all that and a man named moo

Well week one is officially over what a week it has been. Bangkok is certainly unlike any place I've been before but it was a goo new experience. We were able to get a really good taste of Thai culture (as well as food)
We did a few of the attractions like Grand Palace an Golden Mount, and met people at both of them. It's cool to see what simply asking someone to take a photo of you can lead to when the Holy Spirit is in control.
Unfortunately our connections with people never went past a one day hangout. It was a difficulty we found with Bangkok, most people were there for short times and were very busy.
we made a really special connection with a Thai woman named Ari who owned a little kiosk that we would stop at everyday. We would always talk with her and were even able to give her a Thai tract. She is a wonderful woman who we hope to see again.
Christmas was definitely a new experience for all of us this year, but a splendid one nonetheless.We were able to join the other Thailand travel team for a gift exchange in the morning and share communion together. We all had a fairly relaxing day off and were even able to have short chats with family, and loved ones. A Christmas to remember.
We are now in Kanchanaburi, a small town west of Bangkok. We took a fairly short train ride over and were able to get our first experience with Thai trains. So far so good. The wooden pews made the rear go slightly b\numb, but that just gave you more reason to get up and shat with people. Today we went to national park and seven tiered waterfall, or waterfail as they call it. It was nice to see some more of the countryside, and made a couple connections with people on the bus. The waterfalls were stunning, and we were even able to slide down one. It is things like that, that put me in awe of God's creativity. We are planning on heading north to Chang Mai tomorrow, as long as all the buses work out.
prayer points:
-deeper connections with people that go past a day
-creative and cheap ministry ideas
-safe travel to Chang Mai tomorrow
-sensitivity to the spirit

God Bless.

here is a link to some photos I've posted from outreach, they are after the lecture phase photos, sorry for the combination.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=613735321&aid=581445

Oh and the man named moo as mentioned in the title, is a Thai man that would talk to us everyday on Khao San road, trying to get us to take his tuk tuk, and would pick up Ben to see how heavy he was.

we have begun

We have now been in Thailand officially for 32 hours, and what a 32 hours it has been. You enter a country like Thailand and the spiritual heaviness hits you quite quickly. We departed the other Thailand team at the airport and made our way to our hostel. As soon as you step out of the taxi, even at 2am, the heat hits you... hot, sticky heat, that never really seems to leave. But we got to our hostel just fine, and even got a nice surprise when our rooms were air conditioned. Found out later they are only air conditioned at night and for a few hours, when I woke up sweaty as ever, not a feeling I'm going to enjoy getting used to but nontheless thats Thailand.
Yesterday we got some good fruit salad for breakfast for less than a dollar, and had some good worship in the park. The rest of the day was mainly just about getting settled. Finding a new hostel for tonight because we only have two night at this one, talking with people and getting a feel for the area. Jetlag still pretty strong so we were all able to take a nap and then head out again for dinner when it was a little cooler. We were blessed with running into both of the other Thailand teams last night at different points and being able to see familiar faces and get some hugs, sweaty as they were, it was nice.
Thailand is way different than anything I've experienced before. We are learning to rely on God so much, while in a place where God is not a part of the culture at all. Everywhere you look there are idols and temples and it is what every Thai person will tell you to go and see, "giant buddha, sleeping buddha, standing buddha..."
We are standing strong in the Lord though, and rejoicing that He has given us authority over all the evil forces of this world.

prayer points:
1. health- I (becky) have been struggling with that one already and could really use more strength
2. spiritual readiness- we are being constantly surrounded by idols and temples and so much sin
3. God's provision as we figure out what to do for Christmas as well as where to go afterwards.

t-5 days

Well, very shortly we will be heading off to face a world full of new challenges, experiences, and a lot of lost people. This week is full of final preparations and packing.

A few prayer points for our team:

• everything comes together while we are still on base
• peace in our final days here
• safe trip into Thailand
• easily getting accustomed to the new environment
• energy and patience