Our cover has been blown...

...it is no longer a secret in the village where the white people are staying. I had just finished a long day at English Camp with the kids one day and I was resting in my room when a bunch of kids from school came parading in my room. Apparently in Thai village culture, that is not unnormal to invite yourself onto someone's property. So, my shower in the little bamboo hut that night was fun. I had no privacy, really. They paraded around it saying "Sayrla! Sayrla!" Thats how they pronounce my name. I came out with a bucket full of water and chased them around the house, getting them back. You cant get upset with them for something like that, you just have to play along with them ;)

So, I'm not gonna lie, its been an exhausting week at English Camp. We have taught them the alphabet, 1-20, chicken, dog, cat, goat, frog, snake, mother, father, brother, sister, helloo, how are you, I am fine, thank you. And more. Each day we have a Bible story to tell them, and we are slowly feeding them the truth of Gods word. Next Wednesday, they will bring their parents and hopefully the Lord will use this camp and the relationships we have made with the kids to breakthrough to their parents.

It's fun: now that the village kids know us, the team and I will often walk down the street and kids will follow us reciting what they have learned: "3, 20, 15, 1! Hello, Goodbye, How are you, I am fine!" It's kinda funny. We have also been working on the garden near where we live after school each day. It used to be covered in weeds passed my head and now it is ready for cultivating.

We have also been making friends otherwise in the village, such as my Pig friend. This woman asks me every time I see her if I will come and see her pigs. They are about to have piglets. I plan to go see them on my birthday this sunday. Maybe I will share the same birthday as some village pigs ;) Another woman comes under my house as I am doing quiet time and asks for prayer for her hurt arm. I am so glad I get to pray for her. She has such faith, though I dont believe she has a relationship with God. Yet. So her arm has gotten better she says, and she can bend it more than when we had begun praying. One morning, when I was dreading the rice I was about to go eat for breakfast (rice all the time), she brough me four bananas. Jesus is already using her :)

And so, the year has come where I am no longer a teenager. I have never been so excited for my birthday to come. It is this Sunday, and the plans are this: wake up early for the church that our host Jum Nong has planted (I get to teach the lesson this Sunday at that church), then hike up the mountain behind our village, then eat American style hotdogs around a campfire with the team. Oh, to turn 20 in Thailand.

If you have been praying for any of the following, thank you, your prayers have been answered: my dizyness (gone), the heat (its rains every day and winds up cool), the food ( I have warmed up to it enough to be healthy and full).  Praise the Lord, who takes care of everything!

Pictures are still not uploading. Takes too much of my precious internet time...

Here is what a conversation with my stomach would sound like if my stomach could talk:

Me: Guess what you get to try! I dont know what it is, but it is Thai food and Im sure you would love it!
Stomach: I dont know, it smells kind of disgusting.
Me: Well you are about to get some anyway because its time to eat and I dont want hunger pains
Stomach: I never get a say in this matter...
Me:Here it comes!
Stomach: Yea, I was right this is absolutely disgusting, what is it, pigs feet?
Me: I think so, is that ok?
Stomach: No, im going to send it back up, here it comes...
Me: You are so picky. Now I feel sick.

And this happened for the first 5 meals that I had here in Thailand. But, an answer to prayer, I am now eating some every day and I am even feeling well. Except I do stay away from pigs feet, chicken feet, intestines, and fried bugs. And coconut milk.

We have been living in a small village up in the mountains outside of Lampang Thailand. We are staying with YWAMers, so the accomodations are much nicer than I thought. We still take showers outside in a bamboo hut with a bucket, and stand-n-squat to use the bathroom, but its part of the experience. Actually might be one of my favorite parts.

We have been doing dirt work this past week such as weeding, building toilets, and stairs. Also, the girls have been prapring for English Camp that we are going to put on for the kids in the village. Our hope is that with this, we can introduce some education, but also open the door for the gospel which is our main goal. At the end of the camp, we are going to invite all the families of the kids so we can preach to them. Please pray that this works out and that the enemy will not even try to stick his slimy nose into Gods plan for these wonderful people.

We have already made some good friends in the village, and though I do not speak the language, we have a great time doing an immitation of sign language. We both end up laughing at our hopelessness to communicate. But my translator, Gift (an amazing Thai woman of 30), has been doing a superb job. I was stoked that she and I and another teammate, Chelsea, got to have a good sized group of Thais listen to us talk about what "today is all about." It was Good Friday, the day that Jesus died for our sins. And the Thais in that village :) We got to invite the children of those families to our English Camp, and they all agreed to come. We have had many times like those to make friends with the people in the village. This way they can get to know the YWAM people and be comfortable talking with future YWAM teams that will come through their village, and multiplication will take place. We are the first missionary team to come to this village besides our hosts who live there.

Still cannot upload photos yet. And, my time has run out.

BTW: pictures will be up asap. I have not had the ability to do so yet, and it may take some more time. Just imagine beauty, and you will see thailand ;)

Chiang Mai

Before arriving in Chiang Mai yesterday, I received an email from Jordan, Tom Scotts daughter. I have never met her, but it was very meaningful to get her email. She is 17 years old, and she and her grandmother (Toms mother) are both looking forward to keeping up with the news from the outreach. I want to ask each of you to keep Jordan and Anne Scott in your prayers, as well as the rest of their family. I want this to bless them as much as Tom has blessed me and impacted this outreach.

Here's the news:
We arrived in Chiang Mai at 6:00 pm, and I was knocked out an hour later, until I woke up this morning at 6 am. We have had today off and so after my first quiet time with Jesus on this side of the world, we walked downtown. Let me introduce Son Kran, the Thai holiday that has been going on the past few days. Everyone crowds the streets and then they soak one another. No one is exempt. Except for maybe elderly people with young children that say 'mai, mai' or no, no!

I bought a small red bucket for 15 baht (50 cents) and would run up to trucks (going 5 mph) and ask the people in the back if I could have some of their water that they store in huge barrels. They always said yes with a smile and after they splash me, I'd splash them, then they'd get me again. They really get into it if I catch the water they throw at me in my bucket and then splash them back. Again.

The Thai People are very friendly and their smiles are super genuine. Its inspiring. So, if you want to take on a Thai characteristic, go into work tomorrow and just smile with your heart at everyone :)


By the way, I have now eaten my first fried bug. It was a slimy grub of some sort. I'm sure this wont be my last.

The Grand Airport Days

I am sitting with my team at the airport in Tampa. We had boarded our flight already and had gotten all snuggly when they announced that there were technical difficulties and that everyone needed to deboard the plane. When things like this happen, I am learning to ask God about it rather than throw bananas at the flight attendants. With this being such a long flight, this may out us behind about a day. At least a day.


We had a heartwarming time for worship last night with the whole motley crew. All gathered around the piano like Christmas, my team really felt like family. Our base split into two groups, my Thailand group, and Judah Ben Hur. Judah Ben Hur is a play that the other team will be performing around the U.S before they join us in Thailand in about 6 weeks. Please pray for them as well, they are very much a part of my team too.

Meanwhile, I look forward to eating bugs and accidentally using poison ivy for toilet paper.

Thailand or BUST

Welcome back to my blog, faithful blog trackers! As you know, the entire outreach will be dedicated to my family friend, Tom Scott and his family. I pray this will bless his family as he has blessed many already in Thailand.

At the moment, I am sitting on the couch of one of the houses belonging to the YWAM Tampa base and listening to a Coldplay tribute, Pickin on Coldplay (bluegrass). Look it up, you may like it :) I am busy preparing this new blog that will update you periodically on the good news I will have to post here in just a week or so.

We leave APRIL ELEVENTH. It is amazing how I have been able to watch God use something such as a foot dilemma to relocate me to this new family in Tampa, whom I have grown to love so much. I can see how He had other reasons for me being here too, such as another ministry I have been able to be involved with in Lacoochee and will return to temporarily when I return from Thailand.

As I prepare to leave, I am praying for you all, that the Lord would bless each one of you as you read and that these upcoming stories would not just be recorded words, but a message that will encourage you and strengthen you.

Be blessed, my co-warriors in Christ.