Taylors in Thailand

1 Month now back in America

2009-09-11T23:15:00.009+07:00

This will probably be our final blog...at least for a while, because we have finished up our 3 year time of service in Thailand. We were excited to see God work in so many ways the past few years. We really appreciate how you have prayed for the Kui people and for us as we have served there. If you are nearby, we would be glad to speak at your church or youth group, just let us know. We are currently living in Fuquay-Varina, and are looking for a ministry job, probably youth pastoring, in the NC area. You can be praying that God will lead us to the right place.

Now that we are back, we have experienced quite a few interesting things that I thought I would include in this blog.

1. Hudson's fascination with water fountains. Since he's forgotten all about America, he's not used to lots of the normal American things. We were at Cracker Barrel the day after coming home, and I saw a water fountain. I told Hudson, "Hey, do you know what that is?" He said "no"??? "It's a water fountain...go try it," I said. Hudson proceeded to the water fountain hit the button and was amazed watching the water come out. When I told him he could actually drink the water he was even more amazed. After the water shot up his nose and then in his hair, he finally got a little bit in his mouth.

2. Getting a new driver's license. Since Pamela's drivers license expired nearly 2 years ago, we went to the DMV to get a new one. Since it had expired for so long, she had to do everything over. Without studying, she passed the written test on the first time. She did fine on the signs test. Then they said she need to do the driving test. She was a little freaked out. She hadn't driven in America in over 3 years. This means, she would now have to take a driving test on the opposite side of the road she's used to, on the opposite side of the car that she's used to, and with an automatic transmission. Even though she turned the windshield wipers on everytime she signaled, somehow they let her pass!

3. Air condition. The first day back, Pamela and I went into the mission house where we would be staying and the air condition hit us like a brick wall when we went in. We had forgotten what it was like to go into a house with central air. When we left, we just about turned it off until someone reminded us that your supposed to leave it running.

4. Cold weather...for us. On cooler days, we are freezing. Pamela sends Hudson off to preschool in the morning with long pants, a long-sleeve shirt, and a jacket. All of Hudson's teachers have a good time picking on Pamela because almost all of the other kids are wearing short-sleeves and shorts.

5. Missing Thailand. We had our ups and downs while in Thailand, but after being back, we really do miss those we've been around and the many opportunities to serve. Our friends at the church we attended, the kids and adults in the village where we lived, and our American friends we miss a lot. Even though Hudson doesn't express it much vocally, we can tell that he really misses his "family" in our village. He had his Thai grandmother living across the street and his best friends that he played with every day. When he sees their pictures he just gets real quiet.

Pray for Mr. Barber

2009-07-16T22:55:00.004+07:00

After waking up this morning, on the way to work at an English camp, I prayed to God to prepare me, and to give me opportunities to share the Gospel. I had a great time at the camp, but had no opportunity to share...in fact, I had forgotten that I had even prayed for an opportunity to share until after my Thursday night English class. My barber, who lives in a nearby town, came by to pick up his two children from my class. He has some relatives who had come to follow Jesus, and tonight he was inquiring himself into what following Christ was all about. So I shared with him...I told him about the great God that created the world and about Jesus Christ, God's son, who came to die for our sins. I then shared with him how God had changed my life. He really seemed like he wanted to follow Christ. Please be praying for him and his family. I told him that following Christ is not easy...if he follows Christ, he will be persecuted. I also encouraged him to talk with his family (his 2 children have already been shared with quite a bit), because following Christ as a family would be best. Please be praying for this family. The 2 kids names are Nan (girl, 15 or so), and Baln (boy, 12 or so). As I gave them some materials to take a look at, pray that their hearts will be convicted, and that the Holy Spirit will lead them to follow Christ.

A long, nerve wrecking 4th of July in Thailand

2009-07-04T21:41:00.002+07:00

Well, we were on our way to a festival this morning with a Thai friend of ours. At least that's what we thought. This wasn't a 4th of July festival, but rather the Sisaket Rambutan and Durian Festival, celebrating the Thai people's favorite fruit, Durian. We picked up our friend and were on our way. She said to park near the medical clinic...I was like ok, because I had no clue where the festival was at. Then she went to the clinic. I think she forgot to tell me that she had to go to the Dr. This was about 9:00 am. There's not a lot to do in Sisaket. Our family just drive around Sisaket and wasted hours waiting for her. Finally, at about 2 in the afternoon, she called us and let us know we could pick her up. Then we went on to the festival, which would have been fun had it not been really hot outside, and if we hadn' t been worn out from that morning. After about 20 minutes we left the festival. To put the icing on the cake, our friends 1 1/2 year old daughter crawled to the back seat where Pamela was sitting b/w Hudson and Katy (they don't do the car seat thing yet here). She then proceeded to pee on Pamela's foot and all over the floor in our backseat. We thought it was water from a water bottle until her mom got her up and took her pants off to change her. Its been a long day. We've been here in Thailand for well over 2 1/2 years and still occasionally encounter some pretty stressful cultural situations. Please pray for us this Monday as we go to a meeting in Chiang Mai because our friend (who stressed us out today) happens to be married to a man living there and she will be tagging along. On Monday we will drive about 10 hours or so, stop for the night, and go another 5 hours to Chiang Mai the next morning.

Continue lifting up my friend "On" (the monk guy)

2009-06-06T21:31:00.004+07:00

I listed some prayer request a while back for a friend of mine, "On," who is a Buddhist monk in our village. For a long time, he came over just about everyday to learn some English at our house. He then traveled around Thailand for a while, and just got back this past week. I've shared with him about Jesus when I have had the opportunity to. Unfortunately, he just took off yesterday for another province where he is attending college. Please be praying that God will do a work in his life. We will probably not see him again, considering that we are going back to the states in a couple of months. I did give him two VCD's about Jesus, the Jesus film in the Isaan Language, and another one. He called me last night to let me know he had already watched one of them. He also has a Bible that I have given him as well.

Update on Nuhy

2009-05-25T08:49:00.003+07:00

Since Nuhy gave her life to Christ a while back, I listed many prayer request about her, asking everyone to be praying that she would grow, and desire to be discipled. Over time, we began to get a little discouraged because we were not able to meet with her very often. She had travelled frequently, and was always busy with work. Being that we now only have a little over 2 months left, we have been praying even more that we would be able to meet with her more often. On the day that Pamela and I discussed this, we came in contact with Nuhy. Without discussing this with her at all yet, she asked us if there was anyway that she could come over and talk about Jesus with us. She longs to grow in her walk with God. We've now met with her 3 or 4 times, and we are working through some basic discipleship material: assurance of salvation, prayer, personal Bible study, evangelism, etc. She has been amazed at the things God has been teaching her. After reading one verse in the New Testament, she was like, "love our enemies, really?" She was also angry at one of her friends for putting down her new faith, but after studying together, she began to pray for that person. Please pray that we would continue to be able to meet together often. Also, pray that she will put into practice the things that God is teaching her.

Air Condition problem: a bat

2009-05-25T08:40:00.002+07:00

We got home yesterday and Pamela was going to put Katy down for a nap. Since it is extremely hot here in Thailand, we went upstairs to turn the air on. When doing so, we heard a really loud sound and lots of shaking in the air condition. I'm not a fixer man, but I thought that I would at least open it up and take a look at it. The unit is up near our ceiling...when I got up there, I reached up to where I heard the loud sound, and then I heard some kind of screeching. I thought that it may have been a mouse, but after sticking something in there, I saw that it was a bat. So, I grabbed an oven mit and some kitchen utensils to grab it with. I successfully grabbed it by the head and got it out of the house.

Hudson singing the "Doxology" song to a cashier, in Thai

2009-04-19T21:02:00.003+07:00

Ya gotta love 3 year old children. Sometimes Hudson about drives us crazy, but sometimes he just does spontaneous and random things that are hilarious...at least we think so, he's our son. As we were checking out at a grocery store tonight, Hudson just randomly started singing the Doxology song to the ladies at the cash register in Thai. We go to an all Thai speaking church about 30 minutes or so from our house. They always end their service by singing the Doxology, just like many churches in America "Praise God from whom all blessings flow..." Since he's heard it so many times, he's just recently started singing it...I don't think the ladies actually understood what he was singing about but it was pretty funny.

Pictures from David

2009-04-14T21:04:00.001+07:00

118 pictures
View Album at Shutterfly

Super Strong Katy

2009-04-10T06:10:00.004+07:00

As Katy is learning how to crawl, Hudson enjoys helping...but this time, Katy had about enough! Check out the video

Keep praying for "On", a monk in our village

2009-04-09T07:08:00.002+07:00

"On," a monk who lives in the temple in our village, asked to study English with me. We've met only a few times so far. In just these few times, God has given me many opportunities to talk about Him. I've been able to share my testimony with Him, talk about salvation, and to answer some other questions as well. Please keep praying for "On." Pray that God will work in his heart, and that God will prepare him for receiving the Gospel.

Bloody man outside

2009-04-05T19:12:00.002+07:00

We are getting ready to go to a small church located about 15 minutes or so from our house. I walk outside and see villagers running by...not sure whats going on, but I take a look anyway. 2 houses down I see one of our neighbors sitting on the road, bloody from head to toe. He wasn't moving, just sitting there. His daughter is going crazy, screaming, yelling throwing things, breaking stuff. Talk about a good way to start off Sunday morning. We aren't really sure what all went on there. It seems to be that for some reason the daughter was mad at the father and beat him up really bad. He was put in the back of a truck and taken to a hospital. We still aren't sure how he is doing now, but he looked real bad when he left. Even though he's normally one of the more calm, collect, and kind people in our village, its very possible that alcohol was part of the problem. We'll have to wait and see. Please pray for this family...we call the man uncle, because he reminds of a good uncle. This family is very much animist, meaning that their whole worldview centers around appeasing deceased ancestors and spirits. Pray that God will give us an opportunity to share with them about new life in Christ Jesus.

Neighbor passes away and Teaching English to a Monk

2009-04-03T20:38:00.002+07:00

Please be praying for our friends Nuhy and Nai. Not long ago, we mentioned that their mother was in bad health. Just yesterday morning, she passed away at the hospital. Please be in prayer for this family as they mourn the loss of their mother.

Also, I have recently had the opportunity to teach English to a monk in our village. He seems to be not too much older than me. He is very devoted to his life as a monk. Please pray that God will work in his life, and prepare his heart. Pray that God will lead our conversations into talking about Him. Wouldn't it be neat if in our last few months on the field we could see God at work at a Buddhist Temple.

Pray for Nuhy and Nai's Mother

2009-03-10T10:16:00.004+07:00

Please lift up Nuhy and Nigh's mother in your prayers. This family lives just a couple of houses away from us in our village. Their mother is seriously ill and seems as if she may not live much longer. We have been praying for this family for a long time. Nuhy has given her life to Christ, but the others have yet to believe. Please be in prayer for this family. I was reading this morning in the Old Testament and kept coming across the words "...that they may know that I am God." Pray that God would provide healing for this lady in order to show this family that He is the one true God.

Pray for the Kui of our village during (or after) their Spirit Ceremony

2009-02-06T20:49:00.004+07:00

As I'm writing this blog, the gongs have started sounding, an Isaan musical instrument (the Can) has just begun playing, and our close friends and neighbors have started calling upon their ancestral spirits. There will be dancing, weird hand motions, and lots of loud noises all night long. Please join with us and pray for these close friends of ours. As they call on ancestral spirits, which we seem to believe are demons rather than ancestors, please pray that God will intervene in the lives of these people. Pray that God would do an awesome work in our village, and that many families would come to know the creator God in a personal way.

Some End of Month Prayer Requests

2009-01-31T21:31:00.002+07:00

Here are some recent prayer request that we ask for you to be lifting up:

1. Pamela's parents, Debbie and Rob came this past week to spend some time with us. They have been serving along with us in our village for the past few days. Pray that God will use their ministry to impact the Kui people in our village.

2. Pray for our village, Baan Pbuay. We were away in Bangkok for the past week. While we were gone, 2 people died in our village. One older man died of liver cancer. I had knelt with him many times and prayed for God to work in his life. I had hoped to be able to spend more time with him and his family, but when we were on vacation I received a call that he had passed away. Pray that we will be able to spend time comforting and praying with his family. When we got home, I also found out that another Kui man died of AIDS.

3. Pray for us as we continue to seek the Lord's direction in how to best reach out and evangelize the Kui people.

4. Pray for hearts to be changed and for interest in a relationship with God to increase our village and in the surrounding Kui villages.

5. Pray for our Christian friend Nuhy, who lives in our village, to grow in her walk with God. Pray that God will enable us to be able to effectively disciple her.

A couple of recent pics

2009-01-09T10:32:00.003+07:00

These are a couple of pictures that we took this past week for those who want see what Katy and Hudson are looking like these days.

Fishing, Isaan Thailand Style

2009-01-05T23:10:00.007+07:00

This past week, I had a fun opportunity to go fishing...not with poles, bait, and tackle...just with bare hands. In our area of Thailand, people will often make a small pond in their rice fields. When the rainy season comes, and the lakes and streams flood over, the fish spread all across the rice fields. After harvest season is over, some people will invite friends and family to come "fishing" at their place. They then proceed to pumping the water out of the little pond, which leaves some water and a lot of mud. You then crawl down into the mud and reach around, trying to find some fish. We probably ended up with a couple hundred fish, mostly small, but a few big ones. Then they cook the fish over a fire (no need to clean the fish). After peeling off the outside of the fish, the fish taste great with some sticky rice. I was also fortunate enough to eat some kind of an ant and ant egg concoction some of the older men made up...it wasn't too bad. Here are some pics.

getting the word out

2008-12-18T22:34:00.002+07:00

These pasts couple of days, we've spent getting the word out about the birth of Jesus. If you ask the average person in our village (or everyone in our village, which I did) what Christmas is about, they'll respond that they think it is a New Year's celebration. The younger people may add in something about Santa Clause as well, but they are still unsure as to who he is. Today I spent the day in the village handing out and discussing little booklets about Christmas. The booklets explain about Santa Clause, Christmas trees, Christmas cards, Christmas music, and of course...they true meaning of Christmas. My goal is to get them to about 150+ families, and I've only got about 50 to go. Please pray that God will work in the hearts of these people. Pray that people would respond to the booklets. Pray that people in our village would have a desire to know the Truth.

2008-12-16T20:43:00.005+07:00

Today and yesterday, we helped World Vision and a nearby church with 2 different Christmas events. These were just about 20 minutes or so from our house. There were probably some Kui kids, but it seemed like the majority of the kids speak Khmer (which is similar to the primary language in Cambodia). Some of our close friends work with this people group and were also able to help out. We had a great time. In two days, we were able to share the Gospel with 1100 kids from 12 different schools. Please pray that seeds will have been sown and that God will move in this area of Thailand.

Some of the World Vision folks helped these Thai kids have an awesome Christmas event

Fun and easy game--just rubberband a balloon to kids ankles and let them try to pop each others balloons

Hudson wanted to go up on stage, so they tried to get him to sing jingle bells. Needless to say, in front of about 600+ people he was a little too shy to sing...but he sure didn't want to get off the stage

Please Pray for Tdaa (Grandfather)

2008-12-08T18:45:00.002+07:00

Yesterday, I was walking around in our village, and came across an elderly man (probably about 50 feet from our house), laying on a bamboo table. He looked really bad, kind of like a skeleton . He's got liver cancer, I think, and seems to be doing really bad. Walking has been difficult and its hard for him to eat much at all. He talks frequently about a burning sensation in his stomach. I prayed for him and asked God to do a work in his life, a miracle if it be God's will, and that God would use this to help his family to acknowledge and follow the creator God. Tonight, 2 girls came to my door with a cup of water. They were asking for me to bless the water and they were going to take it to Tdaa to drink. I passed on the water blessing, and went straight to pray for Dtaa. I told him that I would have others praying for him. It shows a lot that people came to our door to ask for prayers. Please pray that God would work in this family's life, and would heal Tdaa, if it be according to the will of God. Pray for opportunities for us to be able to lovingly share the Gospel with this family.

Some random family pictures

2008-12-06T12:41:00.012+07:00

Pamela keeps telling me that I should put up some more family pics, so here they are. We also just had some pictures taken recently of Katy for her 3 month photos, so I'll include those as well.

Hudson and his girlfriend Aum--we told him he was a little too young, and she was way too old for him, but we'll you can only do so much

Happy Father's Day "Wan Paw"

2008-12-06T12:27:00.005+07:00

The Kings birthday was yesterday, and Hudson and I made it out to one of our local celebrations. It included lots of Thai dancing from kids up to adults. People from our village and lots of the neighboring villages came to celebrate.

Christmas Camp Surin 2008

2008-12-06T11:32:00.008+07:00

This year the Kui team and Northern Khmer team put together a Christmas English Camp. The purpose was to be able to share the Gospel with those who we already have relationships with. About 40-50 teenagers attended this camp. They learn English, cultural aspects of Christmas in America, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas. They had a great time learning, playing games, dancing, getting gifts, and bonding with friends. We pray that God will use this experience to lead many of these young people to Christ. Here are some pics.

"Wii," a new student of ours poses with Moriah, the daughter of David and Debbie Cobb, missionaries to the Northern Khmer people group of Thailand

Nan, Aim, and Noon Pose with their new gifts

The group of students who study English with us at our house. They come from our village (Bahn Bpuay), Bahn Alang (a nearby village), and 2 from a nearby town

These 2 sets of twins came with David Cobb to the camp. They are excellent English students

New shades & Santa hats = styling (or at least they think so)

Some kids doing the motions to Christian song

Staples Mill Road Baptist Church Team

2008-11-20T00:17:00.007+07:00

A team from Staples Mill Road Baptist Church came to serve in our area for about a week or so just recently. We had an awesome time. Amy Bowles, a former missionary in our area and good friend, coordinated the team (Jared, Amanda, Roland, Connie, Debbie, Jamie). In addition, Phyliss and Sam (who was born in Thailand), from Mississippi, joined the time as well. We believe that God has used this team in a special way. They reached out to youth at an English camp, in a school, and in our village. When the 3-day English concluded, the kids and the team were in tears. The team did an awesome job sharing the Gospel. Of course, they shared at the camps and in the schools, but they also shared whereever they were...in airports, 7-elevens, etc. For 2 nights, they stayed with Thai host families, which meant living in a much different way than they were used to. Please be praying that as a result of their prayers and efforts, new work will be able to be started in some of these areas. Pray that some of the youth will respond to the Gospel that was shared with them. Here are just a few pics that we took during their trip.

Teaching at our house!

Closing Ceremonies at English 3-day English Camp

Skit performed at English Camp

Hanging out with some elephants in Surin

Katy's Thoughts on NC State Football

2008-10-06T21:16:00.003+07:00

Katy wanted to express her feelings about football season this year.

Pamela's Birthday

2008-10-06T21:01:00.004+07:00

For Pamela's birthday, we had a party with some of our Thai friends. It was lots of fun, we had 2 Thai dishes and then a crock-pot full of barbecue chicken wings and ribs. None of our friends liked the cake too much, they said it was too sweet. If you've ever tried cake in Thailand, you would understand why.

Mouse attacks and gets what it deserves

2008-09-28T23:19:00.002+07:00

A few days ago, we were just about to begin our trip to Bangkok. I was in a "storage" room in our house, that also has two book cases full of books. As I was looking through the books, some of the books started to shake. My first thought was that a small lizard (very common in houses in Thailand) was hiding behind some of the books. These lizards don't bother me at all...in fact, I kind of like them because they eat insects. As I moved a book to free the little lizard I found that the lizard was not a lizard at all, but rather a big mouse. The big mouse proceeded to jump on my arm and then run to safety in the midst of all of our stuff. After trying to get our cats to find the mouse, I finally gave up, and we went on our way to Bangkok. A few days later, I found myself going in to that room to find something, and was about knocked-out by a terrible odor. I had a hunch it was a dead mouse, but the difficulty was finding it. After moving around all kinds of boxes, I finally found the nasty critter. I thought at first that it was still alive, because it was moving; in actuality, it was only moving because it was being eaten from the inside-out by little worm-like things. Anyway, I'm hoping that the smell will go away quickly.

Pray for Neey's Persecution

2008-09-22T21:07:00.002+07:00

All of you prayer-warriors, please take a few minutes to pray for Nuhy, a new believer in our community. She came over today to visit during her work break and was greatly distressed. Her family and other people in the village have recently expressed anger towards her for her choice to follow Jesus. Being in a Buddhist/Animist community, she is expected to follow the norm and participate in the various ceremonies that Buddhist do. When she doesn't, people are angry. Please pray that Nuhy would be strong in the midst of persecution, and that she would grow closer to God. Pray for Nuhy's mom and siblings that they would see how God changes her life, and that they too would want to follow Jesus. Thanks!

Recent Pics

2008-09-19T21:15:00.010+07:00

This past month has been pretty exciting. After Katy was born, Pamela's mom and my mom came to visit us in Thailand. They helped a ton, and had a great time spoiling their Grandkids. Things have been a lot busier with 2 around. After a meeting in Bangkok just finished up last week, we are now back in our village getting things rolling again.

Moms Pose for a picture on their visit to Thailand

(for my Uncle Mickey)

Hudson Singing NC State Song...sort of

2008-08-24T21:31:00.003+07:00

This is Hudson's version of the NC State Fight Song. We are just hoping that NC State wins some football games this year.

More Pics of Kathryn at Hospital

2008-08-23T21:37:00.002+07:00

Kathryn Marie

2008-08-21T07:51:00.006+07:00

Pics from a big park in the middle of Bangkok

2008-08-14T17:00:00.004+07:00

These are some pics we took today at a big park in Bangkok. Hudson was excited about this first picture because he took it. He did a pretty good job. The others he took included the sky, his thumb, our legs, and other slanted shots.

In Daddy's Shoes

2008-08-13T12:29:00.001+07:00

Pamela at 38 1/2 Weeks

2008-08-13T12:26:00.001+07:00

Watch those gas stoves

2008-08-06T14:25:00.003+07:00

This past week, we arrived in Bangkok to await the new baby. Pamela was trying to use the gas oven. The fire went out, so she reached down to relight it. Unfortunately, she didn't realize that the gas had been on, even though the flame went out. What resulted was a burnt arm, burns on her face, and even her feet. She screamed, and then ran for me. I put her in the shower, sprayed her off, pulled out all the singed hair on her head, commented on her missing eyebrow (she didn't care much for that), etc. The day after was miserable for her. That day and the next day she couldn't go anywhere without putting ice on her burns, especially on her hand (where she was lighting the stove). After a couple of days now, the pain is more like that of a sunburn. She's feeling a ton better, and looks almost normal, except for missing some of her left eyebrow. We are thankful to God that she wasn't in worse shape than she was.

In Prison

2008-08-04T16:47:00.002+07:00

A few days ago we came into Bangkok to wait for the baby to be born (still have a couple of weeks). With some time to spare, I met a man who does ministry in many of the prisons in Bangkok. He works along with a church thats focus is this ministry. Today we went to a prison for drug dealers. Many have already given their lives to Christ. I had the opportunity to help teach about 10 or so of these young men, who were about my age. Some people had been in prison for 2, 3, 5, and even 7 years; however, God has gotten a hold of their lives. One man from the church who helped teach was a prisoner himself years ago, and was saved through Christian teaching in the prison. Now, he's thinking about going back to the Isaan region, which is where he was born, and starting a church. In a country where response to the Gospel is often slow, its neat to see that God is working in a mighty way among these troubled people.

Up Close and Personal With a Cobra

2008-07-28T09:53:00.002+07:00

The other day in our village we came across someone with a big cobra...seemed like a good pic for the blog.

A baby dedication service for Nuhy's baby

2008-07-28T09:45:00.001+07:00

At a nearby church this past Sunday, our friend Nuhy expressed her desire to raise her child in the ways of the Lord.

Encouragement from Elderly Thai Christian

2008-07-28T00:06:00.002+07:00

On Sundays, we drive about 20 minutes to a small Thai house church. In our area of Thailand, there are only a few churches, and just a few believers scattered around. In America, we are used to driving 10 minutes, 15 minutes, maybe even 30 minutes to go to church...its normal; however, most Thai people in our area don't have vehicles, and have to rely on public transportation (occasional bus-like vehicles that drive down main roads). I was really impressed this morning by the devotion of an elderly lady, Sa-Lee. As the only Christian in her village, Sa-Lee had no ride to church, so she had to walk from her village to the nearest main road to get a bus. This elderly lady, worn down by years of working in the rice fields, walked over a mile in the Thailand heat just to get to the bus stop, and then made her way on to the church. Lets all be encourage by Sa-Lee, and her devotion to God and to her Church.

Hudson Hiding

2008-07-20T21:48:00.001+07:00

After cleaning up his toys, Hudson put himself up too!

Pamela's belly (8 months)

2008-07-20T21:45:00.004+07:00

Pamela's getting bigger now, these are some recent pics.

Ban Tdum Kids

2008-07-20T21:41:00.003+07:00

These are some Kui kids from Ban Tdum, a nearby village. Mike and Amy Bowles, and their family, used to serve in that village. We took them out to celebrate one of their birthdays. Here is a pic that we took at a park.

Pray for Dtoy

2008-07-20T21:22:00.004+07:00

Just recently, we hired a lady, Tdalm, to come help out with some housework. She is a Christian and attends the church that we go to. Her younger brother Dtoy came to visit us the other night. He acted a little weird, but I wasn't sure why. That night he was riding home on his motorbike and had a wreck. I think the reason he was acting weird was because he had been drinking; unfortunately, I didn't think about it at the time...I just thought he was weird. He has lots of scrapes all over his body, but as far as I know he's doing ok. In his weird state, he asked me to take his picture. His sister says he's a Christian, but he's walked away from God. Please pray that God would work in his life, and draw him back.

Praise God!!

2008-07-20T13:45:00.002+07:00

Thank you for praying for Nuhy. Today she gave her life to Jesus. She is the first go give her life to Christ from her family and from this village. Pray that God will protect her. In a Buddhist and animistic environment, being a Christian is strange. Today she counted the costs and chose to follow Christ. As a school teacher, she mentioned that she has been and will be laughed at for following Christ. Pray that she will be a witness, and a light, in her place of work. Finally, pray that she will grow in her walk with God daily. To God be the Glory!

Further Prayer for Nuhy Needed

2008-07-15T21:19:00.003+07:00

Thank you for praying for Nuhy (from 2 blogs ago). I had a big, long talk with her tonight. She has been studying on her own quite often about God. She's read about 4 books about the Bible, as well as many tracts. She has a good understanding at this point about God, what it means to be a Christian, how someone can give their life to Christ, etc. She has been reading a New Testament that was given to her, and tonight I just gave her one with an Old Testament as well. It is obvious through the stories that she told me tonight that God is working in her life, and has been for a while. As you read this, please simply pray that Nuhy will give her life to Christ.

2008-07-14T13:49:00.002+07:00

This is our new nephew Joshua. Derek and Erin (Joshua's mom and dad) called us just a couple of days ago from the hospital letting us know that he was on the way.

Good Encouragement from Hudson

2008-07-12T14:55:00.003+07:00

This past week, a Thai pastor asked me to preach at church. I was like, oh, ok, sure. I'm thinking, why did I say yes? So this week, I've been working through the passage in English, translating it into Thai, getting help from some friends, and hoping to have everything ready by tomorrow. After eating lunch today, I gathered some materials together, and started going over them. Then, Hudson says, "Daddy, what are you doing?" I said, "I'm justing getting ready for preaching tomorrow." Hudson responds, "Thats funny!"

I had to agree--me trying to preach in Thai is actually pretty funny. If you could, lift me up in your prayers for Sunday (tomorrow morning Thai time or Saturday night in America).

Pray for Nai's Sister Nuhy

2008-07-09T14:47:00.004+07:00

In the last blog I shared about Nai, who has been helping me to learn Thai. I would also like for you to keep Nuhy, Nai's sister in your prayers. The moment we came to live in this house, Nuhy came and spoke with some friends of ours who were on our team. She seemed interested in learning about Christianity, but we weren't really sure how interested. About one year has passed by now, and we believe that she is really close to giving her life to Christ. Nuhy teaches about computers at the local village school. All the teachers there also teach about the Buddhist religion. A month or so back she mentioned to the principal that she would not be teaching about Buddhism because of her interest in Christianity. Just a few days ago, she shared with me another story about how her mother was crying out while asleep, but she would not wake up. Her family members in the village offered things to deceased ancestors on behalf of her, and Nuhy reluctantly joined in and helped gather some things. While doing so, she stopped and prayed to God for her mother. Not much later, her mother awoke; Nuhy said that the others believed this was because of their appeasing of the ancestors, but she felt it was a work of God. Please pray that Nuhy would make a decision to follow Christ, and that we would have ample opportunity help her to grow in her understanding of the great God that we serve.

"Ahn Neung Ahn Diaw Ghan Gahp Phrah Jao"

2008-06-14T20:31:00.004+07:00

The past year, I have been studying Thai with a close friend of mine "Nai" (Nigh). Nai lives in our village and is paralyzed from the waist down. I have recently been learning Thai with him by studying some Bible stories that begin from creation and end with the resurrection and ascension of Christ. This has also been an opportunity for Nai to hear these stories and to understand more about what being a Christian is all about. He, like almost everyone here, is Buddhist.

A few days ago, we were studying through the ten commandments--lesson 20 in a set of creation-to-Christ Bible stories. After I studied through the lesson with him, we talked about the purpose of the commandments, and how similar many of them are to his own Buddhist beliefs. I explained to him that being a Christian is not merely following a set of rules, but rather is........Nai interrupts, being "Ahn Neung Ahn Diaw Ghan Gahp Phrah Jao." Nai remembered this phrase from studying in Genesis about Adam. Before the fall of man, Adam walked perfectly with God, and knew no sin. The Thai phrased he used refers to the ability to walk perfectly with God, like Adam was in the garden before sin. I was very excited, because it seems that Nai is growing in his understanding of Scripture. He understands that God desires for His followers to not just follow rules, but to be with and walk with Him.

We still have quite a few lessons before we get to Jesus as the mediator between sinful man and God the Father, but it is neat to see someone's growing in understanding. Please remember Nai in your prayers this week. He is very committed to Buddhism. It would take an act of God for his heart to be changed to following Christ. Please pray for God to act in a great way in Nai and in his family's life (he lives with his sister Nuhy and his elderly mother).

Kinnisons Come for a Visit

2008-06-09T12:28:00.003+07:00

This past weekend, Jack and Lynn Kinnison came for a visit. They are missionaries in the Nan Province of Thailand, which is a long way from Sisaket. We were very excited to have them. Jack and I took a walk around our village and talked with some villagers who have had some questions about Christianity. With his nearly perfect Thai, he was able to explain in a way that really seemed to help them understand. Here are a couple of pics from our time with them.

This is Jack with our friend in my village "Nai" and Nai's niece "North"

Volunteer Initiation

2008-06-03T22:45:00.007+07:00

When people come to serve in our area of Thailand, they must first undergo initiation at the elephant research center in Surin. Here are a couple pictures from this past Monday (and one picture from another volunteer a couple weeks ago). These volunteers are working along with some of our good friends the Cobb family, who also serve in our province.

Bubba, Pamela, Hudson, Holly, Brian, and Hannah pose for a picture

Bubba, Brian, and Holly are about to have an elephant step over them

Lindsey's initiation is almost completed here in this pic

Video of Hudson Saying Fruit Loops

2008-05-17T21:59:00.002+07:00

This morning Hudson said he wanted fruit loops, and I thought it sounded funny so I took this video. Its not really all that exciting but I figured the Grandparents might get a laugh out of it.

5 1/2 Months Along

2008-05-17T20:09:00.004+07:00

Here is a recent picture of Pamela and the next little one!

Pray for Nit

2008-05-12T08:30:00.003+07:00

I'm not sure how many times we have made a prayer request asking for prayer for Nit, a Thai lady who helps us with our housework. A month or so ago, she went a few days without coming to work. We resolved that with a warning. Today she came into work after missing over a week of work (without telling us). Because she didn't work more than she did work, and we haven't seen her in a week, we decided to make the difficult call not to have her come back to work. It was very hard, especially since she lives in our village. That means lots of gossip and lots of hurt feelings. Please pray that this will not negatively affect our ministry here. Pray that we will still be able to be close to Nit's family. Also, pray for Nit, as she is saddened that she does not have a job. Pray that she will be able to find a new job quickly.

Flat Stanley Visits The Kui People of Thailand

2008-05-09T08:28:00.006+07:00

Flat Stanley comes to Thailand for a visit all the way from Atlanta Georgia! Here are some pictures of his experience in our area of Thailand.

Please pray for some older ladies in our village

2008-05-04T16:02:00.004+07:00

Just recently, Pamela and I were out walking around in a part of our village that we have not visited very often. We ran into some quite a few older ladies, one younger lady, and a lot of kids who called us over to talk to them. They invited me to come study some of the local language (Kui) with them. After a couple of days I returned and learned some basic words in the Kui language (granted my Thai is not terrific yet, and starting a new language is very difficult, but hey, it sounds like fun to me). God gave me the opportunity with this group of older ladies (about 4 or 5), one young lady (about 28), and about 8 kids or so, to share a quick presentation of the Gospel. Pray that they will respond and that their hearts will be soften. Also pray that I'll have many more opportunities to share with them. One of my "Big Prayers" is that we could start a Bible Study group for non-believers in our village, and if they are interested, these ladies would be a great place to start. Thanks for your prayers.

Unexpected trip on Songkran

2008-04-23T22:21:00.002+07:00

In my last blog article, I mentioned that I would be including pics from Songkran. Well, I never had the opportunity to take any. On the first day of Songkran, the original Thai New Year, Pamela started getting really, really sick from some kind of food poisoning. Very bad cramping caused Pamela to begin very painful contractions of her uterus, even though she is still less than 5 months pregnant. Everyone says DO NOT TRAVEL on Songkran because of the drunk drivers and water fights everywhere you go. After conversing with a Dr. in the States, we decided to make the 8 hour trip to Bangkok. We visited Pamela's Dr. who did exams and did an ultrasound showing that everything was ok with the baby. She also put Pamela on some medicine to stop the cramping/contractions and other medicine for taking care of whatever it was that got into her system. We praise God that the baby still seems to be healthy, and that a week or so has passed by, and Pamela's doing great. We didn't miss out on all the Songkran fun though. While Pamela was getting an Ultrasound, Hudson was running around the hospital squirting a water gun at all the nurses.

Pray for the big water fight: Songkran

2008-04-12T21:38:00.005+07:00

Starting tomorrow, the country of Thailand will be celebrating the traditional new year, which is called Songkran. Old traditions of pouring water on people's hands in order to bless them has changed over the years into one big water fight. This means that if you are driving by on a motorcycle or car down any road in Thailand, you will be covered with water and baby powder by the end of your trip (its not even officially started yet, and I've already gotten soaked with water and powdered up). In addition, with the holiday season comes lots of drinking whiskey as well. In fact, in the village I live in and in another village that I went to visit today, I'm not sure if I saw any men who were not drunk. The combination of a big water fight and massive drunkenness usually lead to many deaths. Pray for safety for the Thai people, and for opportunities for us to share with people during this holiday time.

Keep a look out on the blog for pics of what goes down in Sisaket, Thailand during Songkran

Swimming in Sisaket

2008-04-05T08:54:00.008+07:00

Here are some pictures that we took recently at a pool in Sisaket. The first picture shows Pamela's little pregnant belly, and the last couple are of Hudson having fun.

Bathing Thai Style in the dark with a Scorpion

2008-04-04T17:35:00.002+07:00

This isn't a story about me, but rather about Pamela. Usually, funny things happen to me, but this time it was Pamela. The past few days have been pretty exciting at our house. Our power meter can not handle the electricity for our house, so our power has been going in and out for the past 3 days. Basically, whenever we use water, the lights go out. When we taught English last night, the lights went out. When we do anything, the lights go out. Air condition at night in 90+ degree whether--doesn't work either. Therefore, we can't take a normal shower in the morning (using our electric water heater thing). That means, we filled up a tub with water from outside our house (that seemed to work), we take a bowl with a handle on it, and take our baths Thai style (a little chilly too). So this morning, Pamela proceeds to take a Thai bath. I was not home b/c I was out running errands, but our house helper was cleaning in the kitchen. After getting all soapy, she sees a good-size scorpion climbing into the shower. As Pamela tried to rinse off, avoiding the Scorpion, the power from the house goes out. Its pitch black in the bathroom, Pamela's still soapy, a scorpion is on the prowl, and Pamela can't open the door because there is a Thai person in the kitchen. She made it out with no stings, but it still makes for an interesting story.

Easter in Thailand 2008

2008-04-04T17:25:00.007+07:00

These are some pics from Easter here in Thailand of Hudson dying Easter eggs and going on his Easter egg hunt

"No Hudson, thats not an Easter egg, its a ball"

"Thats it, a real Easter egg"

Dying Easter Eggs

Dying Easter Eggs with Neighbors

"ONE WAY" English Camp

2008-04-04T16:28:00.008+07:00

These are some pictures from our English Camp in Surin that we put on for Kui and Khmer students in Thailand during their school break. We worked along with our good missionary friends David and Debbie Cobb. This was not merely an English Camp, but was a neat opportunity to share the Gospel with a group of young people who have very little knowledge of what it means to be a Christian. At this camp, we teamed up with a local Church fellowship. We (the white people) shared about English, whereas the Thai people from the church shared from Scripture. In addition, at night, we had all of the young people participate in acting out various stories from God's Word. These stories gave a brief summary of what the Bible is about. They learned about God's creating the world, man's sinfulness, the necessity of sacrifice in the Old Testament, and Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice in the New Testament. The students who were able to come to our village have been singing the Thai and English songs ever since the camp finished up. Please join us in praying that God will work in a big a way in our village, drawing these young people and their families to Himself.

Pamela performs a skit along with some young people from our village about Jesus feeding 5000 people with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish

These two young men act out the skit about Jesus healing the paralytic man. The boy on the right was the sick man who Jesus healed. It was touching to see the joy that he showed in the skit after God healed Him. Outside of the skit, this young Khmer man seemed to express some interest in understanding more about a relationship with God

Lindsay, a volunteer working along with the Cobb family, poses for a picture with some of the students at the camp

Pamela poses with a few girls from Cambodia who came to the camp. They look about 8 years old, but in reality are all over 11 or 12 years old

This is our group from Baan Buay (Buay Village in Sisaket Thailand). If you'd like to pray individually for them, there names are: Moss (far left), Mark (pink and black stripes), Aim (girl in the back-middle w/ Hudson), Nun (girl in the front middle, Sky (boy in the back right), and Bang (girl in the front right)

This is a group photo of everyone at the "One Way" Camp

Prayer Request: English Camp on Thursday

2008-03-25T21:50:00.002+07:00

This coming Thursday-Friday, the 27th and 28th, we are shuttling many middle-school age young people to a Christian-English Camp. At this camp, the kids will be learning English, and in addition, will be hearing the Gospel as well. We are working with a church in Thailand who will be sharing the good news with the kids, and we will be assisting. Also, in groups, the kids will be acting out a series of Bible stories that will help them get an overall understanding of Scriptures from the creation story through Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Please pray that God will do a big work in the lives' of these young Kui and Khmer students.

Hudson eating insects

2008-03-23T14:40:00.003+07:00

This is a video of Hudson eating bugs at our neighbors house. Some people wanted to seem him doing that so I included that .

Eating Insects or Pasta; Which Sounds Better to You?

2008-03-08T20:59:00.003+07:00

This evening, Hudson and I went across the street to hang out with the neighbors. Our neighbor pulled out a big batch of freshly cooked insects. I'm not sure what kind of insects these were; they had little claws on them, and they told me that they can bite, but they looked similar to a grasshopper. Anyway, I popped a few in my mouth (I've grown to like some bugs and worms and stuff). Then they asked Hudson if he'd like some. Hudson probably ate 20 or more of them; I told him he needed to stop so that he didn't eat them all.

Tonight, I spent lots of time fixing a delicious Italian meal "Pasta Sides," that family brought us from the States. When I offered some to Hudson he replied no, I don't like that. I was insistent. I mean after all, he cleaned off a whole plate of bugs, the least he could do is to eat some pasta; but he still wouldn't eat any. Anyway, it seemed a little strange to me. Not your normal American child I guess.

How Many People Can You Fit in Your Truck

2008-03-03T13:45:00.005+07:00

A week or so ago, we went to an outdoor concert near our village where there is bad Thai dancing and long drawn out singing, called "Malaam Sing". It was a good time spending time with our friends in our village. The following is a picture of the truck ride before we took off (we had another 7-8 people in the back seat of the truck as well, totaling over 30 people for the ride. This is very normal in Thailand.

Scarecrows in Baan Buay

2008-03-03T12:39:00.009+07:00

One interesting thing that we've noticed in our village and other nearby villages has been that almost every house has made a scarecrow from straw, and then dressed it up. In our village, we have rice farmer, soldier, and even one superman scarecrow. We call them scarecrows, but the villagers believe that they keep out ghost (most likely this refers to ancestral spirits, or dead relatives). Here are a couple of examples of the ones that we've seen.

Strange Animals at Sisaket Zoo

2008-02-21T11:35:00.007+07:00

We had a great time going to the Sisaket Zoo with some Thai friends from our village. Its really not too much of a zoo. It had birds, monkeys, ostriches, peacocks, deer, and maybe a few other animals, but not too much. The price is free for Hudson and only 10 baht (less than 25 cents) for each of us though. Teaching Hudson about how many legs animals have proves difficult with the following cows.

Animistic Ceremony Keeps Me Awake All Night

2008-02-16T22:50:00.003+07:00

This ceremony “Ram Phii Faa,” is centered on appeasing and calling down the spirit of the sky along with the spirits of the deceased ancestors of the villagers. They believe these spirits (of the sky and of dead ancestors) can heal those her sick. They offered food sacrifices to these ancestors like bananas or snacks. Further, they believe that these ancestors will enter certain individuals present, and will cause them to act differently than they may normally act. One lady danced around with swords because the deceased ancestor evidently was part of the military. At another time, she wore less conservative clothing because she was supposedly filled with the spirit of a deceased teenage child of hers. A lady living across the street from us claims that she never chews beetle-nut (kind of like dipping in the south of America) or drinks alcohol, but because an ancestral spirit entered her body, she did just that. In addition, they believe that the ancestors can speak through the chosen individual and can communicate with the relatives of that person. This ceremony involves loud gongs, drums, and an Isaan wind-instrument called the “can.” Whereas some who attend this ceremony just to laugh and play, it seems that the overwhelming majority have these beliefs deep inside. (I'm working on getting one more longer video posted that may help you get a fuller picture of what is going on)

As they are dancing around in a circle here, a few of these people believe they are filled with an ancestral spirit.

This gong and the drums were responsible for keeping me up all night

I believe this Isaan instrument is called the "Can," and is played for fun and/or used in a variety of situations

In the center are flowers, decorations, food, etc. all offered with the purpose of appeasing the spirit of the sky and/or ancestral spirits

These older ladies danced around wearing their traditional silk black Kui shirts that each of them made by hand

Hudson Making a Gingerbread house and a Day at the Park

2008-02-16T22:23:00.000+07:00

Please take some time to pray for Nit

2008-02-08T15:48:00.000+07:00

Since we've arrived in our village, we've had a househelper, Nit, come to help us with house work a few hours a day. She's been a little slack on helping recently, so I went and approached her to ask why? It turns out that since the New Years, she's been in a really difficult situation, and I told her that I would have Christians from America praying for.

For a good while now, Nit has been sick, very much like my wife has been sick---that is, sick with morning sickness, pregnant. She is not married and already has one girl out of wedlock. The father has already left town and moved in with his parents, because he wants to avoid any negative talk about him and Nit. He, along with many others has told Nit to go get an abortion. She wants to keep the baby, but doesn't feel like she will be able to raise another child on her own; with the pressures on her from everyone else around, she has been trying to abort the child. So far, she has visited a "witch doctor" in a nearby village, which didn't work, and next she plans to take pills from a local pharmacy. Right now, Nit is scared and worried; word is spreading around the village, and many are pointing fingers at her for her sin. It was just today that I found out about this.

I explained to her that all people sin, and I shared stories from the Bible with her about how Jesus shows love to those who feel unlovable. She is not a Christian, but felt that even God must hate her. Please pray for Nit. Pray that in this moment of fear, embarrassment, and uncertainty, that God will do a work in Nit's life. Pray that her unborn child will live despite the attempts to abort. Pray that God will work mightily in this situation, and will provide an opportunity for Nit to embrace Jesus Christ as Lord.

-David

Pics from Pamela's Family's Visit to Thailand

2008-02-06T21:52:00.000+07:00

The following are lots of pics from the great time that we had with Pamela's family when they just recently visited us in Thailand.

The big city of Bangkok from the top of the highest tower

Adalynn posing for a pic on the streets of Bangkok

Melissa, Seth, and Addy pose for a picture with some baby tigers

Kids in our village posing after an English lesson

Rob being attacked by an elephant in a Surin parking lot

Adalynn posing with some of our neighbors

Elephant riding in Surin

Debbie hanging on for dear life

Hanging out for a while in Hua Hin

Family Pic

Hudson and Mimi

Hudson out on the beach

Seth and Melissa about to ride a rickshaw

Rob, Debbie, Pamela, and Hudson on a tuk-tuk

Saying "Good-bye" at the Airport

Baby # 2 is on the Way

2008-02-06T21:38:00.000+07:00

The news is official, Pamela is pregnant with our next kid. The Dr. said that everything looks fine, but the baby is just a little small (same thing with Hudson, and he is still small). Here are some pics from the ultrasound. Don't worry, I asked Pamela's permission before putting her uterus online.

Pamela's Family is on the Way!

2008-01-21T21:55:00.000+07:00

After spending time in Chiang Mai, we are now anxiously awaiting the arrival of Pamela's family (they are in the plane as I write). Pamela's parents and her sister's family will be visiting for the next couple of weeks. We will spend the first few days in Bangkok, and then will go to Sisaket for a week or so, and then return to Bangkok for the end of the trip. Please pray for safety as they travel, good health, adjustment to cultural differences, and that they will adjust quickly to the time difference. Be on the look out for pictures of their trip coming soon!

Chiang Mai Trip

2008-01-21T21:39:00.000+07:00

The past couple of weeks we spent in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We left from Sisaket, and began the 15+ hours of driving over a 2-day period. The way to Chiang Mai was very interesting. On the night of the first day, I backed into a tree and did a little bit of damage to the truck. After staying the night at a hotel, I pulled over to have a mechanic help me with the truck. He pointed out that my tires were in terrible shape, so we bought some new ones. After that, we were just about to drive out of a big mountain range and we heard a weird sound. Next thing you know there was a big bang, and green stuff sprayed all over our window. God was looking out for us! We were just a couple of miles from another mechanic, who after about 3 hours or so had fixed a busted radiator. Our time in Chiang Mai was awesome. I finished up my last two seminary classes there, and spent time with some close friends that I don't see very often. Chiang Mai also has some good Western food that I miss, like NC BBQ (for real), chili and cheese fries, cheeseburgers, a Reuben sandwich, Mexican food, etc.

Dead Ancestors Visit on New Years Eve

2007-12-31T21:28:00.000+07:00

While living in a village in the Isaan part of Thailand, people tend to ask the foreigner, "What are you doing here?" We tell them that we are here to talk to people about Jesus and Christianity, but also that we are here as learners, to learn about their culture and language. Being learners has helped us to learn a lot about what the people here really believe, and has gotten us invites to watch (not participate) in a variety of rituals and celebrations.

Tonight, on New Year's Eve, we were invited to come watch and understand more about a yearly ritual called "Baan Pa Bu Rut." At this ritual, more than 70 or so people came. There was a decorated altar with bananas and other foods created for the worship of ancestors. Around this were many people sitting, musical instruments playing, lots of laughter, and one particular person who acted like some sort of a medium. She would do a little motion with her hands for a minute or so, and then after that, they believe that one of their deceased ancestors has come, and is inside of the ladies body. After the person introduces himself/herself, family members come and talk with their deceased ancestor. They believe that these deceased ancestors have some kind of influence over their lives, so they want to make sure that their ancestors are appeased. This ceremony also includes traditional dancing and doesn't finish until morning on New Years.

Please watch the following video to get a small glimpse of the reality of the Kui beliefs in Sisaket, Thailand. Pray that God will transform their lives into worshipers of Him and Him alone!

Quote of the Day: Bleed Wolfpack Red

2007-12-28T09:26:00.000+07:00

This morning, I was about to put up the aluminum foil, and I was helping Hudson understand not to touch the sharp thing on the aluminum foil box because it could hurt him and make him bleed. Then I asked, "Hudson, are you going to touch the aluminum foil box?" He responded:

"Yes, (I) bleed Wolfpack Red"

Christmas Pics and Videos

2007-12-26T15:24:00.000+07:00

Here are some pics and videos from around Christmas time that go with the previous article

Christmas in Thailand

2007-12-25T23:23:00.000+07:00

The past few weeks, I've often asked people in our part of Thailand "Do you know what the meaning of Christmas is?" Hardly anyone has a clue what it is really about. Some believe that it is our New Years (that came from the principal of a school). Some think its just a good time for partying. Most, however, have no clue. Thailand has Christmas trees, lights, and even Santa Clause these days, but I've met very few people out in rural Thailand who understood that Christmas is a day for celebrating the birth of Jesus. This gave our family many opportunities for sharing about Jesus this holiday season. I was given the opportunity by some of our World Vision friends to go share at a school recently with over a couple hundred kids. Because it was about Christmas, I was able to share about who Jesus is, why he came, and what this has to do with Christmas (a rare opportunity in Thailand).

Last night, Christmas Eve, we loaded up the truck with our fellow villagers (2 loads of people) and took them about 20 minutes down the road to a big event put on by a nearby church fellowship. The ride there was interesting. I think that with one load of people, I had b/w 15-20 people in our little white truck. They listened to music, watched dancing, and heard about Jesus (for most people, this was a first). This lead to a great conversation with a lady across the street on Christmas day who was reading a tract given to her the night before. Please pray for Nah-Ree and others that God would continue to work in their hearts.

Today, Christmas day, we had a great time opening presents, and spending Christmas as a family. Pamela and I really miss spending Christmas' with our family back in the States. We had intended on using Skype to talk to them, but our computer broke 2 days before Christmas and just got repaired this afternoon. There is no substitute for spending Christmas with family, but we extended our family tonight. We invited some of the kids and adults in our village to come join us for Christmas. We ended up with over 80 people in our house...we shared the Christmas story (starting from Adam and Eve), played a game, sang some Christmas songs, and ate some of Pamela's Christmas cookies. It turned out to be a pretty good Christmas!

P.S. i'll be getting some pics and maybe a video or two up soon...

Sports Week at the Baan Buay School

2007-12-14T20:55:00.000+07:00

This past week has been a big week for our village. In small towns in America, people can't wait to go see their favorite high school football or basketball games. In our village, people can't wait for the yearly middle school sports competition. For the entire week, almost no kids at the school in our village studied in school, but rather, they watched/played football (soccer), volleyball, betong, and takraw. Today, was the closing ceremonies, complete with dancing (we were glad to see many of our neighbors doing this), a parade, and guess what...more sports competitions. Here are some pictures from today's activities. If you have time, check out the "Takraw" video; it is basically like volleyball, but without hands...cool sport though.

Urgent Prayer Request

2007-12-09T22:16:00.001+07:00

Please be in prayer for Neey, a school teacher at the school in our village. She is pictured here with her brother Nai. They live just a couple houses down from us. Many of you may have already been praying for her at some time or another. Neey has recently expressed much interest in the Gospel. I had her talk with a Thai Christian believer today, b/c my language is still limited, and he was able to answer many of her questions, that I was not able to. Neey seems very interested, and is trying to decide if she is willing to give her life to Christ. She, like everyone else in our village, comes from a Buddhist background, and turning to Christ is a difficult decision. Pray that God will continue to work in heart, and that if it is His will, that she will put her faith in Jesus Christ.

Happy Birthday to the King of Thailand

2007-12-07T23:00:00.000+07:00

The King of Thailand's birthday was the 5th of December. Today, the 7th of December, we were invited by a friend to attend a celebration for the King's birthday. It was lots of fun. There was Thai dancing, singing, various Thai snacks, and lots of people. Here are a few pics taken tonight.

Visit from David's Family

2007-12-03T21:45:00.000+07:00

This past week or so, we were very excited to have some of our family come and visit us. My parents and my brother and his wife came to stay with us for about a week. They spent most of the time with us in our home in Sisaket. They helped us teach English, spent time with villagers, played with kids, etc. We had a great time catching up. We also had a lot of fun together. We rode elephants, worked out in the rice fields, went to some neat tourist places, etc. We also celebrated many birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas all in one meal. The following are some pictures of this past week.

Hudson and Pamela waiting for Grandma, Gaga, Derek, and Erin at Airport

Celebrating birthdays, thanksgiving, and Christmas

Christmas in November

After our family teaches English to the kids in our village, everyone poses with "Go Wolfpack" signs proudly displayed

Hanging out with some friends after Church in Phrai Bung

Eating together at a Korean Barbecue restaurant

Posing with the travel section of the Charlotte Observer after riding elephants in Surin, Thailand. If we don't make the paper, at least the picture made it on my blog

Mom riding high on a huge elephant

Dad riding low on the little elephant

Derek and Erin showing their Wolfpack pride

Hudson makes a new friend

Dad helping one of our neighbors harvest rice

Derek removing the rice from the plant, the old-fashioned way

Pamela and Erin pretending to harvest rice (notice, they have no tool to harvest with, they are wearing short sleeves, and this portion of the field has already been harvested...however, makes for a nice pic)

Derek and Hudson at the Grand Palace in Bangkok

Mom and Dad posing at the Grand Palace

Another sad good-bye to our family...this picture is right before they boarded the plane back to America

Rice Farmer Dave

2007-11-21T08:16:00.000+07:00

This is a picture of me getting out in the rice fields and helping to harvest some rice. All of our neighbors do this all day, 6 days or so a week, but I only did it for about 30 minutes. I got so exciting after much hard work and our friend let me know that I had just earned 1 Baht. That would about 3 cents. Most people who work all day make no more than $3.

Hudson hanging out in the rice field with his friend Bam

Hudson Sitting at the Table American/Thai Style

2007-11-21T08:01:00.000+07:00

Sometimes Hudson does things or says things that are a cross between American and Thai. This picture is of Hudson squatting, which is what Thai people tend to do when they are just sitting around. Hudson ate his supper this way, in a high chair. We normally tell him to sit right when eating, but at least it made for a good picture.

A Few of the Neighboring Kids

2007-11-21T07:22:00.000+07:00

Here are a few of our neighbors in Baan Buay that were anxious to have their picture taken. Feel free to pray that each of them and their families will follow Christ

Min

Ohm

Nam

Wuun

Lee

Loy Krathong Festival

2007-11-19T15:04:00.000+07:00

Just a few days ago, Pamela and I were invited by our villagers to go and see a festival nearby. The name of the festival is "Loy Krathong." The people prepare a "Krathong," which is a little decorated float-like object often made from banana leaves, paper, candles, etc. They then float (loy) it out on the water. By doing this, they are worshipping and/or paying honor to the god of the water. By doing so, they believe that they will receive good fortune. At the event we went to, they had kids and adults from a number of villages dance. Baan Buay, the village that we live in, sent a couple of different groups to perform. They did a great job and had a lot of fun.

Before they began to float the "Krathong's," the vice governor (pictured to the left) of the province of Sisaket had just finished giving a speech. He came down from the stage and then started his journey to the water, followed by everyone else. As he was on his way, he looked at me...I knew something was up, with us being the only white people for miles. He then came to me, with everyone looking, spoke to us for a while in English and in Thai, and then made us his guest to go offer a huge "krathong" to the god of the water. We were "strongly" urged, by everyone, to follow him, so we followed along. On the way I was able to explain to him that we were Christians, and that we would not be participating. This was somewhat embarrassing for us, b/c in Thailand its not very polite to refuse to do something when someone of high prestige offers, but this gave us an opportunity to politely stand for what we believe in...thus, we just took pictures. Here are some of the pictures and a video that we took at the festival.

The kids in this picture and in the video down below are some of the very young people that we seek to minister to. The majority of them are our neighbors on the street in which we live. I guess this dancing is something like their form of cheerleading or something. Notice the tall person on the right in the black/green and the person in the back middle in the orange are not really women, but men. Homosexuality and dressing up like women is a big issue in Thai society. The person on the right is very open about it, but until now, we have never seen the boy in the orange dressed up like a girl. In fact, the boy in the orange attends our weekly English lesson, and in fact, is probably our best student. He, along with many of these kids, have heard the Gospel, and we pray that God will work and transform each of their lives.

These are some adults doing more of the traditional Isaan Dancing

Staples Mill Road Baptist Church Mission Team

2007-11-15T23:29:00.000+07:00

During the last couple of weeks, we have had the pleasure of having a team from Staples Mill Road Baptist Church in Richmond, VA join us in Sisaket, Thailand. They taught lots of English (2 schools and 1 big English Camp), prayer walked many villages, and were able to distribute literature and share about Jesus with hundreds and hundreds of young people. The following are a few pictures from the past week or so.

The Team After Riding Elephants in Surin

Bruce and Sam doing what they do best, eating!

Paul and Sue doing a skit for a Church in Phrai Bung

Sue and Phyliss Sharing about Creation

Brenda spent the early part of her trip sick, but was delighted to have a close friend of hers, who was in the area, come and surprise her!

Gayle teaching the youth at the English Camp about musical instruments

Susan teaching at the English Camp in Kantaralak

Kids at the English Camp in Kantaralak holding up NC State Wolpack signs in celebration of the recent wins by the pack!! Go State!

Team from Virginia

2007-11-05T21:50:00.000+07:00

Just a couple of days ago, we were joined by a team from Staples Mill Road Baptist Church in Richmond, VA. In addition, two people from Mississippi were also able to join the team. We are having a great time with this team. They are mostly older folks who are really giving it their all. They are also being very flexible, which is a must when staying in another country. For example, they have eaten all most all Thai food. In fact, just yesterday, there was a swarm of flies around us at a restaurant we were eating at. After a few minutes, the gnats were in our food, drinks, etc. This mostly senior group ate lots of food (w/ quite a few gnats i'm sure), and even asked for straws for their drinks (in order to avoid the gnats on top). They've been teaching English and sharing about Jesus with kids of all ages, particularly those about middle school age. Please pray for:

1) Brenda--she is a member of the team who has been very sick the last few days. She's already gone to the Doctor and gotten medication. Pray that she'll get better quickly.

2) Elephant trip--if you are in America, about the time you are going to sleep today, the team will be riding elephants. I think we are taking a path that the elephants will carry them through a river. Please pray that no one gets wet :)

3) English Camp--Thursday and Friday, the team will be teaching English and sharing about Jesus with over 70 kids at an English camp. Pray for God to work in the hearts of the young people and to give strength to the members of the team.

Kids in Our Village Singing About God

2007-11-01T04:41:00.000+07:00

A couple of our leaders in Thailand, Jack and Lynn Kinnison came to visit us in Sisaket recently. While here, they helped us teach English a couple times. After teaching some kids, Jack briefly explained about Jesus to the kids, and then taught them a simple song about "Christ knocking on the door." The song came from Laos, but the language is very similar to Thai. The kids loved it so much, that they requested to sing it next week, so we decided to take a video of it. None of these young people are Christians, but we pray that they will open up the doors of their lives and let Jesus in.

A New Look for Cookie

2007-10-30T18:56:00.000+07:00

This is a picture of Cookie, a dog that we are taking care of for another missionary family. When it got to where Cookie wasn't able to see very well because of the length of her hair, we finally got her in to get a haircut. We didn't even recognize her when we got her. Its been one day now, and we are still trying to figure out if we got the right dog. Anyway, Cookie is probably a few pounds lighter now, and the difference in looks has caused plenty of laughs for all of our friends in the village. Please scroll down a few entries and take a look at a picture of Cookie taken about a week ago

Another making-merit day

2007-10-30T18:42:00.000+07:00

These pics are of some guys in our village on their way to the temple. This past week there was some kind of buddhist/animist ceremony. As the men went by carrying the table-like things, the people would place food on them as part of their making-merit. After asking a couple people about what the ceremony was about, it had something to do with freeing their deceased ancestors. Perhaps this would help their ancestors to get a little higher on the totem pole. Please be praying that these villagers in Baan Buay would come to know the love of the one and only God!

Language Blunder

2007-10-28T23:49:00.000+07:00

I've been learning Thai for about a year now, but still make lots of language mistakes. Just yesterday, I made a language blunder worth noting. In Thailand, the King is looked upon very favorably. He has been King for a very long time and has earned the respect of almost everyone in Thailand. Every Monday, tons of Thai people wear a yellow shirt in honor of the King. After youtube.com had a video that mocked the King, it was, and is still blocked in the country of Thailand. There are many names that people here call the king, but one is "Phra Jaao Pan Din," which means God of the earth (the one over the country of Thailand). Just recently, a member of the royal family came to our province to visit a nearby village, and I found myself talking about the King, and since I had just recently learned this new vocabulary, I tried to put it to use. Unfortunately, I used the Thai words "Phra Jaao Dai Din," and got blank stares. I said this for a couple of days, and then my wonderful wife reminded me that the phrase I used would translate as "God under the earth." No wonder I got blank stares.

My little Wolfpack Fan

2007-10-25T21:50:00.000+07:00

This is a recent picture of Hudson holding Mr Wuf (the mascot). He still supports the wolfpack even though its been a terrible season. I mean, beating ECU was a big win...thats sad.

Visits from Jack, Lynn, and Nong Ah

2007-10-25T21:21:00.000+07:00

This week has been a busy and exciting week for us. First, we've had a young Christian teenager (Ah) visit us from a neighboring province. She is very much a typical teenager. She likes to watch TV, listen to music, and play on the internet.

Jack and Lynn Kinnison, a couple of long-time missionaries in the Northern part of Thailand, took a long road trip to visit us and another missionary family this week. They have been lots of fun to have around and have helped us a lot with the ministry here. Lynn helped teach Pamela to make biscuits, chocolate cake, and hash browns. I also was victorious in playing cards. On top of this, Jack helped me a lot in our village. We walked around and talked with many people. It seemed that in each conversation, he was able to talk about God in some way or another, in a way that relates to the people. In addition, after teaching English on Wednesday night and Thursday night, he was able to briefly share the Gospel with them. For most all of them, this was the first time they have heard a thorough explanation of the Gospel. We are praying that God will work on the hearts of these young people.

Random Family Pics (and Dog)

2007-10-25T00:57:00.000+07:00

These are just some recent pics from a recent trip to Chiang Mai and to Bangkok. Also picture is
a dog that we are looking after for some friends (Cookie). We will probably post random pics of our family in this blog...especially Hudson b/c he is the favorite of all of our grandparent's.

Chiang Mai and Bangkok

2007-10-13T18:18:00.000+07:00

Trip to Chiang Mai and Bangkok. The past two weeks, we have had the privilege of helping watch kids in Chiang Mai for those in our area who are now the leaders of people groups (strategy coordinators). We had a great time ministering to these kids, eating farang (Foreigner food), shopping a little, and hanging out with friends from our company. I even got some NC BBQ complete with cole slaw, hushpuppies, and a twice-baked potato. One thing that was also neat was that we were able to spend some time with someone from the people group (the Kui people) that we are working with. She is from our village and was visiting her husband who lives in Chiang Mai. They took us out to eat some great Thai food, and we in turn took them to eat at Subway. Please pray for us now, as we are heading to Bangkok to renew our VISA's. We will be there until Tuesday, and will then return to our home in Sisaket.

-David

Getting a Thai drivers license...or not!!!

2007-10-01T23:03:00.000+07:00

I really had my mind set on getting a Thai drivers license today. It seems that in Thailand getting something so small completed is such a huge task. I figured I'd give you some insights on my experience. A week or so ago we first went to the office about getting a Thai drivers license. We had lots of documentation ready, but felt like we still lacked a couple of things. We found that we lacked a lot: a physical from the Doctor, proof of residence, actual passports (which were in Bangkok), copies of everything, etc. We had to go to Bangkok anyway, so we got the physical done there, picked up the passports and headed home---not too bad. On another day, I went to get the copies of all of our important documents, so I went into town asking around about the nearest copy shop. The first person I asked told me to go to the 7-eleven and then go straight---no copy shop nearby. The next person I asked said to turn down one road and look on the left---no copy shop. The next person I asked tried to send me back towards the 7-eleven---I ignored his advice. After searching and searching, I finally found a place to make some copies. People in Thailand are very kind---they always give an answer, even if they have no clue. However, the icing on the cake was getting the proof of residence---which we needed to get done early b/c we were heading out of town. We had been told that we would need to get a letter from our village leader and that we needed to take that to a district office. We went above and beyond and took our village leader with us, along with passports, documents, and other stuff that we might need. I only needed 1 little letter to take to the drivers license office. All it had to say was that I live in that village. I was sent to my truck to get extra information 5 times, sent home to get more information about 3 times, and told that there is a problem about 100 hundred times. It had to be the slowest process for the smallest document. We had hoped to make it today to the drivers license office before heading out of town, but getting our drivers license will just have to wait---but on a good note, I did finally get the letter. Pray for us after we get back in town as we venture back to the drivers license office in order to make an earnest attempt to bring all of this excitement to an end.

"Baan Buay" Wolfpack Fan

2007-09-29T00:12:00.002+07:00

This is my friend and tutor Nai. Nai lives about 4 houses down from us in "Buay" village. He had never really heard of the NC State Wolfpack until I gave him this shirt (courtesy of my brother Derek who sent lots of shirts with me). Unfortunately, if football season continues to get worse, and Nai finds out, he may give the shirt back.