PATTAYA

So we took a van from Bangkok to Pattaya. IT was a lovely drive. I slept.

 Pattaya is along the coast. It is known as the 'Red light city' of Thailand--and being a place where old guys go to get young Thai girls. It is pretty ..... crazy .... different .... uncomfortable at times walking around there, and it isn't like any other place or city i've ever been too.
We didn't work along side a particular ministry while there--we just stayed at a hotel, and did street ministry and prayer walks. During the mornings we went on prayer walks, we had the afternoons free(to hang out at the beach!--or whatever we wanted to do...), and at night the guys in our team stayed at the hotel to pray, while us females went out. Along the beach area is a main place for prostitution--so we would go there and hand out bracelets and stop and talk to some of the girls and get to know people. We also got to know some girls from a bar--so we went to visit them. Since our little group stood out like a sore thumb there, people would remember and recognize us--so it was really easy to start conversation!
 During our last night out we got talking to an elderly, homeless lady who had broken her foot, and because she couldn't read, had overdosed on the painkillers she had been given. we got the opportunity to pray for her leg, and God healed it! Woohoo! while we were praying, lots of people stopped and asked what was going on--so we got the opportunity to talk to lots of people who were just passing by. :) This lady also gave her life to Christ, and wanted to be baptized! So the next morning we baptized her.  it was super, super exciting--and so cool to see how God was working there!

Yeppers! So, that was our time in Pattaya :)

Our team

beach

walking street (famous in Pattaya)

Some wonderful people

                                                  lady whose leg was healed!

Wonderful person we met and got to know

                                                    After being baptized !

BANGKOK 2)

STILL IN BANGKOK! but we traded the soft mattresses for the floor; and big catered meals for street food; and a safe,gated community for gangs and kidnapping paradise. :)
After the counselling seminar finished, we moved out to one of the largest slums in Bangkok. IT is known for being a large source for child trafficking in Bangkok;  it is prime location for kidnapping innocent children and selling them becasue it is along a port, so there is lots of people and boats and trucks and cars and it is busy.
We stayed at a church there that is run by an incredible lady. She is the only staff, and does everyting--but she has such a big heart for that community and for the children there. The church is right in the slum--and is actually sandwiched between Kareoke Bars(note: these aren't the family friendly ones you go to to hang out with your friends), so basically sleeping was a bit of a challange becasue of the 'wonderfully' loud music which at times would shake the floor. :) lol.
While we were there we helped out in a public Pre-school. The children were adorable. We got to hang out with the kids, play with them, get snacks ready, teach a fun quick lesson (since it was a Bhuddest school, we taught good morals through Bible stories), lead games and songs, etc. it was cool to see how different the school was run compared to schools in Canada. Alot of these children come from difficult homes and families--and alot of the children have single, teenaged moms. For one little boy, his mom had him when she was 13. It was difficult to see these children and know that they would be considered 'children at risk'. :(
In the afternoons we went to communities within the slum and taught BIble stories, and played games with the children. It was super super fun.

So ya, during this time we work ALOT with children ( = lots of fun and laughs). It was great! If it was at all possible, I wold love to go back and visit the school and see all the kids, and teacher again!

 Success, another blog post DONE!! =P

BANGKOK!

After travelling FOREVER!(you would think there would be a bus station right at the boarder, but i guess that would jsut make too much sense--so we had to find a bus, then we may have gotten off the bus at the wrong place, then the taxi may have gotten really really lost, and then when we finally did arrive, we may have been sent to a tetally different place becasue of communication mix-ups)....BUT we did arrive in Bangkok safely, success!! :)
We stayed at a place called ARK International--it is a YWAM ministry based out of Perth. IT was amazing!-- thick mattresses, washing machines, air con(!!!), in a really safe neighbourhood( = lots of walks!), near a mall, and (best of all) there was toilet paper--and you could flush it down the toilet!!!!!! Woot woot!
 So anyway, my frist impressions of BAngkok: huge, busy, lots of malls (consumerism galore), really delicious food, IKEA(lol).
For 2 weeks we helped out serving at a COunselling Seminar which was held by ARK INternational. So our team did things like getting the food ready, serving out food, setting up tables, making coffee, washing dishes, keeping hte bathrooms clean, etc... It was so much fun, not even joking. I love it. And guess what? I am now a professonal fruit cutter. Yep, that's right, i can cut papaya and guava and mango and pineapple like it is no body's buisness. Me and Yantsu are now also professional cutlery rollers. We are so fast it is redicilous. AND our whole team has turned into pro dish washers. No dish washers here! :) Success.
I really enjoyed helping out at the seminar---but they were loooooooong 11hr days, so it was exhausing. BUt we all really got to know each other, after havign to spend that much time together! On Saturdays we joined a Rugby Sprots ministry. They teach children from the slums Rugby (and in taht teamwork, perseverance, dicipline, etc...), as well as teaching a short English class, and a Bible(or morals) class. IT was super super fun hangin out with the kids, and teaching, and playing. Yep yep yep, it was fun fun fun :) Anywhos, i don't really know if there is much more to say about that 'leg of the journey'..... So bye