Vox Lucens

After a whirlwind month between trips, we headed off on OBCL’s Reformation Tour at the end of September. We have been looking forward to this for a very long time! We left at 4 in the morning, and after 20 hours of travel, arrived in Geneva at 8 a.m., ready to sightsee. After walking all over this city (I was on two hours of airplane sleep), I crashed before being able to post pictures last night. And it’s off early this morning, so I only have time for this quick update.

We’re here, having a blast, enjoying the beauty! Here is Geneva’s famed Jet D’eau by night.

I tried to share some of my best pictures here on the blog, but I did not have time to edit and post all of the shots I wanted to share.  So, you can view the whole photo album on my Facebook page.

Don’t miss the Facebook exlusives, including fighting salamanders, rambutan, durian, men in skirts, and so much more…click here for the whole thing.

After our few days in Thailand, we flew to Rangoon (or Yangon, as it is actually pronounced).  Our work in Burma was the highlight of the trip, as I’ve already mentioned, and it was with great anticipation that I looked out of the airplane window and caught my first glimpse of one of Burma’s many rivers.

While in Burma, we discovered a country of great contrasts - incredible glitz contrasted with great poverty, for instance, and, with the people we worked with, incredible joy in the face of great suffering.

While in Burma, we had the chance to see some incredible sights.

The Shwe Dagon Pagoda dominates the Rangoon skyline.

The Eastern Entrance at dusk.

Not all was gold and glitz, however - in fact, very little was.

No place like the side of the road for a little truck repair.

As you fly into the Phuket airport, you can look out of the plane windows and see some remarkable geographic phenomena.  All along the coast, limestone islands jut out of the ocean at vertical angles, providing an incredible beauty.  I was delighted that we had the chance to explore some of these beautiful islands a bit more closely before leaving southern Thailand…

The limestone caves formed on these rocky outcroppings were beautiful.

An ancient painting made, our guide informed us, by the “sea gypsies.”

The floating fishing village of Koh Panyi, where we had lunch.

This shot was the most dangerous of all those I took on the trip.  While I was innocently taking pictures of cute monkeys, I heard someone calling my name.  I wasn’t sure what was going on, but it got more and more insistent - and before I could figure out what was going on, I was jumped by a monkey.

The temple is known to tourists, quite appropriately, as Monkey Cave Temple.  By locals it is called Wat Tam - Cave Temple.

We closed our touring with a visit to the fish spa, where hundreds of these little fishes help you exfoliate by eating the dead skin off of your feet.  I was skeptical, but after trying, I found my feet felt strangely…refreshed.  Also quite tickled.

Katie was not skeptical at all.

The primary purpose of this year’s Thailand and Burma trip was to conduct a series of clinics.  The doctors and dentists provided medical services for the children in Remember’s two orphanages, and while “in the area,” provided similar services to children involved with the CDC near Phuket, Thailand, and in Burma.

Remember’s orphanages provide for approximately 85 beautiful children from around Burma.  This was my first chance to see the work firsthand, and let me tell you, these kids are impressive.  In spite of the suffering they have experienced, they exude a joy that can’t be missed, and they shared that joy with the entire team.  I’m not sure if playing games with them was more fun for us, or for them!  After four days in Burma, I don’t think any of us were ready to leave.

Over the course of three days of clinics in three different locations in two different countries, our doctors and dentists saw well more than 500 people.  The conditions they saw varied from the mundane (at least by our well-medicated standards) to the startling.  The most startling was at one of the community clinics, where parents brought a 10-month old child with a massive case of untreated hydroencephalitis.  At one month, the mother told the doctor, the child was normal - and at ten months, the child had a head larger than the rest of its body, filled with fluid building up around the brain and keeping the skull from coming together.  The pediatrician told me that he had never seen anything like it, because such a condition never goes untreated in the U.S.  The treatment is a rather simple procedure, for a hospital, but these young parents could not afford it.  Now, thanks to our doctors and some generous donors, the child will be taken care of.  Whether there will be permanent brain damage cannot be said before the treatment - you can pray for total healing.

And please continue to pray for the ongoing effect of these trips.  Because of the trip Remember took last year, doors are opening up in amazing ways.  Pray that this trip will continue to open doors, and these children and the communities will never forget the love of Christ that we went to show in every way we could.

Katie’s assigned job was playing with the kids, and boy did she make lots of friends.

Apparently, dentists are allowed to have fun.  Who knew?

Prayer time on the school bus!

It has been far too long in between missions trips for me, and it is great to be back on the ground in Thailand. Katie and I had a day in Bangkok, met up with the rest of the team, and are now down in southern Thailand for clinics and community development projects.

Chatuchak Weekend Market

Introducing Katie to Pad Thai

The Chao Phraya River at sunset

Time for a river cruise

Wat Arun

And off to work - while Katie helped the dentists, I went on a team to help upkeep the memorial for the victims of the tsunami. This is the entrance before…

…And after.

The Ban Naam Ken Tsunami Memorial

More to come! Thanks for the prayers…they are being felt in many ways as we work here and prepare to go into Burma.