Our first full ministry day in Thailand - Sunday, May 26

Today was officially our first full ministry day.  I won't be including any pictures as our leader asked us to just absorb and not take any pictures. We started the day with a guest house breakfast.  It was a small buffet.  There was soup, a noodle dish, and poached eggs.  They also had some fruit and yogurt.

We then went to a local Anglican church.  It was a really great service (although not the typical Springbrook service.) We also had the opportunity to take communion, which made it special. 
 
The group then went to an Indian restaurant for lunch and our leader provided us an overview of what else to expect this week. After that we went on a walk through the red light district and our leader explained the locations and people we would be seeing.

This afternoon we had a couple of hours of free time.  My lack of sleep finally caught up to me and I crashed for a good hour and a half. Tonight we walked around the district again to experience the vendor setup.  The main street went from almost a deserted alley look to an open air market. We then had dinner at the local McDs! (the receipt called it McThai.) :-) It was nice to have that touch of home.

Late tonight we headed back to the district. It was raining, so many people who would normally have been present were not. God provided several blessings in that with the lack of business as one. The second is more physical. With the rain, the sidewalks and streets were incredibly slippery. Everyone made it safely back to the guest house.

If you think to pray for us, please pray for us physically.  We are really struggling with the heat.  In addition, some of have some little aches and pains that are making the days more difficult. Lastly, as we debrief each evening, we are all evaluating our reactions, our personal lessons learned as well as how our heavenly relationship is changed. For some, this is significant. Please remember all 29 of us on our responses.

In love, Karla

Saturday, May 25. Thailand

Thailand Saturday, May 25th

Well, our Saturday is drawing to a close. It is currently almost 11pm. We are waiting for the rest of our team to arrive and will then have our kick-off worship and meeting! In the meantime, let me tell you what all happened today.

 I woke up incredibly early (5:30) with no reason. So after only 3 1/2 hours of sleep, I was wide awake. I used the time to decompress and pray for the day and week ahead. The SCC 5 met for breakfast in the hotel.

Look Colin, Bacon!

Then, we took a taxi over to the Weekend open air market. Our driver was awesome and we got to see some interesting sights on the way. At the market we picked up some souvenirs and then went into the next door mall for lunch. (I had a mocha chip cone for lunch, Yum!)

Mocha chip. 

We headed back to the hotel where we freshened up and then headed to the Guest House. Connie and Kristen "checked" us in and then we went to dinner with them and one other group that was also in. Tomorrow we are supposed to go to church, then rest, then go our for ministry tomorrow night.

Our Room

Our Room from the door

Chicken curry for dinner

 Thank you for the prayers, Karla

Thailand Day 1 - May 23rd/24th

Wow, what an exciting 1st day. I woke up at 6AM, feeling fairly rested which is really good since I didn't go to bed very early.  I finished packing my carry on and Colin and I left at 8 to pick up Christine.  Then we headed to Lisa's to meet up with the rest of the group.

John P led us in an amazing group prayer and the guys took pictures of the group. By 9:15 we were pulling out of the driveway. It took us a little longer than normal to get to the airport, but we were ok.  Colin dropped us off at the International terminal and then we found out we had to leave from Terminal 1, the United terminal.  So, after a short train ride, a fairly uneventful check-in, and surprisingly quick security, we found ourselves at our gate with about an hour to wait.  The flight was slightly delayed, and we go off around 2pm.  (The pilot said we would make up the time in the air.)

We were ALL very thankful to have the Economy Plus seats.  That extra ~10" makes a surprising difference.  Most of us didn't really sleep.  A couple got some real rest and the others got some cat naps. So how do you fill a 13 hour flight?  Books, Movies, Making friendship bracelets and talking.  I think we each brought other things to do, but our seating arrangement made some of the things difficult.

 

photo by Amy P

We landed in Tokyo a little late but in enough time to touch base with home, get some waters, and pull ourselves together for the next part of the trip.  I think we all dreaded the thought of getting on another plane for any period of time.
The flight to Bangkok was less crowded.   Our seats were better group wise with Lisa and I on one side of an aisle, Amy and Rachel right across from us, and Christine just in front. Our plan was to stay awake for the last flight (6 hours) so that we would sleep well.  All of us ended up falling asleep for at least a couple of hours.  Even if it wasn't good sleep, our bodies needed it.

We landed just after 11PM Bangkok time on Friday night.  We exchanged a little bit of money, made it through Immigration, picked up all 5 bags! And made it to the hotel a little after 12.  I was impressed with how smooth that part went. We spent the night at the Novatel which is right at the airport.  The rooms were comfortable and we were able to call and text with our loved ones. 

Tomorrow we plan to do some site seeing, relax, and get to our official residence (the Bangkok Christian Guest House) about 5PM to meet our leader, Connie.
It is kind of surreal to realize, we are in Bangkok. 6 months ago, we each had a unique experience and agreed to this trip.  To find ourselves here, 6 months later - to know that on Saturday, we will become part of a group of 29 women who came here to serve other women.  That is mind blowing.


We continue to covet your prayers.  We can feel them and know that is why we arrived here safely.  Thank you all,
With Love and Prayers,
Karla

Less than 2 weeks to go!

In less than 2 weeks we will be in Thailand!  In 2 weeks, the Springbrook Team will have been in Thailand for 36 hours.  We will have been with the full team for 12 hours, and checked in to our guest house.    By this time, we will most likely have seen the ministry area in Bangkok for the first time. To say I don't know what to expect is an understatement.  I keep thinking of all I have to do, but then I think about what we will be doing there instead. We had a team conference call the other night.  We got our first real glimpses into the personalities of the 28 women going on this trip.  We also got a better idea of what our days will look like. So, what does our schedule look like? Well, the Springbrook team takes off from O'Hare at 1PM on Thursday, May 23rd. After a LONG flight and a layover in Tokyo, we land in Bangkok at 11:15 Pm on Friday the 24th.  We will be 12 hours ahead of our families in Central Time.

On Saturday we will have some time with just the 5 members of the Springbrook Team.  We are hoping to deliver some "Girls Around the World" dresses, but are having a hard time coordinating that. Late Saturday afternoon (5 ish) we will head back to the airport and meet up with the rest of the AIM team to start the main part of the trip. Since we will be "working nights", our mornings (once we wake up) are free.  I suspect that this is when we will touch base with home due to the time difference. We will get together with the team before lunch to talk plans and then minister in the afternoons.  The ministry afternoons will look different every day and I am not really sure what all will be included.

 In the evenings we will worship together and then go to the red light districts.  Since we have a large group we may be split up more than previous trips.  We will all spend time in prayer in the area.  Some will continue to pray during the evening.  Others will work and minister to the children that are left to wait for their parents and some will go imto the bars to speak with the women their.  They will purchase Cokes for the women to give them a 15 minute break and make a connection. Not everyone will go into the bars,andmost of us will only go in for one or two nights.  Regardless of our individual roles, we will all be working for the same purpose.  To share love and hope. We will have one "free" day during the week to do some site seeing. Our last "night" will be Saturday, June 1st.  The team starts heading home on Sunday the 1st.  Our group does not have a flight out until late Sunday night, so we will, in essence, have another free day.  We will put our feet back on US Soil on Monday morning, June 3rd at 8AM.  As we get closer, our to do lists shrink and our anxiety and excitement grow.  Please continue to pray for us and for our families.  It can't be easy on them as they plan to take over our roles and will undoubtedly be thinking about our safety. I can't wait to share what happens!   

Love,

Fun, Fabulous, and Frivolous

As we are getting closer to our trip our thoughts turn to typical travel details, clothes, packing, and.... Hair!
Seriously, we are discussing appropriate and comfortable clothes.   Here is a snap shot of this week's forecast (and our week will be hotter!)

 

Given that, we are considering ways to keep ourselves cool, including keeping our hair up and out of the way.

One of our friends, Erin, invited Christine and me over to learn to french braid. 

I braided Christine's hair!!!

 Me, Erin, and Christine

 Look, I braided my own!

So yes, it may be a little frivolous, but it adds some fun to the trip preparations!  Thanks Erin!

 

Freedom Trail Thursday

My Thailand team mate, Amy, has been blogging about our trip in her Freedom Trail Thursday posts.   Last week she interviewed our leader, Lisa; and today she told my story.  You can see it here:  http://marchingthroughlife.org/freedom-trail-thursday-more/