philsquest

the adventure I find myself in / das Abenteuer in dem ich mich finde

Category: Missions (Page 1 of 3)

The girl in the village

29 December, 2009 / / 0 Comments

Girl in village
This month I spent alot of time in different villages. Again I became aware how vunerable hilltribe children are. There is neglect and abuse and an uncertain future for many. Specially when the children grow up in a family dominated by drugs. I heard to many sad stories. When I go up to Hui Kau Laam to visit our center I step into another world. I sometimes doubt the impact we have in those villages, but am reminded that not success in what we do but in faithfullness to what is intrusted to us counts before God. So often My co-workers and I stand in shock as children are left behind by their parents because they  don't care what happens to their child; teenage girls get pregnant, married and then left within a year; fathers get picked up by police to spent years in prison for selling drugs; children who don't go to school, because the parents are not interessted what one day will happen to them. Over the years as I see those children grow up and hope that they will have a future different from their parents. A hope for change.

 

God is watching

23 December, 2009 / / 1 Comment

Mida, our pastor in Hui Kau Laam came to me, when I was in the village. She said that someone stole the digital camera my team uses to make photos of the different ministry activities. She felt bad because she left it down stairs while being busy going around the house. There are always children running about or people coming by. Later she found that the camera has gone. In Hui Kau Laam stealing is a very common thing and I think the people don't feel very bad about doing it. I see this in how they take care of their own belongings. 

Mida wanted to give me money to buy a new camera. She felt it was her fault and needed to replace the stolen camera. I said to her that those thing can happen and that she doesn't have to replace it. Five thousand Baht is alot of money for them. I said to her that God knows who took the camera and that He could intervene. I also said to her, because this camera was bought with money people donated it is actually God's camera and we would leave it up to Him. I said just pray in that way a let us wait one week and se what God would do.

Three days later I got a phone call from Catri (Midas husband) A father brought the camera back. His daughter apparently took it. 

I love the way God is taking care of things. We experienced is provisions in so many ways and I am thankful that we didn't have to make a big thing out of that incident, but just leave it up to God to take care of it.

Samstag Abend….

10 May, 2009 / / 3 Comments

Nachdem ich mit meinen zwei älteren Kids noch einen Film geschaut habe, musste ich mal wieder meinen Schreibtisch aufräumen und alles was sich so angehäuft hat durchgehen und neu stappeln. Dann musste ich auch noch packen und meinen Trip in die Berge vorbereiten. Morgen früh werde ich für zwei Tage in die Berge fahren.

Ich werde mal wieder ein paar Gottesdienste besuchen. Morgen ist ja Sonntag. In Hui Kau Laam sollten eigendlich bis zu 30 Personen, meist Kinder im Gottesdienst sein. 
Wir werden auch das Scholarship Program durchgehen. Am Montag werde ich mit Mitarbeitern zusammensitzen und die Vorgehensweise besprechen. Wir werden dieses Jahr noch mehr Kindern den Schulbesuch ermöglichen können und unsere Unterstützung weiter ausdehnen.
Als drittes müssen wir die Ausmessung für das Fundament des unteren Stockes machen. Dies wird unser neuer Treffpunkt, Gottesdienstraum und unter der Woche die Kindertagesstätte in Hui Kau Laam.
Morgen früh geht's los…

Back from Mae Hong Son

26 April, 2009 / / 2 Comments

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On Thursday evening I came back from the little mountain town called Mae Hong Son. I decided to fly for the four day trip. Going by airplane it takes me 30 minutes instead of the six hours drive on a road with more then 1800 curves. 
I went to teach at a summer vocational camp at an orphanage called House of hope. I helped out with giving some training for the worship band and teach guitar to beginners. Everybody was quite eager to learn new skills. After only four days it was very nice to see first results. The band leading worship with some new songs. They learned how important it is to arrange the songs with a clear beginning and an end, to tune their instruments well and to listen to each other while playing. I also taught a group of beginners on the guitar and after four days they were able to play their first two songs. I taught them about 12 chords, a finger picking pattern and a advanced strumming pattern. In all it was great to have such eager students.
After leaving there I thought I will probably go back there someday. But for now There is alot of work waiting for me in Fang.

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The worship band in action

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Some of the guitar students

Ab in die Berge

1 March, 2009 / / 0 Comments

Morgen früh geht es für zwei Tage in die Berge. Wir haben das DMC für eine Woche in den Bergen. Ein kleines aber sehr internationales Team. Canadisch/Philipino/Deutsch/Schweiz. Das Team wird die Woche über einen Einsatz in verschiedenen Dörfern machen. 

Wir hatten viele Teams über die Jahre für Einsätze in den Dörfern. Von Gemeindeeinsätzen, über Schulungs bis hin zu Bauprojekten wurde von Menschen aus der ganzen Welt viel an Liebe und Engagement in die Berge gebracht. Gleichzeitig konnten diese Teams eine ganz neue Welt erblicken und überkulturelle Erfahrungen nach Hause nehmen. Viele schöne Erinnerungen und Erlebnisse mit den Teams bleiben mir erhalten. Ich wünsche mir das auch dieses Team eine Super Zeit haben kann. 

On the way to Hui Kau Laam

18 October, 2008 / / 1 Comment

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Yesterday when I was driving towards Hui Kau Laam I took in the scenery. It is the time of year when rainy season comes to an end. Everything is still green and the sky is clear. I drove the same road over the past eight years. I brought many people, tons of material and hopefully some hope into that valley.
Yesterday when I took this picture I was on my way to see Mida and Cati who lead our community development in Hui Kau Laam. We talked about the details of the new house we are starting to build on Monday. It will be the new home for them and people who will come to visit. We had a great afternoon talking about plans for the ministry in Hui Kau Laam.

Working in a new village

18 September, 2008 / / 1 Comment

A view months ago our team got invited by a village that was moved by the Government to a new location. This village came from the Hui Kau Laam valley. One of three Lahu Deng villages that was moved in the last five years. Most of the villages were or are involved in some drug related problems that caused the Government to take action. This new village doesn’t seem to have to much to do with the drugs. There are always many problems with a new village. There is not much infrastructure except the houses where they live in. There is no water, toilets, electricity or proper roads to the village.

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We started a schooling program for the children and teenagers and basically anybody who wants to come. The team teach them the Lahu language and help also with Thai. We share our faith and the love of God with them and have a meeting on Sundays for those who want to come.

The house of the village head where they were meeting got to small and a new building is needed for all the people who come. The men of the village ventured into the forest to cut the bamboo for the new building and we drove with our truck to haul the new building material to the village.

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Compassion is not an easy thing

31 May, 2008 / / 1 Comment

This morning I went to the boarding home in Prao we help supporting. Every time I go there the poverty and needs are kind of overwhelming. I wish we could help more. There is a constant lack of food and other things. The sleeping quarters are appalling. It is difficult for me to go up there and bring money every month and know that it would need at least triple the amount of what we can give. Every time I end up giving a lot more then I planned to give having compassion for the children and Kampan and Nabu who run the home. The children were sleeping under ripped mosquito nets getting bitten by mosquito’s, so Lillian bought some Mosquito nets for them. There are now 87 children living on a very tight space. The refugee camps I have been too were better equipped. I know there are a lot of worse places in this world and children suffering a lot more. Still these are the ones God seems to have put on my heart.

On the way back I wondered why can’t I just live an "normal" egoistic life just thinking about myself and  how to advance myself? Why in the world do I spent my life, money and heart for the poor?

But then what do I follow? Success? Riches? Security? Self-actualization? Or do I follow Jesus who said: "if you want to follow me take up your cross and follow. If you want to keep your life you gonna loose it, but if you loose your life for my sake you going to gain life". Looking back all these years I don’t regret the path I have followed. Thinking and writing about it takes away the doubts. It is like in the Robert Frost poem "The road not taken" We make choices in our lives that will change the outlook of our live. I think the road I have taken so far made all the difference.

A long day

24 May, 2008 / / 0 Comments

Yesterday was a long day. I drove up to the Fang to meet with my team and to see the progress in the water project in Hui Ba Rai. I had a very good day with Enoch talking about what God is doing. Cati and Mida also said that they have up to 30 children coming to the meetings and to learn the Lahu language. Since Cati is around there are a lot more boys coming as well. There is a big drug problem in the village that is very disturbing. I will not write any details here.
In the Hui Ba Rai water project the villagers finished the water collection area. Yesterday we took out the dirt from within the water collection. It was a very long but very rewarding day.

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