by the way

we are all back home.

and probably all wishing we werent.




but thank you, friends and family, for your prayers and support while we were gone.
much love.

Update on the working team

hey guys,
wanted to update you on the happenings of the group that was working for the first two weeks [ chase, jon, phil, isaiah, and myself ] . we were able to get so much accomplished during our time working at the sight of the new school. [ the family christian learning center that we have been helping out with english camp in the mornings is renting a new place so that they can expand ] there was a massive field filled with tall grass and trees that we weed-wacked down so that it can eventually be made into a playground/soccer field for the kids. we also did work on the kitchen, building a cement wall to go around it and wood on top of the cement to keep animals out. it was hard work in the heat, yet it is so great to be able to talk with the missionaries here to see what an impact our work has in blessing them. many of the missionary kids would come with us to the work site. it was a great opportunity to be able to build relationships with them and really find out about their lives. none of us really realized before coming here that the missionary kids are really a ministry opportunity for us as well. we're finding opportunities to really get to know them and try to build into their lives. so, in short, work is good. we all found skills we never had, and for some found skills we definitely do not have (my hammering needs a little work, still, I blame it on weak nails). all in all we worked hard, had fun, and were able to bless others.. which sums up to a pretty sweet two weeks. english camp in the mornings is going well, building relationships and loving on kids (and also being kids ourselves during game times, of course). we are now switching so that the work team is going to ban naam jai and the ban naam jai group will be going to work. we are growing together, learning to love, loving each other, seeking God and having a blast.. sending love from thailand to wherever you are..

We ARE alive...

First item of business, dear friends and family,

we apologize.
our internet has been down
then this site turned into thai characters
so it has been [heaven] trying to make updates.
but here it is, with love 8,478 miles away...


the team working at Baan Nam Jai has had an indescribable amount of fun
with the kids there.
we do a craft with them for the first hour or so...or as long as they decide they want to.

then we just play.
just love.
just hold
and spin, laugh, sing, chase, and hug.











after its our time to leave, we climb into our sung tao [taxi-bus-thing]
and head back to our home...

balcony view








..and meet with the rest of the team for

DINNER.

we have been trying hit up as many rice and noodle shops as possible.
but this place is one of our favorites.



after a divine meal of pad thai, cou pot gai, pad see yu or whatever they think we ordered in broken thai
we chill a little.
saturday was the
night bazaar.





festive lights
bustling tourists
exotic smells
eager merchants
and a bunch of forongs [foreigners] soaking all the culture in.



thats just a pin hole glimpse into our lives here.
a fraction of the beauty that exists in
the countryside
the people
the air




basically
were not coming home.
or we are

with a kid or two.




....just playing, mom.




God has been, is currently, and will continue to be
so good.





well try to be writing again soon.

love,
maia

sawadtee ka

We're Here!

97 degrees.
95% humidity.
Welcome to Chiang Rai, Thailand.

As I sit in this blue vinyl chair
embellished with a faded white paisley pattern
the rest of the team sits on the wooden floor
talking about today's adventures in Thailand.



It's our third day here
with a month left ahead of us.
We are excited.
Excited to be
drained.
stretched.
broken.
filled up.
pieced back together.
and finally, after these 5 weeks,
to be a little closer to the person God wants us to be.

Today we had orientation for the english camp at the school
where we will be working every day from 9am-12pm.
Each of us will be working one-on-one with a student,
doing tutoring type stuff.
Helping with everything from improving English skills
to doing long division (I am going to have to brush up on that...).
After that, half of the team (Tony, Sarah, Aimee, Maia, Phil)
will be going to Baan Nam Jai (an HIV+ orphanage)
to do arts and crafts and to just love on the kids there.

The other half of the team (Mary, Isiah, Jon, Myself)
will be working at the new location the school will be moving to.
We will be clearing a field full of 4-foot-long grass
and making it into a full-size soccer field
(and doing some other manual labor type stuff
that we will just take as it comes).
However, it almost seems as if we could just clear a few paths
and make it a jungle adventure.
But, I guess, soccer might be a little more safe for the kids.
Evidently snake bites can be some sort of a liablity issue.
In two weeks, the teams will switch.
Everybody will get a chance to do a little bit of everything.



So,
that is just a tiny update.
an overview of what will be going on for the next few weeks.
And we will be better about our blog updatage (...hm, that might not actually be a word...)
we promise.
You all wont be left in the dark.
promise.

Oh,
and it rained a few times today...
except i'm having a bit of a struggle trying to decide if it was
rain
or
an overflow of the humidity, masquerading as rain.
...i think its more of the latter...







anyways,
we are all doing great.
thank you all for your prayers and support!




love.

chase.

California

We all made it safely to LA.
About to board the plane across the Pacific to Asia!

Here we go.

Dear Friends, Family and Supporters.

Over the next five weeks.
We will use this site.
to post pictures, stories and updates.


The team members will rotate updating the blog.
so you should hear from each of us
at one point or another.


If you like.
feel free to leave us comments.
we would love to hear from you.

.

Its blows my mind.
in just days
we will be [ here ] :



.

next update from t h a i l a n d .

.

hey friends.
this is our page.