Mah Oh Jo

Hello everyone! It is Wednesday afternoon, Day 6 in the village. We have been blessed with beautiful weather - today is the warmest day yet, and it is only in the high 80's, and not humid. The nights have been cool, and the past two evenings have been clear enough to see the stars.
We've been working on a variety of different work projects, from kitchen reconstruction to brick making to building a pig pen to mixing cement to making a pizza oven. Everyone has been switching around to different projects to try new things and get to know other people. VBS has been going fantastic, as did church on Sunday. Everyone is tired at night, but the work is good.
Almost every day someone on the team has felt sick either with a cold or a stomach ache, but nothing has been too serious yet. Please [ray for the continued health of our team, especially because we still have another full week in the village.
The kids have won our hearts already. Some of the team has been playing tecraw (a cross between soccer and volleyball) with them every afternoon and we have been enjoying the chance to get to know our hut families.
We have 7 days left in the village, which can seem like a long time, so pray for strength and joy as we work, and that the Lord would be glorified in it all. Pray especially for the villagers and staff that we are spending time with, that we would be an encouragement to them. Thanks for your prayers!

Reunited

It's Thursday morning in Thailand right now, and both teams arrived in Chiang Mai around 2:30 yesterday afternoon. The Laos team arrived first, and when we saw them from the bag check, I don't think any of us could contain our excitement. It was so good to see them again and hear stories! It feels great to have the whole team together.

They had an amazing week...most of them took at least one spill off of their motor bikes, so they have some nice scrapes and bruises, but overall, they are healthy and rested after their day off in Laos on Tuesday. Laos is a closed country, so mostly they just prayed in preparation for ministries that are beginning in many of the villages. But they were able to witness a baptism and have several other really good conversations. They said that they all have left thankful for the openness we can have in the US, and even here in Thailand, and with a greater depth of understanding of the truth of spiritual warfare. Pray for openness in Laos - people really are in bondage there, and are blinded to the truth.

The Thai portion of the team had a surprise when we were waiting to board the plane - our one missing bag was found and had been checked on the plan! Our whole time travelling was such a blessing...we had a lot of delays and other issues, but we didn't have to go through customs (when we arrived in Bangkok at 4 in the morning, I don't think the guard at customs wanted to deal with eighteen 50-lb bags, so he just waved us through), we made our connecting flight to Bangkok, and our missing bag was found.

The Thai team was pretty exhausted by time night hit yesterday. Most of us had only 2-3 hours of sleep in the previous 24 hours, so after dinner, we just went to bed while the Laos team enjoyed the night bazaar for a few hours. Today, we are taking a slow morning to recover, and run a few errands, and then we will drive out to Om Koi after lunch, where we will eat dinner and spend the night. On Friday morning, we will make the final few hour trek out to the village.

One of the best parts so far is just how joyful everyone is. Even when we were tired yesterday, we are a team, and we are excited to be here. Pray for continued right hearts and unity on our team. Pray for those of us who just arrived to adjust to the time difference and the weather (it is HOT). Pray for the ITDP staff as they drive us out to the village and prepare everything for us there, and for the Karen, that they would have open hearts. Pray for continued health and safety for everyone, and that we would have a smooth trip out to the village. Finally, pray that the Lord would be glorified in everything. That is the ultimate end of it all.

For the team,
Katie

In Bangkok!

It's 4:30 am, and we arrived at our hotel in Bangkok about half an hour ago. We made it through security smoothly, but our flight from LAX to Taipei was delayed for a few hours. But the airline held our flight in Taipei for us and about 6 or 8 others, so we didn't have to spend the night in Taipei. Such a great reminder of God's providence and sovereignty! On the flight from Taipei to Bangkok, we got to enjoy a stunning lightning storm in the clouds around us.

Customs and immigration went incredibly smoothly, and even with the delay, all but one of our bags made it to Bangkok, and now we are getting some rest before heading back to the airport in a few hours to fly to Chiang Mai and meet up with the rest of the team and the ITDP staff.

The team is doing great - tired but in good spirits. Pray for rest, continued health, a safe flight tomorrow and that everyone would adjust quickly to the time change.

Continue praying for the Laos team as well, since they have had a long week of ministry and are now jumping into more. Pray for strength and energy for them!

For the team,
Katie

Less than 24 hours...

Tomorrow morning, the Thai team meets at SDCC to head north to LAX. We will fly to Taipei, and then to Bangkok, Thailand, where we will spend the night and then meet up with the Laos team and fly to Chiang Mai. We are so excited! Please pray for safe travels, that we will make it through customs and for good health and sleep. Finally, pray that the Lord will be glorified in all things.

Laos Team has Departed!

Rachel Uy, Rachel Teters, Micah Parks, Kevin Brandt, and Steve Jenkins

The Laos team left LAX this morning at 1 am and are on their way. Please pray for them as they go, specifically for their health and safety and for their ministry in Laos. The rest of us get to join them in  Bangkok in 9 days!

Thailand/Laos: 2013

Welcome to our team blog! In 5 days, the Laos team heads to LAX to catch their plane. Just over a week later, the Thailand team will do the same.

Team Leaders: Steve Jenkins, Christine Roberts
Team Members: Roberto Aldama, Kevin Brandt, Katie Duffy, Ashley Jarosin, Mark Lyles, Laura Paniagua, Micah Parks, Elsbeth Ryniec, Rachel Teters, Alyssa Triana, Rachel Uy, Karizma White

The Laos team will be spending about a week in country doing prayer ministry in preparation for church planting that will be happening very soon. Afterwards, they will meet up with the Thai team and we will all head out to the Mae-Tung region of Northern Thailand. We will be working with missionaries Mike and Becky Mann and the Integrated Tribal Development Program (ITDP). This is the thirteenth team that SDCC has sent to Thailand, and the first team to Laos.

In the village, we will be putting on a VBS for the kids in the school, building a youth hostel where some of the kids can stay during the week, working on a water project to collect rainfall and doing some agricultural projects.

Team Schedule
May 12 – Laos team departs LAX
May 14-21 – Laos team prays and ministers in villages
May 20 – Thailand team leaves LAX
May 22 – Thai team arrives and teams meet and travel to Mae Tung Region
May 23-June 5 – Ministry in Mae Tung Region
June 6 – Return to Chiang Mai
June 9 – Arrive at LAX @ 8:30 pm

Some Prayer Requests

• Pray for safe travel to Thailand & the villages 
• Pray for sustained health for the Team 
• Pray for the Team’s testimony in all they say & do 
• Pray for the villagers’ openness to the Gospel 
• Pray for the outreaches, VBS & medical care 
• Pray that indigenous Christians and ITDP staff may be encouraged in their faith 
• Pray for the spiritual unity of the Team and staff 
• Pray that each Team Member will deepen their faith 
• Pray for a new understanding of Global Missions 
• Pray that the Team members will deepen their understanding and obedience in becoming a “World Christian”

As we go, please pray for us! We are so excited to see what the Lord is going to do! Thank you for your partnership.
For the team,
Katie