kamlang phone ja toke (that means- it's raining)

Now I know that the climate here is called classified as tropical monsoon which would make most people assume it rains all the time, BUT I also read somewhere that that just refers to the different wind patterns here, making three seasons: rainy, dry, and hot. Supposedly the rainy season should have ended last month, but instead it's decided to just stay here. In Ohio, church is cancelled for snow or ice. Last Sunday, it was cancelled here because the road by our church flooded. Today, I'm sure it probably flooded again, and here's why:
I also checked the street next to our building and it too is flooded. Maybe, school will be cancelled tomorrow...

I Love My Grandparents!

Yaaaay! After several attempts at video Skyping( is that even a verb?) with my Grandma and Grandpa Karkan, we have had success! It was so great! My Dad would be proud. Grandpa's all over this technology stuff. It's simple he says, "just keep pushing buttons until something happens." LOL, we'll see how it works next time. This whole technology thing is really amazing. While I was talking to them, Grandpa showed me around their apartment, and I got to see all of Grandma's fall decorations. When I talk to my mom or Grandma Karuzas they too are able to show off all their latest arts and crafts creations which the Karkan women really pride themself on doing. Which they should of course, because they are really good at it. Even though I can't see them in 3D or sit at the table with them, it's nice because I can still see them and talk to them over a cup of coffee, just like I do when I visit their house. Another thing I discovered while talking to them is that I can take video snapshots of them. Here are a couple examples. Grandpa and his coffee, and Grandma maybe laughing at something Grandpa said :) See? How can you not love these two?
Needless, to say it made my day. Times like this remind me that the world is not that big of a place, and even though oceans may separate us, they are only oceans and as such they are not unsurpassable.

Public Speaking follow up :)

Ok, so when I got to school Thursday morning, I was so nervous I had already started to get a migraine. That was short lived, because our teacher came in and had a sheet for all of us, complete with the exact questions she wanted us to ask, and blanks for us to fill in the answers. What she meant by be witnessing to people was just that, she wanted us to witness by our example. Also it is much more significant here for people to wear necklaces witnessing to their belief. More than once I've had someone say something to me about my cross or I have seen someone point it out to their travel companion.

Anyway, by the time we got to the park, I wasn't as nervous. Here is a picture of all the people in my class before we split up. Our teacher is the one in the skirt and heels. As a side note: I can not figure out how Thai women can possibly walk in the shoes that they walk in! None of the sidewalks are even or smooth and yet they wear the most brutal heels ever! Why do women do that to themselves?!?!

Sorry about that rant...where was I? Oh, so after scoping the place out, I zoomed in on a lady that was sitting on a park bench. She has some family near by and she was kind enough to talk with me. She was very friendly and said her name was Naang. When I finished with the questions, my assignment was complete. From there Sarah and I enjoyed the flora and fauna. Here are some examples. Yes, that is a monitor Lizard. One of our classmates from Scotland tells us that these are just the baby ones. The big ones are in the storm drains. I don't know if I believe him, but I like listening to him talk about their girth! It's quite humourous!

I think what I learned from this experience is that I'm more confident to talk with people even though I make mistakes. In Thai culture the people are very friendly and open. They have no problems usually talking to foreigners, and in some cases they love it when you try to speak to them, because it shows them that you care about their culture and are trying to learn about them.

The culture is very much centered around relationships here, which is a good thing for us and in some instances a bad thing. It's a good because we can introduce people to the Gospel through relationships, but it's also difficult because they view the buddhist religion as a relational thing as well. If they were to turn from that religion, they would be compromising their relationship with their families and friends. For most people that isn't an option, so we continue to pray that the Holy Spirit would work in their hearts and show them their need for a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Urban Outreach Camp

Wow! I don't even know where to start! Following a very long day of going on a field trip to talk with strangers, and then taking a test to complete module 2, I was wiped out. I was ready for at least a weekend break to recuperate and collect myself, and that surprisingly came in the form of an Urban outreach camp (aka jr. high retreat). I know, I know, for any parent or person who has ever had (the opportunity) to chaperon a jr. high retreat the words break, retreat, or recuperate do not register. It was an absolute blast though and it didn't include crowed streets, air pollution, or homework. For me this was perfect! Here's what happened...

With the combined forces of CWEFT, Concordia Lutheran Church-Phongphet, and LCMS-WM, we helped run a weekend camp entitled "Joy In Christ" for 25-30 children from the Bang Na area of Bangkok. This is considered one of the poorer slum areas of Bangkok. Many of the children are former students of the daycare there which is funded by CWEFT. Many of the daycare workers came also, and took primary responsibility for supervising the kids aged 8-15.

On Friday we several activities ranging from playing icebreaker games, singing songs, rotating through learning stations and listening to devotions. Here is a picture of Pastor Bob teaching the children about trust. This little boy was supposed to fall straight back and trust that Pastor Bob would catch him before he reached the ground. This led into a Bible study discussion about Jesus and Peter walking on the water and teaching the children to know that they can always trust Jesus. Afterwards they tried to act like they were walking on water in the swimming pool, only they were walking on a dividing wall that was submerged underwater and separated the deep end from the shallow end. That evening after supper, the different groups put on performances of different Bible stories. My group was the purple group and we acted out the story of the good samaritan. They really seemed to enjoy that. Saturday, we got up early for devotions with Diana who illustrated how just because we can't see everything, that it doesn't mean it's not there. She used a blank piece of paper and painted over it with water color, but all that showed was a cross. She explained that this is the same with Jesus. He is still with us even when we don't see him. Devotions were followed with yet another interesting breakfast of rice soup. It kind of tasted like chicken and rice, only mine had a little more pepper in it. The morning continued with bible study led by Pastor Taweep, and arts and crafts time where we all painter fans to keep. After lunch the retreat was over. The kids had a good time and even asked if it could go longer the next time we do another one. By 1pm we were headed back to Bangkok, and very excited about all that took place this weekend! For all the pictures from this weekend click here.

Public Speaking :(

I think one of the most terrifying things for Christians to do is talk to complete strangers about their faith. If you have ever canvased a neighborhood, passed out tracts, or volunteered with your church evangelism committee, maybe you can relate to this fear. Perhaps you may have also had the experience of being roped into doing one of the above mentioned activities, and you were not just terrified, but you grumbled about the fact that you had to do this even though you didn't want to.
I can say that I have fit both of those descriptions before and may even a little right now. Tomorrow, our Thai language class is going on a field trip for the end of Module 2. Our teacher decided that we are going to go to Lumpini Park to practice speaking with Thai people about our faith since everyone in our class is Christian. I am very nervous. I have a hard enough time putting together basic sentences in class, and now I have to find a stranger, explain that I am studying Thai, and would like to talk to them about Jesus in Thai. My first reaction to this was I felt ill, that was followed by dread, and then I grumbled.
I know...I know... I'm a missionary, so I'm not supposed to feel this way, right? Well, unfortunately, I still suffer the effects of sin just as much as the next person, including-I realize- the people I am going to meet tomorrow at the park. The difference between us is that I have the forgiveness that comes only through faith in Christ and since 98% of Thai people are Buddhist, chances are that they don't.
I have a feeling that this will turn out to be a really positive experience like these things usually do. It never fails that when I grumble about doing something Christian, God always opens my eyes to the fact that He can do anything, and usually in ways beyond my understanding.