Thailand 13: 4/2/13 Cody’s Entry

Yesterday we had the opportunity to play vacation bible school games, sing songs, do crafts, and perform a Jesus walking on water skit.  The entire time was fun and exciting, and most of all we got really close to the Thai kids here in Udon Thani. After we ate lunch we drove in a bus to the outer province of Udon to play vacation bible school games at Elisha Children’s home. The kids at the children’s home were all very excited to see us there and were very open to playing and trying to talk with us.   Surprisingly, their English was not bad.  Once again we sang songs and performed skits and did crafts with the kids.  We had dinner at the children’s home, then drove back to Udon.  After a quick change of clothes, we were off to play soccer at an indoor facility that was actually outside, just covered with a net.

– Cody

Distributing Bikes to local Thai Children

Members of the Church, the SFC team, members of the community, and the children who had received bicycles.

At the Elisha Children’s Home, distributing care packages to the children.

Fun in the van on the way back to the hotel.

Thailand ’13: 4/1/13 Darrian’s Entry

Today we woke up at 7:00 for some refreshing iced coffee to help us wake up for our big workday.  We went to the fields that SBC owns to take all of the weeds and thorn bushes out.  We cut and chopped bushes and trees down for about 4 to 5 hours.  We got back to the hotel at about 4:00 and rested up for a delicious Vietnamese meal.  After the meal we came back to the hotel and had a devotion time with our new friend Clement (a church intern from Singapore) and also got ready for the orphanages that we are going to tomorrow.  Everything is going great in Thailand.

–Darrian

**Editor’s note: Apologies for the lack of pictures tonight.  We’ll have some extras up tomorrow.**

Thailand 2013: 3/31/13… Kayla’s Entry

Thailand so far has been AMAZING!! Our journey here was long, but so far has definitely been worth it. We arrived safely into Bangkok on Friday, and had the pleasure of meeting Pramote, one of the leaders at the SBC church we are working with. He took us to an crocodile farm where we watched a crocodile show, held baby tigers and monkeys, and got to ride elephants! It was an experience that will forever be engrained in my mind. The next day, after arriving in Udon Thani Friday night, we met with the kids at the SBC church and went to an aquarium and a street market in Nong Khai. We bartered with vendors and enjoyed our first Thai meal together, called Pad Thai, a delicious noodle and peanut dish. That night, just the SFC group went to a night market in Udon where some of us ate BUGS! Julia, Coach Whyte, Cody, Darrian, Colin, Mr. Litts and I all ate the bugs. They were disgusting! Today we woke up for the sunrise service at a cemetery, to celebrate the rising of our Savior, Jesus Christ! We also went to the Easter service at SBC and sang some songs in English to the church. After church, we all went to participate in some pretty competitive basketball games. We split up into multiple teams and played many games. It is so hot and humid here, words do not even give how much we have been sweating justice. Tonight we finished our Easter celebration with a party at the church, where we performed some American pop songs to the Thai members, and in return they preformed cultural dances and skits. It has been such a blessing and amazing opportunity to be here and we cannot wait for the rest of the week. We miss you all and ask you to keep us all in your prayers. We love you and Happy Easter!!!

–Kayla

Finally arrived in Bangkok!

By the Mekong River in Nong Khai

Basketball with Sajatharm Bible Church Members.

Singing “Firework” for the Church Party.

CR Day 9 and 10: Feliz Cumpleanos a Fe!

**Editors note:  The wifi has been incredibly spotty lately, so if this is the last post we put up, it’s been a spectacular trip and you should all be very proud of your daughters and the work they did.  We’re still on track to return tomorrow evening.  See everyone tomorrow**

Buenas!

Yesterday, surprisingly, we painted all day! We started off a little slow because we were extremely tired, but after a while we actually got a lot done. Throughout the past week and a half, I have gotten to know Diego’s brother, Leo, very well because we have been teaching each other English and Spanish. Well yesterday Leo decided it would be delightful to not tell me there was an alarm in one of the rooms I was painting in, so I stepped back to look at what else need to be done on the door and an alarm started blaring very loudly throughout the entire school. Needless to say, it was a little embarrassing when everyone started staring and laughing at me because I set off the alarm. During lunch, Coach B, Figue, the captain of the team, and Chaca, one of Diego’s friends who has been helping paint as well, all shared their testimonies and I think all their stories resonated in some way with each person in the room. It has been amazing to see how God has worked differently in each of our lives, whether we live in Costa Rica or California, we all have different stories, and different ways God has shown himself in our lives.

After dinner that night, we got the opportunity to play indoor cinco a cinco (five vs. five) against two of the better local teams. We won the first game 3 to 2 and lost 1 to 3 against the second team.  It was really fun to play with them but it was difficult to get used to their style of play because they have such good footwork. Coach Whyte also played a game against the boys we have been working with all week. I’m pretty sure Coach’s team lost 4 to 9 but you can’t say they weren’t into it. He may, or may not have, shaved his head into a mohawk to match the guys from the local team for the game along with some of the other people in other sites with Students International. So even though they didn’t play all too well, they looked pretty fly. We got back to the hostel at around 10:15 so that’s why we’re blogging about two days today.

Today was Faith’s birthday so we were pretty excited about it and I was really excited we got to spend it with her, along with all the Costa Ricans we have been working with. In Costa Rica, there is a birthday tradition that you smash eggs on the head of the birthday girl. So Faith got 15 eggs smashed onto her head after lunch today. Today we switched off painting, cleaning, and playing soccer. We have all been working really hard to finish the school but its been a bit difficult to stay on task because we have been trying to paint bars on all the windows, which is very difficult and very time consuming. We came back to the hostel and after dinner we let Faith blow out her birthday candles and we talked about going back home and how we should adjust back to normal life.

The trip has been amazing so far and all of our friendships with each other and the boys on the team are beginning to become strong.  The majority of the girls are upset that we have to leave the boys we have come to know and love so soon but we are all so thankful for the opportunity we have had to come here and play soccer and paint with such a wonderful group of people. Can’t wait to see you and miss you all!

- Julia

CR Day 8: 16 v 12

Buenos Tardes!

Once again we woke up nice and early for our devotions.  This morning Diego, who we work with daily, came to lead a devotion on humility and we were able to see a different side of him.  At the end of devotion Coach Whyte led worship.  After breakfast we trekked  to the bus stop and took our usual bus to the school in Capri.  Today was the second to last day of painting and we were told to be super careful and do good touch ups.  We were warned not to get too much paint on ourselves because we are running super low on paint and turpentine, the only stuff that removes the paint.  At lunch we played a sort of telephone game in english and spanish so it was a challenge for both the boys and us girls.  Diego then used the game to emphasize the fact that we both live in different cultures and we need to be accepting and open to new and different ones.  After lunch, we did something different and took a packed small van with everyone, boys team and girls team to Los Guido, the town in which most the guys live.  Here we played boys vs. girls in the heart of their neighborhood.  We were able to see the type of houses and environment that they lived in, which contrasts greatly with our own at home.  We won obviously but it had nothing to do with the fact that we were playing 16 on 12 and had a couple of their best players on our team.  During the game, the rain began to fall and by the end we were covered from head to toe in mud, but it turned out to be one of the most fun times we have had here.  We took our usual bus back to the hostel and stopped at the store for some snacks.  Tonight was poverty night and to experience it we were given rice and beans, a dinner that the poor people in Costa RIca eat if they have enough money to eat.  We discussed statics that really opened our eyes to poverty around the world.  We wrapped up our night with a study in groups on certain verses that incorporated the poverty we talked about before.  Today was a good day of painting, soccer, and learning.

~Grace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CR Day 7: Adventures in the City

Hola!

This morning we woke up bright and early to start the day with our daily devotions. Looking a little more worn out then usual, we still worshiped our hearts out with the smooth playings of the white tiger on guitar a.k.a Coach Whyte. During the devotion, we talked about the importance of gaining wisdom from God, and not worldly things. Our fellow teammate Brooke Wimsatt lightened the mood when she shared that, “the difference is that knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; but wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.” After, we walked to the bus stop and on the way got to meet up with our fellow cow friend. We then arrived to the school and met up with the boys from the soccer team to begin the finishing touches on all of the painting. At lunch time, Isabella and Paige shared their testimonies. With each testimony shared, both teams realize that even in different countries we both face the same problems. Following lunch we made our way to the local market for the shopping portion of our trip. We searched, bargained, and bought some amazing Costa Rican treasures from the local stores! It was very fun practicing the Spanish we knew with some of the Ticos. After the long day of painting and shopping we rode the public bus to our casa for these two weeks. We finished up the night by showing what we had bought, listening to music, and playing many mini soccer games in the living hall. It was an incredibly stupendous day and I am so very excited to have five days left!!!

~Avery

**Editors Note: Today’s awesome pics brought to you by Coach B!  We’ve also had some great pictures on the blog courtesy of Faith**

Paige and Bells getting ready to share their testimonies.

The girls posing with our new friend Macho from the Los Guido Boys Team.

 

 

 

 

 

CR Day 6: Party in the Park

Greetings from Costa Rica!

Today we slept in an extra hour and had a devotion led by Jeff, our Students International leader. The devotional taught was about our tongues being like the bits in a horses mouth; it leads us where we don’t want to go. We also learned that we should keep our words in check and that we can never take our words back after we have said them. After breakfast, we went to La Primera Iqlesia Batuista de Desamparados; a church a couple blocks away from our hostel. We sang in spanish to familiar tunes and read scripture out of the book of Amos. After a delicious lunch at the SI(Students International) center, we took the public bus to the local park. There were a variety of activities to try out from paddle boats to sliding down a gigantic hill on cardboard boxes. Some girls even got a face painting and some shaved ice! After getting home from the park, we stopped at the corner market to pick up various treats like pineapple soda and even fresh baked bread. Most of the team stayed at the hostel and played card games while a brave three took a run on the track close by. Today was a very exciting day, and we cant wait to see the guys soccer team tomorrow for another fun packed day!

~ Katia

 

 

The monument to the disbanding of the Costa Rican Military in the park we visited.

(Costa Rica doesn’t have a standing army)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CR Days 4 and 5: La Playa y La Tirolesa

Queridos Padres y Amigos,

Yesterday we were enlightened with Costa Rican culture. Our day started off with the usual morning devotional then painting and playing soccer at the school. At lunch we had worship with the boys soccer team and added a little friendly competition by bringing up a few girls from our team to sing in Espanol and a couple boys to sing “Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord” in English. After that we came back and got ready for a night we will always remember. Diego and his wife gave us a lesson on how to make coffee and tamales Costa Rican style then had us try a ton of Costa Rican fruits. Right after that a dance instructor came to our hostel and taught us a famous cultural dance that we all picked up quite quickly and professionally. We were then surprised with the generosity of being able to sleep in until 8 as opposed to 6am. This morning we woke up completely refreshed, ready for a jam packed day of zip lining and a day at the beach. The zip line was an hour and a half of pure thrill and beauty through the jungle. Ants the size of a human finger and venomous creatures of all kinds added to the exquisite fun of the zip line tour. Moments after, the team got on the bus and headed to the beach. The water was warmer then anyone expected, living in the cold weather of San Diego, and we stayed in for hours then left for the mall to have a lovely american meal. Overall, today and yesterday was unforgettable and an incredible learning experience.

Madalyn

The Team at culture night.  The guy on the left is Tyler, one of the S.I. interns working at the sports site.

CR Day 3: Kickin’ in Capri

Hola from Costa Rica!

This morning, some girls chose to go on a run at 5 am while others “slept in” until 6. We started off our day with a devotional from the book of James about showing favoritism and how God teaches us to love each other as ourselves, along with some great acoustic worship. Soon we were hard at work, painting at the school again, and already it looks brighter! Many of the Costa Rican kids started to warm up to us ‘Gringos’ and conversations of “spanglish” are becoming very popular. More testimonies were shared over lunch along with worship and prayer. Its intriguing to see how Diego, the team leader, incorporates God into his soccer team. Afterwards, we got to escape the smell of paint and play soccer! Many of the kids that were there yesterday came back and brought their amigos. We’re all ready for a good nights sleep so we can wake up refreshed tomorrow to continue this amazing trip!

-Haley

Hanging out with Jorge and Christian (two of the guys from the team)

CR Day 2: Cali Girls Killin’ It.

Friends and Family,

Today we woke bright and early for a devotion at 6:30 am. After devotion and breakfast we walked to the bus stop to go to a small town called Capri to work at the local school.  We met our “partners in crime” the local boys high school soccer team that we are going to be working with for these two weeks.  Diego, the boys coach and the Students International missionary, was asked to repaint the school.  Right when we got to the school, we were hard at work taping, cleaning, and painting the school.  The boys were so impressed about how hard we worked. They thought we were just going to be “Cali girls” that didn’t raise a finger, but Christian, a boy on the team, said that even though we looked like cute cali girls we worked like grown men.  During lunch Brooke, Julia, and one of the players shared their testimonies, which by the way Julia told it beautifully in spanish.  After lunch, it was time to play soccer! We split up into groups of 4 and 5 and played small sided scrimmages with little kids and other boys.  Diego, two of his players, and a translator joined us for dinner. Following dinner, Diego shared his amazing testimony which was really great to hear how his walk with the Lord developed through hardship.  It’s already a great trip and we are all so excited to get back to work tomorrow!

~Isabella