It began with an airplane landing and many of the locals showing up for the affair. Sensing an opportunity for fun, we hustled up an impromptu game of Kijabe Kan Kan with the Samburu. We couldn’t talk the warriors into playing so we started with the younger boys. Soon the older men came to see what all the fuss was about and they joined in as well. We learned the warrior class wouldn’t participate because to lose could foster uncertainty about the individual’s ability to protect the village. Next year we might have to travel out of the public eye in order to engage them.

Kijabe was followed by an afternoon of baseball instruction. You don’t realize how many rules there are in baseball until you teach it to people who have absolutely no clue! The children and women played Tee Ball while the men learned the basics. PK took a baseball to the nose from ten feet away. It definately made him a little loopy. The Samburu have a high pain tolerance and almost never cry out in pain. The only option was to laugh if PK was going to save face (what was left of it, anyway!).

Charles and his new friend

Hey everyone this is Charles.  Well our last few days have been spent seeing a few of the sights and attractions around the city.  Since our last day of camp we have seen Nico get beat by an elephant in darts, monkeys ride bikes, and a snake show.  It has been a blast touring the city and after a few weeks of being here getting the feel of the city.
My favorite thing we have seen since being here was the ceremony at the temple with the lighting of lanterns that float up into the sky.  The detail and discipline the monks show is incredible to witness.  Then at one point everyone, about 10,000 people, light lanterns that begin to float up into the sky.  It was magnificent to see a river of lights float upward and away.
After the lighting of the lanterns we headed home for our first night away from the resort and the snake monkey.
Yesterday was the most traveling we have done since being here.  In the morning we rode elephants, which is quite the experience.  Then we ate lunch and then went to a monkey show where we all got pictures with them.  Lastly our afternoon was capped off with the highlight of the day at the snake farm.
The snake farm had a number of snakes from around Thailand.  It was enjoyable and scary, some decided to get coffee instead of seeing snakes.  Some sat in the front row and were inaugurated into the Thailand team. It was amazing to watch these men who have mastered a craftwork with the snakes.
We finished off our first full tour day with another visit to the Night Bazaar, this was spent letting most people get last gifts and final things for people back home.
It was a great day of fun, friends, and fantastic sights of Thailand.

Hey this is Rachel and my experience of the day was a bit different than the experiences Charles had, though the events of the day were the same.  For me, the elephant ride was the highlight of the day! These massive beasts are tamer than the significantly less-massive monkeys we saw later in the day. Their skin is like a rough leather with spiny hairs every so often protruding from their skin. It was such a cool feeling that I took off my shoes for the ride and let my feet just rest of his back. Our elephant was instructed to spray Robbie and Kenny who were just 20 feet ahead, and Staci and I laughed our heads off!
The monkeys were super fun to hang out with. There was a baby that we could feed and hold and play with. He was super cute and simply fell in love with Nico.
I joined the few of us who skipped out on the snake show and quite enjoyed ourselves playing card games at a local coffee shop.
We met a missionary family with three young boys who are moving to Chiang Mai and it was interesting to see the entirety of a family for whose children we put on camp. The eldest boy was nine and completely open to talking about what he liked and didn’t like about his life being an MK. He also shared what their life has looked like for a while, and I must conclude that I have been blessed.

Click here to see photos for our day on the town

Here are some thoughts from Mikey about the trip

Click here to see pictures from Jr High day 1
Click here to see pictures from Jr High day 2
Click here to see pictures from Jr High day 3

Calen the Terminator

Hello friends!! It’s Calen again. High School camp is done and Junior High camp is almost finished. We have a day left with them and it has been an awesome time! They’re so different than High School students but they are awesome just the same. We played Ah Fong with them last night and I’ll tell you, running around tagging kids with socks is one of the most fun games of all.  Last night was interesting though, the resort is doing some construction and they hit a Utilities main. It was a bummer because we didn’t have water or electricity, which meant the AC units in our rooms didn’t work. They did get the electricity back on but the water didn’t come back on until about 12:00 at night (if only John Nelson were here). It was still a great day and today can only be better!
Talk to you later
Calen

Click here to see some photos for A-Fong

Click here to go to the photo gallery

Oh the Ants in Thailand

Hey everyone day two of Jr High camp is coming to a close.  In the background I hear the screams of campers yelling for medics as they are enjoying the good old Wagon Train game of A-Fong.   Jr High is so different then High School camp but a ton of fun.  I spent an hour today listening to kids talk about how they spent their afternoon searching for lizards and snails.  I then headed out with them on an adventure to see for myself the fun that can be had in Thailand catching things.   That brought about a few plastic bags worth of insects and animals that they decided to bring to chapel in exchange for some American candy.   Chris taught on Jonah chapter three this evening and really challenged the students to the idea of being obedient to God’s calling.   I wish that you all could be here to see the impact that camp has on these little ones.  We have already heard from many parents of high school students who went out of their way to find us when they dropped of their Jr Highers just how impactful these camps have been.    God is doing a cool thing here in Thailand and it is really fun to be able to come alongside these missionary families and encourage them in what God is doing.   Well thanks for the prayers as we definitely appreciate them.   Please pray for the team to have energy and to keep sickness away as we are staring to feel tired after many days of running hard.   Thanks again
Rich and Team

Click here to see photos from today

Click here to go to the Thailand gallery of photos from the trip