the void of contentment among youth

I came to Australia for the first time in 1991 as a Rotary exchange student at the age of 17. (That’s half my life-time ago. It's strange to revisit a place where I only have adolescent memories.) In Rotary, I lived with 3 families & attended "college" (year 11 & 12), even though I’d already finished high school in the States (it’s called a “gap year”). This year marked the beginning of my independent, adventurous, outgoing nature.

I have to be honest… unfortunately I don't remember a whole lot... only a few places and some significant people. 1991/92 was pre-email so I haven't kept up with very many people. The little bit I do remember conjures up nostalgia as well as some discontentment. I bet most of us could say that when we look back to our adolescent years.

Recently I’ve found myself reflecting on what’s happened in my life over the past 17 years since my last visit — university, relationships, jobs, moving around, traveling, community, deaths, marriages, births. I've changed a lot since I was in Australia last... thank goodness! I guess most people hope their lives don't look the same as it did in adolescence. (Wouldn't that be scary?!) Hind-sight is 20/20, so now I can see how God worked through many people & experiences to draw me to Him in a personal way.

As one who adores working with young people, how do I express & inspire youth to have foresight in their decision-making? Moreover, how do I encourage & communicate to youth the importance of long-term, forward, eternal thinking? Youth live for the here & now... as did I while “partying away” my high school career. This "gap" year spent in Australia was one of many turning points... not because I wised up to the “sloppiness” of partying, but because I got fed up with trying to fill the thirst in my heart with substances that attempted to let me escape from reality. When I returned to the US after that year, my priorities changed which helped me to get much more out of my university experience. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen to every youth. Some have to hit rock bottom before they can start to put things into perspective. One of the biggest issues for youth in the “developed” world is the lure of drugs & alcohol… but why? Maybe the youth of undeveloped countries don't have the financial resources that youth in developed countries have to pour into these lifestyle choices. Maybe the issues of youth in undeveloped countries are more life & death (poverty, AIDS, crime... cyclones & earthquakes). Maybe the structures of community & family play much stronger roles in the undeveloped world. Or maybe it’s a cultural issue. Both Australia & New Zealand are known to be “drinking cultures” so, naturally, binge drinking has become a huge problem here (& not just among youth). Why do they go to this extreme with both alcohol and hard drugs? Is it cultural, escapism or peer pressure? I learned that the son of a family I spent a lot of time with back in '91/'92 lost their son to a heroin overdose… so this issue pierces my heart. Maybe these issues arise among youth in the developed world because they tend to be so egocentric and seemingly invincible that they don't think outside their little world or realize how they affect those around them. Maybe they are attempting to fill the void of contentment that they don’t realize only Christ can fill. I wish I had an answer for these youth. I know it's good for them to take any opportunity to branch out of their little world & gain some global perspective, but that doesn't mean they have to travel internationally. It could mean just going "across the tracks," to the "west-side," or even to the other side of the lunch room… but how realistic is that? How often do you see a young person seeking to get completely out of their comfort zone (which always involves a bit of fear)? It's rare.

I'm thankful that over the last couple weeks, my worry about knowing God’s plan for the future has turned into wonder. But just the other day Hope & I read a devotion which challenged us to desire & pray to be surprised by God. My prayers have changed. I know He wants me to point youth to His Son as the answer for contentment, but how will God use me? Surprise me, God! Since my last post, we've visited Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, the Great Ocean Road, Adelaide, and as of now Brisbane. Sydney is yet another big city, although centered on a beautiful harbor. Our precious hostess Rosemaree Knight, who we met at the Int'l Sports Coalition (ISC) ACE Conference in Thailand, poured out nurturing love & support for us. Her call & gift is in networking, and she does it well. While in Sydney, we reconnected with another ISC friend, Ivan Kelley, who has an extensive background with unemployment programs with The Salvation Army (TSA) & youth work in local/regional Corps. He facilitated our visit with TSA's Oasis Youth Support Network program which holistically addresses the huge homeless issue in Sydney. Ivan also helped us reconnect with Simon Hood, a humble visionary who we also met at the ACE Conference. Simon plays a critical role in the training & development of Global Community Games (Kids Games) and serves as the Creative Director of Logosdor —"an innovative production house providing you with complete creative solutions globally" & a "cutting edge creativity for the children of the world"— with an abundance of free resources... check it out!! Finally, we also connected with the YWAM-Island Breeze base DTS (Decipleship Training School) and with the Wesley Mission which "ministers to a community with real needs" in downtown Sydney. Next on our itinerary: visiting my old stomping grounds as a Rotary student — Canberra. It was quite an experience to revisit the Tuggeranong community & to reconnect with several old friends in the area (Pete, Ian & new wife Cat, Jennie & family, Roxana & Pam for me, and Lian for Hope). While there, I squeezed in a visit with Major David Terracini & The Salvation Army... "doing the most good" in the southern part of Canberra including effective work with youth. Moving further south, we found that ministry in Melbourne is filled with innovative urban work. We loved connecting with the Urban Seed community which includes staff, volunteers, educators, students, homeless, & even the upper class from the surrounding businesses... relationships, conversation, communal meals, "engaging faith, community, & culture", and planting as well as harvesting of “seeds” in a variety of forms (school programs, city walks, residential community, advocacy, etc.) I'm so thankful for these recent exposures/opportunities to learn about “incarnational” ministry (blending social justice with relational work) in both Australia & New Zealand... and I wonder if it's a part of God's desires for me in the future. We also checked out The Salvation Army's "614" program in the city and found that it takes a different approach to urban ministry than the "614" program in Wellington, NZ. Melbourne’s "614" focuses on serving the homeless, both young & old, and opens the doors of its community center which brings in all walks of life in the city. Thankfully, Brad Ellis spent some of his valuable time to show us around and to tell us about a number of the Corps’ programs, including a double-decker-bus youth program, similar to our friend Darren Frazer from the south island of NZ. Before leaving Melbourne, we managed to squeeze in visits with three other ministries. We met up with Jeremy Dover, a youth pastor with a passion for chaplaincy as an effective form of sports ministry. Sports Chaplaincy Australia has grown quite extensive over the last decade in this sports-crazed country. We spent a little time with Samara, our new friend from Urban Seed, and learned about the incarnational/communal outreach called the Indigenous Hospitality House. We talked with a few in the community who feel called to practice the gift of hospitality toward Aborigines in need of short-term housing while in Melbourne for medical visits. Finally, we also worshiped at St. Jude's Anglican Church during their "workers" service Sunday evening. This family of faith understands & seeks to meet the needs of young adults (a group often neglected by the Church), because they “believe there is a real need for people at this stage of life – a time when real life tests the ideals of University teaching.” Overall all, our time in Melbourne was great. We really enjoyed the city, the culture and the community. We were especially blessed by the company (& generous hospitality) of some wonderful friends (Brendan & Belinda, their respective families, Cormac & Catherine – Hope’s former fellow exchange friends in Brazil, & Asher-who we met in Laos). We said our goodbyes and began heading down the coast along the beautiful Great Ocean Road, which was constructed by WWII veterans during the "depression" because it provided jobs & community support for soldiers. This is one of the places I have vivid memories with fellow exchange students as we explored the amazing beaches, spectacular blow holes, & incredible rock formations. After a couple days of driving, we finally made it to Adelaide, and we were welcomed into the warm home & the open arms of Jenny & Gerry Dowling , my first Rotary host parents (now w/ many lovable, friendly pets). What a blessing to reconnect with them after so many years. They showed us fabulous hospitality, and they shared with us a bit of the culture, like visiting the Cleland Wildlife Park (to feed & pet kangaroos, wallabies, emus, koalas...), sipping wine in the Borrosa Valley, going to a game of “Australian rules footy” (a type of rugby mixed with football), and rowing with Jenny’s dragon boating team (for breast cancer survivors & supporters). We’re so thankful to spend the quality time with them! While in Adelaide, we also visited a variety of ministries. First, we joined the Craigmore Christian Center for a high-energy youth night led by Henry & Leah, and later that weekend, we attended their Sunday morning Mother's Day service where Henry gave a very anointed sermon…. We also visited The Salvation Army in Ingle Farm to check out their extensive community projects, and we were blessed to meet & spend a short time with the legendary visionary Barry Kennedy (who is also the founder & director of TSA’s "Muggies" program, among other projects)… We also connected with several other amazing people doing incredible Kingdom work in & beyond Adelaide: the energetic & compassionate Amy Day who is gifted in networking as well as relational & sports ministry; the humble & well-experienced Howard & Jean Groome who shared with us their passions for & work within the Aboriginal community and who engaged us in a provocative reflection on our global experiences; the friendly & informative Les Dennis at Holy Trinity Anglican Church who welcomed us & led us on an historical tour of Adelaide’s oldest church; the engaging, young couple Shane & Stephanie who are fellow, Christian humanitarian/counselors growing in their faith amidst a secular culture; the innovative & well-connected Adrian Blenkinsop from The Bible Society & James Kreig from Scripture Union who both gave us their personal perspectives on Australian youth culture and how they’ve connected with it in relevant ways; and the gracious & devoted Jenny Lanyon with Scripture Union who shared with us her call to youth work and her perspective on effective work with primary school children. We're now in Brisbane, Queensland, which sits along the middle of the east coast of Australia. We’ve made contact with many people that we’re hoping to connect with here, but we're also hoping to fit in a few exploratory trips into the surrounding beauty! The next two weeks will be very busy, and then we're back down to Sydney. Please pray that we continue to keep focused on the here & now (rather than what God’s has in store for us next), especially as we go into the last 6 weeks of this year-long world-wide adventure. Please also pray that God will continue to reveal Himself & His will, both now & in the days, weeks, months to come.

are you a "tall poppy"?

One of the biggest issues that youth workers address in every culture is peer pressure. Albeit a constant challenge, it takes on many different forms – contingent on the culture, the topic and the youth involved. – and it concerns many different pressures, including crime, drugs, gangs, sex, AIDS, youthful marriage, and even the sex trade industry. Many cultures devalue peer pressure because of this very context, but, in fact, it can be a very useful tool if youth “pressure” their friends in a positive way. For example, in the US, we often encourage individual self-esteem by pointing out special, unique & independent qualities in order to emphasize their “liberation” through free choice & a personal resistance to pressure, such as in the D.A.R.E. program or the Boys & Girls Club "Smart Moves" program. Over the past 2 months, I’ve found it very interesting to observe the New Zealand culture and to seek an understanding of idiosyncrasies such as the “Tall Poppy Syndrome”. From what I’ve learned, Kiwis are generally not taught to rise above and be special; instead they don’t want to stand out, to achieve, or be recognized for their gifts. Anyone who sticks out at all gets knocked down, mocked, or bashed with sarcasm – to keep them in their place, so to speak. It takes a strong person to push on through, against the flow of “normality,” to excel as an unique individual. This “syndrome” seems to me to be a type of cultural peer pressure applied to all ages. Therefore, since Kiwi youth have double the pressure (from culture & their peers), New Zealand youth workers especially need to be equipped to challenge and to disciple kids to stand strong to their convictions. We’ve met some amazing youth workers here in this beautiful country of New Zealand, doing incredible relational ministry. In fact, someone recently pointed out to me that most of those youth who attend church and get involved in youth activities here in New Zealand tend to have a real, deep faith, not just an inherited faith from their parents… and they know that they are going against the flow and that there will be some costs involved as a so-called “tall poppy.” I mentioned Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne in my last post, but I have to quote him once again. “In our culture of ‘seeker sensitivity’ and radical inclusively, the great temptation is to compromise the cost of discipleship in order to draw a larger crowd. With the most sincere hearts, we do not want to see anyone walk away from Jesus because of the discomfort of his cross, so we clip the claws on the Lion a little, we clean up a bit the bloody Passion we are called to follow.” (p. 104) Jesus is a revolutionary, a humanitarian, and an unpredictable Savior. Following His ways will cost us. We need to be real with the youth about this cost, especially in the secular world where it’s “not cool” to have faith in Jesus (even though other religions have become acceptable & “cool”). This idea of “not being cool” or standing out like a “tall poppy” should be expected. We are called not to be of this world, so the world isn’t going to be all about us. I’ve learned a lot from the minority of Believers in this secular country. They’re active in their faith, thirsty to serve, and immersed in community. Ministry takes on a very relational tone, like much of the world, yet “Christianity” is still persecuted in a different way… like it needs to be censored and made “politically correct”… much like the rest of the post-modern, pluralized “western” world. I have to be honest, though… we have been challenged by the New Zealand culture both because it’s where we are beginning our “re-entry” into the “developed world” and because of the numerous idiosyncrasies that separates this culture from the rest of the western world. We’re learning & it continues to be a stretching process, but thanks to incredible people that God has connected us with, we are working through the learning curve. Since my last post we have traveled from the very southern end of the south island all the way up to “Northland” in the north island… And we picked up 2 more travelers along the way – our parents! It’s truly been a blessing both for us & for them! I’ll begin my ‘recap’ of our travels where I left off in the last post… David & Fiona McKenzie of the Central Baptist Church (Invercargill) showered us with a healthy dose of “Southland” hospitality, encouragement & culture, including discussions around contemporary youth issues, stories from their tool shop, as well as an adventurous high-speed motorcycle ride. Then, Darren Frazer & the Winton Salvation Army Corps embraced us for family day with youth at the beach where some surfed in the cold water while others dug through the sand for “treasures.” They also gave us a chance to share our story at their Sunday morning service, and they welcomed us into their homes with fellowship over meals (good NT style). We made our way around & up to Dunedin, via the beautiful Catlins Coast, just in time to make it to the Student Soul gathering at the Otago University Student Center… a casual, emergent-church style gathering of mostly students. We met with the leaders Rev. Helen Harray & Rev. Richard Dawson later for an anointed meeting where Richard gave us perspective on local, regional, & even national issues in the youth culture. We also stayed with a group of young women studying at the University, one of which we’d met at Christmas in Hat Yai, Thailand. Finally, we randomly met up with our old, family friend, Bryan Donnell who happened to be in Dunedin filming while we were there. It was fantastic to reconnect with an old friend after coming across seas of new faces throughout this year. Back in Christchurch, we celebrated Hope’s birthday with a few new friends (from our time there a month before). We also spent a long day of connecting with ministries: visiting Annabel & Fiona at Spreydon Baptist’s SHARP after-care program, helping Student Life hide Easter eggs at an on-campus outreach at Canterbury University, then driving out to the YWAM-Oxford base to hang out with Jenn & meet a bunch of the crew (including a number of Americans), and finally volunteering through the evening to register 4,000+ youth at Easter Camp. We loved Easter Camp: amazing speakers & music, great workshops, wonderful people, meeting contacts from the north island, reconnecting with various youth workers we’d met throughout the south island, watching some youth try out “krumping” (a urban dance style born in Los Angeles), and wandering around the multitude of activities there (from skate ramps to carnival rides to soccer tournaments to art instillations to a giant slip ‘n’ slide)… needless to say, it was a full day! Easter weekend we continued our NZ tour by heading up to Auckland and being greeted at the airport by our new South African friends, the Zwart family, who started out as friends of friends but who very quickly became our extended family & home base in the north island. Hope & I celebrated a wonderful, peaceful Easter with them, including a divine message from a visiting pastor from the Dunedin Elim Church. While with the Zwarts, we connected with their local Elim community in various ways, including short visits with a few of their pastors: Colin with “Power Zone” (a church & after-care program for primary kids), Rebecca with “Voltage” & “Oxygen” (for intermediate & high school age), and Locky with “Edge” & "Sphere" (for the 18-35 year olds). I really appreciate Locky’s passion for working with young adults, who are usually part of the most age group of church families. At the moment, though, this particular Elim church family is going through a great loss after a tragic flash flood took the lives of 6 high school students & a teacher… please pray for them! Also while in Auckland, we caught up with some of the ISC (International Sports Coalition) sports crew and sat in on their small Christian Sports Network gathering. New Zealand is a very active, extreme, sports-crazy culture… both playing and watching, and these guys have a real vision for reaching Kiwis through what Kiwis love – sports. These leaders are at the beginning stages of bringing together a network of sports ministries that can support, encourage, strategize & share resources. I wonder what the Body would look like if we all came together to do this. After this meeting, we raced to the airport to pick up Mom & Dad. We were so excited about seeing them. Waiting for them to get through NZ’s customs was agonizing! We stayed one more night in Auckland with the Zwarts before driving up the beautiful coast to the Northlands. We stayed in Whangarei with a couple couch-surfers who had room for all 4 of us (their first family to host)! Stu was an incredible host: openly sharing his space, showing us his favorite local spots, including Ocean Beach, and even hooking me up with an opportunity to try out wake-boarding… overall, a great, first couch-surfing experience for Mom & Dad. While in the north, we had a blessed experience connecting with the Land family out in a remote mountain valley near Opononi & Hokianga Harbor -- a family under the auspices of the Catholic Workers Movement, dedicated to living sustainably & organically. Our time with this amazing family included singing, prayer, stories, and a small Maori traditional greeting by their beautiful developmentally disabled son, Gilbert. Back in Auckland for a brief stay, we managed to fit in a vibrant service at the Life Church, a visit with established youth trainer & humble teacher Murray Brown (with YouthTrain), and a lively evening service back at the Elim Church in Howick. I also spent a morning with Kevin Reeves, leader of the King’s Kids program at the Auckland YWAM base. While visiting the base, I had the unique opportunity to meet some Samoan guys who are pursuing & sharing their faith through traditional South Pacific dancing & drumming all over the world! We began our trip southward by stopping over at The Salvation Army’s Blue Mountain Adventure Centre (BMAC) in Ruarimu. Hania, Kyle, Billy, Kent, Leanne & their beautiful family blessed us with a couple nights of rest & fellowship near the beautiful, majestic Tongariro National Park. On our way down to Wellington, we visited the peaceful community of Camp Ngatiawa. I’m incredibly thankful that my Kiwi friend Aaron Roberts got us in touch with Jenny & Justin Duckworth. Our time with them was rich with prayer & liturgy, discussion & teaching, work & adventure, laughter & delicious food… all in only 2 days! I would love to come back to spend more time with this amazing community (Al & Anita, Ray, & all the wonderful kids). On our way down towards Wellington we stopped by one of the three L'Arche Homes in Paraparaumu for a powerful, yet brief visit with Tim, other staff, & clients. While in the Wellington area, we were hosted by an incredibly nurturing couple -- Lloyd & Anthea Martin. Lloyd is a humble visionary & youth trainer who facilitates a practical, innovative education program called Praxis, which aims to develop & strengthen youth workers into more intentionally effective leaders in New Zealand, Australia & the South Pacific. Anthea works as a “resource teacher” (social work) with behaviorally challenged high school students, but she balances her demanding job with play (like adamantly supporting her favorite rugby team, the Hurricanes). While staying in Porirua, we worshipped with St. Barnabas Presbyterian just north of town, and we joined Lloyd & Anthea’s fellowship with their community. In Wellington, we connected with some fantastic people involved in some amazing, urban ministry. We spent a Sunday evening with “Still Waters”, an intentional community in the city reaching out to the homeless and needy. The evening began with a casual worship service or gathering with song, prayer, the Word & a short teaching. Then it moved into fellowship and ended with a wonderful meal & blessed discussion with Andrew, Sacha, Jason, Anne, Colleen & Warwick. The next day, we visited with Cat & Tom who are part of Urban Vision (the original inspiration for Still Waters) and living in the Newtown Tennant High Rises (government “council” housing). At the end of our short time in Wellington, we squeezed in a visit with Steve Molan & his wife Faye at The Salvation Army’s “614” program -- an innovative, relational & incarnational ministry with young people all over the Wellington city center. We also fit a short visit in with the “god-mother” of youth work for NZ who we’d met at Easter Camp, Merrilyn Withers. She & her sister are a traveling duo , based in Wellington, with years of experience in youth work... quite an inspiration. As we headed back north, we stopped through Raurimu again to share a meal & evening with our new BMAC family. Then, we stopped through Lake Taupo for a bungy jump!, hot thermal pools & lunch. As we finished lunch, we “randomly” observed a group of young people who began singing & hip-hop dancing on the street. We learned that this group was from the Equippers Church in Auckland and that they had come to Taupo to help reach out to the youth community… an interesting “God-incidence”. Continuing northward, we spent some quality time in the Bay of Plenty: connecting with Anthea’s parents, her sister & family in Whakatane, then fellowshipping with an incarnational community in the Merivale neighborhood of Tauranga (Gregg, Bron, Bo, Lizzy, Katrina, Stuart, Jo, Graham& family), and finally taking a day to drive through the incredibly beautiful Coromandel Peninsula on our way back to Auckland. We soaked in Mom & Dad’s love through our last days. Together we worshipped at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, one of the oldest churches in NZ. One of the most interesting parts of this experience was worshipping in the midst of this classic European-style cathedral, which was gutted out & set up in a contemporary style (chairs set up sideways to face a big screen & band). We also joined our new friend Frank & his family (another friend of a friend) at the Journey Church (in Grey Lynn Community Center) where we enjoyed their nurturing community, prophetic, relevant, & humorous teaching, and wonderful conversations. As we packed up & got ready to leave NZ, we squeezed in a visit with Andrew Kerr from the ISC group who was gracious enough to come all the way over to Howick area for a visit. It was sad to say goodbye to Mom & Dad. Our time with them was filled with blessed conversations, anointed prayers & shifting perspectives. We continue to pray for Mom's health and for the doctors that examine her. We pray that they will be shocked at her improvement, so she can give God all the glory! While Mom & Dad were on their way home (via San Francisco for a visit with Mardie & Tony), we flew back down to Christchurch where our wonderful new friend Jason picked us up & drove us out to Governor’s Bay for lunch. Then, at the Rodem House's "international night," we enjoyed an evening of fellowship, good food, and a chance to share God’s unique calls for us on this trip (in front of over 50 people!). Finally, in our few remaining hours in NZ, we ate lunch with our new amazing sister & friend, Charlotte Boyes, who works as a 24/7 youth worker in the Spreydon Baptist community. We are so incredibly thankful for the 2 months we spent in this beautiful country. We learned & saw so much! We’re now in Sydney staying with an ISC friend, Rosemaree, who has graciously opened her home as a "base" for us, and we’ve already managed to connect with a few ministries & people. I have to say it’s strange being back here after 16 years, and I know it’ll only get even more weird as I revisit Canberra -- my old stomping grounds as a Rotary International Exchange Student that long ago.

challenged by re-entry

A Kiwi (New Zealander) I met in Thailand tried to prepare me before reaching this beautiful country by telling me that New Zealand is a very secular nation comparing to France or other European countries. I have to say that in the last month I've met more self-proclaimed atheists than all the other countries we've been to thus far... combined! One of the proud, atheist Kiwi's I've met along our way referenced religion as a crutch - I've heard that before in the States. Yet I feel that my faith has helped me to throw away the crutches of achievement & independence, thus freeing me to not be defined by "worldly" success but by "eternal" success -- relationships, interdependence, compassion, sacrifice, & service -- all for His glory. Reminds me of Ginny Owen's song "Free". It's hard to describe to unbelievers because faith isn't tangible and God cannot be proved scientifically... otherwise it wouldn't be faith. Pastor Wally Behan from St. John's Anglican Church in Christchurch (ChCh) spoke about how prosperity & comfort are some of the biggest dangers in forgetting God. He taught from Deuteronomy 8 where God warns Israel about forgetting to praise Him when things are going good in the Promise Land. You'd think it would be the opposite... but we're drawn to God during difficult times not when things are going good. Wally pointed out how New Zealand compares to Israel -- forgetting to praise & give thanks for God's blessings. New Zealand & the US are part of the "developed world" so we share a lot in common. Our cultures are financially prosperous -- not every individual but the population as a whole. We're proud of our achievements, very independent, driven by financial success, so we push God out because we're doing well and we don't need Him. We have begun our re-entry into the developed/western world. Interesting, but not coincidental, Hope & I are reading Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. He inspires me to not accept the status quo of faith that many people get very comfortable within prosperous cultures. In reflection on what he has put his mother through with traveling to Iraq & watching him go to jail for challenging anti-homeless laws in Philly, he shares something his mother said, "I have come to see that we Christians are not called to safety, but we are promised that God will be with us when we are in danger, and there is no better place to be than in the hands of God." He goes on to point out, "Perhaps the most dangerous place for a Christian to be is in safety and comfort." (p. 227) Along with the faith values of risk & trust, I'm learning first hand that my loyalty or nationality is not of this world. I belong a Father who is omniscient & to a family that crosses cultures. Shane captures this perspective well by saying, "Rebirth is about being adopted into a new family - without borders. With new eyes, we can see that our family is both local and global, including but transcending biology, tribe, or nationality, a renewed vision of the kin-dom of God with brothers and sisters in Afghanistan and Iraq, Sudan and Burma, North Philly and Beverly Hills." (p. 200-201) So what next. I don't know yet. But I do know that "From everyone who has been given much, much will be required..." Luke 12:48 (NASB) I pray for revelation, discernment, wisdom, & guidance... to be continued. As for our time here in New Zealand, I've not been able to post an entry in too long (I apologize) so I have a lot to share with you about the extended family of faith we've connected with here. First, in ChCh, we connected with Andy (an American with a passion for the Chinese community), Tim & Hannah Capon (the adult children of missionaries in Thailand--Lynley & Peter) as well as Des & Kath Thomson (Lynley Capon's sister & brother-in-law) were all our first hosts in New Zealand. (Kath helped us make connections with several incredible brothers & sisters in the south island.) Some other new & blessed friends include Anne Scott (a long-time friend & Taiwan colleague of the Alexander family from Montreat Pres.), Hailey (girlfriend of Bruce who lent us his car for our travel around the south island) & her mom (incredible servants heart with a powerful story), Tim Perry (youth worker with 24/7 program at Spreydon Baptist & avid outdoors man who took us rock climbing) as well as Duane Major & Charlotte Boyes, Justin & Heather, Joelle, Cush, Katie, Anna, Josiah, Sarah & Chris (among others) of Student Life. We also had the wonderful opportunity of visiting/serving with these other members of the body: the Rodem House International night, Annabel & the Spreydon Baptist After-school program, Mike Dodge (Director of Canterbury Youth Services & visionary/guru of youth work on the south island), and Laura, Kathy & Ian Viney of the Addington community (an intentional, community-living outreach). Finally, we attended Sunday services at Grace Vineyard Church, Chinese Church's Mosaic Service, Spreydon Baptist Community Church (link above), St. John's Evangelical Anglican Church, and Arise Church while in ChCh. After ChCh, we began our journey around the south island with short "couchsurfing" stopovers with Ian in Akaroa & then Brent & Laura in Kaikoura before we headed up to stay with Brett & Ayelet in Nelson (nearly the northern-most city on the south island). While in Nelson, we connected with Brian & Laura Hurst parents of a Student Life friend as well as Wesley & Caroline of City Church, whose lively "inaugural" service we attended that Sunday morning. That evening, we went to the Annesbrook Communtiy Centre evening service before finally going to Brian Hurst's talk on the "history & geography of Israel" at Trinity Presbyterian Church. We finished off the north end of the island with a couple nights "surfing" at Scott's place in Takaka and a day hike in Abel Tasman NP (picture). Finally heading down the west coast of the south island, we stayed with Charlotte's folks near Greymouth and met with Nikki who helped start "the Shed" program through the Anglican church in order to meet the needs of youth in that community. Very spontaneously, we stayed with a wonderful couple of faith in Queenstown, Wakatipu Community Church, Dorene & Stuart McKenzie. Once again, God opened a door at the very last minute to lead us into the small faith community of a very touristy yet incredibly beautiful part of His creation. We sat in Bruce's car in Wanaka last Saturday afternoon after a long, cold & wet night camping along side some new friends (Don, Alan & Lex) at Lake Paringa on the west coast. We were tired & hungry not knowing what we should do: camp in Wanaka or head to Queenstown to try to find somewhere cheap to crash? As we weighed the options & began to get more frustrated by the minute, a ministry contact (David McKenzie) called & offered his parents place for us. Praise God for His blessings! While in Queenstown, we joined Dorene & Stuart's community of faith at ... Presbyterian Church for both the morning service & the informal discussion/potluck at the pastor's house that evening. We also visited the evening service at Impact City Church where we met an outgoing couple (Sharon & Lee) and the vivacious pastor (Dean). We're now in the Invercargill area visiting with numerous of youth workers including David McKenzie (who came to our rescue as we approached Queenstown) & his wife Fiona with Central Baptist, and Darren Frazer with The Salvation Army. I'll talk about that more next time. Please continue to pray for us. We've learned to be very flexible with our travels/agendas which has become relatively easy for us, but our parents are coming to join us in the north island on March 26th for 3 weeks, and we understand that they won't be as accustomed to our sort of spontaneity. We are trying to solidify plans for them, but we're still not sure of most things. We're challenged by the lack of time online to research, but we're trying to trust & remain confident that it will all work out. God already knows He just hasn't told us all His plans yet. I pray that you will have a blessed Easter!

Out with a BANG!

We ended our trip through Asia with a bang -- in more ways than one. The first "bang" was witnessing just some of the incredible Kingdom work going on in & around Hong Kong (HK) by both nationals & foreigners. The past 4 1/2 months we've been in Asian countries where the percentage of Christians averages 2%, but in HK we were told the average was over 12%. In a way, this seemed a bit underestimated because most everyone we met were on fire and serving the HK community in amazing, innovative ways... Then again, HK is very populated, and like most big cities around the world, there are many lost & unreached people milling about... Suffice it to say, 10 days wasn't enough to connect with all the people we desired to connect with. We really hope to come back some day for another visit before heading to the mainland. Another "bang" was the culture shock of being back in a modern area of the world. What challenged me was that HK is quite different, especially economically, from the first 7 months of our trip. I found myself working through some trust & worry issues that I thought I'd made significant progress on during this trip. Yet God spoke to me in many ways, both through people & scripture during our time in HK. I'm learning to trust Him in all areas of my life... but I'm sure this will be a life-long process. The last & loudest "bang" were the incredible fireworks over central Hong Kong during the Chinese New Year, which we just happened to be there for. I'd like to say that we had planned all along to be in HK at this time of year (i.e. looking ahead to determine the best time to spend our first visit and to experience the Chinese culture in such a westernized city), but I have to admit we didn't even realize the timing of it until well into our trip! The Chinese New Year is not like the New Year we're used to -- where the celebration is limited to one big night, some fireworks, a kiss to bring in the New Year, and/or a day off where some watch football and some celebrate with a couple family traditions like big plates of black-eyed-peas & collard greens (can you tell my heritage?). The Chinese New Year is a week-long family celebration where everyone travels to their home towns to connect with their extended family, give gifts (mostly little red envelopes filled with small amounts of money, which are passed on & received with 2 hands & a bow of the head), set off lots of fireworks to ward off the evil spirits, and eat lots of food. However in central HK, the official holiday is limited to only 3 days of celebrations, including a firework show over the city on only one night for all to enjoy and to ward off spirits together (instead of setting them off individually all over the city). The result of such a collaboration was the most amazing firework display -- 4 times bigger than I've EVER seen. (The picture really doesn't do it justice... our videos came out better.) I guess to ward off everyone's evil spirits at once... With all these "bangs" put together, it was quite a fun way to end our time in Asia. Needless to say, our 10 days in HK were pretty full. We spent our first day with a friend from the International Sports Coalition (ISC) sports ministry conference in Pattaya, Thailand. He led us all over the north end of town visiting ministries, missionaries & organizations. One of which (Breakthrough) had already been suggested to me by several people, but since our friend does volunteer work for them, we were able to meet with a couple of the organization's leaders for almost 2 hours. They are doing some great, innovative & experiential work there, which I look forward to seeing & experiencing first-hand at some point in the future. Next we ate lunch with, visited the offices of, and prayed with the workers from Sports Services International, which is affiliated with the ISC, YWAM of Hong Kong, Sports Ministries Coalition, and Gateway Camp & Outreach. (Again, one of workers I had already met at the ISC conference in Pattaya, too.) After lunch we visited some amazing women working with Revival Chinese Ministry International. They shared stories of their experiences in the mainland and poured out their hearts & passions for this incredible ministry. We ended our day with a visit to our friend's church, Revival Christian Community (RCC) of Kwai Fong -- a vibrant & growing church which meets in an old movie theater! It was definitely a very full first day. Other ministries & missionaries we spent time with throughout the other 9 days include Jeff & Janet Brice (pictured right) with the East-West Institute, Godwin, Jared, Jaya & Melanie with YWAM's Shanti ministries, YWAM's Brisbane, Australia DTS team, Craig, Tammy & their wonderful kids with One Voice, the McEntires & Woods family (pictured right) supported by my home church (Montreat Presbyterian Church), High Rock Christian Centre & Ave Robinson with Mobile Mission Maintenance, Kam Yee Ho & other workers with St. Stephan's Society (Jackie Pullinger's ministry), and John Hsu a long-time missionary, trainer, and friend of our parents. On Sunday, we visited 3 churches -- the RCC in Kwai Fong with our sports ministry friend, the Vineyard Church which Jackie Pullinger leads, and St. Andrew's Methodist with Jeff & Janet Brice. Each service was very unique yet rooted in the Spirit. It was wonderful to see so many different Believers worshipping together in the same place. Next time we'd love to visit some of the other growing churches that we heard about in the area, because there just wasn't time this time to travel all over the city, let alone eat lunch in between, to check out all the places of worship. The rest of our time in HK we spent visiting with our amazing host (Jason Hinojosa) who has become like a brother to us, hanging out some with his friends, hiking the beautiful mountains of HK, taking a boat ride with a number of the HK International School staff & friends, joining the throngs of people at the Chinese New Year parade, and eating dinner with Elizabeth & David's old friend Alex & his beautiful wife & daughter. Again, our time in HK was very full. Overall, though, we were amazed by all that God is doing there. Many of these people shared with us their deep passions and really inspired us in our walk. Unfortunately, though, our time ran out so quickly that we missed out on meeting with 4 other people we wanted to visit. Now, as we've moved on & down to New Zealand, we are quickly getting connected with the Body as best we can. We're not sure of our plans for the south island (which is where we are currently), but the north island contacts are really coming together (even though we won't be there until after Easter). Nevertheless, we are moving forward & only God knows what will happen when we leave Christchurch, aka "the city of Christ" as the Chinese translate it. As always, we wonder what God has planned for us next.

Long Live the King

"Who is the King of glory? The Lord of Heaven's Armies - he is the King of glory." Psalm 24:10 NLT I have to admit that it is hard for me to understand this concept of "king". My comprehension of this personification was limited by being raised in an independently-minded culture where democracy is idolized. The idea of subserviant submission challenges my "American" ideas of "free thinking" and "free speech". The closest I've ever come to understanding the idea of royalty are the British crown and the midevil tyrant-like monarchies. Yet after spending so much time in Thailand within the last 3 months I have a whole new perspective and appreciation for the term "King" because the Thai really love their king. We were warned from the very beginning to never say anything negative about him, lightly joke about him, or even step on a Baht note (Thai currency) if you accidently drop it because it bears his image. This adoration for their king is well-founded though. He is a very good & respectable king, and he has done so much for his people. My friend Emily pointed out to me recently: wouldn't it be wonderful if all Christians could show this kind of adoration to the King of kings? That statement started me thinking about our irreverent detatchment, especially as a western culture, from God. I'm not saying all Christians are like this... many show awe toward the Creator. Unfortunately though some limit God only to a counselor in times of trouble. How would it tranform the Church (and therefore the whole world) if Christians really understood how much more God really is & the magnitude of His love for us? Many times I have been brought to tears by the Newboys' song: "Amazing love how can it be that you my King would die for me? Amazing love I know it's true. It's my joy to honor you. With all I do, I honor you." In fact, the difference between our Heavenly King and the Thai king is that many fear the inevitable death of the their beloved earthly king because his successor is less than desirable, but no one really ever needs to fear the death of our beloved living Father. "All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen." 1 Timothy 1:17 NLT Our time in Thailand just ended with a couple weeks that were quite different to our time in Laos. After heading over the boarder into northern Thailand, we were received by the Haynes family in Chiang Rai who gave us the nurturing that we needed desperately. We were amazed by the Haynes family -- all 5 of them (William, Cindy, Emily, John William & Marshall) having such generous hearts... and an incredible family cookbook with some delicious recipes. During our 5 days there, we helped a YWAM d.t.s. team build a bamboo fence, visited the Family Learning Center several times, saw an energy-filled performance by the Christian band "Isarapap" out of Bangkok, toured Home of the Open Heart a ministry "caring for HIV/AIDS orphans & their families", spent a Saturday with Ruth Fox (American Baptist Association) & Paul Pierson (Mission to Unreached People Society) who shared their stories from the heart with us, checked out a couple of Chiang Rai's temples, supported a Christian hill tribe village by taking an elephant ride, and finally visited Vern McCally to learn about the Eden House (a Project LIFE project/YWAM ministry which "extracts" young girls from extreme "at risk" situations & provides care for them in an orphanage-style setting). Aside from all the visits with various ministries and with the amazing Haynes family, I had an infection on my foot treated at a Christian hospital for only $33. Amazing, eh? Makes me think of Michael Moore's recent film "Sicko"... and glad I haven't had to pay exhorbent prices for all the health care I've had to received over the past few months. After Chiang Rai we went to Chiang Mai and stayed (for 10 days) with our gracious host Karen Thomson -- an amazing woman who has been working in Chiang Mai for 8 years with CBN Siam. While there, Hope took traditional northern Thai massage & foot reflexology courses, and I visited with some amazing youth workers & missionaries, including Steve & Tirzah Gibboney with Chiang Mai Community Church, Mel Walters with Christian Outreach Center of Thailand & the Haven Project, Norbert & Cathy Baner of DTST-Asia & Vineyard Community Church, the Haynes' friend Tessa Hershberger with The Centre, our friend Greg whom we met at the sports ministry conference in Pattaya, and the Alexanders' daughters Annie & Emily plus Emily's beautiful daughters Vera & Lydia. Over the weekend, we took it easy, visited with Karen, and checked out an elephant project. On Sunday Karen took us to Thammanikhom Church (a Church of Christ Thailand with a Presbyterian Church affiliation) where we met Joan & Allen Eubank -- American residents of Thailand more than 40 years... and still going strong! When we met them, they were hosting "mission tour" group from the States which we tagged along with after a "cultural" church service & lunch for their afternoon activities -- visiting a "dormitory" program for hill tribe children. Next we drove into town & arrived just in time for the youth service at Chiang Mai Community Church in which I gave a testimony about our unique journey. Out of that testimony God presented us a number of open doors that we are currently trying to pursue for New Zealand. Then, in our second week in Chiang Mai, the dynamic duo joined forces again to visit with some more amazing people, including a few from the Eubanks' visiting "mission tour" team, a Montreat College graduate friend in town from China for a conference, Rev. Esther Wakeman, Ph. D., who is the Vice-President for Student Development and Religious Affairs at Payap University, Esther's husband Rob Collins who is about to retire from leading the Christian Communications Institute started by Joan & Allen Eubank which communicates "faith through Thai culture", Bill Yoder (another Thai mission veteran) who just retired from PC-USA missions with Payap University, the staff of the Garden of Hope which "helps nurture new beginnings" by "offering choices for life" (to those seeking refuge from the sex trade industry), our new friend Grace who we met in Satun (southern Thailand) in mid-December - picture, and Mark Crawford & 3 of his kids who introduced us to the amazing ministry of Agape Home "for babies & children with HIV/AIDS" (Avis, the founder, has been so faithful to God's call on her life & she's still actively involved... we caught up with her while she gave children haircuts in her office). Obviously, we stayed very busy in Chiang Mai -- observing incredible ministries and learning about so many opportunities to serve. We didn't even have time to visit with everyone we'd hoped to, so I'd love to come back one day to spend some more quality time. In fact, if you have any desire to work with young people here or anywhere else we've been -- at the university level, in churches, in orphanages or on the streets -- please let me know and connect you with the right people. Our last few days in Thailand we spent in Bangkok trying to fit in a few visits with "old" new friends and with a friend of a friend (Benjamin) who works in children's ministries (King's Kids) through YWAM. We also attended a very emotionally transparent & humbly honest Sunday morning service at Evangelical Church of Bangkok. The last 3 months in SE Asia were very blessed. We are so thankful for the privilege and pray to have the chance to return to this unique & beautiful part of God's creation. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue our journey through Hong Kong for 10 days and then on to New Zealand. As usual we are walking in faith, not knowing what God has in store for us. Please continue to pray for strength, energy, good health, ministry contacts, and discernment of His will as we travel.

resolving to believe in the impossible

The turning of the year brings thoughts of resolutions, convictions, decisions, and intended change. But why should these thoughts be triggered by the change of a year in the Roman calendar? Here in SE Asia each culture has it's own new year celebration (February, April...) with their own traditions. Why do we limit ourselves to tradition & comfort? I guess as humans we have linear perspectives that can be quite limiting. But I think God designed us to be ever-changing and evolving -- in other words, not stagnant -- so that "being too comfortable" should become a red flag. Is our faith just a religion without the relationship? Have we stopped running the race (as Paul says) and set up camp? It's easy to be comfortable in America. I think our culture perpetuates the "need" for security. But really, are we ever secure? Is anything or anyone in this world completely dependable? Hope & I had gotten to a stage in our trip where we had gotten comfortable with how God had designed this adventure -- opening doors for us & leading us to connect with established ministries, missionaries, & mission groups. Although we'd nearly abandoned our American "need" for security, we became "too comfortable" with this design -- expecting that He would continue to provide in the same way that He had been. Basically, we began to put God into a box, so He had to teach us a lesson about His nature. We left Bangkok in a very non-"farang" (foreigner) way... by non-governmental "private" bus. You see, all the coaches were filled due to the New Year holiday. (Even if they celebrate another New Year, that doesn't mean they won't recognize the Roman calendar New Year... any excuse to celebrate.) So we took our chances hopping on a "private" bus from Bangkok's northern bus terminal. We arrived at the bus station to be enveloped into a mass of Thais... Thousands trying to catch buses back home for the holiday. We were the only "farang" there... literally. At first I didn't know if this was normal but when I saw the TV cameras I realized this had to be out of the ordinary. Thus began another unique experience of an almost torturous overnight bus trip up to Udon Thani. We made it to Udon Thani in time for a short day visit with our friend Pratha, who we had met at the Sports Ministry conference in Pattaya in early Nov. We wish we had more time but our Thai visa was about to run out. Pratha is an amazing leader with incredible passion & vision for his community. His vision involves the development of a sports complex with a Biblical theme-park concept. When visiting his church building, we were able to look over the plans, and he informed us they just celebrated a ground-breaking ceremony the week before. Please pray for wisdom, support & funding as he continues to organize this enormous project. We were greeted at the Laos border that afternoon by another friend from the Pattaya conference. It was good to see him & hear more details about his incredible story. Unfortunately, our other contacts in Vientiane were out of town for the holidays. Our friend (and only firm contact there) shared his limitations in helping us get involved with the Lao church, because our participation as foreign "missionaries" carries judgments, stigmas and restrictions imposed by the Laos government, which in turn could put Laos believers in jeopardy. This new realization lead to a mix of emotions, including personal disappointment, frustration with the government, and sympathy for the state of persecution in Laos. We were able to have breakfast with our friend's beautiful family, see some of his entrepreneurial projects in progress, meet some of his ministry workers, & catch a ride with a van load of Laos Christians up to Vang Viang. They were going to a youth camp that we weren't allowed to attend, again due to the sensitivity of the Laos situation... Thus set the theme of our 17-day Laos experience: missing Christian contacts for various reasons and having to be thrown into the mainstream backpacker experience. Now I know most of you would not think this is a bad thing; in fact, you may see it as a way that God gave us a little "vacation" within this mission adventure. But honestly Hope & I wrestled with the feelings of disappointment & frustration. We wanted to have a ministry experience in Laos, not a tourist experience. We expected that God would facilitate better timing with connecting to the 9 connections that had opened up... He had opened the doors but nothing was working out. How could it not be in God's will for us to have a ministry experience in Laos? During our daily devotions we read a selection in "Our Daily Bread" called "Beware of Open Doors". Although I don't believe that our situation (re: lack of ministry connections in Laos) was a result of our assuming God's will, but it made me start to think about my assumptions of how God reveals His will for us. I decided that instead of putting my energy into feeling disappointed and frustrated, I would put my energy into praying for opportunity. Two significant lessons came out of this experience. Just as all ministry in Laos (or in any other restrictive country), our ministry began to take on a relational nature... for us, it was with fellow backpackers. In all our travels no one had ever asked us what "1 Peter 3:15" said (on the top of the business cards we had made before our trip began). While we were in Muang Ngoi (one of the most beautiful places in Laos), we met a bunch of travelers who became our "crew" for a few days. This crew included 2 Israelis women, another American, an Irish, 2 Australian, & a Canadian... none were believers. But the "1 Peter 3:15" led us into a number of conversations in which we shared our faith... "an answer to the reason for the hope in us." Relational ministry, right in front of us. The other lesson was not to limit God's doors of ministry opportunity to established contacts and ministry networks. One day we rented a couple mountain bikes to explore the area just east of Muang Sing -- the northwestern most town in Laos (between China & Myanmar). We planned to ride around, take in the scenery, and maybe visit a couple villages. Upon arriving in a small remote Yao village called Pon Don Than, we heard some singing accompanied by guitar (which wasn't Laos-style music) and a big crowd around the village well. We stopped to observe and try to figure out what was going on. A bunch a kids were getting "baths", some even getting their hair styled, while a young non-native-looking Asian played guitar & sang with a passion. Something was happening here... we could feel the Spirit. One of the non-village-looking Asians came over and introduced himself in broken English. He explained that they were a team of 6 Koreans here to do "volunteer work". Since Korea has one of the largest percentages of Christians in Asia (30%) most of which sees missions as vital to faith, I asked him if they were missionaries, but I think he may have avoided directly answering me, either because of the persecution in Laos or because he didn't understand. So we continued observing and talking a little to the other Koreans. Even though the songs were in Korean, Hope noticed the English titles in guitarist's praise song book. We wanted to help them serve but we worried about our "farang" faces endangering their ministry so we decided to say our goodbyes, pack up our guilty feelings of uselessness, and be on our way. At that moment the first guy we spoke to passed a brush to Hope and asked her if she could help de-tangle a young girls' hair who just got a "bath". We were so excited to be invited into serving. I prayed that the accompanying musician would play a praise song that I knew so I could sing along... and the next song was "You Are My All in All". That's when one of the Korean girls turned to us with surprise and asked if we were Christians. They all got so excited and continued to bring us into service with open arms. We ended up spending hours with them -- praying for children, drying them off after their baths, brushing their hair, spending time with their community -- until the team began to pack up their things to move on to another village. They invited us to join them but the village was far away and we were on our rented bikes. We thanked them for including us, gave them our information, took a few pictures, and were on our way. As we ate lunch at the beautiful, quiet Adima cafe/guest house nearby, we reflected on how amazing God really is. Why had we put Him & His ways into a box, otherwise known as our expectations? I thanked and praised Him for connecting us randomly with these Korean brothers & sisters out in the middle of northern Laos. God is the God of the impossible... He had to teach me once again. Now we are in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand, visiting with the amazing Haynes' family. Their story, faith, and open hearts are refreshing our tourist-weary souls. I guess, since God got His point across, He has brought us into this incredible family to nurture our spirit. Thank you, Father. [Please keep us in your prayers for health -Heather's body seems to be going from one ailment to the next- and for discernment of God's will for us in Hong Kong, New Zealand, & Australia... we're praying for hosts as these countries are significantly more expensive than the first 7 months of our trip. I know He will provide.]

a different style Christmas season

After spending more than a month cumulatively in the country of Thailand, it's still hard to wrap my mind around understanding this culture. We found that it's been an easier adjustment than India but this culture seems more reserved, wanting to please so therefore they mask issues to bring comfort to the farangs (foreigners/westerners) or to avoid confrontation. Emotions seem suppressed in this culture which can cause major problems if they build up. We've been warned that if you see 2 Thais yelling at each other, get away because they have lost it and could do something pretty drastic. After our short visit to Cambodia, we returned to the progressive, international city of Bangkok to pick up Richmond who joined us for most of December. I'm not sure if Richmond realized what he was getting himself into by joining the Deifell sisters in this unique adventure but he fared well with the idiosyncrasies of our travel system & communication. He said that my personality hasn't changed too much but he did notice a few things: my budget-consciousness has driven many of my decisions which can be limiting (am I really trusting in God's provisions?), my spiritual walk has been nurtured which is expected when being introduced to so many incredible members of this family of faith, and I'm learning how to really be, something I'm not so good at in my WNC world of work, school, etc. We've been busy traveling all over southern Thailand for the last 3+ weeks but I want to keep this post from developing into a novel so I'll try to focus on some highlights. We have been so blessed by our Bangkok hosts (Amy, Kip, Elise-2, & Selah-3+months Baggett... Amy is the sister to Ruth Ann Somerville) who have allowed us to keep this as a hub for our SE Asia travels... even when they are in the States for Christmas. Our first stop south was in Lam Thap, a village outside of Krabi where we were hosted by Radt Yaithong, her wonderful family, & short-term missionary, Trevor Lee (from LA). This YWAM ministry reaches many rural Thais through prayer ministry, English lessons, house-church, and relational ministries. We felt the Spirit moving in some incredible ways, especially when praying with some of Radt's neighbors. After a short trip out to the extreme tourist destination of the Phi Phi Islands with Trevor, we traveled up the coast to Khao Lak to visit with Step Ahead, another YWAM affiliated ministry. Khao Lak survived the hardest hit of the Tsunami 3 years ago, with over 4,000 casualties. This ministry facilitate some effective empowerment projects including English classes, a mushroom project, orchid project, 4 preschools, & possibly a eco-tourism project in the near future. We prayed thanksgiving for this incredible staff (Benz, Bree, etc.) and appreciated our amazing host, Paul McKnight. A big highlight was participating in the Step Ahead Christmas party... helping us with the challenge of getting into the season in the midst of a tropical climate & Buddhist culture. For my 34 birthday (I still can't believe it!) we checked out the Similan Islands... beautiful, quieter (than Phi Phi) islands although still a tourist trap (especially with expense)... something we're not too keen on. But that experience prepared us to fully appreciate our last Thai beach experience off the coast of the Satun province. We had an amazing time with a family in this SW province. Their ministry is relational involving English classes & After-school, fishing projects, & even constructions projects. They put us to work teaching English classes & even Richmond got conned into teaching during his 'vacation' by leading an art lesson. This family is gifted with humor along side Biblical perspectives and an incredible amount of patience. They brought us out to Koh Bulon Don, an island not touched by tourism that houses a community of 60 families. This is the type of experience we'd been praying for... unique, quiet, authentic, and community. We spent a couple days (including 1/2 of Christmas day) with Paul McKnight's parents in Hat Yai, Barry & Rowena. They have years & years of experience as missionaries in Thailand, most recently affiliated with World Outreach, so their stories were fascinating. They also have huge hearts and, Rowena especially, nurtured us just as our mother would... an answer to prayer to be able to spend this special celebration with such extraordinary people. Part of the celebration involved a Christmas Fair put on by their church where hundreds of people showed up for games (led by some Kiwi missionaries), performances, food, lantern-lighting, and telling the real reason for this holiday. We found out that most Thai think that Christmas is the western New Year celebration, therefore Richmond & I heard "O Come All Ye Faithful" at the airport this morning (28th) while we were saying our goodbyes. We give thanks & praise for all these incredible missionaries that God opened the door to. We originally thought our ministry contacts in the south were lacking but it's not about quantity, it's about quality. We're now headed north into Laos and again our ministry contacts seem lacking but we'll see what God does. Keep us in your prayers for this popular travel time of year, meeting the people God wants us to meet, strength & rejuvenation at our 1/2 way mark, and for the 3 moles I just got removed to be checked for skin cancer... a reminder of my heavenly citizenship.

Merry Christmas

First, I apologize that I haven't been able to work on an update in the last few weeks. We have been busy visiting incredible ministries & people outside of Krabi, up to Khao Lak, & to the southwest in Satun. We have been involved in prayer ministry, English classes, recreation with kids, and Christmas outreaches which have all shifted our perspectives as we try to wrap our heads around the Thai culture.

We are now in Hat Yai visiting with the parents of a new, ministry friend/brother. It's wonderful to be in a home with some of our faith family during this precious season. We will be catching a train (18 hours) tomorrow afternoon back up to Bangkok... interesting way to spend Christmas night.

It has been a very unique Christmas season not just because of the Buddhist/Muslim culture that surrounds us or the tropical weather & beautiful scenery but because we are not caught up in the commercialism of the western world. It brings our focus closer to the real reason for this time of celebration. I'm so incredibly thankful that I can share this celebration with Hope & Richmond.

I hope to get an extensive post with pictures up by the end of the week so check back soon. Have a wonderful Christmas. I hope it's filled with laughter!

Keep playing...

Dangerous wonder, risky curiosity, wild abandon, daring playfulness, wide-eyed listening, irresponsible passion, happy terror, naive grace... all part of a "childlike faith" and what it means "to recapture the joy [& freedom] of being a child and [applying] it to your relationship with God." Hope & I just finished studying these topics over the last couple months in Michael Yaconelli's book Dangerous Wonder. In many ways, reading this book as a devotional really reinforced & encouraged my perspective on faith, and I'm thankful that I've been able to hang on to this sort of childlikeness. In fact, upon reflection on one of the last discussion questions in the book, "What has God been calling you to do?", I recognized that I have a reoccurring desire to teach & inspire these same principles in other believers. Funny thing is, my new friend Jesse (a missionary from Nagaland, NE India) asked my other new friend Pheng (a former Buddhist monk in Cambodia for 8 years) how to stay young-looking: Pheng's opinion was to stay single, but my opinion was to keep playing, so you never forget how. The timing of this study has been interesting in that Asia (like much of Africa) seems to be filled with cultures where "youthfulness" can be looked down upon, seen as inappropriate, and even viewed as a second class. I guess it's not too far from the way many older "responsible" Christians may view young leaders of the faith. For example, another new American friend named Andy, who is a second generation missionary to Japan, shared that one of the biggest crises in the Japanese church today is the lack of young leaders because their "inexperience" is looked down on. Likewise, Brian Maher shared with us some similar examples in the Cambodian church, but I am inspired by his motivation & call to empower the Khmer youth. So, about a week and a half ago, we traveled from the coast of Cambodia (Sihanoukville) into the Mekong Delta and arrived in Cambodia's capital (Phnom Penh) just in time for the Water Festival -- an annual cultural festival which brings over a million people from the countryside into the city. We checked it out briefly, got our fill, and then chose to avoid it for the rest of the weekend due to the crowds. While in Phnom Penh, we visited with Hayden Sewall and Lisa & Dave Everitt of Innerchange Ministries, Andrew Thomas of The Bible League, Pastor Meng Aun Hour & his wife Rady of Followers of Jesus Church & Orphan Voice, International Christian Fellowship, Kiri Nguon through the International Sports Coalition, Brian Maher & Todd Smith of the Youth Commission of Evangelical Fellowship of Cambodia, and Christina Valenti of two International Youth programs, Cross-culture & Solar. Aside from visiting with all these people, we also tried to grasp a bit of Cambodia's tragic history by visiting the Killing Fields & the Tuol Sleng genocide museum -- both landmarks of the Khmer Rouge... a lot to fit into one week. Lisa Everitt is a vivacious woman with a refreshing sense of humor, and she helped us get oriented and connected to youth ministries around Phnom Penh. Her husband Dave shared from his heart one evening speaking to our hearts and encouraging us. With over 12 years of ministry experience in Cambodia, Lisa & Dave have incredible insight. We had met Pastor Meng at the sports ministry conference in Thailand, and he invited us to join a group of about 20 Christian leaders on a short trip up to Kratie (NE Cambodia) for a marriage conference led by Andy (the American missionary in Japan mentioned above). We were only with the group for just over 24 hours, but we were blessed by Andy's teachings & perspectives, by learning more about the culture of Cambodian marriage & youth, and by meeting Vatong with World Hope International & Veasna of EFC/Youth Commission in Ratanakiri (far NE Cambodia). After our return to Phnom Penh the next day, Pastor Meng's wife Rady graciously introduced us to the Followers of Jesus School which provides a 1st through 4th-grade education for youth from the streets of southwest Phnom Penh... most of whom would otherwise not get an education because of the corrupted, bribe-fed expense in Cambodian public schools. Later, we spent an evening hearing Kiri's incredible story: escaping the Khmer Rouge by floating down the river, playing professional soccer for Vietnam, returning to Cambodia just to escape again through mine fields, coming to faith by independently reading the Bible in a Thailand refugee camp, traveling to America, and then returning to Cambodia several months ago to pursue sports ministry through coaching. Amazing! One morning, we caught a motorcycle taxi to the north side of Phnom Penh to have breakfast with Brian Maher. Both Lisa and our new friend Veasna encouraged us to meet with Brian, and we're so thankful for the opportunity. Brian has spent the last 13 years in Cambodia working with Khmer youth... empowering & mentoring them. I resonated with his approach and his passions, especially regarding the Diamond Project. After breakfast, we went back to the Youth Commission office with him to meet the visionary of the Diamond Project, New Zealander Todd Smith, as well as some of the empowered youth who came through the Diamond Project & currently serve on staff. The whole morning was a huge blessing... In fact, it's not surprising (anymore) to discover that we have a mutual friend in the States -- a wonderful friend who grew up in his former youth group in CT and later attended Montreat College: Annie Helstein. What a small and beautiful world! The web continues to grow... as our new friend Andrew Thomas became a surrogate brother during our stay in Cambodia -- checking in with us periodically and then connecting us with Pastor Vuthy of the Bethel Church. In our short trip to Siem Reap, we were blessed to be able to stay with Pastor Vuthy, his family, & his 'apprentice' Pheng Sopheak (the former monk mentioned above). Our brief visit also included assistant-teaching some English classes with 2 Bethel Church staff & 2 missionaries from NE India (Jesse & Akom) and spending each evening hearing Pastor Vuthy & Pheng's stories... And of course we fulfilled the usual tourist requirement by checking out the incredible ancient temples & ruins of Angkor Wat. Overall, our experience in Cambodia amazed me but, like many other places along this big "introductory" trip, it made me want to come back to spend more time. Today, we're leaving Bangkok and heading south towards Malaysia. We're also visiting a couple of YWAM ministries in the beginning and then... only God knows!