This and that...news from the girls

hello Everybody,

this is Hanna on behalf of all the girls of team Phil-Thai. We are sweating, eating, drinking water, laughing....ehhhmmm...yes, we're on outreach!

Ok, Brit wants to point out all the crazy things we've done so far: We ate dog, we ate rice with bugs in it, slept in a room full of beatles, completely covered under our blankets, sweating, ... we rode elephants, rafted down a river with huge spiders jumping (!) on us and WATERSNAKES (which we - thank God- didnt see! we would have freaked out, but Matt told us after)and we all learned how to do the matrix, with trees full of spiders and ants hanging over the water. We ziplined over a lake, jumping off a 30 meter(90 feet) high tower, and yes: Tiesha did it as well! Get it girl! Antti went down in the Superman-Position, Matt nearly fell out his hardnest ,Katie lost 2 sunglasses on the way down in the river, and Brit and me jumped together...it was so much fun!
Tiesha and Brit held a huge 70 kilo Boa and paid 100 Baht for it....who would do that???? We almost get eaten alive every day by all the disgusting stray dogs which are on the streets. Oh, and we have two frogs in our house here, together with loads of geckos in all shapes and sizes. At the moment we're all feeling a bit sick....pray!!!

So far we've had a lot of fun, good times and bad times, we've been spoilt and also had to fight hard:
We've had a luxury 14hr busride from Bangkok to Chiangrai in a night bus with huge seats. And we've had a 7.5 hr busride from Chiangrai to Tak, without a translator, we didnt even know if we were on the right bus, ha.
The other night we went to the nicest restaurant ever, it was like a jungle-park-type-thingy...with a lake and a waterfall...moonlight...it was amazing. Oh, and we had free massages at night in Chiangrai. A lady would came over to where we stayed and give us massages...heaven. Ask Tiesha if she likes Thai-massages: She almost died! ha We all look like we have some kind of disease wih all the bug bites on our bodies. Tiesha still hasnt used a squatty yet, thanks God, we've been blessed with mostly western toilets. Right now we are sitting in Tiesha and my room in a pastors house in the province of Tak (western Thailand, at the border to Burma). we have 2 Fans (heaven!!!) and just had yummy Phadthai (noodles)....

Oh, i have to tell this story, listen:
Gary wakes up at night, Antti is shouting in Finnish, fighting with bugs, and then: "STOP EATING ME!!!" haha he flips the bug off his leg and on Matt, who is still sleeping. So Gary and Antti turn on the light and there it is: a huge bug on Matt, on a place where they can't easily remove it...well, that's a task. So Matt wakes up with Gary and Antti standing on his bed, looking down on him, laughing, in the middle of the night...and he goes back to sleep! lol Matt has the deepest sleep ever. And Antti...ha...Brit and I painted his toenails pink and purple while he was sleeping. lol

Ok, next theme: WATERFESTIVAL!!!!! No fun! Seriously! Although Matt and Antti thought it was funny to spray us with poop-water and caused a major team-crisis...;-) We were wet all the time, several earphones lost the fight against water and our teammoney got soaked, so that Gary spent the afternoon spreading out all our money on the tables outside. Tiesha's angry look and her huge sunglasses didn't protect her from getting soaked by the people on the road... all the time. Some of the water smelled like pooh, some of it was pink(?) and some had ice-cubes in it...Tiesha: "I HATE IT !!!!!!!!!!" But we had a day of revenge: loading the Jeep with buckets full of water, driving around! by the way: JEEP! we have to talk about that. Seatbelts???Not so much, we're in Thailand. Yesterday we were driving in a Jeep with 20 people - NOT LYING!!!- sitting on the roof, standing in the back, however: Thai-People make it possible! and the police? well, they do it the same way, ha! Seriously? Yes, it was a lot of fun. Molly, Brit and me, sitting on the very top, right above the windshield, going down the road with 60 miles/hr. For all the mommies:" Don't worry! We're having a blast and we're still alive! "

Well, that was a short overview, a little bit caotic, but at least you know now:
WE LOVE OUTREACH!!!!
sometimes :-)
We're all doing fine, but missing our homes, missing you guys from YWAM L.A., Team Cambodia, Team China...looking forward to seeing you all again soon. We're excited what outreach has got for us in the next few weeks. Ministry has been really good so far, we've had many different opportunities to share with the people here, had good and bad days, but i guess thats how it is. We keep on going, walking with God, who is always with us and who has already blessed and protected us in so many ways!
Basicly we are just here..we are...and God is with us...and...we live happily ever after! That's the story so far....

Oh, here are our Thai names:
Britany = Lakkhana (good character)
Tiesha= dara (star of the show)
Hannah= Saengjan (moonlight)
Hanna= Nida (pretty woman)
Hamm= Pairor (sweet sound)
Matt = Maitree (friendship)
Antti= Arthit (leader, handsome)
Katie= Kanang (beautiful woman)
Molly= Malee (flower)

and some funny quotations:

Antti: "We have authority over snakes! But don't go to snake and say: dont bite me, i have authority over you. Because then snake bites you and then you die and then you go to heaven and then you ask God: God why did snake bite me? and God says: You are stupid!"
Tiesha: "I hate that...!"
Brittany: "Ahhh, bug, bug, BUG....I'm in the shower, I'm naked, I cant run...Help!!!! AHHHH"
All:" Disgusting, that's gross, ewwwwww, gross, disgusting, ahhh spider, bug, Matt? Antti? Take it of me! Help ahhhh!"

yes, we're fighting a hard fight!!!!!

oh, forgot to tell you: The pastor here has a radio station. And Brit gave her testimony on the radio and in honor to Britney Spears played: She's so lucky. Tiesha, Molly, Hamm and Matt were interviewed, although we dont know if the translator understood everything they said. Actually he is a teacher from an english camp we went to. We've adopted him...his name is Poom!!!


Still so much to tell.....:


We finally got over our donut-addiction, but replaced it with Roti. Sometimes it is green, dont know why, but it still tastes delicious!!!!


Most of us are MASTERS OF THE RUBICS CUBE. yeah! Keeping our minds fit with all kind of mind games...and 4 is the magic number!!! yes!


For all the sad and lonely nights: "Goodbye my lover" is our song. But in the end: "All we need is you Lord" and God IS amazing! That was deep but not profound! ;-)

We desperately need nail polish remover, but can't find it anywhere. In a rush of teenage-emos i painted my toenails pink...embarassing! We bought so much nail colors, entertainment for the girls we meet here, so we keep messing around with the colors. And while painting our nails we're having burping-contests...the winner is...: our secret!!!

Of course we all read our 3 books already! ;-) For those who dont know: We all have to read 3 books during outreach. But we got kinda stuck on "Redeeming Love" (which wasn't on our list, a wonderfully romantic lovestory, Katie brought it and now everyone wants to read it. Matt has it at the moment, ha. Keep trying to understand a woman.) We are all waiting for a "Michael Hosea", some of us are closer then others! lol

Ok, this is getting kinda long now and we dont want you to get bored. Basicly our pastor just drove off this morning, so we dont know what we're doing today, waiting for him to come back. So we're sitting here together (of course only the girls), listening to Britney Spears...

Oh, we have to talk about : Hamm!!! Thank God, we have Hamm!!! If pastors suddenly expect us to sing a song in church...well, with Hamm on the piano it sounds nearly professional, although some of us dont know the lyrics and just move their lips (Tiesha??? Molly???) Molly is still running her 3 Miles every day in the heat. By the end of outreach, if you add all the miles together, she could have run all the way back home during outreach....no need for a planeride back. Tiesha is making new sign songs, she's the best...promise!!! Britney is growing over herself in everything she does!!!!! Bugs, spiders,...everything! She is just brave, our baby, we're so proud of you! Hannah has proven that the skitt EVERYTHING should not be done in a skirt (ooops), she is just recovering from her battle wounds. Matt has given up straightening his hair. Instead he just stands at the back of the Jeep, holding on to the roof at 70 miles/hr (10 people, not much room in one Jeep)...well, that makes a nice hairstyle!

We all have Flip-Flop-Dirt-/Tanlines, not really sure which is which.

Ok, now im empty, everything is out and my fingers are hurting!

Love Ya'll, The girls from Team Phil-Thai

WE ATE DOG!!!

Dear Friends and Family,

Much of our ministry has been visiting people in the hill tribes, and praying for them. Little did we know that upon visiting one hut they would be preparing Dog for us. WE WATCHED THEM BUTCHER Ol' LASSEY. That is right folks...your best friend can also be your next best meal. Please continue praying for our group as we prepare to go on Visa runs to Cambodia, and then move on to our next ministry. We will be living in mud huts for 4 days while ministering to children, and teaching them English. Also check out more pictures on my other blog (just use the sidebar to the right of this posting for navigation). Thanks again for all your prayers.

Your DTS student,

Matthew Groves

FIRST PICTURES OF THAILAND

Dear Friends and Family,

Here are some of the first pictures of Thailand. We have been in Bangkok for the last two days. Tonight we are heading north to Chiang Ria by bus (Fourteen hours north of here). We recently found out that we will be needing to leave the country twice for a short time to get our visas renued. So, we will be going into Cambodia, and Burma for one day each to get our visas re-stamped. Please be praying for us during this exciting time! Hope to have updates for you soon.

Your DTS student,

Matthew Groves

WE ARE SAFE IN THAILAND!!!

Dear Friends and Family,

I am glad to say that after a short flight, we are now safely in Thailand. There were no problems at all, and the YWAM base here in Bangkok is amazing. We are right across the street from a University, so many students know some English. Most of the staff are amazing! Hope to have more updates and pictures for you as we settle in!

Your DTS student,

Matthew Groves

Still Kicking!

Hello everyone!

Just have been enjoying this week so much! We had a great time hiking to a church in the hill tribes, and then going to their sacred falls. We have never really had a problem with translations either. I gave my testimony and there was a great response. My favorite part was just playing with the kids and trying to kill a rooster. They crow all day long, it is like a farm of roosters by our house. I want them all dead because they ruin my sleep!
But the time here has really been teaching me a few things. First, if you can't speak their language just do what you can. So, I just play with the kids until I can't play anymore! I love it. And most of the time I am just "being" the message to them. Like the interactions with my peers teaches the fatherless how to interact with others. Most of them will stop everything they are doing to watch me wrestle with Antti, or talk with the girls on my team. Second, memorizing scripture is everything to me. I have spent the last few weeks memorizing chapters in Psalms. CHAPTERS!! I have never been able to do ever before. Now, my mind is constantly running through scripture as we minister to the prostitutes (And most of the time I am with the kids b/c I can't minister woman in topless bars). And, finally, prayer is vital. I am definitely afraid missing God's will for my outreach. Even when it is talking with friends I am constantly learning how to ask God what my response should be. The process has been amazing! I am definitely glad that God has placed many competent peers on my team to help me grow in godliness while we minister to those in need. Please pray for team unity and direction as we get ready to leave for Thailand this Sunday. Hopefully I will have a video on Olongapo tomorrow as well. Hope to have an update for you all soon!

Your DTS student,

Matthew Groves

MABUHAY!

greetings from what must be the hottest, sweatiest place on earth! life has been wonderful here, filled with trips to private beaches, private islands (!), delectable mangoes everyday, sacred waterfall hikes...yikes! the philippines is probably one of the most beautiful places on earth! i remember when we first stepped off of the plane (it seems a lifetime ago!), i instantly fell in love, and for no good reason! this place just does something to you..maybe its the man walking down the street right now yelling "baluuuutt!" (now thats a story worth telling! so; we were on the private beach, and the balut man is walking along, so we buy a couple. antti ate a whole one! the rest of us, well, most of us, just tried tiny teeny pieces of it, but still! if you dont know what balut is...it is a chicken egg that has been incubated for twenty days, whereupon they cook it! so basically, its a mostly developed chicky thats still in its sack, you can feel the beak and some mostly developed bones, even a feather or two! its the most disgusting thing ive ever seen in my life! and its a delicacy here! sickkkk.) but anyways...life has been just grand, getting to work and live with former prostitutes has been such an eye-opening experience, playing with their children has been a blast, and overall, its been a blast! oh shoot, the battery is about to die...

Your DTS staff,

Katie Colvin

PICTURES

Hello All,

Click here to check out another blog with pictures of our trip. Enjoy!

Your DTS Student,

Matthew Groves