Thailand- Day #2 & 3

Day 2:

Our second day started out with more soccer (unfortunately I didn't take any pictures this day... not sure why!). Only this time, we actually got to play! Definitely a highlight for me as I've always loved soccer but haven't played in years. The school that the camp kids attended, held a little 'end of camp' tournament and had us adults play against the kids. There were a couple of guys matches and a couple of girls matches. I got to play on the women's team along with Karen Sanchez, some of the YWAM girls & a couple of Thai ladies. It was a blast and I must say, those little Thai girls were pretty darn good soccer players! :) By the end of it, I was drenched in sweat and completely out of breath. Its tough playing sports in intense heat & humidity! Jon also played with the adult guys' team & had a lot of fun, and both of our adult teams ended up winning the tournament. The school even handed out trophies! ;)

It was awesome getting to interact with the kids that way, and I quickly realized just one more reason I love sports-- they're the great neutralizer. In those moments of running up and down the field & scoring goals, it didn't matter that there was a significant language barrier. We could just enjoy a common interest and have fun doing it, without battling through not being able to speak with each other. I think both Jon and I could really see ourselves enjoying some sort of sports ministry in the future.

After the soccer game, we grabbed some lunch, had a bit of free time, and then met back at TLC (The Life Centre-- Team 2000's original Bangsaen church plant) to participate in the Friday night Slum ministry that Carmen Owen has started. Carmen is one of Team 2000's missionaries and she took us to a slum community that is literally just a block or two away from TLC church. The TLC team has a ministry where they go and provide the slum kids with crafts, games & songs on Friday nights and then also take that time, to interact with the parents in the community. Seeing as the day had been long & hot for Callie (and she desperately needed a nap), Jon stayed back with her at the guest house so that I could experience the slum ministry. He had a chance to do it when he was in Thailand 6 years ago and knew that I would enjoy it. I was so thankful I got to go! It was incredibly eye-opening to see the conditions that some of the Thai people have to live in, and yet, they're still so happy & friendly & inviting. The evening was full of coloring activity pages with the kids, playing catch with a beach ball, teaching them a worship song in English & spending time with the parents that were standing by. My heart broke for the people I met that night and I still have vivid thoughts of the kid's faces from that evening. It warmed my heart to see the love that Carmen & the other TLC team members have for these local people and how they are showing that love in such a practical way.

Next up was a "pizza & pop night" with the ALH kids. ALH stands for Abundant Life House and is the orphanage that Karen Sanchez has started in Chonburi. Its specifically for orphans with AIDS and we got the opportunity to go and see the orphanage and interact with the kids there. Much to our disappointment, this happened to be Callie's "fall-apart" night and we ended up having to leave early due to a VERY unhappy & overtired little girl. But in the short time we did have there, Jon enjoyed shooting hoops with the teenage boys from the orphanage & getting to connect through the sport he loves most.

Highlight from Day #2: For me, it was definitely getting to play soccer again, as well as being involved with the slum ministry. While at the slums, I had an awesome one on one talk with Carmen, and just really felt like God spoke into my heart through her. A lot of my fears & anxieties about going into missions full-time, were put to rest because of things she said to me. Very much a God-thing, and very much appreciated.

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Day 3:

Andy (Carmen's husband) took us on a tour of one of the local Buddhist temples. The main attraction, and most ironic part of this temple, is the section of "heaven & hell." The concept of heaven & hell are not a part of Buddhist beliefs typically and so the fact that they have a whole area of the temple grounds, dedicated to this is very interesting. I didn't take any pictures of that part of the temple because quite frankly, it was the most graphic and horrifying thing I have ever seen.

In it, they have sculpture after sculpture of intensely graphic "consequences" of sins in this life. Each sculpture had a plaque in front of it, explaining that "if you commit the sin of... (blank) then you will be condemned to... (blank)." I honestly can't even begin to explain just how graphic and just how terrible these images were. Andy explained that he wasn't showing us this section of the temple to creep us out, but to show us just how powerful Buddhism is in Thailand, and the intense barrier they're dealing with as Christian missionaries there. The Thai people NEED Jesus in a big way and this part of the temple made that especially clear.

Pretty much as soon as we entered the temple grounds, Jon decided to take Callie back out to the main entrance to wait because we didn't want our little girl seeing such awful things. So I toured through with the rest of the team, but after getting part way through "hell," I had to turn around and leave because it became too much to handle.

And the thing I found the most interesting is that the "hell" section was so big, whereas the "heaven" section was very small and not really all that "heaven-like." It was just a few statues of the "good-gods" and very unspecific. It really saddened me to see just how much negativity is drilled into the Thai Buddhists, when they could be experiencing true freedom in Christ.

Entering the Buddhist temple grounds... not exactly the most "inviting" sight ;)

Our team walking through the temple grounds...

After seeing so many grotesque sculptures & negative images, I decided I would take pictures of more 'happy' things... like the beautiful flowers :)

Riding the song-tao...

After the temple we went to the Chonburi market to do some authentic Thai shopping. Then it was time for lunch...

One of my favorite dishes while we were in Thailand...

Roasted duck & prawn Pad Thai. SO delicious!

On the ride back to the guest house, Callie fell asleep in Jon's arms. Just more proof of how flexible she was throughout the trip...

And this was her bed during our time in Thailand...

our suitcase!

She loved it and always went right to sleep when we put her in it :)

Then, after supper it was time for the 'Angsila Christmas Extravaganza'. Team 2000's church plant in Angsila, put on a big Christmas event for the people in the community. It was a huge success! So many people came out and they had everything from singing, to door prizes, to hip-hop dancing & break dancing. It was a really fun evening and the entire street was filled with Thai adults & children...

Some of the ALH girls doing a hip-hop dance...

Angsila Church...

More flexibility from our munchkin.

How she slept through all the noise & excitement is beyond me :)

Highlight from Day 3: Getting to see the community of Angsila come together for the Christmas Extravaganza was extremely heart-warming. Everyone had such a good time and it made me smile to see little Thai kids dancing in the street & enjoying all the music and fun. The whole event was just such a neat experience.

Thailand- Day #1

The shear magnitude of what could be included in this post, is exactly what has kept me from posting about it. I've been procrastinating due to the many experiences and hundreds of pictures I could share about. I hardly know where to begin. That, and the fact that so many people have said they're dying to hear about our trip, but when we start to get into the details, they seem to kind of 'glaze over' and seem totally uninterested (though there have been a few exceptions to this.) And I guess I understand it a little bit. When you haven't been there, experiencing it for yourself, it just isn't quite as captivating. But I must admit that its left us a little deflated and not as quick to share.

None the less, I know there are many of you out there that actually are interested to hear about our vision trip to Thailand, and so... this is for you. Finally. Thank-you for your patience :)

I'll break it down a day at a time so as not to overwhelm you...

The trip over there was LONG but thankfully, pretty uneventful. Callie was an even better traveller than I could have ever asked for. I didn't even have to nurse her during take-off & landings. She was either asleep already, or totally un-bothered by the altitude change. She was happy during the long flights and slept really well in the provided bassinets. We flew Vancouver to Tokyo and then Tokyo to Bangkok. It was a total of about 18 hours of flying (in which I only slept about 2 hours combined) and then once we arrived in Bangkok, we had an hour car ride to Chonburi, where we finally settled into our guest house. By the time we got settled & into bed, it was about 3:00am local time. I was extremely concerned for Callie because after 19 hours of travelling, and roughly an 8 or 9 hour time change, the fact that we had to be downstairs for breakfast by 9am and off to a soccer camp by 10am, was a little disconcerting. But... much to my surprise, she went right to sleep and switched over to the new time change as if it was nothing. She was up and happy the next morning and ready & raring to go. All I can attribute it to is the power of prayer! We definitely felt your prayers, specifically for Callie, so thank-you!!!!

Jon & Callie watching morning cartoons at the Vancouver airport...

Our first day in Thailand included helping out with a soccer camp at a local school (the YWAM group that was there was running it), touring through AngSila (a community within Chonburi, where Team 2000 has planted a new church), enjoying an authentic Thai lunch at the beach, orientation with Ricky Sanchez and an evening of shopping & perusing the Bangsaen night markets. It was a long day considering we were dealing with jet-lag and extreme heat (it was winter time while we were there but it was still usually around +35 celcius or more with the humidity every day). We quickly realized that sweat was just a new part of our every day wardrobe, and there was no getting around it. :)

One of the very first things we learned about Thai people (by personal experience) was the fact that they LOOOOVE white babies. Honestly, there are no words to describe the infatuation they had for both Callie, and her little buddy, Solas (son to Tracy & Cecil- one of the couples on our team). And we're not just talking about Thai kids. It was anyone, any age, any gender. They all flocked to the babies, wherever we went, and always touched them. Whether it was squeezing their legs, or holding their hands, or even asking to hold them... the babies were in constant limelight. Surprisingly (and much to our relief), Callie didn't seem to mind. I thought that having a million and one hands touching her constantly, and faces right up close to hers would upset her, but she just seemed puzzled and curious about her audience.

Tracy & Solas getting ready for some soccer.

I love Solas' shades...

Our team getting the low-down from Ricky...

This was a very common sight throughout our trip.

Not necessarily the part of Callie being held by a Thai person, but definitely the attention part... :)

AngSila soccer camp...

Touring through AngSila.

Boats being built by local workers...

Walking through the AngSila markets...

(Jon, Callie & Paul- one of our team members)

Karen Sanchez giving us a demonstration of one of the market drink specialties...

Traditional Thai lunch at Bangsaen beach...

The food was IN-credible...

This looks a lot like cooked bugs but it was actually delicious BBQ'ed chicken...

SO good...

"Hey Mommy.

It sure is hot here!

I'm lovin' this naked freedom right now." ;)

The ladies that cooked the meat for our lunch...

Cooling off back at the guest house.

We took a little blow-up travel tub with us. Callie loved relaxing in it every evening...

The view from our room at the guest house...

So, most of the first day was spent seeing the local area and hearing a bit about the Thai people & their culture.

Highlight for Day 1-- It was really neat watching/interacting with the kids at the soccer camp. A lot of them come from very poor families so it was fun to see them enjoying themselves playing soccer with the YWAM team. It was a free camp for the local children & it seemed to be a big success. The kids were able to enjoy playing soccer, doing relays & hearing testimonies from the YWAM'ers. All in all, a good start to the trip.

Flying high on Christmas day...

A little glimpse at Callie showing off for her Auntie Naomi...

Can it be??

5 years ago today, I received the best belated Christmas gift ever. A proposal from Jon. I can hardly believe its been that long already! So much has happened over the last 5 years. So many memories have been created. So much has happened.

And I wouldn't change any of it. There is no one else I'd rather navigate through life with. I love you Jon. Thanks for "popping the question" all those years ago :)

For those that are interested in hearing about how Jon proposed, I've pasted a portion of the email that I sent 5 years ago to all our friends & family, to share the details of the big news. (*Note: Please excuse how "young" I sound in this email... because, I was ;))

Hey everyone,

Alright, so first of all, (in case you were unaware) I had been at home in Hepburn for Christmas and was there from Dec 15 til Dec 26. My whole family drove me back to my new home here in Chilliwack, BC because they wanted to see the place I had been living since May of 2004. So anyway....they were here and it just so happened that on Wednesday afternoon, Dec 29, we wanted to go into Vancouver to see a few "sights". But as far as I knew, Jon had to be at a big citywide youth night because of his internship. So I had just written the evening off of us being together and went off to Vancouver with my family. We went to the Lonsdale Quay (which is a very cool harbour side market type place in North Van) and just looked around at the markets and enjoyed the view of the harbour and all that good stuff :)

So I decided to go into this one store to look at bathing suits or something and while I am leaning over a rack, I felt someone come up beside me. I just thought it was my brother so i didn't bother to look up. But then they said to me, "Are you finding everything you're looking for?" So I look up and there stands Jon, all dressed up and holding this medium sized white cardboard box. Now this is the part that I have a hard time relaying because you seriously have NO idea how COMPLETELY confused I was. I just stared at him in TOTAL disbelief and could not seem to figure out that it was actually him standing there. I thought it just must be a really crazy look alike because....well.... he was supposed to be at the youth thing in Chilliwack. He kept telling me to come with him 'cause we were going on a date, but I refused to go with him because I didn't even think it was him. So anyway...I look outside the store and there is my whole family, laughing and smiling at me. Turns out that they were all in on it.....and then my mom says to Jon, "So what is in the white box?" My dad told her not to be nosy :) and Jon just replied, "Oh, its just a little treat for us later." So I didn't really give it much thought.

So Jon had had my mom pack me a bag and so I got changed into some dressier clothes and then Jon and I took the seabus across the harbour. It was INCREDIBLE because it was dark and all the lights of Vancouver were shining. We chatted and he told me about all the buildings we were seeing because I had never been to that area of Vancouver before. Then we got off the seabus and walked up to Canada Place and as we are walking up the steps I ask if I can see what's in the box yet. Jon told me that I needed to learn to let things be a surprise every now and then and that he would show me when he was good and ready. (Oh and by the way....this whole time I was COMPLETELY oblivious because Jon had given me the impression that we probably wouldn't get engaged til about March or April, so i didn't see it coming AT ALL!)

So we walked around the front of Canada place, with the harbour in the background and the beautiful Lion's Gate Bridge all lit up behind us, and then Jon gives me the white box and says I can open it now. I take the lid off and inside is a little clay man that looks just like Jon and he's holding a sign that says, "Will you marry me?" (he had it made while he was in Cancun in November). I could not believe my eyes so I slammed the lid shut and just stared at Jon in total disbelief. Then he got down on one knee and then I started to lose it and kept saying, "Is this for real!?!?!?" So he gave me his little speech (which is all a blur now! :)) and told me that he didn't want to spend another day without me and asked if I would marry him. I said, quite exuberantly i might add, "YES.....OF COURSE!!!!" and then we hugged and kissed and cried and it was simply wonderful!

Then he said that we had to go because he had made dinner reservations, and so we walked until we got to the Harbour Centre (a big tower that kind of resembles the Calgary tower). We took the long elevator ride up to the very top where we had THE most incredible dinner at "The Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant." I have NEVER eaten at such a fancy restaurant in my whole life and it was so amazing because the restaurant actually rotates 360 degrees every hour and so we had an entire view of all of Vancouver. It was honestly the most amazing night of my life and one that I will never forget. And the coolest part was how Jon included my family in the whole thing.....'cause seeing as I live so far from home now, they might have missed out on such a special occasion. Oh and in case you were wondering, Jon had asked my dad for my hand in marriage that morning at breakfast, while I was still fast asleep at home :)

-Bonnie-

Merry Christmas!

Well... we're home, we're sick, we're jet-lagged, but we're happy to be back and looking forward to a relaxing Christmas! I'll post as soon as we've had some time to settle in again. Just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas & may you soak in this time of remembering Christ's birth and all that it means to us. Blessings!

One last update before we leave...

November was a crazy month to say the least. As many of you know, Jon's dad got very sick with H1N1 (it then turned to double pneumonia and became life-threatening) while on holidays in California and was hospitalized for well over a month. At one point, it got so bad that they called all the kids down to be with him, so Jon and his sisters joined their mom in San Clemente. Thankfully, he stabilized enough that they were finally able to air-lift him to Royal Columbian Hospital in Vancouver, a couple of weeks ago. After spending a few days in the ICU there, a bed became available in the Chilliwack ICU and he was moved closer to home. There have been SO many people praying for his recovery and those prayers have been answered in so many ways. Dad still has a very long road of recovery ahead of him but I'm excited to share that he was finally able to go home this week! Praise the Lord for his faithfulness through this uncertain time, and we continue to pray that he will give Dad a full recovery. Thank you to all of you who, have been, and continue to, pray for him & the rest of the family!!!

As I may have mentioned in a previous post, work has been fairly slow for Jon here in Chilliwack. So when the opportunity arose for him to build some cabins at Pines Bible Camp (near Grand Forks, BC), he had to jump at it. It wasn't ideal, considering its a 5+ hour drive but at least it was some more consistent work. Between several trips to Grand Forks, and the trip to see his Dad in California, Jon didn't have much time at home in the month of November. We added it up and I think he only had about a week at home, if we combined all the days.

Needless to say that when he had to go down for another 1 week stretch, halfway through the month, he really wanted Callie & I to join him. I wasn't wild about the idea of being all by myself, out in the sticks, with no internet or human contact during the day, but I also didn't want to have another week away from Jon. So we packed up and went along for a week at camp :) And to be honest, it actually ended up being a very relaxing and much needed break from all of life's crazyness. I watched movies, took Callie for walks, and read a fantastic book. Plus, we got quite a bit of snow while we were there and it was so cute to watch Callie's fascination with the falling snowflakes. She was completely mesmerized by them :) Here are some pictures from our time there...

Goofing off in her playpen when she was supposed to be napping...

Some of the cabins Jon & Adam built...

Enjoying a walk in the brisk afternoon air...

Our 'sun-bather' @ nap time...

(* I must mention that one of my favorite things about Callie right now is her predictability when it comes to sleeping. She ALWAYS sleeps with her hands tucked under her head, and the blanket either right up to her face or over her whole head-- much to my dismay :) You know she's in a deep sleep if she's sporting the "sunbather" pose. If not, chances of her waking up are very high. I love it that she's so easy to read!)

With all the chaos of life, and trying to keep up with everyday commitments, Callie has had many opportunities to spend time with her Grammy & Grampa Glen. They have, of course, been so willing to baby-sit when Jon & I needed to visit Dad Esau in hospital, or while I've had worship practice and Jon had work, or other things to do. We've really appreciated it and it is so fun to see Callie's face light up when she sees them. She definitely recognizes their faces. Thanks for all your help over the last month Mom & Dad! We couldn't have done it without you :)

Having a laugh with Grampa...

... and her more serious side... :)

Christmas will be very different this year, now that we have Callie. She'll be a few days shy of being 6 months old at Christmas, so although she won't really understand what all the fuss is about, it will still be neat for us to share the holidays with her for the first time. I set up the Christmas tree last week and so far, she loves to stare at it in amazement. All the lights & shiny ornaments have definitely captured her attention...

... and so have her toes! She's just recently discovered this new "toy" and loves to pull on her socks and suck on her toes when she's barefoot. :)

Love that wicked little grin...

All ready for the holidays...

Callie turned 5 months old on November 30 and it feels like she's suddenly just so grown up. She laughs and smiles at pretty much anything and is becoming so independent. She's still pretty lazy when it comes to rolling over (she'll roll from her tummy to her back, but doing the opposite doesn't seem to interest her all that much) but she loves jumping around in her exersaucer and has quickly mastered how to spin herself around in it. She tries valiantly to sit up on her own and comes very close with each attempt. And one of our favorite things as of late is her "singing." If you sing to her, or put on music, she quickly sings along. If you stop, she stops. Its hilarious, and very cute. She's really finding her voice and daily practices to see where her highest possible note is. She's not quite at a high A, but I'm sure she'll get there soon ;) We love her constant babble and bubble-blowing, and are endlessly entertained by her cheery personality.
She's also been teething like CRAZY for the last month or so. No teeth have made their appearance yet but she's certainly been feeling the pain of them. She gnaws on anything and everything, drools like a mad-woman, and night-time's with her haven't been as wonderful as they once were. :( But thankfully, overall, she's still the happy little munchkin she's always been.

I love this picture of her chomping on an empty Tim Horton's cup at Grammy's house...

Figured we'd start her young ;)

In other news, one of my very best friends, Ginny, got married on Nov.28. She and Steve tied the knot at the Alliance church here in Chilliwack, and though the weather didn't really cooperate, the indoor decor was absolutely stunning. Here are some pictures from the big day. (Sorry... some of them are pretty blurry as we were sitting in the back row-- Jon and I were ushers so we needed seats that we could sneak into discreetly.)

The beautiful bride making her entrance...

The reception centre pieces were unique & so beautiful...

The very attractive & very happy couple...

Well... this has turned out to be a bit longer than I had originally planned, so I better wrap it up. I'll finish with a quick update on our Thailand trip (which is quickly approaching!) We fly out this Tuesday, Dec.8 (flight leaves at 1:55pm) and travel from Vancouver to Tokyo. Our flight arrives in Tokyo at 5:30pm and our our next flight leaves at 6:35pm, so it doesn't leave us a lot of time (please pray that we make our connecting flight!). We then fly to Bangkok and arrive there at 11:45pm. From there, we will be driving to the guest house we're staying at in Bangsaen, and aren't scheduled to arrive 'til 2:00am. Needless to say, we could REALLY use your prayers for getting enough sleep on the flights, and energy to get us through the intense travel.

Our 10 days in Thailand are set to include anything from: visits to the different church plants (some as far north as Chiang Rai), time at the ALH orphanage in Chonburi, helping out with kids' soccer camps in Angsila, Praise & Worship times w/ the churchs we visit, visiting the Khmu villages, and much, much more. And although they have provided us with an itinerary, we've been told to be prepared for things to change. :)

So... for those that are willing to pray for us while we're in Thailand, here is a specific list of things we could use prayer for:

- good, restful sleep & good health while we are flying (**especially for Callie... but also for Jon & I. Quite frankly... if Callie doesn't sleep, neither do I! And I don't want to be useless due to exhaustion, once we arrive in Thailand)

- safety in travel (both air & land)

- flexibility from Callie during our busy schedule

- clear calling from God (ie: what he has in store for us.) We'd really love to receive concise answers as to whether to pursue missions or not, and whether it should be Thailand or somewhere else, or whether He just wants us to stay closer to home.

- open hearts & minds for what He calls us to.

- freedom from distractions & worries while we're there. To be able to soak in the experience, and then clearly debrief our time in Thailand.

- to have the opportunity to speak into people's lives while we're there (whether it be in word or action-- we want to be able to show God's love clearly to those we encounter).

- continue to pray for the missionaries that are already there (the Sanchez family, the Sinclair-Peters family, & the Owens family). We're excited to see the way God has been moving over there, through these faithful servants!

- and just continued prayer for a softening in the hearts of the Thai people. Thailand is only 0.7% Christian so there is still a lot of work to be done in sharing the Gospel with unbelievers.

We just want to say a HUGE thank-you again to everyone who has supported us both financially & through prayer!! We wouldn't have been able to do this trip without you and are so appreciative of everyone's support as we embark on this adventure! So... bye for now & we'll 'talk' to you in a few weeks!