts.
We have to do what?!?!?

 

Paddling Hard!

 

 

Jake's Red Fro Flowing In The Wind

 

 

A Beautiful Sky Draws The Team Closer To Land