hello everyone,

Thanks for your patience as we have rested and are ready to fill you in on our visit to Hui-Bong. We left for the village mid-day Saturday at 10:00 am and arrived at 4:30 pm. The drive there was anything but relaxing. We went through the state park for Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest mountain. It was the first of the curvy mountain roads we had to experience with Daniel at the wheel. I got nauseous, but Jon seemed OK. After stopping for lunch, we visited the Zion Christian Center Youth Hostel where children from surrounding villages can stay so that they can attend school. The student population is growing quickly and the buildings there are not enough for the growing amount of kids that are there. They have built a bamboo shelter to house some children because they have run out of room in the main dormitory. They hope to build a new dormitory for the children so that cannot only provide for the students there now, but so that they can also accommodate the children that will come in the future. After visiting the hostel, we finally arrived at the Hui-Bong village, where some of the Karen tribe live. We stayed in the house of the brother of Somsak, Jon's translator for the weekend. After arriving and getting settled in, we walked down to the site of the Detox Center. We got to meet the staff of the detox center, many of which were once addicts who have been saved through the ministry of the detox center. We got to sit and talk with two former addicts and we got to hear their stories and of the miraculous ways the Lord has touched their lives. On the way back to our home for the weekend, Jon kicked a soccer ball with one of the village children. We ate our first meal from bowls on the floor, because they do not have tables and chairs. Throughout the evening we got to meet with more people from the village and were able to relax and enjoy the company of these village people who have nothing yet have everything. The evening was beautiful and Jon and I came to believe we could actually enjoy this way of life, and then came nightfall. When it became dark they turned on the one fluorescent light in the room which then attracted the attention of every insect one hopes they would never come in contact with! After attempting to make conversation with others in the room while trying to fend off annoying insects, we decided to turn in for the night and retreat to the safety of our mosquito nets. The night that followed was interesting! We heard noises in the dark from creatures we didn't even know existed, but none of these sounds were as disturbing as those emanating from the nostrils of our companion and fearless leader, DK. After getting no more than 20 minutes of sleep at a time, Jon and I were both wrenched from our "slumber" at 3:00 a.m. by the sound of roosters crowing in the night. Contrary to what many people think, roosters do not only crow at sunrise, but at every moment of the day. After rising from a sleepless night, believe it or not, we had rooster for breakfast. It was quite an amusing coincidence. There will be a little less crowing in the village tonight. After breakfast we visited the Hui-Bong Children's Nursery where 39 children go to preschool. Surveying the campus we discovered that they would like to have more supplies to give the children a quality education, which many other schools do not offer. They would also like to purchase chairs and desks for the children to use and tile the floors of the school building. We found out that all three dreams could become a reality for the sum of $2,000. We told them we will try to raise the money for these dreams to be realized. We went to see the new church building that is being constructed. It is looking very nice and they expect the project to be completed five years from now. We attended their church service in the older sanctuary. After opening with a song from their choir, I sang "How Great is Our God." Then Jon shared a sermon with the congregation while it was translated by Pastor Somsak. After the service the congregation graciously presented Jon and me each with an authentic Karen bag called a tauh. We were very grateful for this great gift. We ate one more meal in the village before visiting Pastor Somsak's father, Mr. Sunghe. Mr. Sunghe is the oldest member of the village at a ripe old age of 103 years. It was an honor to meet a man that has been on this earth that long and has seen many great things. After a few minutes of fellowship we laid our hands on him and prayed for his safety and health as he continues to live for the Lord. After once again becoming nauseous on the way home, we finally arrived back in Chiang Mai and checked into the lovely Pangviman Place. We were able to rest for a few hours before heading downtown to the Night Bazaar for some good ol' Burger King food. After being nauseous I was not sure if I could stomach any more Thai food today and decided that it was time to take a break from it. Our weekend visit to the Hui-Bong village was an experience we will never forget for the rest of our lives. Tomorrow should be a very restful day and we will get to ride an elephant! It's going to be exciting. Thank you all for your prayers and again... Happy Mother's Day!!!

-Jon & Michael

(New church building in progress)

(village house that we stayed at)

(michael sings at the Hui-Bong Village church)

(Somsak's 103 year old father, Mr. Sunghe)

(two addicts saved at the Hui-Bong Detox Center)

(extra bamboo hut for the Youth hostel)

(village choir singing st the church service)

(children at the preschool)