The village of Huaymalai is located near the Thai/Burma border, in the far Western hill country of the district of Sangkhlaburi, in the Kanchanaburi Province of The Kingdom Of Thailand
Saturday October 21
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This morning we had breakfast at the Bangkok Christian Guest House. This is a guesthouse located in Bangkok's Saladeng District where I had a room for the night. We had just finished breakfast when our van showed up early and requested that we leave sooner than anticipated, so we packed up and left Bangkok at about 9 am.
The van was very comfortable and I relaxed and enjoyed the scenery while Chris practiced his Thai with the driver and his wife..... he seems to be doing very well with it.
Since I had been there twice before, returning to the home of my Karen friends Paw Lu Lu and Nan Doe, I felt comfortable right away. It was an added bonus that many of the children remembered me from my prior visits.
Pastor Dale Richman was also there, making for a reunion of our October 2005 visit. Dale would be conducting Bible studies and devotions everyday. Dale has been doing missionary work in Southeast Asia for many years, and has a lot of great stories about the places he has been.Pastor Dale entertaining the kids at a Burmese elementary school.
There was one day when the water was turned off, and the men had taken the pickup down to the river along with some water barrels to supply the house. We helped haul the water up into the house. Then we went back to the river with them to fill the barrels to take to the Safe House. We returned only to find that the water was back on again. After an hour of hard labor we decided to join some of the locals chilling out in the river. Man, was that refreshing!
I will also be helping to write reports, and to write and re-write proposals for schools and clinics, and for Paw Lu Lu's women's organizations and other community projects. The home compound seems to change significantly in between my visits, as they carve into the hill for the foundations of the structures, and the steps to get up to them. The children's home which receives funding through God's Kids, is the uppermost building (so far), and houses the girls. This building also has a classroom. This is where the children do their Bible studies, homework, and a lot of singing.
You see, Paw Lu Lu and Nan Doe welcome all comers, and a day does not go by that there are no visitors. They may be family, friends, or patients from the Safe House, which is a short distance down the road. They may be the elderly folks, or the children from the home compound, whom Paw Lu Lu's family treat like elderly aunts and uncles, and younger nieces and nephews.
The village of Huaymalai has many ethnicities, but is mostly Thai, Karen, or Mon, many of whom are Christian. Like all of Thailand, the great majority of the population is Buddhist.
That may be why the Thai government sent troops to secure the roads in and out of Sangkhlaburi. The troops were fully armed, looked very businesslike, were dressed in camouflage utilities, and facing into the jungle, almost as though we were not supposed to notice them. However, it is always a bit exhilarating to travel on roads lined with soldiers carrying automatic weapons.
The reality of having the troops there, drives home the fact that we are near the border with Burma, a country torn to shreds by the military dictatorship which refuses to allow the people of Burma to elect their leaders. It is also a government which has persecuted Burma's non-Burman ethnic groups.
In it's war against the various armed hilltribe forces, the Burma army uses brutality and terror as a tactic against un-armed civilians.
Far from the watchful eyes of the World media, the Burma army also employs rape, torture, murder, forced relocation, and forced labor to control the ethnic groups in their homelands.
The CIA World Factbook fact page for Burma, places the current number of internally displaced persons (IDP's) in Burma at 540,000.
My son photographed this handmade map at the Tham Hin refugee camp. It is a bit old but gives an idea of where the main refugee camps are located in Thailand.
If you are not sure what internally displaced means, it means that as the Burma army arrives in an area, the villagers flee into the surrounding jungle with their families and whatever they can carry with them. They are now internally displaced. The jungle is neutral, but it's organisms, and wildlife can be deadly from the smallest parasites in the water, to snakes, insects, and carnivorous predators.
In the jungle, a simple case of diarrhea can be fatal. Needless to say other diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, hepatitis, typhoid fever, and dysentery can do even greater harm to these people who are weakened by poor diets, and exposure to the elements, usually without mosquito nets.
Meanwhile, the Burma army enters their village, and seizes their livestock and personal property.
After they take what they want, they burn the huts and churches, and destroy any baskets and water cans left behind. Before moving on to the next village, they place landmines around the village, and its surrounding approaches.
In the jungle, the IDP's must find food, water, and shelter.
They must also send out scouts, and stay ahead of the Burma army. This has been occurring for decades, for so many years that the media ignores their suffering.
Non-government organizations (NGO's) such as Free Burma Rangers, and Partners World, work to distribute medicine and supplies for basic shelter such as plastic sheeting.
Partners also supports orphanages, clinics, and many other important projects to aid the Burmese refugees of all ethnicities. FBR also trains relief teams from each area to work where they are needed most by their own people.
There are also a great number of displaced persons who have crossed the border into Thailand, this group of people are referred to as "externally displaced persons (EDP's).
Some of them have been admitted to Thai refugee camps, where NGO's see to their basic needs for food, lodging, medical attention, and education. Tens of thousands of EDP's have lived in the Thai camps for decades, in a sort of political limbo. Recently, they have begun relocating many of these EDP's to host countries such as Australia, the US, Norway, and Canada.
However, in the jungles of Thailand, along it's borders with Burma there are tens of thousands of EDP's living in remote villages without electricity, without medical facilities, and without schools.
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This is where my friends Paw Lu Lu and Nan Doe come in.
While the people in the nearby Don Yang refugee camp could use more opportunities to work and earn money, they have food, shelter, educational facilities, and medical care. Nan Doe often goes up to tend the spiritual needs of the Christian refugees.
And Paw Lu Lu works hard to try to see to it that the EDP children outside of the camps get at least a Grade 4 education.
Here in the United States, we take education for granted, but can you imagine a World where your children have no opportunity to attend school?
Well, now you have an idea why I am here.
Tuesday October 24
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On Tuesday morning we headed off to Three Pagodas, on the Thai/Burma border to pick up a woman who needed to go to the Safe House for care. While we waited for her traveling papers to be arranged, we visited an elementary school at the nearby monastery.
There was a man selling some sort of fried cookies, and I couldn't help but wonder how he could afford to make something that these kids could afford to buy from him.
As it turned out, the patient's traveling papers were not ready and we had to leave without her.
Wednesday October 25
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On Wednesday we returned to Three Pagodas to try again to pick up the sick woman, and also to pick up Nan Doe, who had returned the night before from Burma, where he was looking for spare parts for their looms.
We finally picked up the patient from Three Pagodas and started back to Huay Malai. The weather has been hot and clear and for the most part more comfortable than usual with some breezes and just a few clouds.
When we arrived back at Paw Lulu's house, I realized that I had not seen her all day and found out that she was not feeling well. Later in the day, she had to go to the hospital. When we went to visit her she looked very tired, and was hooked up to an intravenous bottle. She asked that I would finish the proposal for a school we were working on, and hold another English class in evening. I assured her I would do so.
Thursday October 26
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An interesting thing occurred today.
Pastor Dale and I decided to walk down to the hospital to visit Paw Lu Lu.
Just to make conversation, I asked Dale why he never mentions satan.
He replied that there was no reason in particular other than he preferred to talk about the positive aspects of the Bible. Upon further discussion we agreed that here in Huaymalai, one can "feel" the prescence of God, and that one can also sense that something evil is lurking somewhere nearby as well.
We discussed this subject all the way to the hospital.
Once inside we saw that Paw Lu Lu looked tired, but she said she was feeling better.
After a few minutes, out of the clear blue sky, she started telling us a story of an event which happened shortly after the Safe House opened.
She said there had been a large tree, which was very old, that had even been blessed by the monks. At some point the land owner had it cut down and the residents began complaining of strange things like their hair being pulled, or the sound of rocks being thrown, leaves and bushes rattling as if someone were moving them.
She went to explain to them that it was not possible but they were adamant about what they were hearing and feeling.
So one night she went and sat with them and sure enough, she could hear and feel the impact of rocks being thrown, feel the floor move as if someone were walking across it, and hear the sound of someone walking on dry leaves outside. They looked around with flashlights and could see that there was nobody there. She began to pray to Jesus and the sounds grew fainter and then went away.
Not only was it another one of Paw Lulu's compelling stories, but since Dale and I had just been discussing how this area was like a true-life battleground between good and evil, and had not mentioned the subject to her prior to relating her story, we looked at each other with wide open eyes since she acted almost as though she had been with us during the earlier conversation.....Goosebump time!
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October 29
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After lunch it was decided that Kanda, Paw Lu Lu's eldest daughter, would go to visit a doctor in Three Pagodas who practices acupuncture, to receive treatment for a pinched nerve in her arm. And since she is learning to drive, while she was at it she could drive the truck and get some practice. She did pretty well until we got to the checkpoint...well, the soldiers came to where she stopped anyway.
When we got to the second place she would need to stop, at the end of the road in Three Pagodas, she had a bit of a problem stopping the truck and instead plowed into a guardrail and another truck parked behind it, The Good Lord and his angels were with us, because as we got out, we saw that other than the guardrail getting bent up, there was virtually no damage to either vehicle!
Tuesday October 31
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Today was pretty quiet. I rode into Sangkhlaburi with Paw Lu Lu's son Chana on the back of his motorbike, and checked my emails at the Internet Cafe there. I had 207 emails, 204 of which were junk!
After leaving "howdy" messages at two of my favorite Flight Simulator websites, Hovercontrol and VERTva, I grabbed a bag of chips and a Pepsi and waited 10 minutes for Chana before we headed back.
When I returned I found that Sammy, The VisionTrust International coordinator, had dropped off the USB cable for the telephone and I wish I had bought the phone card so I could try Nan Doe's Internet Phone on my computer. About mid afternoon I was a bit sleepy again so I decided to try a nap.
I awoke sweating, and noticed a commotion outside my room. It turned out that the ants had decided to occupy the laminating machine and several bags of yarn which meant spraying and spreading things out to remove the ants.
Nan Doe and I then proceeded to disassemble the laminater to clean out the ants inside.
After about two hours we had it back together and tested it out. It worked perfectly. Not bad considering we had it completely apart at one point!
Another reminder not to leave anything sweet laying around open, or any boxes, suitcases, or plastic bags full of clothing....the ants are always looking for something to eat, or someplace cool and dark, and dry to live.
Friday November 3
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Sammy stopped by to try to get Nan Doe's DVD drive working, without any luck.
This was my first day teaching the adults and I think I mostly confused them. I am sure with God's help I will get things sorted out. It was another pretty slow day, but I did manage to get a phone card so I can hopefully try getting online.
We started working on the elderly home resident's biographies today, it may be a challenge.....we'll see.
There was a man from an NGO here today and hopefully his organization will be able to help out with school supplies for the 28 primary schools, and maybe even the border hostel. The children's class was a bit better tonight and some of the women have begun attending as well.
Saturday November 4
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It is Paw Lu Lu's birthday today.
I had my second English lesson with the adults today and with Paw Lu Lu translating, I think it went much better. I also had a lesson with the children, and more of the adults showed up.
We drove in to Sangkhlaburi, where we ran into Margaret, the Dutch medical student who has been teaching English before I arrived, and also working as an intern at the Kwai River Christian Hospital. We stopped at the market and picked up some ingredients for the birthday dinner of Janza Pyote, a Burmese soup based on chicken, mushrooms, spices and tapioca noodles (glass). It was great!
You add some sour sauce and some chile powder and it tastes very good. There was a gathering of about 40 people, plus the elderly home residents, and the children from the children's home for a party and Bible study, and afterwards the Border Regional Development Group had a meeting.
Sunday, November 5
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Today I went to church in Huaymalai with the family.
Afterwards we went to take Kanda for her acupuncture in Three Pagodas, but it turned out that the doctor was not in his office. I poked around the shops a bit, came back and found they were waiting at the truck. We did some grocery shopping in Sangkhlaburi, and said goodbye to Margaret and her friend Rose before heading back to Huay Malai. I tried to get my USB phone cable working to go on line but was unsuccessful, and may have messed up Nan Doe's phone. I gave up and turned in early.
Monday, November 6
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I worked on a request for a couple of computers for the staff of the Safe House, and added in a request for a trainer who speaks Karen, Thai, and English, and also a satellite Internet hookup.
The English lesson for the adults seemed to go well and I am thankful to God for giving me ideas what to do. The afternoon was a bit quiet so I called my son Chris and had a nice conversation with him. The children's lesson went well and Pownatee prayed that I would have good health and thanked God that I had come such a distance to help them. Toe Lwee Wa translated it for me...very cool.
Tuesday, November 7
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I worked a bit more on the proposal for the computers and Internet service, and then had the adults class. I got to talk to my sister Glenda a couple of times while asking her to check out getting my seat upgrade for my December return flight home.
There has been a flurry of activity getting ready for a visit of some friends of Sharon's. They distribute items for the disabled such as Wheelchairs, walkers, canes, etc. The man is disabled in a wheelchair so Nan Doe quickly constructed a concrete ramp to get into the disabled home downstairs, and the rest of the family hurriedly made sleeping arrangements for the couple and their friend. The couple is from Belgium but they live in Hua Hin. Their friend is from Florida.
I saw yet another Paw Lu Lu miracle today when Nan Doe accidently set his power saw down next to her ankle and it cut into her sarong without touching her skin.....I saw it happen and it looked as though her achilles tendon would be cut for sure. We watched a remake of the Ten Commandments tonight, and the movie ended right after the Jews crossed the Red Sea.....Before the Ten Commandments part.
Wednesday November 8
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We had breakfast downstairs with the visitors and they seem like nice people doing good work for the blind, disabled and elderly. Remembering a request we typed earlier for blankets and mosquito nets for the Safe House, I chimed in about the needs and they said they had 200 nets, and that their daughter could bring blankets which are stored in Belgium when she comes over in a couple of weeks.
I will try to find out what needs there are in the Huay Malai area for the wheelchairs, walkers, toilet seats, canes, etc. After lunch, I hiked to the top of the hill to try the dish again but there was no signals to be found. No worries, I needed the exercise anyway.
Paw Lu Lu related another story about when she was three years old and her brother had put her in a basket and set her in the river. She would have disappeared had she not gotten snagged on a thorn bush hanging over the water. Her father was able to snatch her from the river and she was fine. It was an interesting story considering we had watched the Ten Commandments the night before. Also interesting that she was saved by a thorn bush, as in Jesus' Crown..... Later that evening Nan Doe and Paw Lu Lu asked if I would read the Bible for them during morning and night devotions so they could be sure they got the pronunciations right.....Hmmmm, front office calling again?
Thursday November 9
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We went to the market this morning, where I got some more photos and took a couple of videos. When we came back to the house, I was feeling funky. My sore throat is seeming to move into my sinuses.
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Friday and Saturday November 10th and 11th
***********************************************My cold has now evolved into diarrhea.....groan. I have not missed any work as yet but I am feeling tired. I think I may have lost about ten pounds since I got here....maybe more. If I am not over this by Monday I will probably go see a doctor. On a brighter note, Nan Doe and Sammy picked up a non-bluetooth phone and after Sammy configured it and the computers, it works pretty good even if it is dial up. I will probably buy it from Nan Doe, so he can get a less expensive model.
Sunday November 12
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I feel better physically, but the diarrhea is still with me. There are no classes today so I will just rest, and hope for the best. I got a chance to go on line and check emails....nice.
Monday November 13
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My visitor is still here, so I went to the hospital and Dr. Sacta said to stop taking the Imodium and let the diarrhea and nature take care of the problem.
No adult class today, but children's class as normal. There was a meeting here today of a committee to record the grievances of those who were taken for forced labor, or had lost family members or property during the building of a gas pipeline in Burma.
The committee will assist the people with getting compensation from the gas company, who had paid the Burma army for the labor. The Burma army then forced people to work and kept the money. There was also a Burmese doctor who works at KRCH and around Thailand with refugees and poor ethnic groups. If well enough, I will be accompanying him to the village near Thong Pha Phum next Saturday.
It is sure nice to have internet, even with a slow connection.
Tuesday November 14
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I awoke today and felt almost back to normal.
Food sounds and tastes good. And no unscheduled visits to the bathroom. Paw Lu Lu went to the lake village near Thong Pha Phum today, so Nan Doe and I have just been chilling.
After the adult class, we had a long discussion about the regional problems and life in general. We think very similarly, and I feel as though I have a lot to learn from intelligent people (do'ers) like Nan Doe. I am back to being fed like and eating like a horse, so I feel good again ...I guess. I found out that Paw Lu Lu had already begun a biography, so I look forward to working with her on it.
Wednesday November 15
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Again I awoke feeling good. After breakfast we checked emails and I also helped Paw Lu Lu type up a report for one of her Women's organizations. The interviews for the gas pipeline continued today so there were many Karen men from the camp here. I am glad to see they are making progress.
Thursday November 16
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We left early for the market today after reading from the Bible. It seemed more crowded than usual, or maybe it was because we were there earlier. When we returned we had breakfast and then went to Sangkhlaburi so Paw Lu Lu could attend a women's meeting. The man driving the truck took me to the monastery market to check out the sandalwood, but it was 1000 baht for a small piece, so we bailed. After returning we ate lunch and then I held the children's class at 3 PM.
Friday November 17
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Stayed around the house today, both classes went well and I finally got Paw Lu Lu to give me a copy of her Biography. I had mentioned to her to think about any religious stories, and was surprised when Nan Doe asked me not to write it from an evangelic standpoint, but from a humanitarian standpoint. After reading the biography, I began breaking it into double spaced sentences so there would be some room to work. I also began jotting down some questions to help jog her memory and fill in the timelines.
Saturday November 18
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We went to the Gethsemane Bible school today and I got a full tour and interviewed the head teacher and got the information Chris asked for. We then went back to the house and I had my classes and hung for a while with Nan Doe. Later I was able to help him out by downloading 15 christmas carol lyrics which he will translate into Karen. I did this while they held a fellowship meeting and it took me exactly the same amount of time as the meeting....strange coincidence. I also got to work on Paw Lu Lu's Biography, and had a long talk with Chris under the net.
Sunday November 19
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After Breakfast we headed out with the Burmese doctor for Thong Pha Phum. Once we got there we had lunch and then hired a boat to take us to Ban Mai Raipa, where we spent the rest of the day. We took a hike to the site of the new school and I got plenty of excercise. I also got plenty of photos and some videos, and some good reflection and sunset shots.
Monday November 20
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After breakfast, I worked on some screenshots from the lake photos, and found that I had a good many that came out well. I still have many more to go through though. Today's English lessons went well and then after lunch I helped Nan Doe make a copy of a hymn book on his copier using both sides and coming out just like the book. After evening devotions, Paw Lu Lu and I worked on her biography which we have gotten about one-third of down in the computer. Nan Doe is a bit worried about all of the refugees from the camp all showing up for interviews at the same time, so they are trying to get the word out to come here in ones and twos instead of groups, because they are all traveling without authorization from the Thai government.
Tuesday November 21
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I helped Paw Lu Lu send out some emails to donors, then after lunch I helped Nan Doe with his Christmas Carol translation project by downloading some histories, and saving them in different files to make them easier to print.
After dinner we were all freaking out about a missing report which is needed for a meeting tommorrow. We looked everywhere 3 times with no luck. At one point Paw Lu Lu sat down and said maybe we need to pray about it and we agreed that it could help. I don't know how, but we looked again, and the folder was there! Go Figure?.....Thank You God!
Wednesday November 22
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More Emails and hanging around the house. We visited Olivia who was not feeling good, and in the evening Paw Lu Lu went to her meeting. Chris will be coming to get me on the weekend of December 9th. We will celebrate Christmas, and head back to Bangkok. It is starting to get a bit emotional.....I suppose I should begin praying that I will keep my composure.
Thursday November 23
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We went to the local market, and worked on the biography some. The kids gave me some pictures they have drawn. Chris called and we had a long conversation (2 hours).
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Mr. Gecko
Large geckos hanging out on the rafters above my bed would also got my attention with their bellowing "AHH-OOHHHH's", but since they eat other creepy-crawleys like centipedes and scorpions, they are highly tolerated. This one, tail included was about 15 inches long.
Friday November 24
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I helped Nan Doe some more with research for his Christmas carols presentation, held classes, and discussed a proposal for the land for the new safehouse. Later on we worked on the biography for a while which was the part where Paw Lu Lu and Nan Doe had met, were courting, and got married. It reminded me of the song from a 1960's movie, I think it was Gigi...."Yes, I remember it well". They both remembered things differently, but finally agreed on things.
Saturday November 25
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A bit of a quiet day here, all of the women are preparing for "Women's Day" in Sangkhlaburi so Nan Doe and I are "batching it". He said he was in charge of dinner, which has me worried!!!!! (Thablay cooked and it was good)I have been working on some screenshots, so my desktop will be covered. We are expecting a new patient at the Safe House, and some designers are supposed to get here today too.
Sunday November 26
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A woman from Burma who takes care of 4 of the schools, spent the night in the room next to mine and she was one of those people who sleeps with the light on, which made my room as light as day. I may have slept 2 hours...This morning Kanda and Sairoong left for Bangkok to get Sairoong signed up for school. After breakfast we dropped the Burmese lady off in Sangkhlaburi, and did some grocery shopping. When we got back I dressed and walked down to the church. Nan Doe showed up to translate for me. After the service it was family lunch day and Ophelia sat with me and made sure I got plenty to eat, which I did.
Shortly after we returned, the designers from Mae Sot arrived and after a short conversation, we dropped them at the guest house which is a short distance from the Bible School. When we came back I took a shower and rested before dinner. Paw Lu Lu is not looking good.
Monday November 27
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Everyone slept in today,....not a good sign. The designers showed up and their class was about 10 women. We held an interesting class for the adults and spent the hour coming up with opposites. When we finished I found out that Paw Lu Lu went into the hospital. After hanging around watching the class, I helped Nan Doe figure out a problem with his printer. Later we visited Paw Lu Lu, and she said she has a throat infection. Chana dropped me at the house and I read from the Bible for a while, before calling it a night.
Tuesday November 28
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Another quiet day, since Paw Lu Lu is still in the Hospital, and Nan Doe stayed there with her, no Bible reading this morning. The designers Poopi, and Rosemary are back again, and my adult class was busy with almost all present. Later in the day Paw Lu Lu came home and eventually came out to talk. She looked better but still tired. At one point she brought up the fact that she had a dream that she was preaching from the Bible, but that at some point (in her dream) she could not remember which chapter, but upon waking she knew it had been Psalms chapter 91.
This caused me another one of those "Paw Lu Lu" moments. I told her that I had randomly selected Psalms to read last night, but at the moment I could not remember which chapter. When I later looked, I had indeed read chapter 91 along with several other chapters before and after it......Nan Doe and I will be going to Olivia's house for dinner tonight, her nephew is here from Australia.
Wednesday November 29
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Day three of the design class and Poopi and Rosemary are both nice ladies who care about helping the Karen and Mon women. They finished up and went on their way back to Mae Sot. I taught the classes, and then we went to a fellowship at the church. Nan Doe was in charge and translated for a woman and her son from Nebraska. I wore my long blue Karen shirt proudly. It is getting down to crunch time and I will need to get the biography knocked out, along with some reports.
Thursday November 30
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Went to the market today and I got some more good photos. We worked on a couple of reports in the afternoon. That night they had a Christmas show at the church which I attended for several hours, it was good fun.
Friday December 1
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Stayed around the house, worked on some reports, and spoke with Chris for a while in the evening. I saw my first firefly in my room tonight, very cool bugs!
Saturday December 2
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We went to a local Mon village today for a Christmas show put on by Sammy's organization VisionTrust. I got some great photos and more importantly, I met some of the VT executives (Lyle and Earnie) and hopefully made a good impression. One of them, Lyle, asked me a great many questions about the elderly home at the Safe House, which I was well briefed on from typing the TBBC report last night (wink)!
I think it worked out well because later he came by the Safe House and spoke to Paw Lu Lu regarding funding for a couple more staff members, and some forms of entertainment for the Elderly home. I also ran the internet program past him and he agreed it was a great idea, and that he would check into it further with Sammy. They are taking us to dinner in Sangkhlaburi tonight so I will do my best to promote more needs.
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Sunday December 3
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After breakfast, we went to another VT function at Momo's house, and I took more photos, and schmoozed some more with the executives, promising to send them Webshots links to the photos I took, and they asked me to stay in contact. For what it was worth, after Earnie, the CEO of VT gave me some constructive criticisms of the Internet ideas from the standpoint of one who had experimented with various programs, I made the internet/charitourism pitch to him with as many facets included as possible.
We had some Christmas carolers tonight from the Bible school who sang very well. Two women from Chiangmai arrived for some meetings, they will visit Don Yang tommorrow.
Monday December 4
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We stayed around the house and had classes, and we worked on Paw Lu Lu's biography again. More singers came by tonight too. I had a nice long conversation with Chris and turned in for the night.
Tuesday December 5
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We went in to Three Pagodas today and Paw Lu Lu and her friends did some shopping. We had hoped to go on a fieldtrip with the Commissioner, but he was not in. Still, it was an interesting outing, and we had fun walking around.
Wednesday December 6
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The two women from Chiangmai headed out today. Nan Doe was expecting the satellite installer, but he never showed up. Paw Lu Lu and I worked on the biography and I recorded a few stories for transcription later, which worked out well. Later I worked for a few hours typing out everything we recorded and added in information from the most recent TBBC report. It is getting down to the home stretch.
Thursday December 7
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We went to the market and I got my final few shots there before Paw Lu Lu told me we that Matthew, who had a fever earlier, had gone into convulsions so they rushed him to the hospital. We went there immediately to find him on an IV drip, getting blood taken and feeling scared.
We stayed for a while so they could run a few tests, and they did not see any malaria. Meaanwhile they gave him a sedative and continued the IV. I went back to the house and worked on the biography some and then began work on the proposal for the new Safehouse, while Nandoe worked on the numbers, I worked on the pitch.
At one point we walked over to the property and looked it over,....it is huge!
It is fronted on the road, and bordered in the rear by the river with many mature fruit, shade and coconut trees. Later in the afternoon, Matthew returned from the hospital looking sleepy, but none the worse for the experience. In the evening I worked on some emails for Paw Lu Lu, and went to bed early.
Friday December 8
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Today is crunch day! After breakfast I went back to work on the Safe House proposal, and worked some more on the biography (it is almost finished). It looks as though Chris and Sharon will return from Bangkok with Sammy, and arrive this evening.
(Nope, they took the bus and arrived about 9 pm.)
Saturday December 9
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We helped Sharon wrap gifts for the kids, decorated the tree and the house, and I finished the biography. I had my last class with the kids and Sharon arranged for me to get a massage, which was very good. After dinner we watched a couple of movies.
Sunday December 10
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We got up and had a Bible reading of one chapter, and then had breakfast. Paw Lu Lu had kept saying that we were having the Christmas party at eight, and we thought that included the Jansa Pyote, but when people started arriving at 8 am, we figured it out.
There were about 50 people or more with singing, and a full service, and then food. We followed that by walking to the church for services there, followed by having the children's christmas party all afternoon with another 20 visitors. I got part two of my massage in the late afternoon.
Then I began packing to leave. In the evening there was a fellowship with the children and I began to lose it. But after praying for strength and serenity, I regained my composure. I received a beautiful bag from Toe Lwee Wa and the kids, as well as another bag from the Family.
Monday December 11
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Time to leave. Satan attacked last night and woke me from a deep sleep by dropping my knapsack on the floor in a loud slamming manner. I had checked it before going to bed and it seemed quite secure on the table. I awoke early and checked my computer and all seems to be working. Thank You Lord!
Also Thank You Lord for strength when I needed it to hold my mug with the children...All of whom rode with us to the van station. I was surprised that Ponada came, and more surprised that she appeared upset that we were leaving.
I shook her hand and smiled at her and I hope she understood that I care for her and all of the kids, and that I am not just punching my timecard. Otherwise, a couple of the kids seemed a bit distraught. We had an uneventful trip to Bangkok and had dinner at an Indian restaurant near Sharon's Guesthouse. I got a nice surprise to find a good room at the school.
Tuesday December 12
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I worked on some emails in the morning, and after Chris got out of class, we went for some Thai food for lunch. We then met Sharon, and went with her to visit a couple of Karen families who were moving from the jungles of Thailand, to the United States and Canada. Imagine moving to Winnipeg or Boise Idaho the week before Christmas! On the way in a taxi, and while we waited at the hotel, we worked on grammar and punctuation errors in Paw Lu Lu's biography.
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Wednesday December 13
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I worked on my log for a while, and after class Chris fiddled with his computer. Sharon had to go to the hospital, with an apparent kidney infection. We took the BTS to another part of the city to have lunch, and when we came back Chris worked on his computer some more. Later on, we took the BTS down to the Saladaeng district and had our traditional chili con carne at Coyote.
Thursday December 14
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More writing in the morning, and Chris had a Christmas Party at school. In the afternoon we went for a lunch of Raht-Naa, and then took a walk in the city. We came back to the room for a bit, and then took off to meet Chris's friend from school, an Aussie named John who lives near Victory Monument. He took us for a dinner of Pad Thai, and we toured around the area stopping at his apartment.
We then looked at some photos of his, and walked around some more and stopped for some cold refreshment. We fininished our tour by taking photos of the Christmas lights in the area. John is a nice guy and we had a good time for sure....Lots of fun!
Friday December
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Slept late! Then we went for breakfast at Tony's Coffee Me, where we booked a tour to the Grand Palace, and worked out some booking details for Sharon. Late in the afternoon, Chris's friend Mehdta, and a good kid named Baan, took us on a wild ride on a canal boat to a shopping district near the Bangkok city hall.
Then we took a Tuk Tuk, to the shopping area where they sell a lot of different foods and goodies. We waited while they made up some sets of goodies for Chris to give as Christmas presents. We then had an even wilder Tuk Tuk ride back to the Canal, and a wild ride back on the canal boat. We took a break and continued our evening by taking the BTS to Victory Monument to get some night shots of the lights.
When we got back to Raatchathewi, we had a dinner of Bamii, a pork based soup with noodles and vegetables and won tons. MMMMMM MMMMM Good! We went back to the room and charged everything in preparation for our Palace tour.
Saturday December 16
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We got up early and got ready for the tour, which as we found out, was a guided tour for just the two of us. We got some waffles and coffee, were picked up on time and went to the Palace.
The sun was out and we had some great clouds and not too many people. We got some great shots and came back around noon. We then headed out for some Raht-Naa/Pad See Yew which was awesome! Did some more touring of hidden Bangkok, met a friend of Chris's for a cup of coffee, and headed back to pack.
After packing, we had a snack of Caw Mu Yawng, and walked to a nearby shopping mall, where we worked on our buns of steel, and had club sandwiches for dinner before heading back. We reviewed music for Chris's video, and taped his cookie boxes.
Sunday December 17
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After we got up, I packed my stuff, and off we went for coffee at Mrs. Lin's, where we ran into Chris's friend David. Afterwards we went back to the room, and grabbed my bag. We went downstairs and hailed a cab. Chris explained to the driver where to take me in Thai, and we said goodbye and I was off. The ride was uneventful and cost about 200 baht.There were no surprises to be found in the terminal, but I did spend some time in the Evergreen Club which was nice. When we boarded, the window seat next to me was empty.
I watched Miami Vice on the way to Taipei, and upon arrival I went to the club. I was enjoying the free wireless, free Starbucks style coffee, and comfortable chairs so much that I forgot about the time difference being 1 hour ahead in Taipei, so when I left the club I thought I had plenty of time. When I heard the PA voice announce that anyone holding tickets for EVA airways flight BR0012 to Los Angeles should immediately proceed to Gate C7, I started running. I made the 10 minute walk, into a 5 minute run and had security ready to take me down hard at the final screening checkpoint at the gate. My 35 pound knapsack full of computer, camera, and portable hardrive equipment beat me up pretty good and had me huffing and puffing as I made my way to my seat. This was pretty far from my original plan of strutting up to the gate for priority boarding. (they closed the hatch immediately after I walked through it)
The cabin upstairs was spacious, and the seats were big and comfortable, with electric controls, and screens that flipped out of the armrest. The window seat next to me was empty. I could almost stretch my legs out without reaching the seat in front of me. The stewardesses kept track of what I liked as far as coffee, and had my food order as I had chosen online. There were complimentary drinks, snacks, tablecloths and cloth napkins. Desert was fruit, fresh cheeses, and Port sherry.
I opted for Ice cream. The free coffee drinks kept me from sleeping, but since the window seat was empty, I placed a pillow on the bin between the seat and the window and put my feet up and could almost stretch out completely. I watched a few movies, had breakfast, and rode out the flight which seemed shorter than usual.
We did in fact land almost an hour ahead of schedule and had to wait for a terminal. Getting checked in went faster by far and I was out on the street in about half an hour. End of log.
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All photos, non-music videos, artwork and image editing by Christopher Mills or Gary Mills except for the Burma IDP videos produced by Partners and Free Burma Rangers
