The FISH SPA!!!

This is team bonding at its best...a bunch of YWAMers braving the unknown, overcoming their fears, and stepping into new frontiers together...

...the FISH Spa!

<--- Pam, Becs, Sarah, Kris, Calvin, Leda and Kelly cozy up for the foot nibbling experience.

Martijn and Mark also joined in
on the fun --->

<--- In the beginning there was lots of squealing and water splashing as some of the ladies yanked their feet out of the tanks. The swarming of the fish and the little nibbling sensation was just too much to take at first, but eventually everyone settled down to let the fish do their job.

The Fish Spa is right near a main road
with glass walls so everyone
can watch as the fish
eat off the dead skin
on your feet and lower legs. --->

<--- Some of the fish are tiny; others are a couple of inches long. You can really feel the nibbling of the bigger ones. It's the strangest feeling to have all these fish chewing on your feet! Yes...those are my feet in there!!

We stayed at the Fish Spa for about
an hour and a half,
but it was far from boring.
Apart from the whole 'fish-eating-foot' experience,
we also got to watch some kids
playing on all kinds of funky toys in front of the Spa.


This little boy was bouncing on
this curved, pogo-stick like thing. --->

<--- He managed to bounce quite high at times.

This guy here was REALLY good
at the pogo-stick things. He wore one on each
leg and did all kinds of tricks.
Here he's kind of doing the splits --->

<--- More bouncing!!

Sooooo, if you're ever in Chiang Mai
and looking for something really
OUT OF THE ORDINARY
to do, head for the Fish Spa.
It will be an experience
you'll never forget!!!

Pics and thoughts from Chiang Mai, Thailand

After days of CRIT meetings in the hotel, we had the opportunity on Thursday afternoon to get out and explore the city of Chiang Mai.


Here are a few of us serving in communications in Africa: (from left) Vikki (me!), Pam, Tim, and Lydia. Far right is Sarah from Nigeria who is serving in the Asia Pacific region.

Some of the more interesting local cuisine
was on display at food stalls
near a waterfall.


The flames were keeping the bugs off the bugs.

Charles got an up-close
look at the bugs
but couldn't quite
bring himself to try any.

Erduk, however, was a little more adventurous.

Here he's about to eat a fried worm.

Here's a cute little girl
enjoying the cool water at the waterfall.

Although their religion encourages a lifestyle of humility and denial of material things, the lure of the mobile phone is great.

This huge statue in a Buddhist temple
reminded me of the 90-foot golden statue
that King Nebuchadnezzar erected in Babylon.
In their integrity, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
refused to bow down,
and God met them and delivered them
from the fiery furnace.

This sweet old man (yes, he is alive) has spent his life meditating his way to nothingness.
If only he new of the One Who had big plans for his life.

I'm not very sure what this sign means,
but I do know that there WAS a beginning,
and the Word was there,
and the Word was God.
And He came to us in the flesh,
to reconcile us back to God,
to die for us
so we might live.
And His name is Jesus.

Being a fool so God can be King

Before I left for Thailand, I was conscious that God has specific reasons for this trip, specific things He wants to do in my life, specific ways He wants to lead me.

I was also conscious that I could get in the way of what God wants to do by letting pride in my abilities or giftings take attention away from God. It would be so easy to receive the accolades and fall prey to the false belief that it's somehow all about me.

Such a danger, pride. So sneaky and destructive.

As I prayed with a good friend before I left, she was impressed with a picture of me carrying 2 flags. One flag represented my achievements and giftings. The other represented God. And she prayed that I would raise high the flag representing God, that I would point others to Him no matter how much they may try to lift the arm holding the flag of 'my' strengths. She prayed that every compliment, every piece of attention, would be redirected back to God, because He alone is worthy.

It's so easy to idolize things
(wealth, education, achievements)
when really God should be the
only One on the throne.
A Hindu altar in the mall in Chiang Mai --->

So that was the prayer I came here with, and I told God, "Dad, I don't want to miss anything you want to do through, in and around me this week. I'd rather look like a fool than miss out on anything from You. Keep me humble."

God loves to answer prayers like that! Be ready if you pray something similar. This is how God answered my prayer:

Day 1, getting ready for the first sessions of the first day...I blew out the fuses in my room trying to run my hair dryer on the wrong voltage. Duh! The hotel engineer had to come to get the lights turned back on.

A few minutes later, down in the dining room, I spilled coffee down the front of my WHITE trousers just minutes before the meetings started. No time to change or clean it up.

After lunch, I managed to lock myself out of my hotel room. By the time the engineer came (AGAIN!), I was 15 minutes late for the afternoon session and looked like a tardy school girl.


Yes, God answered my prayers...kept me humble by helping me gently look like a fool, not only in front of my CRIT colleagues, but also in front of the hotel employees! I'm sure the people at the front desk are saying, "That lady in room 636...ai yai yai. She's going to give us headache!"



<--- At least I didn't have to wear one of these t-shirts that they sell at the night market for God to get His point across!



No, it's not easy when God actually responds to those kinds of prayers, but I appreciate His faithfulness because it protects me. It keeps me in the place where I can't raise my own flag, because mine is impractical, clumsy, coffee-stained and late.

But God's flag is elegant, white and always timely.

May He keep me focused on Him, may He give me the grace to raise His flag high, and may He be glorified in every minute, because He, alone, is worthy.

Thailand: a new perspective

I arrived in Bangkok airport yesterday around noon, grabbed some lunch and sat in a quiet corner overlooking a beautifully landscaped garden. Some kind of temple sat in the center of the garden, surrounded by golden dragon-like birds mounted on tall poles, as if standing guard.

The last time I was in Thailand was in 1994, when I was still in the thick of a 13-year spiritual quest to find the meaning of life; to prove there was something 'bigger' out there.

I didn't find the answers in Thailand. Instead, I followed the hippy trail around the country, from the drug-infested hill tribes in the North, to the drug-infested beaches in the South. Everyone I met was trying to connect with a higher power, usually 'assisted' by psychologically enhancing opiates. There was deception on every corner, and I stupidly got scammed by fake gem merchants in Bangkok.

My visit back then was all about me.

Today, my prayer is that this visit will be redemptive of the former. That it will be all about God...what He is doing in this place and around the world, and how I can serve Him in the giftings He has given me. I pray that His love and compassion for the people in this place will rise up within me.

May God be glorified in these meetings and in my life, for He, alone, is worthy.

Missionary Survivor

Living in Africa can be challenging at times, but we decided to celebrate those challenges by turning them into obstacles in the Missionary Survivor race held at my house yesterday.

The regular women's Bible study group usually follows a book or some kind of organized study, but we leave the last wednesday of the month open for some kind of creative activity led by whoever signs up for that day.

Thanks to the creativity of Katie Borchert, we had lots of fun and laughs as the ladies overcame the obstacles to win the race.

The 3 teams of 5 ladies are ready to go...

Sandra, Cathy and Sherry kick off the race at station 1
having to count 5,150 shillings (lots of small
denominations; Cathy won, of course ;)...

Sandra is doing well for having been here only 3 months...

Alissa is first to station 2 where they have to
stack 5 oranges in a neat pyramid
like the ladies in the market
(I wanted them to have to stack 10 but I was out-voted)...

Helen and Heidi R are working hard to stack their oranges...

Geesje is first to station 3...she has to tie
a Barbie doll onto her back with a
Kitenge cloth and then carry a basin
with a towel in it on her head
back to her team...

Pam and Kelli join Geesje and place their
Barbie dolls on their backs...

Geesje's got her baby and is now
getting her basin and towel...

All 3 are trying to walk quickly without dropping the basin
(they're not supposed to be holding the basin
but it slips off so easily on this mzungu hair)...

Pam gives up walking and makes a dash for it...

The 2 Marias and a visitor are at station 4:
they have to fill
3 small bottles from 1 big jerrycan
and find the matching lids...

Maria Fielder's got one ready...

Maria Knuepfer is working on hers...

There was a 5th station (that I didn't get any photos of) where the ladies had to grab a black plastic bag (kavera) and fill it with about 7 tins of canned food. Katie and I had booby-trapped the bags by slicing holes in the bottoms of them so that when the ladies ran back with the bags, all the cans would fall out and they'd have to stop to collect them. Unfortunately only one bag broke and we felt sorry for the lady (a visiting granny!) so we let her just leave the cans and run to her team so they could do the final challenge...

The final challenge was for the teams to work together

to light a charcoal stove (sigiri)...

Helen Fielder knew the trick was to light the coal

from underneath with dried grass...

The 3 teams huddle over their stoves...

The winning team!!

Thanks, Katie, for all the organizing and laughs, and thanks, ladies, for the good sportwomanship and team spirit!

After the race we brainstormed some of the many things we love about living in Africa, and then took time in triplets to thank God for all He is doing in this land, and to pray more of God's blessings over Africa.

What a privilege to live and serve here.

May God get the glory, because He, alone, is worthy.

Loyalty

Loyalty: something we already are that surfaces in the test. A readiness; a preparedness that comes into action at the point of need.

Example - I am loyal to my husband. Therefore I have determined in advance to reject any temptations to commit adultery. I am prepared to be faithful.

Loyalty to Christ... am I steadfast in my resolve to spend my life serving Him? Is He King over every decision, every thought, every deed? When the going gets tough, do I try to back out, get stressed, cast blame, throw a pity-party? Or have I predetermined my loyalty to Christ no matter what?

How easy to automatically reply..."Yes!! Of course I am and always will be loyal to Christ!"... especially when things are going well.

But when the fire comes, when the furnace is cranked up 7 times hotter than before, will I stand like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and refuse to save my own skin whether or not God saves it?

Can I predetermine to be loyal to my King no matter what comes? Will that readiness be enough?

For sure more battles, more tests, more fires lay ahead.

Lord, work in my heart now to fight the battles well, to pass the tests with integrity, to pass through the fires courageously, so when the time comes, I'll be able to stand firm and say, "Daddy's got my back."

Keeping up with the times

John's mum is here...Yay!!




Making the leap from tried and true methods of communication...

<---BOOKS that you can hold in your hands and turn pages...









to electronic social networks to keep her connected with her scattered family.

John sets Mum up with a Facebook account --->