We made it!

Hi, blog world! This is Kristen, from the Thailand team, reporting from Chiang-Kham, Thailand!

We are glad to announce that we have arrived! We landed in Bangkok on Tuesday morning at 7:00am and had a very short lay-over in India, where we rushed through the airport because our flight had been delayed in London!  I will never forget sitting in the bus waiting to go to the plane and praying that God would bring everyone else through customs quickly.  Besides those few minutes, our travel went very smoothly.  The rest of Tuesday was spent trying to stay awake, trying new foods, and going to the mall.

bangkok skyline via temple roof

On Wednesday and Thursday we had orientation at the YWAM Thailand base in Bangkok where we were staying. We were introduced to the technique of the "squatty-potty" (a new, special kind of toilet) and learned about Thai culture. We did a scavenger hunt that helped us grow accustomed to the area and foods --  one of the activities on this adventure was to try eating kind of insect from the local market! Though this is not a normal Thai diet, it was fun to see the team experience this new treat...  I personally tried a cricket and found it tasted a lot like french fries.  The maggot on the other hand was a one-time experience.  On Thursday, we went on a prayer walk in central Bangkok, where we visited two temples -- an interesting, but challenging experience.

On Thursday night, when we were almost over jet-lag, the team boarded a bus for Chiang-Kham, a city in northern Thailand. The bus ride was 12 hours long, but the bus was the nicest bus I have ever seen!  The seats reclined three times further than a plane set and there were blankets and pillows! We will probably take this same trip in a few weeks when we head south again.

The last few days we have been at The Home of Blessing, the primary location of our ministry for the next few weeks.  This video below explains The Home of Blessing...

nehemia Girls Care Project, Thailand (english version) from Kittikoon on Vimeo.

We are staying at the Home of Blessing campus for the next two weeks and have been spending a lot of time with the girls. I already love them so much!  This morning we helped lead the church service by doing a drama of the story of Esther while Pete, one of our team members, talked about we each are chosen.  It was fantastic to worship with the girls in Thai! We will be doing some painting around the campus and continuing to love on the girls. Next weekend, we will be putting on a weekend-long Vacation Bible School for the girls here at The Home of Blessing.

public transport via river boat in Thailand

 Prayer points: 
- if you could pray for us as we put the VBS weekend together, we would be so, so grateful.  God has already started to orchestrate that time, but your prayers make a world of difference.
- prayer for health would also be appreciated -- there are several people, including Sam (our youngest team member at 8 months) that are not feeling well.
- lastly, please pray for our struggles with the new language. As we excitedly try to learn the language, it still remains difficult to break through the language barrier

Thank you so much for the prayers, they are absolutely crucial to this trip! We will continue to keep you updated as things progress!

Love,
Kristen