Countdown December 16, 2010

While we all are busy getting ready to celebrate Jesus' birthday with our families and friends, the Thailand Mission Team is also getting ready to head to Thailand. We are down to 19 days before we leave and there are a lot of mixed emotions going through each of us. Excitement, fear, nervousness, giddiness....











There have been a few changes for the contruction team due to some unexpected circumstances, but we will now be heading to a refugee camp called Mae La Oon, which is located on the Burma border, just a little SW of Ma Saring. We will be building 2, possibly 3, bamboo huts to be used as housing for children in an orphanage.







We are excited to see what God has in store for us. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.



The Missions Team Has Returned!



This is the Medical/Construction Team that went to Thailand February 2010. The trip was overwhelming for most of us. It opened our eyes like never before. The need, the despair, the lack of hope we found with the Burma refugees was heart rendering. At the same time the thankfulness of anything we could give them was so great it made us feel so humble. Words cannot express the emotions we felt over the two weeks we were there. That is why most of us are planning to go back again next year in January 2011.

Saturday, March 26, 2011





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!!
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