The River Conference Day 4

Today, Saturday, is our normal kids club and youth program day.  The conference attended sections of both of these programs to learn about running events for the unchurched.  They saw a program with high levels of excitement and enthusiasm.  They saw that great effort went in to planning, preparing and running the event and into making it great for kids.  They saw adults preferring to see the kids having a great time to maintaining their own sense of dignity before other adults.  What they really saw was true love.

Erik Klar also addressed the conference on how to walk forward in unity. 

It has been a great conference.  We have had wonderful teaching, we have strengthened relationships within regional teams and between regional teams, we have laughed, loved and grown in God.  Someone asked Kraiwut if our church always worships with such energy and excitement.  He answered "only on 2 days of the year ... the days when it rains and the days when it doesn't rain".  The atmosphere of praise and worship that permeated the conference was certainly one of the stand out features of our time together. 


After a conference photo (Official conference photo will be posted later) we ate lunch together and people began their journey home.  This was the first conference that The River Team has run, I certainly think that there will be many more to follow! 

The River Conference Day 3

Ps Ross Smith from The Vine Church in Brisbane taught during the morning sessions
before we broke again into streams that our Thai team ran in the afternoon.

 During the afternoon on day 2 & 3 the delegates divided into 4 groups and rotated through 4 stream sessions taught by our team menbers.  "How to connect with the Government" with Kraiwut, "How to do Home Visitations" with Sii, Daeng &Nit , "Kids Ministry" with Wongduen and Tim and "Schools Ministry" with Aon and Bronwyn.
Above are photos from one stream where C.H.E. methods of group participation were used to help the delegates discover for themselves how to connect with the schools in their community.  Drama, large and small group discussion assisted in the generation of ideas and local solutions and the presentation by each group at the end of the session consolidated the ideas.
The kids ministry stream taught how to get children involved in all areas of the program by running sections of a kids program and having the delegates participate as the kids would.  It was a lot of fun and lights began to tun on for a lot of the church leaders who attended.
The home visitation group showed their hearts of genuine love toward the community. Delegates have been really touched by the need to visit, not through a sense of duty or as a work requirement, but with genuine love and a desire to help people.
The government connection group taught how much benefit there is when The Church works  in connection with the government.  When we partner with them and they endorse and support the work we do, there are so many fringe benefits.  The provision of facilities to host events and the advertising of and endorsement of events are just some of these benefits.

In the evening celebration meeting, Mariaana Klar preached a very powerful message on "The Power of Forgiveness"

Another wonderful day at The River !!!



The River Conference Day 2

Here are some people we are really proud of!   Aon, (Right) has been with our team for a couple of years now and is doing an amazing job working in our office, in the community and in schools.  Today she became a trainer.  Fir the first time ever, she trained experienced pastors and church leaders in ways to open doors into schools in this nation.  She did so well and we are all so proud of her.

This is Mayuree.  She finished year 12 a month ago and is this week helping at the conference on the computer, providing the words during praise and worship.  Mayuree is also involved with Aon , training on how to work in schools, by acting in a skit used to demonstrate the need to work in schools.  Mayuree is an amazing young woman and we are so proud of her too!

This is Caleb.  He is in grade 5 and is the son of one of our "The River Team" members.  Caleb, like all Thai kids is on school holidays at the moment, so he volunteered his time to play drums with our worship team through out the conference.  Caleb is a very talented young drummer who just loves to sit in the meeting hall practicing to Hillsong music.

To the left is Gig and Mirium.  These two girls, both team members helped to set up a second hand clothing store to bless some of the delegates with good quality second hand clothing and to raise money to help to cover the costs of running the conference. 
Many people are serving at this conference, but those mentioned here are some that may normally be overlooked... Lets never overlook those who serve wholeheartedly in whatever role.

Transporting the delegates to the conference, accommodating them and feeding them while here is quite expensive.  All delegates have given generous donations towards covering their costs - They may  not able to actually cover their own costs completely, but they are generously giving what they are able, we are so proud of them all!

The River Conference Day 1

Erik Klar, leader of The River Team

teaches the 120 partners about living

and working as team. People from

many different regions and language

groups have gathered together to

grow in God develop as a team. 

 

The Celebration / Praise and Worship evening was amazing.  An atmosphere of expectation and adoration came upon us all and God moved powerful amongst the team.   

 

We are excited by how successful the first day of our first conference has been, a gathering of amazing Christian leaders.  Everyone was so keen to learn and excited about what is yet to come...       
     
                         

 We have just returned from a couple of days holiday over the "New Year" period, in Klong Law, Laos.  The area has stunning mountain ranges and a spectacular river that runs through a 7.5 km cave under one of the mountains.  We too a boat ride right through that cave.  See pics below.... 

                                                

Entrance to the 7.5 km cave at Klong Lor



Inside the cave

The river through the cave was too shallow in places



 

And once out of the cave we saw many interesting sites such as this water buffalo



After a short rest on the bank it was back into the cave



Then it was a time of relaxing by the river, and for all of us may hours of leaping off the rocks into the cool, clear waters.  Watching the fish scatter away as we splashed into their waters.  This part of the river, just at the entrance to the cave, would have to be one of the best, most beautiful and most fun places to swim, exhaust teenagers' seemingly endless energy and to relax while escaping the extreme heat of hot season.





We stayed in the village of Klong Lor



The main industry of Klong Lor is tobacco



Kids playing on tree vines
Modern day Tarzan




Common transport in Laos

 

Tim in the South of Thailand

One last report on the South of Thailand before we focus on other areas of our work here in Thailand.

There will be an official evaluation of the camp done over the weekend by the Team leaders and the Government officials, but whatever the outcome of that report, we know it was a very beneficial time for all involved.

The kids loved the activities, the English lessons, the songs, but most of all they loved experiencing the love of all the members of our team.  The community enjoyed seeing their kids having so much fun and having people take a genuine interest in them.

Tim just loved making new friends. After the camp he made friends with all the kids on the streets, he of course got involved on the spur of the moment, in playing soccer and umpiring a local game.  And he had a great time talking with some of the young police men patrolling the streets. 

Day 2 of English Camp in the South

All the kids that gathered for this camp were from a poor, slum community.  A community that keep small boats under their houses because their land floods on average 3 x per year and they have to get into the boat and escape the flood waters. This camp was an amazing experience for them, an experience they have never had before and they were all so keen to learn. 

Tim (the Pied Piper) in his element!  A guitar in hand and the kids all gather around....

This English Camp was not a stand alone program, but an event run for the local community at the invitation of the local government in a larger vision of community development and total community transformation.

OK, So if it is not a guitar in his hand it is flames leaping out of a special book or crazy voices and costumes.  But whatever the method, it is all about seeing the kids lives changed!         Thanks to all who have been supporting and praying for this camp.  Please continue to think of the people living in the south of Thailand.  They are beautiful people and we will continue to expand the work in that area to see the community transformed  ....... in it for the long haul.

Our 1st Camp in the South

Tim left home today to travel thousands of km south to run a kids camp, our first in this area.  The camp will run on Wed 6th and Thurs 7th and is being run at the invitation of the local government, who know we are all Christians, but want our input in their city.  We were expecting to have 40 kids at the camp, planned for 30-50 kids, but got a call last night to say there were 78 enrolled so far.  The venue organised by the local government will be stretched to, and I think beyond, capacity.  What a great problem to have!  Three of the Thai leaders from our team arrived days earlier to prepare for the camp and visit families in the local community - they are obviously doing way too well.  God is opening so many doors for our team to work in this area - you really would not believe it even if I could tell you!

We are in the annual process of renewing our visa.  Yes I know that most of you think that when your visa card expires a new one automatically triggers, but when we say visa we think immediately of the very important stamp in our passport that allows us to remain in this country.  Each year we must go though a slightly complicated, and continually changing process of applying for a new visa.  This year we are under pressure to get the application completed and visa approved for before our current one expires on May 7.  There are a number of public holidays between now and then as well as the Thai new year and famous songkhran water festival.  Please pray with us that it is all completed smoothly and on time, and for wisdom for our fantastic Thai friends who are preparing the visa application with us.

Our new cafe in the center of Hang Dong is now open and beginning to do well.  The food is great and they tell me the coffee is the best in Thailand (Though I'd have no idea as I am not a coffee drinker).  Our next step is to begin the English Language school based from there.  We are busy preparing the curriculum for this and plan to open with the first lessons and conversational English classes next month.  We already have a lot of interest from people wanting to learn English at the cafe.  The limiting factor will be the number of native English speakers available to help run these classes.... What about you? Have you considered volunteering for a working holiday in Thailand?

 

Photo of our family in Jan this year when James came to visit us.  James (3rd from right) returned to Australia after graduating high school last June and is now studying marketing at uni.  Jordan (right) will graduate this June and plans to return to Australia briefly to get a visa to minister in Japan for a year or so.  Sarah (left) will enter year 9 in August and Lizzy (second from right) will enter year 11 in August.