Today, Saturday, Sunday and our time in Pattaya comes to and end. It's a bit of a surreal thought and you can see the coming change in the team. Everyones been a little crazier as of late including myself, feeling up down and all around emotionally. This last week we've continued serving at the various ministries and each time it's been bittersweet as we had to acknowledge upon leaving that it was our last time serving there. Now after a week of endings we are coming head on to the knock-out round where we leave for good.

Packing begins today, as if we were going to be gone tomorrow, cleaning tomorrow and then church, final farewells and loose ends on Sunday. In the midst we've also been able to enjoy barbeques and the company of many of our new friends. Tonight we are going to mercy ministries, the orphanage for a barbeque. Every night at the crossing has been different lately also as each night is recoginzed by us and our friends as bring us closer to that final farwell.

When that farwell comes we are off to Chang Rai with a pastor named Booie to work with some people up there. He'll be taking us to a trading and elephant village where we will get involved shortly with some ministries and things going on up there. There is also the possiblity of going to a tribe where the gospel has not been heard in a long time if at all. Elephant treks, jungle preaching and a trading village where surrounding cultures come to sell there wares. Sounds to me to be the perfect ending to our mission as we will fly out two days after it ends. Back to all of my allies and enemies back home.

I want to write a little about Pattaya and the mission and some things I've been thinking about lately. This is the first of sorts I guess, I'll post more as time goes on. Feel free to reply if you have thoughts congruent or contradictory.

Pattaya is so raw, so primal in some ways that I find in it a sort of dark facination. In a place where there are no inhibitions and men act and do as they please you begin to see who we are as humans. It's an eye opener in a lot of ways, and in alot of ways Pattaya seems to be a sick, open concentration of what can be found in men everywhere.

I'm not proposing that every man is attracted to young boys and girls or travsvestites, if this was so we would be in alot more trouble. But I think that the lust that prevails here so strongly is a testament to something that runs through all of us. In Pattaya it's just not kept under the covers, hidden away and masked. In Pattaya it's all out and it's masqueraded around as something normal and good with real truth showing itself in the unconcious actions of the city. You see the results in the lonely, tired faces of the women you ride home beside, in the body language of the man walking from bar to bar looking a empty and lost, even as the neon flashes overhead and the 100th girl interesting in only his wallet calls out, "hey, sexy man".

An offical report for you, the people, from one of your own

Part 1 - General notes and misinformation

We've enjoyed the our second last week in Pattya, it's getting crazy to think seriously about Canada and the flight home that happens soon. Today was our last day at the orphanage we helped move when we arrived and have been working at since. Today I walked through the place before leaving and was amazed at how far the house has come, it was both a nastalgic and surreal experience. The amount of children they provide a home with keeps growing too which is really encouraging.

Aside from that we lose the second house to a ywam team that arrives in two days. We moved out yesterday and are gathered together once again under one roof. This will fortunatly last only one week and then we're off to Chang Rai for a final week-lengthed mission. Proceeding this trip we will drive to directly to Bangkok. There the team will spend a day or two or so selling our souls once and for all to materialism before boarding a plane for the flight home.

Part 2 - Song kranston

I'm going to start this one off by correcting a piece of misinformation from the last entry. Song kran is only one day, not two as I previously stated. Officially one day of waterfighting and well wishing to welcome the new year. Generally it's a relaxed and fun day across Thailand but in Pattaya it turns into a rather drunken city wide waterfight.

The team and myself met at the crossing youth center around noon and from there headed toward the beach and the core of Pattaya. The streets were claustrophobically jam packed with vehicles and water fighters camped out on the sides and runing about. Besides scooters, which are everywhere in Thailand at all times, every vehicle was a truck sporting a barrel or two of iced water surrounded by throwers. The trucks would drive slowely in the backed up traffic, the people in the back would throw water at the roadsiders and the people on the side of the road would throw back. Add to the mix people walking about on foot, people like us with small buckets who jump in and out of random trucks and steal water from barrels. Then add the roadside stands selling paste making substances and people putting paste on others faces while they declare happy new year and you've got a pretty good time, that is....until you add the drunk and horney ones, gay and straight, who are very excited to see a good looking young foriegners like us. We lasted about an hour or so and then decided it was in our best interest to turn back so we could avoid further attempts to be kissed and fondled.

After making a slow retreat through the clogged streets we arrived back at our soi(street) on the side of the six lane highway which runs from Bangkok and through Pattaya. There we agreed it would be safe to take part and just as much of a good time. Even though it was a the highway is usually host to quick speeds, on this day the 19th, the Sukamvit was one big wet traffic jam.


Standing on the side of the highway we would reach into barrels filled by ever running garden hoses. It was a normal sight and my mind reeled as I tried to comprehend the amount of water being used across the city. Almost all the outdoor taps were run consistantly from sun up to sun down, this was no small festival.

The next five hours were spent getting covered in paste and then cleaned off again by projected water, projecting water back and mixing you're own paste. There was also some dancing to the wall of speakers that had been set up along the side of the road, though we made sure to stay away from the large mass off drunken scurvy lads who had set up post infront of the speakers where they spilled haphazerdly into to the middle of the road(I think they were one of the main reasons traffic was backed up as bad as it was). This lasted most of the afternoon until at last the setting sun coaxed me to head home. I walked into the house exhausted and satisfied by the craziness life can sometimes bring, happy it was time to dry up and warm up.

Sonkranin

Songkran officially hits Pattaya tomorrow, for about a week now the festival has been preceeding the rainy season down pour as it crosses Thailand in two day bouts. Of course Pattaya though, being later on in the line up and holding the "extreme city" title has been practicing a lighter form since the 12th.

At it's roots the festival is the Thai new year and is a time for cleansing and renewal. Many people are let off work during the Songkran to visit family and head north to there home villages for celebrating. During this time they ceremonially wash elders and each other's hands while paying homage to Budda for the forgivness of sins. In the streets though the washing tradition manifests itself in a different and much more renowed way.

Taking on an almost crude metaphor for the approaching rainy season are two days of the Songkran festival reserved for all out water and talc powder fights in the streets. During these two days it's all out waterslinging, if you don't want to get wet you stay home because everyone is a target. In the anticipation though many get into it earlier and the whole week here in Pattaya has been filled with soakings. On the way home from church sunday, soaked, on the way to a movie the other day, soaked, and on the way back from an orphanage today, soaked by roadside campers with oversized plastic syringes and buckets.

The scope of what goes on started to reveal itself last Thursday as we headed out to Sirachi, about an hour away. We were heading up to see the premiere of a miracle channel show featuring Pattaya. While out there we were met with truck after truck carrying a barrel of water and a box full of water fighters. Everyone in the back of our truck-taxi arrived at the wet and slightly disgruntled. The craziest thing is that during the Songkran week there are deaths everywhere, though not just due to waterfighting. According to the newspapers already about 450 people have died in Thailand since the 12th and about 1500 have been seriously injured. Most of this they blame on drunk driving from New Year festivities. When you witness truck after truck with boxes filled of people throwing powder and water at each other while driving down a three lane highway you begin to suspect that it's not just drunk driving thats at fault though.

Even though it's been hard to travel around Pattaya the last while without being assulted, the real mayhem breaks out tomorrow as Pattaya's official water fighting days begin. From what I've learned the main streets shut down and it gets impossible to go anywhere because the streets fill up with water and powder projecting partyers. If I wasn't scared of getting my camera wet I'd have pictures for you soon. None the less, I'll be sure to follow this up in a day or two with festive tales of the event.

Adieu

Holiday in Cambodia

Due to the lack of updates lately I'm going to make this one longer, it was a short trip but alot happened so hopefully you enjoy. As well I probably won't update for a while so take a week or so to read through if you need it. The next two weeks will be the usual ministy here in Pattaya and then we go north to Chang Mai for a week or so before heading to Bangkok for the flight home.

START.

Along with two canadian visitors from the upper ranks of lifeforce, Dawn Greyburn and Shelda lastnameun-known, the team partnered up with Dee-dee from a near by bible school for our visa run/mission to Cambodia. For those of you who aren't in the know, many long term visitors to Thailand will go to Cambodia or other surrounding countries when there visa's expire. They enter and exit the country on the same day and upon re-entry renew their visa for another month. Our three month visas were coming due so we had to do likewise in order to spend the last month of the mission legally in Thailand.

Through Dee-dee we connected to a fine young man named Joel. He's a missionary working in the border town of Poi Pet where he planted and runs four house churches. We were invited to give him a break and come preach at each Sunday service.

Our crew left Pattaya early Saturday morning and travelled to Poi Pet where we unloaded the van and loaded our backs for a trip through the boarder. As we passed through the various checkpoints the scenery subtly but surely began to change. As we crossed over a river boardering the two countries garbage appeared everywhere. There were also loads of people carrying loads on handpulled carts, sweating under the dry hot sun as they moved goods.

Despite choas, garbage, pickpockettering kids and baggers we managed to succesfully make our way. As we crossed over a river and under an eccentric arch of sorts we were greeted by beautiful casino's along the dusty dirty main road.

Gambling is illegal in Thailand so on the "no mans land" between Cambodia and Thailand they've built casino's to fill there craving. Lots of Thai's who have the money and an itch come to try there luck in no-mans land where they've built a small vegas of sorts that consists of about 10 casino's streatched along the boarder.

We had lunch at one of the nicer roadside resturants and then continued on our way into the actual country of Cambodia.

As soon as we passed through the gates the change was striking. We were greeted by a traffic circle filled with men eager to take us on as passengers. The roads were dirt and lined with old looking shops and buisness. The roads were also filled with older motorbikes and vehicles driving on the right side of the road without rules as they threw up dust to accentuate the towns look of poverty. Along the streets I saw road side shops with racks of big glass coke bottles that were filled with yellow liquid. Confused at first I would later learn that these were Cambodian gas stations. Bikes would pull up and the attendent would grab a funnel and a bottle filled with gasoline. Attentent gets to filling, exchange of funds and soon the drivers off again without leaving the cycle seat.

We boarded what would be our transportation for the next two days, three older motorbikes with sketchy side cars made of rebar attatched to them. Each side car held about four to five people and bounced uncomfortably along the roads as we travelled.

The guest house, despite having to flush the toiled by sticking our hands in the tank and not having a proper shower head wasn't too bad. The sheets seemed clean and we had a small television to watch Thai cable on. After dropping our stuff off and jumping on the beds a bit we headed to our first event, a youth gathering.

The youth event was held in a small childrens home. We played some games with those there and then performed and prayed with them. Afterwards the towns pastors treated us to a feast that was amazing. It consisted of about 30 people gatherd around a long table. On the tables were three pots of boiling water and the raw makings of soup. You took the soup items, raw meat, vegetables, stuff and noodles and added them as you went, waited for them to cook in the water and then dished out the soup. Kinda like a soup fondue but not so individualist. It was really humbling since they church had so little compared to us but used every extra penny they had to provide us with the meal. Needless to say we blessed them back before leaving, touched so much by the generosity shown.

That night we headed to an outdoor resturaunt and show where we were serenaded under the glow a gigantic neon lobster. The singer told the girls repeatedly that he loved them(not uncommon when you're the only white people around) and sang the cranberries "zombie" for us by special request. The song is so old but the people here love it and still sing it frequently at kareoke bars and the like.

The next day was a big one. It contained four Church services, one big gift in a small box, an alter call leading to salvations, a burger leading to salivation and many visuals which peirced the heart.

The first service took place in a small hut in the poorest circumstances I've seen in asia so far. All houses were crammed together and constructed with paper walls. Some of the young girls there had bloated stomachs and signs of parisites. Shelda, our canadian visitor(close relative to the Lunds and some Vonhollens from around Alhambra, knows David Thompson High School.... crazy coincedence) preached after some Cambodian worship with a single guitar.

After the service the church presented us with a gift which was so heartbreaking and humbling. The gift came in an operation christmas child box and contained toys that they had recieved from the ministry. The words of Jesus where he said the first will be last and the last will be first were pretty strong in my mind when that happened. Out of there poverty they gave us so much, it was so powerfull that I'm shedding tears while I write this.

At the next service Mellisa preached a stong message in another small home and we prayed with the people afterwards. With our team there we couldn't fit everyone in the hut but it went well. I guess the man who owned the home was partially paralyzed when the house church was first started, but since being prayed over he now has greatly increased mobility in his legs and is starting to move his right arm which was also once paralyzed.

Following this we travelled to yet another home, this one was much nicer and newer, in fact it was actually constructed of cement and wasn't surrounded by garbage. The woman there asked us to pray for her and her house as well as remove a buddist clothe from the house.

Lunch time and the team relaxed a bit. I was still stessing though because the big service was next and so was my turn to speak. After lunch and a half-hour chill session to the nature channel in the guest house we packed up and headed off to the service. There we performed our performance and afterwards I delivered some words which ended up forming a sermon. Then I called my first alter call, as was requested, and two people came up to pray and recieve salvation. It was encouraging for me and a blessing to be used by God in such a way.

The service ended and was followed shortly by supper and then half of the team was off to the last service where Dave preached. The rest of us went back to the guest house to play rook and get busy sleeping off our weariness from the days events.

We headed out at ten the next morning and after passing through customs and avoiding a few close pick-pocket calls we were back on Thai. soil and on our way home to Pattaya. Dawn and Shelda headed back to Bangkok that evening after a week of visiting our team. After that I went home and read while the impacts of the pevious days events settled inside.

Updates

I want to write a sweet blog but I've spent my internet time updating pictures. Not much to report anyways.

The team is doing really well and we've spend the last week keeping ourselves quite busy at various ministies. Giving free bibles to Chinese tourists, working at the lady boy ministry, performing at the crossing and doing a bunch of work on the orphanage. Nothing to spectacular to report, just everyday serventhood for the most part.

We went to a performance of Grease at a local international school. A few of the kids in the youth group we mentor we're performing. It was interesting to watch the classic tale of american cool performed by a multi-racial cast from around the world.

April fools has also come and gone with a great prank. We went to the orphanage and spent a hot, dirty day painting and cleaning. While we were gone, Angel who was leaving for a short trip to Bangkok emptied about ten bottles of red food coloring into the girls water tank. We came home and proptly met for a team meeting before anyone was allowed to shower or go on there seperate ways. The girls, dirty and smelly from a long day could barely stand sitting through a meeting before being able to shower. As soon as it ended they ran home to clean off.... suprises, screaming, fun.

In a few days we're heading to Cambodia for a visa run. There, some team members and myself will practice our preaching skills in front of a small cambodian church. I'll report on that trip in due time.