To the orphanage again:)

We said good-bye to most of the Eastlake team and saw the off to the Udon Thani airport. I miss the group already. I'm sure Paul, Tim, and Leanne are enjoying there 12hr layover in Korea about now. I imagine Jim and Janet are near home now since they left Bangkok on an earlier flight. Amy, Bank, and Joy were huge supporters as local team members that could speak Thai and loved playing with the kids.
Anna and I are sticking around the area a couple days before we continue our travels in SE Asia and Marco decided to stay another week here in Udon Thani. We plan on going to the orphanage again today with Amy after going to her church. We will play with the kids and pass out some more photos. It's hard to say good-bye to the girls that we have grown to love, especially when you see the tears in their eyes.
Jeff

Last day at Udon Thani Home for Girls

Well here we are, the final day of our team's interaction with the wonderful girls at the orphanage. It's close to noon and I would guess it's around 90F and sunny today. We love the girls here each personality is unique and beautiful. As we play with them we do our best to love them with hugs, smiles and laughter. Anna and I passed out a few photo books to the girls and they loved them. One girl, Jane, was sad because she knows we are leaving soon and she will miss us as she misses others from past Eastlake teams. As a team we've bonded well and are pretty exhausted from the high energy output and colds over the past week. Please keep these girls in prayer and pray for a safe return of the team over the next few days.
Jeff Chachka

A little more on GLH

The smaller orphanage is fairly self sufficient for the majority of the year. They have a pond where they grow and catch fish for dinner, a frog farm, rice fields that they harvest and it supplies them for about 10 months. There a several very talented young boys (13 to 15 years of age) that teach the younger ones how to play musical instruments and how to become mechanics. Dang, who is 13, is building scooters and dirt bikes from spare parts and sells them to help support the orphanage. truly amazing. This experience has been such an eye opener to all that we have in the US - how little it takes to truly survive and thrive. As Pastor Ryan said, all should do a mission trip of some sort to realize what we have and what others don't. Love and hugs to all - miss you very much!

XOXOXO
Janet

GLH Orphanage - Good Life Home

It's Wednesday and we visited a small privately run orphanage today - it has about 20 children with both boys and girls. It is Christian based and the director and his wife are teaching these children life skills so they will have an occupation once they graduate school. They are well educated and very loved.

Here is a picture of some of them. The two small girls in yellow shirts are extremely cute. The girl on the right, Carrot - was being sold by her parents and was rescued. I cried as she reached out to all of us with a warm heart. Please pray for continued support and love for the children here.

Janet

Our Teachers....

Jim's Teacher

Our Teachers....

Janet's Teacher - Joy

An Eventful Day in Udon Thani

Well, it was an eventful morning. We had one of our teammates fall sick and had to be taken to the hospital. Thank the Lord that we had Paul and P'Nam (spelling may be off sorry) assist him with the language barrier. After fluids and meds he is doing great. Many prayers to help him stay healthy would be appreciated.

After spending our first day with little toys, the team went shopping last night and bought all sorts of toys and fun filled activity games for the children. We will be disbursing them a little each day.

The one thing we have noticed is that the children are eager to learn English but they are also very interested in teaching us Thai. A few of the girls (Joy, Ploy and Beam) were fantastic teachers and we have encouraged them to attend the local University and become teachers. We have learned many Thai phrases - it was truly inspirational.

I'll look to get a photo of the three of them tomorrow. Much love and hugs to all of our friends and family - please continue to pray for the team especially Marco. XOXOXVW
Janet Briggs

The Van was swarmed by children

the first day at the orphanage was amazing. We drove up and the kids are waiting for us. We could barely get out of the van before they were taking our hands and clinging to us. The love they show us is incredibly amazing. They have been so loved starved from parents that all they want is your undivided attention. It's hard to not want to take several of them home. The Orphanage is quite nice; they have a good roof over the heads, great food (we do eat with them) and showers - the most important thing they miss is the love of a family. The staff is great and show them what they can but there are 300 children here. Boys are allowed up until the age of 5 or 6 and then they must leave for a boys orphanage. Please continue to keep these children in your thoughts and prayers - they truly deserve it.

Janet Briggs

picture at Amy's Baptism

here is the gang with Amy in the far back right corner.

Amy's baptism

On Saturday, the team (Paul, Jeff, Anna, Bank, Tim, Leanne, Marco, Jim and Janet) traveled up to a small lake resort to witness Amy and six others commit their life to the Lord. It was an incredible experience watching everyone recognize the love thata the Lord has for them.

It was a great bonding experience and a beautiful way to see the country side up by the Laos border. The food they served was delicious. We visit the orphanage on Sunday. We'll post pictures of the baptism and our first day soon. Thanks again for all of your prayers.

Janet Briggs

Visiting the Orphanage

The entire team met today in Udon Thani. We had a great couple of days together to re-group since some of us were traveling before the mission trip. We are very excited to start working and nervous at the same time. Please continue to pray for us that we would show these children the love they deserve. Thank you for your many kind thoughts and prayers and as a great "mama" used to say....many love and hugs to all my friends and family.

Janet Briggs

Thai massage

Anna, Leanne, Janet, Jim, Tim, Marco and myself are in Ko Samed, an island 3 hours south of Bangkok. Everyone is currently getting 1 hour Thai massages for $7... not a bad deal! We enjoyed our first night on the island and had a great thai dinner and took in a fireshow on the beach. We will post some pictures of it soon:)
Jeff

The Eastlake Thailand Team has landed!

The team of 8 people from Eastlake Community Church (Bothel, WA) are now all in Thailand. 7 of us will go to Ko Samed today, 3 hours South of Bangkok, for 3 days of working off the jet lag and cultural adjustment while accomplishing some team bonding. We will meet up with Paul in Udon Thani on Oct 15th. Joining our team will be Bank from Bangkok and Amy from Udon Thani. Amy has been a key support to Eastlake teams over the past few years and Bank was a great help to the last team that was here in April.
Once we settle in we'll start updating the blog with photos:)
Jeff Chachka

I was so nervous that the language barrier was going to be hard to communicate with the girls. I quickly learned that the language of love is allways the same no matter where u r. They were so excited to see us and after about 10 minutes of being there I was equally. It changed my life and my heart. Having kids of my own has weighed heavy on my soul but getting to share time with these girls who have little hope makes it easier. They are so kind and teach you to never give up. I fell in love with one little girl named nam oi. She is 6 and I am going to do whatever it takes to make her stay there easier. Being a single man there is no chance for me to adopt her but someday when I get married I am going to try... Everyone at the orphanage was so nice to us and showed nothing but kindness. Our team leaders were unbelievable and very patient with us. It was so hard to leave the girls behind it broke my heart but the only thing that made it easier is that I know I will be going back. Our team "family" was such a close nit unit it was beyond words. Love to all of them!!!! Thank you GOD for this experience, I will never forget it......


Scott Cason

I have NEVER felt this kind of love in my life. I love all these girls so much. Meeting Dow and Gatin have changed my life. They have the biggest hearts and have so much love to give. I can't wait to share all my stories with my friends and family. I would love to come back to Thailand again.

-Kristin

Feeling the Love

I noticed today that the only word the girls can spell in English is LOVE.

I came on this trip because I could feel a well inside of me overflowing with love and I wanted to share. I've always had a special place in my heart for little girls that takes root in childhood experiences that would dampen this post if detailed, so I'll skip it for now. Suffice it to say, I can relate to these girls on a deeper level.

The thing that's ironic about my initial thoughts is that while I have been sharing my love with these girls, it is really them that have been showing me the love. Somehow I thought it would be work to get them to trust me, but from the moment I first stepped onto the grounds of Udon Thani Orphanage, they loved me. Two girls immediately took my hands and showed me around. It wasn't long before I had a posse of four to look after my every need. They've carried my bag, gotten my chairs, brought me fans to stay cool, made me pictures, and on and on. These same four girls have been by my side every moment since.

When the vans pull up in the morning, the girls come running with open arms and vibrant smiles. When the vans pull away in the evening, the girls stay by the window waving and making the 'I love you' sign with their hands. So far, I've been okay leaving the orphanage in the evening (and even somewhat relieved after several very exhausting days), but I know that on our last day there will be no relief. I know this because even the thought of saying goodbye to these beautiful children brings up buried emotions.

Despite my sadness at leaving, these last few days have been healing for me. I know that despite the ugliness I had to experience, there IS love out there, all you need to do is reach for it.

My overflowing well of love is now more like a river that I hope will spill out onto the banks of my life to be shared with everyone in it. Whether I know you or not, I love you and I think these girls probably do too.

All my love,
Stephanie Toler

I have been wanting to volunteer and give back to a country in need for sometime. It had always been on my mind and now the perfect opportunity has come about to go with an outstanding group to volunteer in Thailand through my church. I also get the privilege to do this journey with my cousin and long time best friend Leah. I can't tell you how EXCITED I am! I am really looking forward to give back and love on the girls at The Udon Thani Orphanage. I am so thankful I get to partake in what will be an unforgettable experience ahead.

All the best,

Kristin Rohwer

Well 2 days till we leave. I am so blessed that god made this possible for me to participate with such a great group of people to experience the wonderful gift of giving love and hope to others in need. I have found a great church that is open and understanding which is eastlake cc!! They make u feel like family... Last but not least I get to experience this all with my close friend....

We are all so blessed....

I don't even have words to describe how lucky I feel that I not only get to be a part of this wonderful team and that I am making new friends and family with Eastlake, but that I'm seriously going to Thailand to love on these kids!!! Thank you, Eastlake, for truly being a church for the rest of us. Loving us all with welcoming open arms. I have never felt love like that. THAI OR DIE BABY!!!!


XOXOXOXO
Bethany Fiala

5 More Days, Thailand Here We Come!!!

Last year I was blessed beyond belief with the opportunity to be a part of the 2009 Eastlake Thailand Mission Team. We spent a week serving, playing, laughing, loving, and crying with the amazing kids at the Udon Thani Orphanage for Girls. It is hard to describe the bond created after spending a week with someone that you can barely communicate with. We didn’t build the kids anything, and we didn’t cure any diseases; we just spent time with them. These girls have lived a life of abandonment; so our goal was to let them to know that we were there because WE wanted to be with THEM. We wanted them to know that THEY are important, that THEY have value, and that THEY are special. I truly feel that the bonds formed were just as real and just as lasting as if we had constructed a new building or playground. Every time I flip through some photos or watch a video from last years trip, all of the emotions come right back and I can’t wait to see the girls again.

This Sunday (March 28th), a team of 19 of us are heading back to build upon the relationships formed in the past. We’ll tack on a few side projects such as pouring concrete, planting a garden, and painting some playground equipment. But we are staying focused on our main goal which is connecting with the girls.

It is less than a week away and we sit ready to go. We feel well prepared thanks to the support of so many people; and of course all thanks to God for his hand in helping this trip come together so well. Please pray for safe travels for the team; and please, please, please, pray for the orphans! And even though the girls do not know and worship the same God that we do, pray that through our presence they might somehow come to fell and understand His never ending love for them.

Thanks for your interest and support in what we are doing. Check back over the next few weeks for trip updates. -neil everson