Mai Chem

Well... I'm in Mai Chem now, we just came from a pastors house in the outskirts of the town of Mai Chem and now we are staying at a "Hotel" (the word is used very lightly). We're going to be doing some service projects and manual labor things here.

It's been a very adventurous, and lazy last week, just sort of taking in all the sites and sounds aroud us. We traveled to this mountain villiage on the back of a toyota pickup truck with 11 people + a drvier + all our luggage... it was definately an experience. At first I was just slightly terrified at the though of almost dieing, but now, it doesn't seem to bother me as much, lol :-)

After we arrived we played with the kids in the village and then drove even farther up into the mountains to pray over and bless a couple that had just got married. They were 17, and seemed so much younger than that. They were extremely shy and as it's not socially acceptable to touch the opposite sex in public they didn't touch each other but just looked at one another and blushed the whole time. It was kinda cute.

Once we prayed for them, sang some songs, and all that sort of stuff we ate a very interesting meal which included stomach juices from a cow... yum! Other interetsing things that have found their way into our food is clumps of coagulated blood and oh I don't even know... lots of other things.

The scenory is absolutely breath takeing here, we drove up to some waterfalls yesterday and swam around. the water was quite shocking! It's been awhile since I've been in such cold water!

The accomodations have been quite interesting and I got a shock a couple of times when I moved a cup and a cockroach scurried out from under it. or when I felt something bitting my feet to find I'm stepping in a pile of ants, or when some one moved their bag to find a spider as big as a fist hidding under it.

The other morning I woke up to a light massage on my back, I was wondering what the heck was softly walking all over my back. At first I thought it was a friend being stupid and then realized that if it was a person they would have smacked me, then I thought of the possibility of a cat, and realized that our hosts didn't have a cat. Out of options i opened my eyes to find a chicken staring me in the face. I screamed partially out of shock, and partially to tell the thing to get the heck out of my bed! Appartently the chicken was just as surprised as I was and went crazy. Stupid chickens! they drive me crazy.

Now I am sitting at this internet cafe, listening to Michael buble' having just finshed a breakfast of a local market pastry (not near as good as it may sound) and a cup of coffee from a local 7/11. It's a rest day, which really isnt' needed since i've slept like 12 hours ever night this week. But I'll take it anyway.

I can't believe that we only have 10 days left of the trip. Time has just flown by! I have been totally amazed how God has showed up with power and might, healing and saving and delivering! I prayed for a lady the other day who had a miscarriage awhile ago, and from what I could tell, she had developed an infection and was in lots of pain. I prayed for her for 30 minutes and kept asking if she felt any better. Finally, after a while had past tears started falling down her cheeks. I stoped praying to see what was happening, she looked up at me with her big brown eyes and smiled, all the pain was gone. She was touched by God that night and a I pray to God that she will never forget how much he loves and cares about her.

No matter what may be happening in our lives, God is always and forever by our side. He cares so deeply for each and every one of these dear Thai people and wants them all to know his love and to experience his power in their lives.

I know that the next 10 days will be even more full of miracles and God's supernatural power.
Miss you all and hope you have such a great New Years!