Day 6: God always keeps His promises

Saturday January 5th 2013

we get to wake up a little later today.
never thought I would be thankful to wake up at 6:30 am.

today we go up to the mountains to do VBS!

before we leave the mountain. I see Natake sweeping the floor. He's one of the older kids here and P.Josh tells me that he has body pains? so I should pray for him.

I awkwardly approach him and ask him if I could pray for him and he lets me.

here's the thing though. this morning for some reason I had this crucial back pain (I usually don't have any problems with back pain). and after I finish praying for Natake, I realize that the severe back pain that I had earlier disappeared!

I am so shocked and touched that I start crying and I'm like Natake!! pointing to my back and waving my arms around. he's probably like whhhhat? is wrong with this girl....
but yeah...God is good :D He really does work in ways we don't understand....

I used to pray for healing alot but overtime I kinda got discouraged by failures so I stopped.
but I hope God teaches me His ways and rebuilds my trust in His healing power and will.

I need to spend more time in His presence. then I'll know what to do..
I hope that I'll be able to balance spending some alone time with God and time with others.

Last night one of the sisters asked me what it means to spend time "in His presence"
it's kind of hard to explain but there's something about it.
like it's more than reading the bible and even praying.
I pray for her before I go to sleep and for us all that we would spend time in His presence daily.
it requires seeking and discipline but it'll truly change your life.


on the ride to the mountain village the view is amazing. I get to see a water buffalo? Ox?
the ride in the truck is so bumpy like a jurassic park ride. so fun...

we get there and we try to get to know the kids.
the boys I think don't like the girls because every time I try to talk to them they scream and run away..

mehehehehee....hey kids.....ahhhhhh!!....run away
creeper status lvl 99

in the mountain village there are all sorts of farm animals and I get to pet a baby pig!!
so cute I'm gunnna diiiieeeeeeeeee!
I'm going to pick you up baby pig :)
SQUEEEEAAALLLLL!!
all of them run away.......mah b......

we play games afterwards like capture the flag.
of course my team would never win. athletics is not my forte...

which is why I feel bad for the girl who got stuck with me for the water balloon tossing game....
ope! one toss. splatter. game over. no chance.

after dinner we have worship and our team has to present a skit.
it's supposed to be a serious skit but somehow it turns out to be funny.
they choose me to narrate the skit and I am like the most awkward narrator ever....

P.Josh then shares his testimony. it's pretty powerful. the missionary's wife, Junia, was crying as she was translating.
it's amazing how God can transform someone's life like that.

when we walk out of the service. we all gasp one by one because of the stars.

this is what I've been looking forward to the whole day.
the whole sky was filled with stars.
I have never ever seen anything so beautiful my whole life!
yes....I use the word whole alot.
my life is whole now because I have lived to see this :)

apparently two shooting starts went by but i missed it!!!

we lie on the grass and literally stare at the stars for half an hour.
I understand now why God promised Abraham that He would make his descendants as numerous as the stars...

And God always keeps His promises.

red clay mountain village

i manage to catch two

they look so cute until red baby punches me the stomach and beats me with his popsicle stick sword 

my abstract painting during arts & crafts time

baby pigs! before I try to pick one up

my masterpiece photo of a water buffalo/ ox? 

Day 5: Suffering Builds Character

Friday January 4th 2013

Next morning wake up still feeling sore throaty and congested.
On my way to morning devo and I have this major cough attack!
End up throwing up on a plant.

poor plant............
WHHYYYYYYYYYY

At breakfast. I try to eat but I can't and I'm so tired that tears start falling down my face and then....
coughing attack begins.
run outside and my stomach is try to throw up my inside organs cause there's no food left to throw up.
the worst kind of throwing up!
I have a pretty dramatic performance on the wet grass...

I have no idea what is wrong with me. Nurse Grace thinks it's a sinus infection. could be my allergies...idk..

P.Josh, Grace, and Lisa pray for me and I am much more energized. I am still congested and sore throaty but overall I feel much better!

then they go back to finish their breakfast but I stay outside cause I don't think I can handle the smell of food.
one of the kids David comes over and just sits quietly next to me. it seems as though he is trying to comfort me even though we can't speak the same language.

his older brother Jonathan comes over as well. and I teach them how to play ABCD.
mwahahahaa no mercy!

even though Jonathan is older than David, he is so much smaller. I learned from Grace that while they were growing up they were so poor that Jonathan gave his food to David and therefore David is healthy now but Jonathan's growth has been stunted.

wow.......that is some true brotherly love right there...

their background is really rough too. their dad committed suicide because he was caught stealing since they were so poor. and their mom is mentally ill.

that's how they ended up here at the Jasper Kids center...

while we play ABCD. they are smiling and laughing so much now. it's hard to believe they had such a rough past.

I have no reason to complain about being sick or tired because I have so much to be thankful for.
Fighting!!!

I do the construction work for the whole time today and we finish building the wall around the library.
aja aja!

while we do the construction work, I also get to hang out more with the other girls here and get to know them.
Thai people all have nicknames. Rebekah is so hard for them to stay so they say that they will call me "Nok" which means bird.

aha it's better than "guy" which means chicken.

btw...Thai fried chicken...so good!

stay strong. stay positive.
suffering builds character.

Jonathan and David

her nickname is "Gop" which means frog :)

Day 4: Still Trusting

Thursday January 3rd 2013

3:00 am wake up to the sound of rooster.
omg.....I'm going to kill this rooster and eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

the rooster has waken us all up now and we stay awake lying there until we have to get ready at 4:30am

morning devo at 5am. now this is even more intense than GLDI

we eat a legit meal for breakfast and then we start on building the library. it's like actual stuff with cement and blocks.

as we are stacking the cement. I realize how out of shape I am o.O
i need to lose that 6 kgs but my arms are dying. I can't stop though because it'll mess up our assembly line. so I ask one of the girls Pondtip to fill in my spot for a little. ^____^;; oh hohohooo. making friends already.

in terms of cementing. I have a very important job. it's to push the cement with a stick in between the gaps. they call me stick girl.

this morning I woke up with a very sore throat and now I'm feeling really light-headed and exhausted.

not good not good not good!!!

but sometimes I guess what seems to be not good may actually end up for our good.

like the story of Joseph. his brothers tried to kill him and then decided to sell him as a slave but he ended up saving alot of lives.

"you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives"

Idk...if many lives are going to be saved from me getting sick. but I trust that God is good.

it's hard though at times to stay encouraged. I feel like physically I am here, but mentally I am not.

we have time also to be with the kids but I have no energy to reach out to them.

I'm starting to question why I'm here in the first place. I was so excited to be here, but I just feel so tired.

I pray for supernatural strength and that I would be able to genuinely love and get to know the kids here.

our breakfast

cementing

me and Pondtip! 

Day 3: Trusting God

Wednesday January 2nd 2013

Rise and shine to the sounds of mopeds.
we are to wake up at 9am but because of the jet lag i am awake at 7am!
wow.....this a first. waking up two hours before the designated time...

Before breakfast. I explore around our very cool natury "hotel"
and i find a rooftop garden!! (on the fourth floor -.-)
stairs....you are my enemy. but it's so worth it

afterwards we go to the mall to buy our VBS and teaching materials.
my teaching partner (Anthony) and I actually have to teach English 2 hours each day at a legit school and we still have no idea what we are doing....
mmmmmm.....what a fantastic team. please pray for a extra creativity!

at the mall they also have those scales. Ponteep gave me 1 Baht (Thai currency) to use the machine. and it was the most depressing thing of my life!!! I gained 4 kgs since GLDI and I am 6 kgs from my goal weight.

i was so exhausted the whole day. but now i have renewed energy!! I was speed walking like a suburban mom around the parking lot.

the bus ride to the Jasper Kids center takes about 1 1/2 hours. and I kid you not. we sang the whole way. mostly old school songs and disney classics. and we had a guitar so I made a very sad song about my weight gain which will turn into a weight loss victory.


the chorus goes like this

Em Aaaaadiiiiooooosssss
G   Aaaaaaadiooooossss
D   Adios to the 6 kg
A  Adios to the 6 kg

ahh good times...

we get to the center and the place is too legit to quit! so beautiful. it almost feels like a resort
the missionary (Jay Jay) shares with us the testimony of this place and it's mind blowing. they started off with no money but God was always faithful and provided. thousands and thousands of dollars pouring in. people selling their houses to donate money to this center out of nowhere. (always usually at the last min)

I've been noticing that lately. God seems to hold out until the last min. puahaha maybe that's where I get my procrastination from. jkjkjk.... but yeah. I think it's to build up the pressure so we really trust in Him.

especially with finances. this world runs on money but as believers we are called to love God and completely turn away from money. to trust that He will provide all our needs so that we can focus freely on His kingdom.

i hope to never worry about money or chase after it. or let lack of money determine my decisions and visions.

then we went around and shared our goals for this trip. some of us got real emotional. I almost cried too but I fought it. I realize that everyone needs some kind of healing and direction for their life. I hope that we can really understand how good and loving God is. I think if we are touched by God, we can love Him too. and long to be in His presence. then everything else will be okay.

afterwards they fed us like kings and queens. Thai food is soooo good! and they eat chicken all the time

the missionary also told us that they were raising a pig to kill and give to us on the last day for our farewell meal. i was like ohh mmyyyyy.. okay i guess I'm okay with that as long as I don't see the pig....

walking around later and I see this pig! and she is soooo cute and chubby. and I was like NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! TT.TT please we cannot eat this pig. so I prayed real hard about it.

later Esther tells me that we are not going to eat my cute pig but another one. whewwww I hope nobody eats that pig. her name is Wilma now.

wow...I can't believe God answers silly prayers even like that one. I hope throughout this trip we all learn how real God is and be able trust in Him completely.

goodnight!

suitcase is already stuffed

Grace and me on the rooftop garden

where we ate breakfast!

my pig Wilma

Jasper kids center

Day 2: we are still on the plane/ arrival

Tuesday January 1st 2013


I feel like we've been on the plane forever. 14 hours later we arrive in Korea and we have another 6 hour plane ride to Thailand.

man.......Incheon airport brought back so many memories. only in Korea would they have a Hello Kitty cafe at the airport....as soon as I saw this I was like I am officially in Korea.

went upstairs and found the same Haggen Daz (butchered the spelling) ice cream place that I got ice cream from 2 years ago. and then ate KFC. fried chicken in Korea. of course! nomnomnom

Victor with my tiny Ukulele haha

on the plane ride to Thailand I happen to sit next the oldest member of our team. considered to be the hip dad. we were talking about mission trips and all that. then the conversation led to his testimony. even though he grew up as a Christian, he didn't really start to seek God until about a year ago.

yeah that radical faith....he told me about his friend who gave up everything and took his family so he could attend DTS.  I asked him if he could ever do something like that. and he was like nahhhh probably not.

oh ho hohooo.....but here's the crazy thing. I've kinda been slacking alot these days with praying for others. but before I left I was like I MUST! pray at least for my team members. and not just the lifting up my whole team. or even listing their names prayer. but that deep individual spending at least 5 min on each person kind of prayer.

when I got to praying for him. I was taken back a little. because I just got a sense that there were going to be some changes in his business and his life. idk....could either be as little as him making small changes in his business to impact the kingdom or as big as selling everything and going somewhere. I was overwhelmed for him. but at the same time God is faithful...

hehe...I didn't tell him this because I didn't want to freak him out on the plane ride to his first mission trip. but yeah.....please pray for him that he would be able to surrender everything and trust God.

he owns a cellphone stores and he was telling me about the risks of business because everything is changing. for example: it may be difficult at first but who knows but after he sells the stores, it'll go down or something and God would have saved him from tremendous losses. something like that

we'll see what happens....please pray for him and for the direction of the other team members as well. that we would be able to surrender our lives to God and trust Him. even when He asks us to do things that make absolutely no sense at the time.

when we get to Thailand finally! I am so jetlagged that I accidentally go to the men's bathroom.
wait a min........why are there urinals here???
man walks in. surprised.....AHHH!!!
i am so embarrassed....TT.TT

we drive to our hotel. and for the first 5 min I was freaking out about how people in Thai drive the way British people do! the wheel is on the opposite side and they drive on the left side of the road.

when we get to our hotel. I freak out even more (in a good way) because it's super cool. like a rainforest hotel. so beautiful and amazon like. except the showers only have cold water.....

i can't take the cold. I was shrieking so much in the shower that this Australian lady next door came over and told us to quiet down. oh so sorry ^_^"

my hotel roomie Grace is the youngest of our group. she's so funnayyy but she's also quite homesick. so please pray that she will have a great time here. she also wants God to encounter her on this trip cause she has never really had one before. so please pray that God will encounter her in a mighty way.

goodnight :)

Day 1: plane ride

Monday Dec 31st 2012

Before I left my sister gave me a letter to read on the plane. Somehow I knew just by looking at it that it was going to make me cry.

I think I'm getting old because the plane ride was so rough for me. At first I was so excited to watch all the plane movies and play games, but I ended up face planting into my pillow and falling asleep.

it was only for like 20min max but somehow everyone saw....and I missed very exciting plane events.

such as a man on the plane blacking out? and Grace (she is a nurse) being taken up to first-class to making sure he was okay.

but yeah eventually I remembered the letter. ho man. people should really read more because it makes you into a really good writer. my sister is a total book nerd and so her writing speaks into your soul.

I'm not going to post up the whole letter, but I wanna share bits of it.

so basically before I left for this trip, we were fighting about this suitcase. and we both realized how petty it was. we used to always fight about stupid things like that and we thought we got over this phase but it came back.

she writes: it's so easy to revert back to our old ways...sometimes, I guess the changes in ourselves slowly get undone when we come back to a place that's been unchanged."

dang.....deep. you know how you go on mission trips, conferences, retreats, etc...and you're on fire for God but then slowly it fades away because the environment is different. my prayer for this trip is that each one of us is touched by God and changed. but that during this time our homes would also be changed. that way if our homes and churches are on fire for God, we will continue to be as well.  

she also wrote something deep about pride. background: I let her take the big suitcase and I took the small one because I was like oh man....I can't be fighting with my sister before a mission trip.

"the minute you swallowed your pride and accepted defeat was actually the minute you reigned victorious. The only way you got me to give you back the suitcase was when you gave me the suitcase to give back to you on my own accord. That's what God did when he gave us the choice to love him when he has the full power to make us love him. He fought with kindness and love- thank you for reminding me of that."

yeah....I bawled really hard when I read that part. please pray that we would be able to swallow our prides and love one another on this trip. and for us to realize the God's kindness and love.

she ended the letter with this
"the reason why I am writing you a note is that the past two times I've traveled. You've written me a note to read on the plane. I hope you remember this when you are in Thailand. I hope you remember the full effect that even the smallest of your actions can have on others. Spread the love."

please pray that our actions would speak loudly. especially because of the language barrier. that we would conduct ourselves in a matter worthy of the gospel and be filled with love.