Mission to Thailand - Antioch Church of Christ

2008-05-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

We have been home for almost two weeks now. It's amazing how fast our trip went. Jon and i are truly thankful for the support that you all have given us. We had and amazing time. We are really beginning to miss all of our friends over in Thailand. I hope you all got to see our report on Sunday, but if not... don't worry you can get in contact with us through email or phone and we would love to tell you all about the trip. You can also go and read through all of the previous blogs. Whatever you want to do is fine. We've uploaded some videos that we've made of the trip. Enjoy! Thanks again for all of the love and support.
- Jon & Michael

2008-05-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

Prung nee ben wan sut tai tee nee (Tomorrow is our last day here),

We are excited to get to come home, yet we are saddened that our amazing trip has come to an end. Today we woke up in Mae Sai and went across the border into Myanmar to visit Pastor Timothy's family. We went over and had breakfast with him and his family at 9:00 and then spent some time visiting with them. After visiting for a while, Timothy took us around to see the town. We got to see some pretty cool things. We saw a Buddhist shrine. It was very..... interesting. Timothy gave us many gifts that we will get to show you all when we return home. We were sad to have to leave because we became so connected with Timothy and his family. We crossed back into Thailand and headed back for Chiang Mai. We arrived in Chiang Mai safely and returned once again to the wonderful Pangviman Place hotel. We rested for an hour or two before heading out to the Night Bazaar for the last time. Since it was our last night, we went and bought a lot of stuff for ourselves and our family members. The day was great. We look forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning before our long trip home. The Kalnins have planned a farewell lunch for us tomorrow at Beulah church with the whole FLC staff. We really look forward to seeing everyone once more before we leave. Thank you all and we'll see you in a few days.

- Jon & Michael

(going from Thailand to Burma)

(Buddhist shrine above Tachilek)

(line of Buddhist monks getting morning offerings)

(Daniel encourages the evangelists at Timothy's house)

(Michael and Jon with Timothy's family)

2008-05-15T04:38:00.000-07:00

Bonjour!

Oh wait. Sawat Dee,

Today was the last day of the conference in Mae Sai. We got up and got ready before going down to breakfast. We all had banana pancakes for breakfast. They are very good! Hint-hint, Dad. After breakfast we went over to the church and began the day. I sang "East to West," and Jon taught about evangelism until about 10:30 and then we had a break. After the break Jon and I taught the students the chorus to "How Great is Our God" along with the hand motions, courtesy of the Mime Team. Jon then taught until 11:30 and then six people shared their testimonies. After they shared, we all laid hands on them and prayed for their safety and for the well-being of their ministries. After we prayed, Jon explained to the pastors the significance of the "Bound with Them" Bracelets we have been wearing the past two months. We then handed out the fifty bracelets we had with us to the people who live farthest away. Unfortunately we did not have enough for everyone, so after we send FLC more of them they will distribute them to the remaining 30 pastors and evangelists. We went to lunch at the hotel with several pastors from the conference. Some of them were Barefoot Doctors and we got to hear some stories of their work in different villages in Burma. After lunch Jon and I went around to different shops looking for interesting jewelry and other handmade goods. We then made our way back to the church where Beverly was in the middle of teaching her afternoon lesson. We then sat in the back and got to relax for awhile. Beverly finished teaching and then Daniel got up to say a few words about the FLC Ministry and the work that they are doing. We don't know what he said because it was all in Burmese. By the way, Daniel knows nine languages, seven of which he can read and write. We were pretty amazed with that fact! After he was done, everyone stood up and joined hands for one last prayer circle before going our separate ways. We had a good time at the conference. After we were done, we went back to the hotel and rested until dinner at 5:30 with the Kalnins, Abraham, and Timothy. They were happy to receive the two suitcases full of medical supplies that were donated. They are taking them across to Burma with them tomorrow. We are saddened by the end of the conference yet excited that we will be crossing into Burma tomorrow to visit Timothy's family. Thank you all.

- Jon & Michael

(Jon teaches last day of conference)

(Michael hands out bracelets)

(Jon hands out bracelets)

(prayer for pastor's testimonies)

(lunch with barefoot doctors)

(prayer circle)

2008-05-14T05:02:00.000-07:00

Sawat Dee,
Today was the first day of the leadership conference in Mae Sai. We got up this morning and went down to breakfast in the hotel where we met Abraham, David, and Timothy, who are all local pastors from Burma who came over the border for the conference. After breakfast we walked a block or two down the street to The Mae Sai Chinese Baptist Church where the conference is being held. After I sang “In Christ Alone” Jon taught until 10:30 then we had a 5 min. break and Jon taught again until 12:00 when we had an hour and a half for lunch where we went back to the hotel and ate. We then returned to the conference where Beverly taught for the rest of the day while Jon and I relaxed in the back of the room and I did some of my homework. There was a testimony by one of the pastors at the conference about how his tribe used to worship a false God and how it lead to the death of his son and he asked for prayer for the rest of the tribe to open up their hearts and find Jesus. All of the leaders their laid hands on him and prayed for him and the tribe. The day was over at 4:30 and we headed back to the hotel and rested until dinner at 5:30. The day was cool and not too stressful and we are looking forward to a great day tomorrow. Thanks and see you all soon (4 days).
- Jon & Michael

(Street vendor in Mae Sai)

(Jon teaching at conference)

(Beverly teaching at conference)

(people lay hands on and pray for Burmese pastor)

2008-05-13T05:23:00.000-07:00

Sawat Dee,

Hello! Today we traveled to Mae Sai. We got up and took our time getting ready because we didn't have to leave until 10:00 am. We packed up our things and managed to just take one suitcase for each of us. Deezi came and picked up us and our luggage. We went to the Beulah church and dropped off the things we were not taking to Mae Sai and then went to the Kalnin's house and left with them for Mae Sai around 10:45 am. We traveled for about two hours before stopping for lunch. We had a soup made with duck and noodles. After traveling for about another two hours, we stopped at the Opium Museum at the Golden triangle. It was cool to read about the history of how tribes used opium and how they produced it. Opium growing is now illegal. After looking around the museum we got to look around the shop and got to buy a few little souvenirs. We then stopped right down the road and took a picture of "The Golden Triangle" which is the spot where Thailand, Burma, and Laos meet. After that we traveled for 40 more minutes until we reached The Top North hotel and settled in. We ate dinner at the hotel with the Kalnins at 6:00 pm before making our way to an Internet cafe across the street where we are updating the blog because the hotel does not have an available Internet connection. We are looking forward to the conference in the days ahead. Please keep us in your prayers as we begin this conference. Thank you and we'll talk to you again soon.

- Jon & Michael

(position said to be most comfortable while smoking opium: laying with your heels touching your rear)

(traditional pipes for smoking opium)

(Michael standing with the Golden Triangle in the background)

(Golden Buddha at the Golden Triangle)

(our hotel bathroom with the shower separate from the toilet... we are very excited)

2008-05-12T09:01:00.000-07:00

Sawat Dee Kahp,
Today was a very relaxing and enjoyable day. After getting up and eating breakfast, we were picked up by Deezi and went to the Maesa Elephant Camp. The elephants were extraordinary. We bought a bundle of small bananas and a small pack of sugar cane to feed to them. It was fun to watch them grab the food from our hands with their trunks. I had an elephant that was very impatient and extended its trunk to the full extent of its length to try and grab the bananas from my hand. I wouldn't let it though. After Jon, Deezi, and I all got to feed the elephants, we watched the trainers give the elephants a bath in the river. The elephants liked to put the face in the water... I guess it was refreshing. After the baths, we watched the elephants perform the various stunts they had been taught. They played harmonicas, soccer, a game of "keep-away" with the trainer's hats, and they also painted some pretty miraculous pictures. One elephant that we had a good view of, painted a self portrait. They all did a great job. After enjoying the wonderful show, we took and hour long ride on the back of an elephant named Mae Pong. The ride was fun and we got to see some nice areas of the forest. At one point in the voyage, we got to see a smaller elephant who got away from its trainer (don't worry... there was no one on it). It was fun to watch him escape, because he knew that he had gained a sense of freedom as he ran as fast as he could down the path. You could see the huge smile on his face from the exhilarating experience. It kind of reminds you of the feeling you get when you except Jesus as your savior and you smile because you know that you are finally free from your sins and are able to run towards God. We got back from the eventful ride to find Deezi reading the newspaper and patiently waiting for us to get back. We then took Deezi out to lunch at KFC before he took us back to the hotel. We got back to our hotel and i worked on homework while Jon worked on his sermons for the leadership conference. I finally fell asleep on my bed with papers all around me (i didn't much homework done) and Jon fell asleep a little while after i did. We woke up about an hour later and got ready to be picked by Daniel and Beverly. We went to a Thai Cultural dinner at a place called, Old Chiang Mai Cultural Center. They had very good traditional northern Thai food and traditional Thai dancing by many of the tribes from surrounding villages. The cultural center's website is: http://www.oldchiangmai.com/ if you would like to see more about that. The day was fun and relaxing and we are ready to leave tomorrow for Mae Sai for the conference. Thanks for all of your prayers.
- Jon & Michael

(Michael feeds elephant)

(Jon feeds elephant)

(elephant gets bath)

(elephant paints a self-portrait)

(us riding Mae Pong)

(Children do a traditional tribal dance where they hop in and out of moving bamboo poles)

(Thai dance called, "Kinggala Dance")

(dance called, "Rich Winnowing Dance")

2008-05-11T08:08:00.000-07:00

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)

2008-05-11T03:20:00.000-07:00

Hey,
We've made it safely back to Chiang Mai from our trip to the Hui-Bong village. We are extremely tired from the trip, so we are going to rest for a while and will send a complete, thorough update later today. We slept under mosquito nets which worked for most of the insects, but the real battle was the sounds of the night: tree frogs, crickets, unidentifiable sounds, and a champion snorer in the same room as us. Except for the night and the bugs, the village experience was super!

Thanks for your prayers for our safety. Have a Happy Mother's Day.
-Jon & Michael

2008-05-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

Sawat-dee,

Today was unfortunatley our last day of the carpentry class. We decided to get there early this morning and we climbed the mountain at Frontierland and had our bible study at the top. It was an awesome view from up there. It really makes you stand in amazement at all that God has done. I hope you enjoy some of the pictures from the top. After the long climb back down, we finished up the work on the podium. It turned out really nice. Jon pointed out to everyone how it was cool that the first thing the men their built, was a pulpit to be used to spread the word of Jesus Christ. We all thought that was really cool. We had an awesome opportunity to give Deezi a glucometer for his diabetes. He was all to happy and excited to receive such a gracious gift from Antioch. Thank you all who donated different medical supplies for the trip. We got back to the hotel afterwards and had to get all of our stuff packed up. We are leaving at 10:00 tomorrow morning for a 6 hour trip to Hui-Bong village. We will be there all of tomorrow and we will have church their and see their detox center before returning to Chiang Mai on Sunday evening. We are very excited about getting to go out to this village. Unfortunately we will not be able to send updates while we are there because there is no electricity believe it or not. We will send a nice long detailed report of the short trip when we get back to Chiang Mai on Sunday. Jon will preach on Sunday and i will be singing "How Great is Our God" accapella. Please pray for us as we are there in the village.

- Jon & Michael

(on top of mountain: Frontierland near bottom & Chiang Mai in the distance)

(Jon teaches "sermon on the mount")

(Deezi accepts Glucometer happily)

(carpentry class with their finished podium)

2008-05-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

Here are the men in the Carpentry Class:

(Kittipong)

(Deezi)

(Ahjong)

(Chai Rote)

(Peram)

(Sin Cee)

(Ahdong)

(Chun Chai)

(Yotine)

2008-05-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

Heu-i (hey),
We've had another great day here in Thailand. We got up and ate breakfast before our favorite Thai man, Kittipong, came to get us once again for a long day of carpentry class at Frontierland. We stopped at a hardware store on the way for screws and finish nails. Unfortunatley there are no finish nails in the country of Thailand. So we had to settle for something else. The students were still very eager to learn more about carpentry and to continue work on the podium. We had a wonderful with these noodles which are made from rice. I ate with chopsticks to get the full experience, but Jon not being able to figur which end of the chopsticks to use, and being very hungry, decided to go with the old fashioned spoon. After lunch we made a tremendous stride to finish the podium, but came up just nit-noy (a little) short. We will definitely finish the top of the podium tomorrow before lunch, and hopefully begin work on a table. We are saddened that tomorrow will be the last day of the class with these men we have grown to love and care for, but we know that tomorrow will be an awesome day of work and fellowship. What many people may not realize is that Thai people are on average 5' 6" tall. At one point in the day, while trying to screw on the base of the podium, Peram had to climb on a table in order to reach. It was quite amusing. After the fun day of class, Jon and I went back to our hotel and after having our door lock fixed, were able to get in our room, clean, and then leave at 6:30 to have dinner at the Kalnin's house. They have a nice and the food was great. We were able to experience a new fruit called "mangosteen." It was very good and probably one of the best fruits we've ever had. The night was very enjoyable and it was fun to get to talk with Beverly and Daniel about FLC and about the work they are doing. We had a great day and are sure that tomorrow will be even better. Jeu gan-na.
- Jon & Michael

(Michael teaches morning bible study)

(Peram stands on table to reach the base of the podium)

(mangosteens)

(Jon and Michael with the Kalnins)

2008-05-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

Hey,
We just wanted to make you all aware of the slight change in our itinerary. It is not due to the Typhoon which we have already stated, but because Daniel thought it would work better because we would have another day for the carpentry class, we only need two days in the village, and now Beverly can go with us to teach a women's class in Mae Sai. Thanks.
- Jon & Michael

2008-05-07T05:53:00.000-07:00

Sa-wat-Dee! Sa-bai dee mai? (How are you?),

Today was our second day of the carpentry class. Jon was up for and hour again from about 3:30 to 4:30, but i thankfully made it through the whole night again. I think that we are finally adjusted to the 11 hour time difference. We got up and went to breakfast and then headed out to Frontierland with Kittipong for our second day of the carpentry class. We taught them how to use a drill and how to safely use a table saw. They practiced drilling holes in the wood and also cutting boards with the table saw. They learned how to use a coping saw to make curved cuts in the wood. They were quite fascinated with this tool. We started to measure out some boards for the podium we are building and were cut short by the growling of our stomachs. We decided to take a break for lunch. Our lunch was a concoction of pork, Chinese broccoli, rice, tofu, and mangoes. After lunch we continued the process of measuring, cutting, and sanding boards for the podium. After we had the four side boards done, we constructed the main post for the podium. After that was done, we began work on the base that the post will be fastened to. Unfortunately we had to stop and clean after we finished the base and didn't have time to attach it to the post, however, we should be able to finish the entire podium tomorrow. The men in the class are a lot of fun to work with and they seem to have a real willingness to learn about carpentry and through that, grow in their relationship with Christ. We really look forward to the next two days with them. After we finished and came back to the hotel, we got cleaned up and took another "Tuk Tuk" to the older Chiang Mai city. We got to go in and see a Buddhist temple. There were many monks living there and it was interesting to see their way of life. After the temple, we walked around a small marketplace and found ourselves at a small restaurant called, "Primavera's." It was nice and the food was pretty good. We've found that there are a lot of old, homeless dogs here that just roam around the city streets. There have been many times where we thought we were going to hit one. We really enjoyed today and are looking forward to another day tomorrow. Pra jow jong ja-reun! (G0d bless you!)

- Jon and Michael

(Jon teaching Table Saw Safety)

(Michael Holds board so that Chun Chai can cut it)

(Jon and Michael in front of Buddha Statue.... NOT WORSHIPPING IT)

(One of the many stray dogs on the streets)

2008-05-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

We thought you might like to see who some people are that we have mentioned in our blogs:

(Daniel Kalnin: FLC Director)

(Beverly Kalnin: FLC Co-Director)

(Kittipong Wachanachai: Training Center Land Manager)

(Deezi Saenmai: Village Evangelism)

2008-05-06T06:49:00.000-07:00

Sawat-dee-kahp (how you say hello if you are a boy),

Today was a great day! First of all, we hhave been told by our families that a lot of you are worried about the Typhoon incident in Myanmar(Burma) and its effect on us and our itinerary. We would like to let you all know that we are safe and not effected by this occurence in any way other than the fact that we are saddened to hear of the many casualties that have been reported. We just wanted to clear that up. We slept through the whole night. Jon got up for an hour from 3:15 - 4:15, but went back to sleep after that. Other than that, we got a great night's sleep. We got up and went down for breakfast and after that Kittipong picked us up at 8:30 to head out to Frontierland for our first day of the carpentry class. We got to know our eight students and their individual skill levels, then started teaching them basic things like how to use a ruler and square and measure all kinds of things accurately, while Deezi translated. We showed them a number of tools and taught them what they are for. We then went to have lunch at the very nice Dining Hall they have on the property. The lunch was an appetizing combination of pork, rice, leafy greens, onions, and potatoes. In the afternoon, we let the students practice cutting various boards with hand saws so they could learn to make a square cut. We also taught them to safely use a skill saw, which none of them had ever tried before. Tomorrow will be the use of a table saw and a drill. The students range in age from 18 to 44, and they are all eager to learn. Kittipong has a dream of being able to build much of their own furniture (simple tables and chairs) for the new dormitories they are constructing right now. We will be building two or three of the following projects: a podium, a chair, and a table. After finishing at 3:00, Kittipong drove us back to the hotel where we relaxed until 6:40 when we took a "Tuk Tuk" (Thai for "taxi) to McThai (Thai McDonalds). The food was almost the same and may even be better. The Big Mac had a cardboard circle around it as to keep it looking fresh and good. It was nice to have something other than rice for once and to have a little taste of home. After that we went to the Night Bizaar which was a street lined with shops of hand made crafts and other Thai goods. Jon had a crazy Thai lady following him around asking each time whether or not he would like a wooden frog or a bracelet. After shopping around some, we went to a Haagen Dazs for some ice cream. We then took another "Tuk Tuk" ride back to the hotel where we settled down for the hopefully restful night ahead. Thanks again for checking in and we'll send more updates soon.

- Jon & Michael

(Jon teaches carpentry class about a table saw)

(Michael using the skill saw while the class watches)

(Jon says, "Sawat-Dee-Kahp Ronald...")

(Big Mac wrapped in cardboard circle to keep fresh)

2008-05-05T05:57:00.000-07:00

Sawat-Dee-Kah (this is hello if you are a girl),

Hello everyone! We are very excited to report to you on our second day in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Today was not a very busy day, but it was tiring and interesting. We couldn't sleep last night. I had been awake since 1:00 am and i started to get really hungry, so Jon and I got up and had a snack and went back to sleep, an hour later we got back up and watched TV in Thai until we were really tired, then went back to bed, and we managed to sleep until 7:00. As you can tell, we were very tired all day. After eating breakfast at our hotel, we were picked up by a man named Chi Rote (CHY-WROTE). He took us to the Beulah Christian Church, where we took part in a small worship service and then Jon led a small bible study. The people there were members of the FLC staff. After the study was over, a man named DeeZi took us to get our US dollars to be converted to Thai Baht. We now feel like we have a lot of money with us because it is about 31 Baht to the dollar. We went back to the church for lunch which consisted of, rice, pork, potatoes, spring rolls, green beans, and mangos. It was very good. We then took a ride out to Frontierland (FLC's conference center) with DeeZi and Kittipong. We've noticed something about the driving in Thailand. Not only is the steering wheel on the wrong side and the car is on the wrong side of the road, but the lines on the road seem to mean nothing to the Thai people. There also seems to be no apparent speed limit. The conference center is very nice and they are in the process of building their fourth building there. The three buildings they have built are in the shapes of the letters, "F," "L," and "C." We thought that was pretty cool. After trying to unlock the door to the utility closet, Kittipong and DeeZi decided to wedge the door open. They did manage to get it open, but ended up breaking the lock to do so. After surveying what tools they had available, we went and bought wood and power tools for the carpentry class that will begin tomorrow. On the way to the lumber yard, we saw Thai workers up inside a huge billboard.... it was like.... well look at the picture below and you'll get the picture. After being dropped off at our hotel by Kittipong, we ate dinner (fried rice.... figures) in the hotel restaurant. We are now back in our room, and we hope to have a full night of sleep after the hot day we've had here. It was about 90 degrees here today with high humidity. Well we've gotta catch up on some Zzzzzz's. Thanks for checking in and please pray for the success of the carpentry class that we will start at Frontierland tomorrow morning. Korp Kuhn (thank you).

- Jon & Michael

(Thai workers up high in billboard)

(Kittipong and DeeZi trying to open utility closet)

(Thai Baht)

(Chickens at Frontierland)

2008-05-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

Sa-wat-Dee (hello),

It is the end of our first full day here in Chiang Mai. Today was a great day. We got up... well Jon got up at 5:00 (awake since 3:00) and worked on his sermon in the bathroom for an hour as to not wake me up. I got up at 6:00 because i could not sleep any longer. We got ready and went downstairs and ate breakfast in our hotel. They had a buffet with three different kinds of breakfasts: western, thai, and chinese. The western consisted of vienna sausages, fried eggs, and toast, all of which were cold. The thai breakfast consisted of fried rice with scrambled eggs in it, and the chinese was a stir fry of eggs, noodles, and other peppers. The chinese and thai breakfasts were the best. After breakfast we attended church at Beulah Christian Church, not too far from the hotel. I sang "I Can Only Imagine" by MercyMe. Due to the language barrier, Kittipong, the sound board technician, played the wrong track on the CD so i had to sing it pretty high, but it went ok. Jon then preached a sermon on Elijah and how we can depend on God to get us through tough times. Daniel Kalnin translated very well. After the service, the congregation welcomed us with a lunch that consisted of rice, a combination of vegetables and sauces that were very good. They also had a vegetable called water lily and a fruit by the name of Ramboutan. The lunch was great and we were very thankful. We then took a four hour nap back at the hotel before going to dinner with Daniel and Beverly at a seafood place called Nang Nual (NONG-NEW-AN). When we got back from dinner, we seperated all of the medical supplies that you all graciously donated into one two suitcases, we now have two big suitcases of supplies to give to the Barefoot Doctors program here. The day went very well, and we a very excited for the days to come as we begin the carpentry class and maybe getting to talk to some people as they attend an english class at Beulah. Please keep checking the blog everyday for more info on our trip, and feel free to comment on the blog or email us as we like to hear from you all at home. We love you all.

- Jon & Michael

(Beulah Christian Church sign)

(Ramboutan, you have to twist the shell so that it breaks apart to

get to the fruit)

(Nang Nual)

(fish with head at Nang Nual)

(Buddhist Spirit House)

2008-05-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

We are here! We left Dulles at 8:30 and got to JFK at around 9:45. We then left on Thai airways for a 17 hour plane ride to Bangkok, Thailand. We thought we would be going past Europe and in that direction, but we actually flew right over the North Pole and into Thailand. We couldn't see the north pole because when we opened the shade the sun blinded us when it reflected off of the ice. We arrived in Bangkok around 4:00 pm our time which is about 5:00 am your time. We then got on a flight for Chiang Mai and got here at about 7:00 pm our time and 8:00 am your time. We thought customs would be a little difficult to go through, but we walked right through with problem and Daniel and Beverly were standing on the other side to greet and welcome us. We checked into Pangviman Place and went top dinner at "The Duke's." We really want to thank everyone who has prayed for us and supported us and we'd like to ask you to continue to pray for us as we begin our long two weeks of ministering to the Thai people here. We will give more updates, hopefully everyday. We have included some pictures of our traveling experience for you to enjoy. Thanks again and we'll see you all soon.

- Jon & Michael

(a reminder that God is there with us)

(the plane on the way to Bangkok... 17 HOURS!!!)

(the north pole... brrrr...)

(dinner first night in Chiang Mai)

(the toilet is in the shower)

2008-04-23T14:22:00.000-07:00

4/28/08Itinerary for Mission Trip to Thailand
May 2-18, 2008
Jon Ulm and Michael Briggs
Antioch Church of Christ, Manassas, Virginia
DAILY UPDATES: http://antiochthailand.blogspot.com

Friday, May 2nd
Go to Dulles Airport at 5:00 AM EDT to check in luggage three hours before flight.
Depart Washington/Dulles (IAD) at 8:25 AM EDT on United #7522 to New York (JFK).
Depart New York (JFK) at 11:35 AM EDT on Thai Airways #793 to Bangkok (BKK).

Saturday, May 3rd
Arrive in Bangkok (BKK) at 4:10 PM ICT.
Depart Bangkok (BKK) at 5:15 PM ICT on Thai Airways #116 to Chiang Mai (CNX).
Arrive in Chiang Mai (CNX) at 6:25 PM ICT and proceed to Pangviman Place, 294/19 Chiang Mai-Lumphun Rd., T.Watgate A.Muang Chiang Mai 50000 Tel. +66 5324 4422. (The website for Pangviman Place is http://www.pangvimanplace.com/)

Sunday, May 4th
Michael sings "I Can Only Imagine" by MercyMe, and Jon preaches at the Beulah Christian Church in Chiang Mai.
The Kalnins will get us acclimated to the city that afternoon and let us rest from the trip.

Monday, May 5th
Go to FLC’s Frontierland Conference Center and see the work God is doing there.
Begin our work projects, carpentry classes, and Bible studies at FLC’s Frontierland conference center.

Tuesday, May 6th
Continue work projects, carpentry classes, and Bible studies at Frontierland.

Wednesday, May 7th
Continue work projects, carpentry classes, and Bible studies at Frontierland.

Thursday, May 8th
Continue work projects, carpentry classes, and Bible studies at Frontierland.

Friday, May 9th
Last day of carpentry class at frontierland.

Saturday, May 10th
Leave with Daniel Kalnin for Huai Bong and other villages about four hours west of Chiang Mai on the border of Myanmar (formerly Burma). We will see one of their Detox Centers and one or more of their schools. We may get to work on the new church building at Huai Bong. Spend one night in village.

Sunday, May 11th
Michael sings "How Great is Our God" accapella and Jon preaches at Huai Bong village church.
Then travel back to Chiang Mai with Daniel Kalnin and stay Sunday night Pangviman Place again.

Monday, May 12th
We will relax in the morning, then go with Daniel to elephant training camp and ride an elephant. Then relax the rest of the day.

Tuesday, May 13th
Leave for Mae Sai in morning with Daniel and Beverly. Mae Sai is on the border of Myanmar across the river from Tachilek. Once in Mae Sai, we will check in to the Top North Hotel, 306 Th Phahonyothin, Mae Sai, Thailand. Phone: 011+66 53-731-955. NOTE about International Phone Calls: The “011” is for making an international call from the USA, the “66” is Thailand, and the “53” is the area code for northern Thailand. We might go across the bridge to the town of Tachilek in Burma/Myanmar to visit with Pastor Timothy and his family if there is time. We will see the work God is doing there as they plant churches and hope to start an orphanage. We will go back to Mae Sai by suppertime.

Wednesday, May 14th
Burma Evangelists Conference begins in Mae Sai. About 60 or 70 evangelists and pastors (male and female) will attend the conference. Michael will sing a song each day and participate in the conference. The first day, Michael will sing, "In Christ Alone" by Brian Littrell. Jon will do half of the teaching, and Daniel will do the other half. Pastor Timothy will translate. We will take some time each day to hear the evangelists’ stories and pray with them and for them.

Thursday, May 15th
The second day of the Burma Evangelists Conference. Michael will sing "East to West" by Casting Crowns, and Jon will teach half a day.

Friday, May 16th
The third and final day of the Burma Evangelists Conference. Michael will sing "This Man" by Jeremy Camp, and Jon will teach half a day. If we didn't get to see Timothy's family and church in Burma on Tuesday, we'll go this afternoon.

Saturday, May 17th
Drive back to Chiang Mai with sightseeing on the way.
Depart from Chiang Mai (CNX) at 7:15 PM ICT on Thai Airways #117 to Bangkok (BKK).
Hang out at airport from 8:25 PM ICT until midnight.

Sunday, May 18th
Depart Bangkok (BKK) at 12:40 AM ICT on Thai Airways #792 to New York (JFK) and arrive at 7:10 AM EDT.
Depart New York (JFK) at 10:17 AM EDT on United #7522 to Washington/Dulles (IAD)
Arrive at Dulles Airport at 11:40 AM EDT, tired but happy to be home!

Emergency Numbers (even when we are not at the FLC mission, messages can be left for us there):
Mission Office: (011-66) 53-243-370
Fax: same as office number
E-mail: flc@loxinfo.co.th or flcthai@hotmail.com
Web address: http://www.frontierlabourersforchrist.org/

Address for the Mission Office:
Frontier Labourers for Christ
P. O. Box 206
Chiangmai 50000, Thailand

Thanks

2008-04-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

We would like to thank everyone who has given money towards our trip. We now have more money than we need and everything we raise from now until May 2 will be given to the Lord's ministry in Thailand. We are very excited about the many ways that God is going to use us to benefit his ministry on the other side of the world. We really don't know what to expect, but we know that God is going to do great things in our hearts and in the hearts of the people in Thailand. Thanks.
Jon and Michael