It's all the same

We arrived home safe and sound about a week ago and have been recovering from jet lag since then. Now we are feeling much better and are able to stay awake past 9pm!

In short, our trip was simply fantastic. We learned so much about, well, so many different things - I don't even know where to start! The most important thing we realized, and one of the reasons we believe God told us to go on this trip, is to show us that there is not much of a difference between Thailand and Vancouver. A couple of days ago Steve and I were walking along the waterfront in Vancouver and were mentioning different things that would remind us of the places we've been, when all of a sudden we both realized that it's all the same. We could not have understood this had we not gone to Thailand, a country with a different religion, different culture, different people, different food - basically a country entirely unfamiliar to us. And because we were surrounded by people, things and a way of life we are not accustomed to, we were able to see certain things, all of which are characteristic of the immense spiritual desperation.

The Thai people live in fear of evil/angry spirits so they have placed shrines everywhere - in front of their homes, inside their homes, outside business places, in restaurants and even go-go bars. They offer food, flowers, and incense to the spirits via these shrines in order to appease them. At first we did not understand why they give these offerings, but as the trip went on we slowly began to realize that these offerings are a means of spiritual security for them - and this is the very same kind of security concern the West (including Vancouver) faces. The only difference is that the people of the West find security in money and consciously or subconsciously live in fear of being "poor" or not having "enough." Take the current economic crisis, for example, and look at how everyone all over the news is panicking about the volatility of the stock market at the moment.

Another major social issue in both Thailand and Vancouver is that of prostitution. In Thailand this is blatantly obvious when you see a foreigner (Caucasian or not) with a Thai woman, man or child. In Vancouver it is not so because everyone blends in; this city is so multicultural that you can't tell what's going on. Not only that, but this issue is superficially covered by "professionalism" and wealth. I recently met with a friend who works for the CEO of a large corporation, and she told me that in such corporations most businessmen and women spend their free time sleeping around with coworkers or prostitutes (whether they have a significant other or not), drinking too much and/or doing drugs. Yes, those who are "professional" businessmen and women do these things that society condemns - but these things are only looked upon as "bad" on the surface, because just beneath the surface many, many people live this kind of lifestyle.
We learned that it's so easy to look at developing countries where corruption and social problems are not hidden and say, "The poor people need help," or, "I can't believe anyone would do that!" But the West faces the exact same issues! The only difference is that they are covered, swept underneath a glamorous rug to make it look like nothing bad happens here. And I can go on and on about problems such as alcoholism, lack of male leadership/father figures in families, gender confusion, broken families, obsessions and addictions - does any of this sound familiar?

The root of the problem is this: we are all people - whether European, Asian, American, African; whether we have much or nothing - and human nature is the same everywhere and has always been the same. The entire world has always dealt with such issues and that's not about to change. Corruption and evil will always be around because there will always be people who don't have a relationship with Jesus. Yes, He is indeed the answer to all of these problems. And this is the main thing God revealed to us while on this trip. It seems like an obvious thing, but it's so easy to get wrapped up in trying to do "good" by providing social programs and education, and forgetting that those things will not solve the problem of human nature. Only the Lord can change the heart of a human being, and people everywhere - including those in developed, wealthy nations and cities - need to know that they can be healed from the destruction and death that sin brings, and that they can have a perfect, beautiful relationship with their Creator. Only out of spending time, daily, with the Lord and laying down all expectations and desires - being open to Him - will these issues of sinful desire be dealt with. No amount of education, social programs or money will fix the human heart - look at the West, for example - only and only God can give people a new heart, one that is actually good, because He alone is good. And in Him alone can anyone find true security and be content in good times and in bad times, because He is the only One that never changes, the only One that is always faithful and trustworthy. With all the bad things that go on in the world, people need to know that there is, in fact, One who is good in every way. Let's tell the world that, eh?

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.  

John 13:34-35(E.S.V)

Let's love one another as the Lord commands (yes, commands). Let's let our lives, our actions, our words and even our thoughts, be characterized by the relationship we have with Him. That means we must be responsible for having a deep, strong relationship with Him, and we must seek Him and be completely open to Him daily. We must receive revelation from Him in regards to this. This is the only thing that will truly bring change, for the better, in the world.

So, the main thing is that it does not matter whether one lives in the West or the East, or whether one is rich or poor; everyone has the exact same issues - they are simply expressed in different ways. One often looks at the developing world and sees the poverty, corruption and need, while failing to see the just-as-desperate need for Jesus in one's own community. The more we saw on our trip the more we became convinced that increased amounts of social programs and education, while still very much needed, are not the ultimate answer to all of the problems. (Hundreds upon hundreds of N.G.O's from all over the world work in Cambodia, for example, yet the country is still extremely poor and the people are extremely desperate for change). Only Jesus and a personal relationship with Him can change the immense problems facing both Asia and North America today. The need in both parts of the world, and the solution in both parts of the world is the same.

We believe God told us to, for now, look at home and see His heart for Vancouver in this next season of our lives.



Our trip itinerary:

We arrived in Bangkok and stayed there with our friends from India, Jodi & Binu, for 4 days. Then we headed off to Koh Chang (the island by Cambodia) for 6 days. We parted ways with Jodi and Binu and went on to Trat for 1 night and headed to Pattaya the next day. We stayed in Pattaya 6 or 7 days and got to see the Project L.I.F.E children's slum ministry, after which we went to Khao Yai for the OMF conference. We were in Khao Yai for 5 days.  After that we went to Aranprathet and spent the night there. The following day we crossed over the Poipet border into Cambodia. In total, we were in Cambodia for about 13-15 days.
We flew from Phnom Penh to Bangkok and stayed in Bangkok 1 night. Then we went on an 18 hour long bus ride from Bangkok to Phuket Island (not something we want to do again...). We were on Phuket Island for 7 days and we met with a missionary working with MB (Mennonite Brethren). After that we went to Railay Beach and took a 2 week vacation for our one year anniversary. Then we took a bus back to Bangkok and stayed about 4 days there, after which we flew home.

After crossing the Poipet border we went to Siem Reap, where we met with the YWAM Siem Reap director and got to see the different ministries they are running there. We were in Siem Reap for 5 days. While in Siem Reap we also went to see the Angkor Wat temples. We took a ferry to Batambang and got to see the Vietnamese floating villages on our way there. In Batambang we met with the YWAM Batambang leader and got to see many of the ministries they have going as well - it was so wonderful to see what God is doing through their ministries. We were there for 4 or 5 days and then headed to Phnom Penh, the capitol, to meet with another missionary couple. We were there for 4 or 5 days. Then we took a plane back to Bangkok.

What we have seen so far

Hello everyone,

It has been about 2 weeks since our last update, and we are now in Cambodia. If we had only been here for the past two weeks it would certainly have been worth the trip! We are so thankful for how the Lord has set everything up for us!

After staying in Trat for one night we left for Pattaya and arrived there in the evening. We went downtown to explore the main part of the city and found that it is basically like Las Vegas times 10. We later learned that the main difference between Las Vegas and Pattaya is that many of the bar girls/prostitutes in Pattaya sadly have no choice but to enter the trade. While in Pattaya we also realized the immense problem of gender confusion in all of Thailand and the great need for outreach not only to bar girls and prostitutes, but also to the ladyboys, as there are many.

Downtown Pattaya during the day.

Downtown Pattaya at night.

The next day we met with a lady named Angela who was our main contact in Pattaya. She runs the YWAM slum ministry (Project L.I.F.E) in and she invited us to participate in different activities that the ministry puts on for the kids. Steve and I were very surprised to see how incredibly well ALL the ministries (from different organizations) work together in Pattaya. On our first day we were invited to go to a weekly prayer meeting where leaders from different organizations come together to share what is new, what their needs are and what they need prayer for. There were about 9 or 10 people from different organizations/ministries at that prayer meeting and it was so encouraging to see them all pray for each other and encourage each other along. Over the next few days we got to go with Angela to a few different slums and help out a little with the kids' programs. We are absolutely thrilled about Project L.I.F.E because of the way we saw the staff interact with the kids and share Christ with them. Their goal is to not only reach out to the children but also to expand as a ministry to be able to reach out to the parents and families of the children. We are so excited to see that happen!

Some of the children from the first slum we went to. They are so cute!!

Finally in Thailand! :)

So...it has been a looong time since we last posted an update. A few things have changed since the last one, one of which is our itinerary. It turns out that we will be going to Cambodia as well due to visa issues - 3 weeks before we left we realized that you only get a one month visa when entering Thailand by plane, which means that we will have to leave the country after 1 month, stay somewhere for a couple of weeks and fly back in to Thailand in order to get another 30 day visa. Thus, we decided to go to Cambodia, so we talked to some people, got some contacts and will be heading there in just a couple of weeks.

Our first week in Thailand was great! We stayed in Bangkok for 4 days and met with some missionary friends of ours from India (Josiah and his wife, for those of you who know them) who were on vacation in Thailand.


While in Bangkok Steve got to talking with a Swiss tourist about Jesus, which was really cool. We haven't seen him since that night, but we have been praying that the Lord continues to speak to him and sends someone else to help him find Jesus. We were also able to visit the Youth With A Mission Bangkok base and we tagged along with them to a Night Light 'info session'. Night Light is fantastic organization - their purpose is to help prostitutes and trafficked individuals who want to get out of the trade, but their main mission is to help these people find their true worth and

Off to Thailand!!!

Well...not just yet.

This month has been such an exciting one for us because of the way the Lord has been bringing everything together. At the beginning of the month we met with the missions pastor from our church to discuss our idea of going to Thailand on a go and see trip and, to our surprise, he supported us and gave us great advice. We have been praying a lot about the trip, making contacts and trying to figure out how we will pay for it. As we prayed, we asked God to provide the bulk of the money by the end of the month so that we can be certain that we should be going on this trip. We need about $5,000-$6,000 (depending on plane tickets) and we now have $3,900! Not only has the Lord answered that prayer, but we have also been making contacts with many missionaries.
Steve has been working on the details of the trip, sending and replying to emails, making a concrete schedule and budget, etc.. It has taken a little while, but we have finally put together a plan of where we will be going and who we will be meeting with. What we do in different cities will depend on the need (at the time) of the missionaries we will be visiting, so we can't say exactly what that will be.
Below is a map of where we plan to go so you can follow along as I explain (click on the image to enlarge it).

We will start in Bangkok, where we plan to stay for about a week and a half to meet with several missionaries that live there. We will then travel to Pattaya where we will stay at a YWAM base and help out with their slum ministry for a few days, after which we will head north to Khao Yai. While in Khao Yai we will be attending a missions conference put on by OMF, or Overseas Missionary Fellowship (formerly known as China Inland Mission), where we will get to meet with missionaries from all over Eastern Asia. From there we will go to Ratchaburi, Hua Hin, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi and Trang to meet with more missionaries and help out with their ministries. To conclude our trip we will be going somewhere around Krabi (not sure where yet) for a couple of days for our 1 year anniversary and then back to Bangkok to fly home.
We have not yet decided on the exact dates of our departure and return because we are hoping that plane ticket prices will go down, but we will have to make the decision very soon. We do know that we will be leaving sometime at the end of May or beginning of June and returning at the beginning of August.

Apart from mission trip planning, everything else is going well, too. As I mentioned before, I have been accepted into the nursing program and am just working on getting final details done (like paperwork, looking for scholarships, etc.). The job that I currently have is also great! I really enjoy working there, and although I was hired for a temporary position we are hoping that I can work there until we leave for Thailand.
In regards to Steve's permanent residence application, just a few days ago we received the paperwork we were waiting for in the mail, so that means that we will send the application in in a few days. Please continue to pray that everything goes smoothly with the application process and that Steve will be able to get permanent resident status soon.

As well, please continue to be praying about our trip this summer, that it will be fruitful and productive and that the Lord would continue to speak to us.


PS:
You can get more information about the organizations we mentioned earlier on their websites:
YWAM: www.ywam.org
OMF: www.omf.org
MBMSI: www.mbmsi.org

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!...20 days later...

Hey guys! WOW it has been over 2 months since our last update...oops! I am striving to get better at updating more often! The next update will be up one month from now FOR SURE :]

Well, a lot has happened since November, that's for sure! In the last post I told you I had gotten a job at a grocery store – well, I quit that job just before Christmas. It worked perfectly for us while I was in school, however, once I finished the semester they were still giving me a max of 14 hours per week and did not want to give me time off for the holidays. We thought about it a lot and decided that I would quit.

We went to Steve's parents' house for Christmas and got to hang out with family and friends that we haven't seen in a while - we definitely had a blast while we were there! Oh man, we had some pretty amazing food, too...maybe a little too much! Then we went to my uncle's house and spent time with my family for New Year's, which was really fun.

The DTS that Steve has been working with has left for Indonesia this morning, so when we got home Steve met with the YWAM Vancouver director to discuss what he will be doing now. Even before Steve moved to Vancouver he felt that the Lord was telling him to take a "behind the scenes" position with YWAM to simply serve in whatever way he can, and that is still what the Lord has been saying. So Steve offered to do primarily logistical/office work, as well as anything else that the leadership team didn't have much time for. It is interesting how this has worked out, as we did not even know that that is exactly the position they were hoping someone would fill!
As for me, I am not going to school this semester because I have already taken all the courses I needed, so I have been looking for a job (and loathing it). One day I sarcastically asked God,