We have had an incredible week here in Thailand! But it’s time to head back; we are waiting in the lobby, and are about to load up the bus to head for the airport. We should be arriving today in New York City at JFK in just 30 short hours – figure out the math on that one!
Please pray for us as we travel back!
We arrived safely at the Christian Guest House in Bangkok this morning about 5AM. We drove down from Surin after an evening of games, food, and fellowship with the Thai church family and students from the schools that we had ministered in. There was a tremendous turnout by the Thai students, and as we had the opportunity for testimonies, many of them spoke of how we were very different than other foreigners. The Thai said that our group had an amazing ability to connect with them in a way that no other group did. I think this speaks volumes about the working of Christ through our teens!!
It was very difficult leaving the church in Surin; the teens made some great friendships with both the students and the Surin Baptist Church family. We will miss them all very, very much! Thank you all for your support and prayers as you partnered with us in the ministry here in Thailand!
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
The tournament started tonight, and there was a great turnout! I think there were around 60 players and around 100 in attendance for this first round of seeding. Every one had a great time playing hard, sweating hard and hanging out with the Thai teens whenever they weren’t playing.
Jeff Seelig told me he had the opportunity to share the gospel with a young man, and that the young man understood the message. Typical of the Thai, he wanted to take time to think about what he had learned, so Jeff encouraged him to visit the Hayes’ church to have any questions answered. It is so exciting to see our teens taking advantage of these opportunities to share Christ’s love!
We have a full day of basketball tomorrow (and I’ll be going on a bicycle ride with Jim Hayes around 6am!), so pray for the teens as they minister to the Thai teens during the tournament on Saturday.
We had a wonderful time of fellowship at the home of a church member. They provided us with dinner, which was really delicious. We were able to hear testimonies from a couple other members, and our teens shared some testimonies as well. It is an incredible experience to be able to join with believers on the other side of the world and share an immediate bond because of Christ’s love for us.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Here a few photos from today’s activities. Enjoy!
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
We have arrived safely in Surin and had a great time on the six hour drive from Bangkok. Everyone is tired, but doing well and excited for the ministry opportunities that lie ahead. We’ll be hitting the ground running tomorrow (today…or is it yesterday?).
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
We landed in Taipei at 6:30 am Tuesday morning (6:30 pm Monday evening in Lansdale). Since the airline had bumped the last leg of our trip from 8:30 am to 1:20 pm, they gave us rooms at the Novotel by the airport for the morning and afternoon. It’s been a nice time to catch a little nap and a shower partway through this marathon trip! Lord-willing, we’re looking forward to taking off for Bangkok this afternoon (1:20 am Lansdale time). Thanks for your continued prayers!
We just landed in Anchorage. We get to spend an hour in a “terminal” with nothing open, then head back on our plane for Taipei. Thanks for your prayers. We have had a great trip so far, but we’ve still got a long way to go! Keep praying!
Please take some time to pray about the trip today as you pack! Also, please read the 2 new pages (Parent Info and Teen Expectations) at the top and alert your parents to the info as well. I’ll give this stuff out tomorrow, but it would be good for you to take a look at awhile.
