How to summarize 3 weeks of amazing travel and concentrated team-work in Thailand?

Lynnette and I arrived on the 29th of December 2009 in advance of the team coming. Met Mary, the Aglow Leader for all of Southeast Asia, we swapped stories, enjoyed breakfast, prayed and prophesied.  Amazing connection. 

We were able to visit Phalansak who now has 12 children.  He is in process of new construction and needs 90,000 Bht to complete which includes a well and water tower, toilets, walls, windows, doors.  They do greeting cards for us, hand woven table runners and are now being asked to do “sets” to include place mats and  coasters.  Greg believes this area is also where we are to build a Christian School under new FOUNDATION to initially serve 300 children.

We also saw Warachart and the now 6 boys in their small humble home in Chiang Mai.  Everything is going well.  Then to MaeKaChan to see Lawan and children where Cheryl Tornga from Whidbey Island is staying and toured the facility for approximately 72 children.  THRIVING pigs, chickens, ducks, agriculture, fish.  Stopped at Hot Springs on the way back to Chiang Mai for a few auction items.

Travelled with Wandee these first several days, stayed at Dick and Tings one night and Wandee’s one night. DOI supports 12 children through Wandee for continuing education. Also went to Hod and saw Esther  on our way back from an amazing celebration in Mae Suriang with Wandee’s in-laws.   There were 250 in attendance including many pastors and many politicians.  Her Father-in-Law is the VP to the Governor of that Province.  Pastor Garret was the worship leader for this event and we were able to be churched with him the next two Sundays in Chiang Mai.

Spent New Years Eve with Dick and Ting and set off fireworks and enjoyed amazing food and fellowship.  Lynnette did a fabulous job of shopping for the auction, though we still need Dick and Ting to buy large pots, and a couple pieces of Bon Celedon.

Pastor Dan Hammer and his wife Terri, Phillip and Gwen Martin, Donna Hart, Pastor George Watkins, Christie Peterson, Mark Gaines, Alaina Stevens, Dwight Brookes; all from Sonrise, Delona Foster from Seattle, together with Don and Grace Modglin, from California, all arrived on the 4th to complete the American “Yoked-Working-Elephant-Warrior-Team” !  Note:  Dick and Ting Readshaw keep their home in Chiang Mai.  Dick is finishing a contract in Dubai, UAE and they arrived on the 30th to join the team as well.

We headed for Mae Hong Son the same day they all arrived.  Greg and Teep Yito were able to go into the camp with Torez who turned out to be the KNRC director for the camp.  Much prayer and open-hearted “Palat” allowed this passage.  Very tragic conditions, 25,000 people living in horrible conditions. The smell of sewer everywhere. Were able to see Meredith, Moses and the children in the orphanage DOI supports.  The Palat allowed 20 of 52 of the children to leave the camp the next day to be with the team at Moses’ home.  They had to hike in and out 2 hours over the mountains and through the jungle each way to be with us.  

Moses has since written to us, his Mother (Meredith) is still sick, but better.  He lost his best friend two weeks ago to a land mine helping IDP’s in Burma.  He has sent us pictures to help us better understand life for the IDP’s which he describes as “much worse” than the conditions in the camp.

We were able to bless the children in the camp with new flip-flops, clothing, a few first-aid supplies, a few toys, some candy, tooth brushes and toothpaste.  We were able to pray with them, sing with them and love on them.  We visited Pasing and the children at House of Hope, (50 children)., the team visited the long neck village while Greg and Teep were in the camp.  2 days in Mae Hong Son, then down to Mae Sot.

Teep was able to host and drive for us.  We met Dr. Simon in the Mae La camp who, though formerly a citizen of Burma, gave up his citizenship and his family to serve his people in the camp.  He won a Nobel Peace Prize, although to actually get it, it would have meant leaving Thailand and they would not have let him back in.

We met Pastor Robert Tway, the Director of all 7 KNRC camps which have been consolidated from 40 camps.  He is an anointed-gifted man.  At 68 years of age, he admits that it takes him 6 hours to hike up over the mountains to be with the IDP’s, whereas the younger men can do this journey in 4 hours.  They take in Bibles, food, medical supplies and encouragement.

We were able to pray with and take a meal with Dr. Simon and pray with Pastor Tway all due to the divine direction of our new friend Naw Paw Ray who is the Director of Migrant Education (for 10,000 illegal students) made “some-what-legal” by her covering.  She travelled with us a lot the first day.

We visited the orphanage near the Bible College there in the camp with several hundred children in classes in a “barn-like” setting.  Open-air class rooms with half-walls and every class adjacent and in session all at the same time side-by-side-by-side-by-side.  All of the children seemed very attentive, but I can’t explain how they could concentrate!

We  then visited with boys and men with missing appendages and all of them blinded by land mines now living at the handicap home in the camp.  They lose their funding of 50,000 Bht a month in June(through Hope International).

We stayed at a wonderful village resort very reasonable and Greg would like to hold another conference there maybe even in ’10!  Greg and Lynnette celebrated their anniversary here and Gwen, her 29th Birthday again!  Lynnette lead a majority of the team to Praphan’s at Mae Tan and had a wonderful visit (now 46 children). Pastor Dan was invited to do a crusade in the Umpaeng Region next December. (note: this is the same trip that Garret makes; also noteworthy Garret’s wife Candice is 2nd cousin by her mother to Pastor Tway.  Then they went to Mae Ramat to see Hsa Say and children where the new fish farm will be next month (now 39 children).

Greg took Mark and Phillip and Dwight and Delona with Teep to see Naw Paw Ray’s schools.  We saw 4 of 51 of her schools and 2 of her 40 hostels.  Laura Bush’s picture is there with Naw Paw Ray.  We saw a school with 650 children, a school of 1100 children, an average school of 40 where Aaron from Seattle teaches. It should be noted that Naw Paw Ray is very short of funding also.

Then we went to the garbage dump and saw the children of “Sky Blue” who literally live in the dump.  97 children walk out of the garbage each day to come to school at Sky Blue and get their best meal of the day.  All funds raised because of this new awareness must go directly to this ministry!

We almost could not walk here, because our legs were so heavy with grief.   Left 20 Scholarship Applications with Naw Paw Ray for continuing Education from DOI (Should be under new FOUNDATION), also left 3 sets of Gary and Paula Hayes Illustrated Kids Gospels for her review.

We did not see Guk (18 children here), a new orphanage but prayed and decided to help with a little each month. (5,000 Bht a month) We were not able to stay and see Gilmoo and Montreas but will make time during the next visit at HiNoKok. (12 children here).

Back to Chaing Mai that night at midnight (6 hours one way).  The next morning to Teep and Terra and Lighthouse Childrens’s home.  NOTE: (Lighthouse would like to be covered by our  new FOUNDATION), then to Emergency Housing at New Life Center.  20 Girls taken out of Brothels and abuse.  Our women blessed them with prayer as our men prayed at a distance.  Weeping and travailing followed by songs of praise.  Karen Smith is the Director, we did not see her this trip.  Hilary Clinton recently visited New Life Center; and as well, another government visitor that we should make contact with.

Bangkok.  Siam Niramat was a wonderful experience. Meeting with new government friends.  Dan and Terri, Donna, Greg and Lynnette.  Amazing breakthroughs here, powerful connections.  Very “friendly” meeting.  They want to help with education and are very happy to have an NGO to work with in the Northern part of Thailand.  Pastor Dan prayed for them and thanked them for their service to our country.

The majority of the group got to go to an Aglow meeting the last night before the big group flew out.  Pastor Dan was prepared with a sermon and our group was really able to encourage the members of Aglow.

After returning to the hotel from dropping off the group we met a man named Greg who was facilitating Night of Refuge, an outreach to local prostitutes purchasing 31 of them for the night to bless them, play games, sing music and share the gospel. Very cool! They were from Oklahoma.

Gary Hayes called us back from Foursquare World-Base.  They have completed translation of their curriculum to Burmese (formerly only English and Thai), we offered to have Naw Paw Ray look at final proof.  Gary gave a set to “our Kachin children coming to our home under the Unaccompanied Minor Refugee Foster Care Program through LCS.  Gary indicated an interest in putting the curriculum in the hands of the immigrant children Naw Paw Ray represents.  A FOUNDATION would have to buy said curriculum and Gary suggested some “train-the-trainer” classes from he and his wife, Paula.