Klu Moe

klu moeNovember 10, 2011My student this week is a special young lady named Klu Moe (pronounced Clue Moe). I thought I should write about her soon because she was one of the main reasons I am here. I will get into that later but first I will tell you about why she’s so special. Okay, all of my students are special and I think I might say that about all of them but Klu Moe is really, really special to me. Her English is not as good as some of the other students but she’s coming along. We talk often but usually it’s with very broken language… but even with its brokenness there doesn’t seem to be any trouble communicating. Klu is pretty quiet and somewhat shy, she’ll not be the first to speak out in class but she will still try when I ask her to and she is always paying close attention. I usually notice her repeating my pronunciation to herself while I’m talking so I know that she wants to learn even if she isn’t the most outspoken student. Her name means beautiful daughter and she really is a pretty girl and I’m sure a treasured daughter.Klu Moe is 20 years old and is in her third year at the Bible school. She comes from the same village as Hten Phaw (the first student I featured), which is Tee The Kalo in Karenni State. She has three younger sisters and one younger brother who all live with her mother, grandmother and grandfather in her home town. Her village is very dangerous because the soldiers will often steal their food and money. When she was 15 years old she watched as the Burmese soldiers killed the leader of her village, this instilled a fear in her that you can tell runs very deep. Klu Moe is a very sweet girl who exudes kindness all of the time and I can’t imagine how it must have been to see such violence but I know that the twinkle in her eye disappeared while she was telling me about it and it was disturbing to me. Her dark eyes seemed to get even darker and because of this I changed the subject, I’m sure there were several instances of fear and violence that she can recollect vividly but I couldn’t stand to see the sadness in her face any longer.Klu Moe has a sad personal story that isn’t unique to Burma but I hope that her faith and ability to overcome will encourage you. When Klu Moe was very young her father left her family and went to Thailand. When he left he told them he was going to work for the day and he never returned home. She is not sure why he left but she said that life is very hard for them in Burma and it was hard for him to provide for their family. Because of his absence her mother was very sad and incredibly worried about how they would survive with just her left to support them; for a long time they all hoped he would return. At that time in her village her family was a disgrace because her father was gone so they struggled not only to survive but also with being accepted or respected by others. Klu Moe explained that she was so sad and cried all the time after her father left. She went to Sunday School every week and once her teacher told her that God can do anything and He is very powerful. After hearing this she prayed that she would meet her father one day, if God can do anything he might allow her to see him again. This news also gave her an eagerness to learn more about God and she began to depend on His word and wanted very badly to study theology. She learned of the Bible school from the leaders in her church and was able to come in 2009.A few months ago her prayer was answered. She found out that her father is living in Chiang Mai, Thailand and he was trying to contact her. At first she was very excited and had a hard time believing that she would hear from him after so long but soon her excitement turned to anger. When she first talked to him on the phone she asked him why he would forsake her. He apologized for what he had done and she forgave him for all of the pain that he has caused in her life and eventually he came to the school to meet her. She says that she feels sad that her sisters and brother were not able to see him and she also had to give up a dream that one day her family would be together again and live happily. He has a new life and a new family in Thailand. He is also Buddhist and her prayer now is that one day he will know God and not live as a Buddhist but as a Christian. I think one day she’ll have a hand in helping him learn about God. The picture below is from the day that she met her father two months ago.When she finishes at the Bible school in 2013 she plans to return to her family in Burma. Her church is large with about 300 parishioners but right now they do not have a pastor and she is thinking she might even try to take this role. She also would like to learn more about theology and music, especially the violin and piano.I told you Klu Moe is an important reason why I’m here and that’s because when I was here in January her and I became fast friends. She was usually by my side and although her English was worse at that time I still seemed to understand her. She was the one who asked me several times “English Teacher? English Teacher?” At first I had no idea why she was repeating this all the time but I soon found out that she was asking if that’s why I was there, to be their English teacher? At that time I insistently told her ”no, sorry” but of course you all know that the rest is history.. who would have thought I would really come back to be just that? Maybe Klu Moe. Before I left in January I gave Klu Moe my Bible. I thought it might be a way for her to learn English if she compared her Burmese or Karenni Bible to my English Bible. Maybe it’s working or maybe it’s not, I don’t know. But I do know that she’s putting many miles on it with many Karenni notes and page markers throughout.When I first arrived back to the school in September Klu Moe greeted me with a big sweet grin and exclaimed “my favorite is back!” That was a day I will never forget.Please keep her and her family in your prayers as they will continue to struggle with a difficult life in Burma and as Klu Moe continues to impact the lives of others like she has mine.Jeremiah 29:11 ”For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Christine Sian felt called to return to Thailand for a year, after our trip there in Jan. 2011, to teach English to the Karreni students. She returned to Thailand Sept 2011. She has decided to feature her students one at a time so that we can better know them. Her first featured student is then phaw, or as we knew her, Matthew. Please read and enjoy getting to know this beautiful girl.

New
post on My Thailand Mission Blog


then phawby ChristineSian



My
first featured student is Then Phaw (pronounced Tay Paw) . I'm starting with
this beautiful lady because she speaks English very well and she understood my
objective by telling their stories to everyone back home. I want to make sure
the students understand exactly what I'm doing before I put anything about them
on the internet and not only does she understand but she'll help me explain this
to all of the other students. Then Phaw also goes by Matthew (just like the
first book in the New Testament) which is the name her grandfather calls her by,
it's also the name that anyone who was with me in January will remember her by,
but her classmates and teachers call her Then Phaw. Her given name was Thaw Paw
(pronounced like it's spelled) and means "new flower" in Karenni. When she
started school she changed her� �name to Then Paw. She is a very outgoing,
ambitious student with a beautiful smile that lights up a room. She has a cute
dimple in her left cheek that shows itself when she's giggling, which like most
of my students is a lot of the time. When Then Phaw laughs she usually tears up
quickly, which is something her and I have in common, she told me that her
laughing and crying are opposites because she doesn't have tears when she is
sad. She loves to joke about my village in America when I ask her about her
village in Burma, this usually gets the tears flowing because she ends up really
amusing herself! Then Phaw is 22 years old and is in her third year at the
Bible School which means she will graduate in March 2013. She is a talented
musician (I will most likely say this about all of my students, but it is true);
she has a beautiful singing voice and she plays the violin, flute, and guitar
well. She also plays a little piano and the drums but doesn't consider herself
very good with those instruments. Music is very important to the school and the
students so they all have a little experience with several instruments, they
really put me to shame.
Then
Paw has a spunky personality, she's very witty and likes to tease her teachers
and her classmates with her clever use of new English words. She often has me
laughing and constantly impresses me with her remarks during class. Today she
told me that one of my thoughts that I was sharing with the students was very
deep. This made me smile. Not because my thought was profound but because she
knew the meaning of deep in the context of intellect, not just as an adjective
for say, a river. If you were here with me you would understand that this is a
small victory and is so encouraging for me to hear.
Then
Phaw has an older brother, a younger brother and younger sister, however her
younger sister passed away two years ago. Her mother also passed away two years
ago, two months before they lost her sister. Both died from illness, her mother
was 39 years old and her sister was only 2 years old. As you can imagine they
don't have access to exemplary health care and even illnesses that seem
non-threatening to us can be deadly to them. She is not sure what sort of
illness killed her sister but she knows that her mother's passing was
contributed to a problem with her heart. So that leaves her father and
brothers who are still living in her hometown in Burma. Her father is a farmer
and her brothers are both students.
Then
Phaw, like all of my students is Karenni, but unlike most of my students her
family still lives in Karenni State. Most of the students' families are living
in Shan State in Burma, which is north of Karenni State. Karenni State is very
dangerous with fighting so many people have relocated farther north where it is
safer. So her small village is a very dangerous place to reside. If the
Burmese soldiers suspect that you are in alliance with the Karenni Army they
will kill you and your family. Then Phaw was telling me that she stayed with
her uncle when she was attending 10th grade and it was common for the Burmese
soldiers to stop and stay in their house as they were traveling. If they did
not receive the soldiers it would be very dangerous as they would become angry
so it was not an option to turn the enemy away.
Then
Paw came to the school just after her mother and sister passed away in 2009. A
person from her church knew about the Bible school and asked her if she would
like to attend. At first it was against her father's wishes because he needed
her to stay and help her family after her mother's passing but eventually he
changed his mind and allowed her to come. The school helps the students pay
the costs to travel to Thailand which is the money they must pay to get past
several check points.
After
Then Phaw is finished at the Bible school she would like to continue studying
theology somewhere else, perhaps overseas. I have encouraged her with this
dream because I know that she is intelligent and ambitious and if given the
chance she will most certainly do well. However, she realizes that her family
cannot afford to send her to school so now she is trusting that God will provide
for her if it's His will. After studying theology she plans to return to her
village to serve her community as a missionary there. She told me that many
people in her village are Animist and do not know Christ.
Then
Phaw's favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through Him
who gives me strength".
I'd
say He's given her a lot of strength; she's overcome a lot of heartache and
she's a beautiful person inside and out. I wish you could meet her and I know
that this little piece doesn't suffice but hopefully it conveys how highly I
regard this young lady. If you want to help her with her plans after graduation
PLEASE send me a note and that can be arranged.
Thanks
for reading and of course, thanks for the support and prayers.
Love
Christine

These children escaped from Burma's life of murder, rape, forced labor and starvation. Now, safely living in a CCN dormitory, we can educate all 40 children at a cost of $240 for 1-year. Is there anyone willing to help?
Classrooms open this week.

Girls partitioned walls in their dorm (above)

Boys bathroom( below left)

Unfinished kitchen for the orphans (below center)

Orphaned refugees that now have a home (below right)

Inside a dorm (left)

Upper level in dorm (right)

Boy dorm and girls dorm (below center and below left)

During the planning of our Thailand trip in Jan. 2011, the construction team was going to go into Mae La Oon to build housing huts for the orphaned refugee children. There was to be a house for the girls and one for the boys. Our supplies were purchased and delivered, but as we were landing in Chaing Mae, we were informed that we would not be allowed to go to Mae La Oon as fighting had broken out there and our safety could not be guaranteed. The refugees used our supplies and were able to build the housing for the orphans. They did a fabulous job.

We have updated pictures of the kitchen we had started for the Bible school students in Nai Soi in Jan . 2011

KEITH IRWIN

TAMYRA CALLISON

My trip to Thailand last year was the hardest thing I had ever done, physically and mentally. This year I was going prepared. I thought. This trip was totally different and nothing went as planned. The plans we did make fell through before we could act on them. I became the observer. With the assurance of people praying back home for the success of this trip, I was able to sort of step back and observe God’s workings. I’m sure I would have been frazzled not knowing what the next step was, without prayer warriors at home. It was interesting watching God work. Never could so many things go wrong, with so much prayer behind it, without it being God working in our lives. God obviously was saying STOP. You forgot ME in this plan. It is not about you and what you can do. It is about ME. It took a lot to get our attention as we tend to be a stubborn group, but we did get it when we realized that 4 of us were sitting at the motel while those helping us were out helping in whatever way they could.

So even though things didn’t go as we planned, they went exactly how God planned, and I feel each of us grew in our faith, our obedience and patience. It seems it is only when we are in a vulnerable situation (like a foreign speaking country) or a big family crisis that we allow Him to get our attention. We tend to try to control things ourselves when we have more choices, sources etc, so we fend for ourselves instead of turning to and trusting God totally.

It was awesome to see God work. My prayer for 8 months was that God would show each of us a miracle so powerful that it couldn’t be anything else but Him. We saw MIRACLES!

-Patti was saved.
-The safety net we were under the whole time, when there was fighting around us and after we left.
-The way God got the attention of our busy professionals
-The way we were thrust into strangers’ lives and built such a strong bond that only could be built with God as the core.

It was so cool to witness this. I’m not sure if anyone else witnessed their miracles, but I sure got my share. I thank God for my miracles and I thank those of you who prayed so diligently. Knowing we were under His protection, allowed me to enjoy the trip in a totally different way.

Sue Geiger

 SUE GEIGER

The mission trip almost feels like a dream now that we are home. A heartwarming, yet heart breaking dream.

I worked with the medical team. I stayed busy traveling and setting up and moving the clinic from place to place. I was kind of overwhelmed with the compassion I had for many “orphan” children we helped. Imagine being only 7 years old and pretty much on your own. This little girl warmed my heart with her smile and acceptance of her situation. She lived at the Freedom House with many other children who were either without parents or their parents were still in Burma. The day she came into the clinic all by herself and left with vitamins, antibiotics for the respiratory infection she was experiencing, cream to heal a sore on her foot, new socks and flip flops and then walked away all alone to continue living the only life she has probably ever known, really hit home to my heart. I saw her sitting in the front row with the children at the Sunday service, still coughing, but singing right along with the others and when our eyes met, the smiles we exchanged just lit up her beautiful eyes. I was so happy we could make even a small difference in her life, if only for just a little while.

As we were saying our good byes, the students said, “Please don’t forget us.” All I could say in return was that I would be praying for their success in education and life every day and even though we were physically leaving, I hoped they would experience the grace of God’s love always and know that a part of our heart would remain with them, even if we could not.

We truly believe that it was because of the prayers that we were able to overcome all of the obstacles that were thrown in our paths and led us to those precious young people in Nai Soi.

Patti Wright

PATTI WRIGHT 

What a truly life changing experience this mission trip was to me. It opened my eyes to new cultures and ways of life. I am unable to put into words the touching and emotional experiences that I had, but would not have wanted to change anything about the trip.

The people of Burma were so welcoming even under their horrific circumstances that they have endured. It brought great joy to my heart to see them happy and that they allowed us to share in their lives briefly. I am beginning to see that God works thru people who love Him and not just a select few.

While listening to a talk at the church in Nai Soi, I came to realize that He has blessed us with free will and choices and the ability to forgive.


I would like to add that Patti gave her life to God in Nai Soi and was baptized in the river that runs through that camp. PTL!~BL

DR. PAT CALLISON

This trip started out with all of my dental equipment, except my dental chair, being confiscated in Chiang Mai. It was a very frustrating and angering experience. We went to the Karen State, Burma first with the Karen Burmese Liberation Army guiding and protecting us. On the way there, I was able to buy syringes, needles and gauze from pharmacies. I also bought some screwdrivers to use for extractions with modification by filing. I was able to pick up 5 forceps left by another dentist and I convinced an ER doctor to sell me some anesthetic. Without that, I could not have done anything. We were able to set up a clinic at a temporary sanctuary for refugees who were driven from their homes while being guarded by the DKBA and KNLA in surrounding fields. We were able to accomplish a goal I’d had for 5-6 years to go to Burma in defiance of evil dictators and bring some relief to a ravaged people who only ask for the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness which I believe God wants for all individuals.

I learned 3 lessons during this mission trip.

1. If you are on a mission and it’s started by following God’s will, He will help open doors, remove obstacles, provide tools and straighten the path for you to accomplish the tasks required. He wants you to obey His request.

2. We worked in a Buddhist temple. What a welcome gesture of goodwill from one faith to another. I think that interaction could only enhance the image the Buddhist have of who Christians are, about the love and concern Christians can show to suffering people and perhaps encourage them to investigate our faith more.

3. My friend Patti finally and joyfully accepted Jesus as her Savior. I am so happy that she has a friend, a guide and a helpmate, Jesus, and the assurance of joyful existence for eternity under His care.

I believe the prayers of those from our church were fundamental in powering the success of my mission to Burma and the other missions of the Clare team. I would encourage all, when called by God to minister to the lost, the pained, the broken hearted, those suffering, those oppressed and near hopelessness, to step up and out of your comfort zone to help, here or abroad, to make their life easier. It will change you and bring you joy.

LYDIA STUTZMAN 

The highlight of our mission trip for me was being with the Bible School students and hearing them worship, sing and dance. They expressed their love of God through their talents and they were doing it to glorify Him. I watched them each time they shared with us with tears running down my cheeks. It was great!

We really enjoyed working with them as we started to build the kitchen for them and they seemed to enjoy it as well and did a great job.

I am so grateful for the financial support and prayers from our church. It means so much to know that people are praying for you when you are 10,000 miles from home.

LORRAINE KOEHN

Our first week we spent in Nai Soi administering medical care to 167 people. We saw people of all ages; from 6 months to 80. Only one woman was 80 and she still climbed the mountains.

The next week we traveled 5 hours to a small village called Hoy Sai where there were 128 people in need of medical care. We saw hypertension, diabetes, colds/allergies, skin conditions, UTI’s, stomach problems, backaches and arthritis. The team encircled the people before we left, praying for wellness and protection for them all. It was an unbelievable moment with God.

Our last clinic was ministering to the “Sewer People”. These people had built their ‘homes’ on stilts over the raw sewage that flowed 8 inches beneath them. The smell was unbearable, yet they had nowhere else to live. We set up our medical clinic in a church that was comparable to our storage units. We saw as many people as we could in 7 hours.

The 2 weeks were full of laughter and tears, time with God praying over people and watching God at work everywhere. For me, it was a time of drawing closer to my Creator and renewing my faith.

Larry Kleinhardt

LARRY KLEINHARDT

When we first got to Nai Soi, my first thought was WOW…people really live this way. From raised Bamboo huts to sponge baths with cold water--and mind ya, I am talking COLD water, no hot water.

When we first stepped out of our truck to meet these people, I was somewhat scared, but about as scared as they were of us. By the time it was time to leave and go home, there were tears of sadness. We made many good friends with these kids that they didn’t want me to leave, and I really didn’t want to leave them either.

I even had our police that protected us cry with me when it was time to go. He even handcuffed me to a chair so I couldn’t leave.

Thanks my Lord for a life changing experience.



I wanted to add to Larry’s experience that he was a major hit with the students and to our policeman. They called him CRAZY and they were magically drawn to Larry. Larry had a huge heart for them, always had a smile for them and was a very good listener. ~BL

KIM GEIGER

Kim is a man of few words and simply said the trip was a great experience…an experience of a lifetime. Kim was on the construction team and was able to bond with the Bible school students. He also said he cares less if he ever eats a grain of rice again!

JIM IRWIN

……Near the beginning of our stay, the students presented to us a program of music, praise and worship, dance, acrobatics and drama. The skits and drama illustrated the problems of alcoholism and addictions, domestic violence and broken families, which are present within their society. These are the same issues we have to deal with in our own lives! The Karenni students prepared and presented this program to neighboring villages as well as an outreach.

Working hand to hand with these men and women passing bucket upon bucket of sand, stone, water and concrete touched everyone’s heart, spirit and faith. The Holy Spirit was indeed at work.

I formed a special bond with a young man who played the keyboard. He was 22 and had at one time been involved in growing and selling opium in Burma. He had made money, but always had to pay off road guards, police, soldier, etc to run his business. He left that life to go to the Bible School in Nai Soi. He wants to become a pastor to minister to his people. He will be going back to Burma once he has finished School, which he does not want to do, but feels he has to in order to continue his music ministry. The school had a keyboard that he played during services, but during the week, he would practice diligently on a keyboard that made no noise. He wanted music to be his ministry and was doing the best he could to improve his skills, practicing patiently and silently.

This young man came to me late one night and wanted me to help him learn English. We spent an hour several nights reading to one another and sharing our lives with each other.

My son Keith who has been in Thailand for the past 1-½ years serving with a Christian organization called Youth with a Mission (YWAM), joined us on our mission trip. It was a tremendous pleasure to work and live with him while watching him relate to the Karenni people, the Thai people and all of the people from our mission group. He treat all with respect, love, honesty and fairness while expecting the same from them. I am truly thankful for this time to see how he has grown and developed as a man, a leader, counselor, musician and a missionary for Christ.

All of the material work may not have been completed, but a lot of spiritual journeys were energized and jump-started. Hopefully, with God’s grace and love, I can pass it on as I continue my journey.

Donna Gray

DONNA GRAY

I am very grateful for the experience of the Thailand trip. In the midst of some logistical chaos, I was blessed with many opportunities to see God at work among the Burmese refugees, our mission team and within my own heart.

I was on the medical team. We saw so many orphans the first day, that it broke my heart. There was one child, especially, that haunted me. She was 7 years old and had come by herself from the camp (1-½ hour walk away) with a nasty case of bronchitis. She was so sick, so little and so alone. It was very difficult, both as a pharmacy tech and as a mom, to let her walk away with her little bag of medicine.

Sometimes the patients needed more than what we could provide in our clinic. As a team, we were led to pray over many of these patients. As we prepared to leave the second village, we were able to gather all of the school children and many of the adults of the village together. We formed a circle around them and prayed for the whole village, for their health, their salvation and the witness they would be to the surrounding villages. It was a powerful experience.

On a personal level, this trip was a journey of letting go of my illusion of control and letting God work His will. From finances to family support, through daily or hourly changes in plans, personality differences and culture shock, He has been faithful.

BRENDA LAYFIELD


My Thailand journey began when I was a teenager when God spoke to me in a missionary meeting to do mission work for Him. It took me over 30+ years to answer that call. When I said "Yes God, I'm ready to go", my world opened up. I had no idea where Thailand was, but I was going.

Our original plans were to hike 15 miles to a village to build a church and those plans fell through. I was disappointed because the challenge of the hike was removed. It made me step back though and re-evaluate why I was going on this trip. It was not for the hiking challenge , but to do God's will. I thank God He took that plan out for us. That hike would have been a killer. Next we were to build orphange huts, but that plan was pulled out from under us too when we arrived in Thailand. While another plan was being formed, I was able to wash the Karreni's hair and clip nails which gave me 1:1 connection with them.

On Saturday evening, we heard some beautiful singing coming from the chapel. I could hardly wait for the church service on Sunday. I was up all night that night sick and one of my eyes had swollen shut. I felt satan was trying to keep from that service. I was going though. Before the service, we met together and sang and prayed. We sang a song called Use Me Here .

(I tell myself I want to know Your will, O Lord. Still I confess I've had plans of my own. But from now on I plan to listen to Your will and to obey. No matter what the future holds, I'm gonna live for You today. Use me here, where I am. I'm not going to pray anymore that you'll change Your plans. Despite my fear, I place my life in Your hands. The future can wait, tomorrow might be too late, so Jesus use me here. )

After that circle of prayer, we attended one of the most uplifting services I've ever been to. God cracked open a wall that day that I had been building around myself for several years. Being obedient to God is freeing and healing and letting God take total control of my life is exhilarating.

DAVID DICKEY


I was impressed with the students from the Bible school, that they could leave their families to go study God's word for 4 years without knowing if their families would still be alive or moved when they returned.

Being on the construction team, I was worried about what to tell people when they asked what we built. With all of the changes, not much got built, which is what God wanted in the first place.

We are so blessed to live in a country where we are free.

CHRISTINE SIAN


Most everyone has heard about all of the problems that our group faced and all of the road blocks. I felt truly empty inside for the first 4-5 days because we were going to meet the orphans or actually see proof that we constructed something.

In the meantime, while building their kitchen, we had excellent opportunity to interact and get to know the Bible school students. The "kids" turned out to be the biggest blessing of the trip for me. They exhibited such deep and unwavering faith and were so kind and appreciative that we were there with them. What we may have done for them does not compare to what the did for me. They showed me what real, honest faith in God looks like and they demonstrated it everyday despite what they go through or what they still may go through. Their problems in Burma are bigger than anything we will ever see in America and they still demonstrate abundant love, generosity and trust in God in spite of it all. They sang and performed and you could see that they were singing for God. They have an incredible thirst to learn as much as they can, whether it's English or more about God and His word. To them, education is very important. We encouraged them and they strengthened us.

I enjoyed those "kids" so much and saw their needs. When I returned home, I could not stop thinking about them. I am now planning to return to them in Sept. for at least a year to teach them English and to live with them.

BRENT DUFFETT


....plans were coming together and the budget was in place. We were good to go!..Jan. 5th. We arrived in Chiang Mai and made it to the hotel around midnight. There was 24 of us total. We had close to 60 luggage bags all spread around the lobby...we were tired from 24 hours of travel and I then got the word that the Thai had shut down Mae La Oon due to an outbreak of fighting in Burma across the border. The change had happened while we were in the air.

I can't tell you how deflated, upset and frustrated I was. All of that planning..........for nothing. What were we going to do now? I had all of the construction workers ready to build orphanages and now it wasn't going to happen! Where were going to go? What were we going to do? Do we have money left to do anything? Question after question kept popping into my mind.

Since being home, people have asked if the trip was a success. Given all the previous information, I immediately said YES! It would have been easy to be discouraged or question if the trip was worth it. A big lesson learned, or at least refreshed in our minds, was no matter how hard you want to have control over things....we are NOT in control. God is.

Instead of working all day on a building, the construction team got to know the Bible school students and also some of the refugees from the camp. They were able to offer a hug, a shoulder, an ear and encouragement to them.

We were able to start a new kitchen facility in Nai Soi and indirectly we were able to provide the materials for the orphanages. The impact we had on those students will follow them for the rest of their lives and the buildings will eventually rot and fall apart.
Was there stress? Yup! Anger? Yup! Frustration? Yup! Was there laughter? Yup! Happiness? Yup! Fellowship? Yup! Was God's love shared by all? Yup! Was the trip successful?? ABSOLUTELY!!

DR. BRENDA HARSHMAN


God began the call early in the trip...While on the 14 hour airplane ride, I was called to care for a 20 year old girl who was having difficulty breathing. I knew we needed help from the ONE TRUE GREAT PHYSICIAN, GOD! I asked if we could pray for her, and she said with a big smile, "Yes, Please do". We were able to find a steroid inhaler for her. A few hours later, a 50 year old woman was writhing in pain on the galley floor from severe bladder spasms. We again asked if we could pray for her and she said yes. She was able to return to her seat afterwards.

When Sunday came, I gave my testimony. I had a translator that I had never met. As I struggled through the difficult times of my childhood, my voice began to break but God gave me the courage to continue and then my translator began to cry. When all was said and done, she said that she experienced the same pain as I in her childhood. She said she was asked to translate as a last minute thing and she felt God had brought her to hear my testimony.

We saw 318 patients, worked hard and learned a lot about trusting God when the plan was out of our comfort zones. God taught me a lot and revealed even more. this may have been a pivotal point of transformation for me and a revelation of what God is doing in my life.

2011 TAILAND MISSION TEAM

Building a kitchen one bucket at a time.

Praying for our Mission work

Dr. Pat Callison examining a patient

Dr. Brenda Harshman at work.

Pat and Tamyra Callison and Patti Wright left Mighigan to go into Burma to do dental care a few days before the rest of the crew got there. Pat's dental equipment was confiscated at customs and he never saw it again. He made the best of the situation and was able to get some supplies at a local hospital and did what he could with limited equipment.

The rest of the team met up with them in Chiang Mai on Jan. 4th. After arrival, the construction team was told they would not be going to Mae La Oon as planned due to a military outbreak. Satan was hitting us from every side. We all went on to Mae Hong Son where the medical team was scheduled to work, as well as the Wisconsin team.

The medical team ran into wall after wall, but they were not to be defeated. They cared for many individuals with illnesses and teeth that needed to be extracted. They had to move themselves and their supplies many times, which became very tasking, but God prevailed and their work was done despite the many obstacles.

The construction team helped the Wisconsin team for a few days washing hair and doing nail care for their Queen for a Day program for the widows and ladies in the surrounding area. Others helped play with the children. It was a good opportunity to meet the people 1 on 1. Meanwhile, a job for us to help build a new kitchen for the Bible School was found.

Our men dismantled the old kitchen and broke up old concrete. 8 holes 40"x 40"x 40" were dug in hard clay with one shovel, 2 pick axes and several hoes. The full crew came on board then. Support rods were then bent into shape and concrete was made using buckets and lots of hands. The Bible school students helped and worked along side of us as we passed buckets of sand, gravel, water and concrete to it's designated area. We weren't building huts for orphans as planned and we would not see the kitchen finished, but we were making connections with students that hopefully will last a lifetime for them and us as well. God had different plans for us and it all worked out to His glory.

Top left to right: Patti Wright, Jim Irwin, Dave Dickey, Larry Kleinhardt, Dr. Brenda Harshman, Lorraine Koehn, Lydia Stutzman, Kim Geiger

Middle:Christine Sian, Brenda Layfield, Dr. Pat Callison, Tamyra Callison, Donna Gray

Bottom:Sue Geiger, Brent Duffett, Keith Irwin

Callisons and Patti have made it to Thailand

Happy New Year everyone

We arrived in Bangkok at 11:50 pm Jan 1st. Meatee and and his assistant "Bonjour" met us, got us through immigration, then after waiting for all the bags to go around with ours not there, we realized the bags are checked straight to Chaing Mai. So we have two hours at this hotel that Dave reserved for us. Thank you Dave. We will shower and return to airport at 4 am for 6 am flight to Chaing Mai where we will meet Dave(?)I'm hoping or someone Dave has assigned to get us through customs.

Other than a slight delay in Lansing, and it being a longggggggggg trip, everything has gone exceedingly well.

Love you guys. God is Good.

Tamyra