Sila House...

We are spending the remainder of our outreach in Chaiprakarn, which took us about another eight hours of traveling to get to. We arrived Christmas Eve night. Just in time to join in the Christmas celebrations at the Silas House. On December 25 and 26 we spent the days playing games with the children and preparing for two different Christmas programs. On Christmas night the church had a program for the community that we joined in with by performing two of our skits. On the 26th we celebrated with the kids at the Sila Home with another program and a few more skits. Everyone is really enjoying our time at the Sila Home, we've really been able to connect with the children and the staff. We're scheduled to run numerous activities with the children in the evenings, help with manual labor in the day time, teach English at some local schools, and share teachings and testimonies during Sunday church services. We have a lot planned for the next few weeks, but we all are realizing that the remainder of our outreach phase is going to fly by. It's crazy to think our team will be saying goodbye to each other as we split off to head to our internships. It'll be fun to see where everyone ends up and how God uses each one of us during our internships.

Two of the children from Sila House.

Playing games with Agape Home children before leaving.

Christmas celebration dinner with the kids at Sila House.

Field workers in Chaiprakarn.

One of my new friends!

hill tribes, fevers, and Christmas celebrations...

It is hard to believe Christmas is next week. When I think of Christmas I usually think snow, wood furnaces, Christmas trees, and family. This year it's sunshine, cold showers, sugar cane, and our DTS team. Today we had a Christmas Celebration day at the Agape House where community children were invited to come play games, enjoy meals, and participate in our Christmas program. As a team, we've been planning different programs that have been presented at schools, different hill tribes, and here at the orphanage.
One of the biggest things we are learning as a team is flexibility. Our plans and schedules tend to change quite often and it has been quite trying on our team at times. It's one of the big differences in Eastern vs. Western culture. I think we're starting to get the hang of it though. God has been using our circumstances to challenge us to be faithful with the small things He has placed before us, to give 100% in planning even when we are not sure if what we are planning is going to be used or performed. We are also starting to cross of tasks from our list of things to accomplish regarding manual labor at the orphanage. Yesterday the guys lined different sports fields while the girls deep cleaned some showers. We're hoping to finish everything on our list on Monday and then head back to a local school on Tuesday.

I think every member of our team has taken his or her turn getting sick within the last two weeks. Some have been knocked out with fevers and sore throats while others are getting zapped with the flu. We were dropping like flies for a few days, but we are definitely on the up swing now. We only have three days left here at Agape House. Then we head across the Myanmar border to renew our visas and go up north to the next orphanage.

Agape House...

There are around 90 children at Agape House, the orphanage we have been staying with since we arrived in Mae Sot. Each morning the children start worship at 5:00 am, complete chores, and get ready for school. Each evening is ended with another worship time.
We have been very busy since arriving here. The first two days were spent teaching English and playing games at a local school. On two different nights we piled into the back of trucks to hold on during the trek up to two different Karen hill tribes where we presented open air programs and spent the night before coming back to the orphanage. Time has also been spent clearing out the sports fields, building and putting up soccer goals and a volleyball net. We are also in the process of organizing a variety of after school activities to facilitate for the kids when the come back from school each evening. It feels as though we are just getting started here, yet we only have two more weeks left in Mae Sot. May and Noah, our hosts, have been blessing us with incredible meals and providing opportunities for us to run into the market and we even had a chance to go to some hot springs where we all enjoyed hot showers for the first time since arriving here.
As a team we have been fighting off sickness as it seems everyone is trying to take his or her own turn of getting a head cold or sore throat. We soak in our times of team worship and intercession. During each debrief we recognize ways that God is teaching and growing our team. We pray that we will continue to be open and learn what He's showing us to improve our ministry.
Sometimes it is hard to think about what is ahead when there is so much going on in the present. We have so much left of outreach, yet internship phase is creeping up on us in a few weeks also. I'm still not set on where I will be for internship, but as of right now I am thinking about two different options. I have been looking into going to a YWAM base in Argentina, South America to help out with different mercy and sports ministries they facilitate or I am open to helping out with a ministry here in Thailand. Please pray for clear direction!
We'll see where God sends me...

A few more glimpses...

Prayer walk through poorer part of Ambergris Caye, Belize




















View along the shore by our YWAM base













Scrumptious bugs in the Thai marketplace




















Walking in Bangkok & South Korean meal

And we're leaving Bangkok...

This afternoon we found out we'll be leaving Bangkok tomorrow morning at 6:30 am to catch an 11 hour bus ride up to the northern part of Thailand. We're going to be staying at an orphanage outside of Mae Sot, which borders Burma. For our first half of our outreach we'll be helping out at the orphanage, digging wells, working alongside some schools, and partaking in ministry with some hill tribes. As people have been praying for our outreach they have received words such as "saturate." We are hoping for God to allow us to saturate people with love, joy, and truth.

Since arriving in Thailand we've had some time to rest and adjust to the time change. We are twelve hours ahead of Central Standard Time. We've also been introduced to the "squatty potty." The three rules we were given during our orientation were
1. Do not sit on it.
2. Do not jump on it.
3. Do not put toilet paper in it.

I'll let you figure out why these rules are so important.

Random Info:
-The currency in Thailand is the baht. 1 US dollar = 31 Baht
-We are all LOVING Thai food, and are attempting to master the chopsticks
-It is offensive to touch anyone on the head or to point the bottom of your foot at someone

The beginnings of Outreach...

The past few weeks have been pretty hectic as we've officially transitioned into Outreach Phase. Our first two weeks we spent doing local outreaches on Ambergris Caye, Belize. We had opportunities to teach Sunday school, lead youth group and Bible studies, tutor at the local school, and help out with manual labor at our YWAM base and at our neighbor's small grocery store. I think we all appreciated being able to spend some time reaching out in different ways to local people and ministries.

After our local outreach the "sailing" students and the "diving" students combined to form the "Mexico" team and the "Thailand" team. We have 15 students and 2 staff on our Thailand team. On Tuesday we left the Destination Paradise base to take two different water taxis to get us to the Belize/Mexico border. After crossing the border we took buses and taxis to get to Cancun, Mexico. From Cancun we flew to LA, then to Seoul, South Korea. From Seoul into Bangkok, Thailand. One of our teammates has a family friend who lives in South Korea and was actually able to meet up with us at the airport. We were able to see some of the city, go to the market, and eat a Korean meal before heading back to the airport to catch our next flight. We were all pretty pumped to be able to get out into the city instead of sitting in the airport all day. Little did we know how much of a different climate we were heading into... We left the 90 degree Belize weather in Belize and walked out into the 35 degree South Korean weather! My flip flops didn't do much to keep my toes warm that day. After four days of travel we finally are at our first stop in Thailand. We're staying at another YWAM base for the first few nights to rest and to learn more about the culture.
So, we've officially begun outreach, something we have all been looking forward to. It will be exciting to see what all God has in store for us as we join Him in the ministry He is doing in Thailand.

finally more pictures...and another update

Last week our theme was worldviews. We covering different topics such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Mormonism, and a few others. Chris Toney, our base leader, was our speaker. This week we've had Brenda Lewis, from YWAM Axiom in New Haven, Connecticut, with us. She has been sharing about destiny. A lot of focus has been spent on God's desire for relationship, relationship with Him and with others. It's always overwhelming to really sit and attempt to absorb how God actually desires relationship with us, not simply for us to follow a list of rules or to perform certain duties for him. No, he actually wants a reciprocating relationship.

We've looked at our different personality types, giftings, and dreams to discover more about God's calling on our lives. It has been interesting to see different themes woven throughout each of our lives that relate to the passions and desires we have for our futures. I've definitely been learning more about my dreams and I've also been impacted through hearing the other students and staff staff speak about what they see in me. It's one of the benefits of living in community. As a team we've been able to appreciate the differences in each other, to support each other and challenge each other.

Captions for the pictures:
1. Belize sunset
2. Pirate/Princess Birthday Party
3. Chris with kids during our mini outreach at Spanish Lookout
4. Diving & Nurse shark
5. Noah and me during a dive
6. Some of the students heading down during a dive
7. Dolphins
6. Sea turtle
7. Mini Outreach Team: Chris, Noah, Floyd(our host), me, & Esther
8. San Ignacio
9. Playing with kids during mini outreach
10. Our host home in San Ignacio
11. Beginning of our mini outreach

PICTURES!!

Cold front moving in...

Yep, we've had a "cold front." Within the past couple weeks we've had a few days of being decked out in jeans, sweatshirts, and yes some have even been sporting socks and shoes. I actually opened my sleeping bag last night for the first time since I've been here. We checked the temperature, a whopping 77 degrees! Yes, we've definitely acclimated to the weather. I don't even want to think about how cold I'll be when I get back to the Midwest.
Our assignments have been winding down and we only have one more speaker after this week is over. We've had our geography quiz. We had to locate 100 countries on a map and list 50 capitals. We only have one book report and a gospel presentation left before lecture phase is over.
A couple weeks ago we broke into two groups and had mini outreaches. My group headed to San Ignacio on the mainland of Belize. We spent time helping clean up yards and hanging out with kids. Each of us was challenged and our faith was increased over the few days we were gone. It was great coming back together as one group to hear how God had worked in different ways through the two groups.
It's crazy to think that our lecture phase is winding down. Soon we'll be heading to Thailand. Right now we're thinking we may be flying out there on Thanksgiving day. We're all getting excited to start outreach, but we know God has more in store for us before we head over there. Because we are going to Thailand for our outreach, we each have to pay an additional $2000 to cover expenses. If you feel lead to support me financially during my outreach phase please zip me an email (t.verdegan@gmail.com) or checks can be sent to my home address(listed on the right side of my blog).
Personally God has been challenging me in the way I receive His blessings. I tend to think I need to earn them, or that I must go through a difficult circumstance before being blessed. During our outreach He started challenging me and I've been recognizing this wrong pattern of thinking more and more in my life. Through various ways, God has been speaking to me about the desires of my heart and the more specific things I am passionate about. It is overwhelming to acknowledge the dreams that God has put within my heart. Yet, it's even more overwhelming seeing them come into fruition. With God, life sure is an adventurous journey and I'm loving it!

Going Deeper...

Going Deeper…
We passed our half way point for our lecture phase last week. It gave us an excuse to look back on what God has been doing within each of us individually and within our group as a whole. It’s evident that we have grown deeper as a team. Each person is different, yet we come together to create a dynamic group. It will be exciting to see how God will use us and stretch us during our outreach phase.
John Murphy came from the snowboarders DTS in Denver to share with us about relationships. I enjoyed listening to him speak about being a son/daughter of God versus being a servant of God. Interesting note: John also told us that when you combine all the time we put into our lecture phase of our DTS it is equivalent to going to church every Sunday morning and Wednesday evening for 4.5 years.

Lecture phase creates the perfect setting for us to go deeper into head and heart matters. Each week we are challenged by the speaker’s different topics as well as with mediation passages, group devotionals, memory verses, intercession, and through our personal devotionals. We’re usually all ready for some time in the water after lectures are over. We went down to 110 feet this past weekend while we were completing our next level of certification in scuba diving. We also had the opportunity to go on a night dive a few days ago. Some of the fish looked like they were big enough to eat one of us, then I remind myself that under water things appear larger than they really are.
Jon Peterson is teaching on Bible study this week. We’ve been focusing on the book of John. He’s challenged us to read through the entire book of John once each day. We’ve read through it a couple times on our own, in different translations, from back to front, and once we read it as a group out loud. We have one more day left with Jon, and then he will spend next week teaching to the sailing DTS.

The other night my friend called me out to the end of the dock to look at a bunch of jellyfish that were glowing in the ocean. It’s those little things that God uses to remind me how blessed I am to be having this experience. I pray that in the next few days God gives you one of these little reminders of how He loves you and deeply desires to bless you!

the sailors have arrived...

A few weeks after our Divers DTS started a Sailors DTS began. They spend most weeks out sailing and weekends docked at our base. The first week both schools combined to listen to the same guest speaker, Dean Sherman. Our topic was spiritual warfare. We learned that the only weak Christians are the ones who don't know who they are in Christ. It is so important for us to know our identity if Christ and We also spent time learning the kingdom's agenda vs. the enemy's agenda. On Sunday the divers were able to go for a short sail with the sailing group. It was fun, but it confirmed that I made the right decision to be a diver rather than a sailor! I definitely would be one of the first ones to fall off the boat!

This past week we had Jeff Pratt as our guest speaker who spoke on the Father Heart of God.
Some key points:
*The heart of the father wants his children to know how He feels about them
*Our pasts need to be reconciled in order to have power in the present and hope in the future

During our intercession time this past week we were given two different options of where we could be headed for our outreach. The staff presented the two places and had us spend 10 minutes by individually praying about where God wants us to go. We each came back with our choice written on a piece of paper. In the end, all eight of us will be going to THAILAND in November. We also found out that we'll be combining our outreach with the sailing students. A few of the sailing students will be staying in Central America and the rest will be joining us in Thailand.

Thanks for uplifting me in your prayers, I truly appreciate it. I love receiving emails letting me know how I can be praying for you too! Please keep sending them!

approaching week 5...

Today we had to head into town to renew our visas. It's hard to believe we've been here this long already. To get into town we either ride bike along the beach (45 minutes one way) or we take the water taxi (15 minutes).
Last weekend I attempted to post an update and upload some pictures, but it turned out to be more of a lesson on flexiblity :) Eventually I had to give up and hope for it to work out this weekend. Obviously things came together a little better this weekend since I'm able to post some pictures!
During week three we had a married couple, Johnny and Carla, come join us as our guest speakers. The theme was the gospel. We took a deeper look at the gospel and learned more about the culture during the time Christ was crucified. I think it's safe to say that we all gained for knowledge of our freedom in Christ, especially through some exercises we did to identify lies we've been believing and then applying Truth to them. Johnny also taught us about different themes that God has woven all throughout scripture, including themes such as baptism from creation through the New Testament. It was really fascinating to listen to him share about Scripture.

*Every morning we start our days with devotions and worship.

*Weekly team building activities are a part of our schedule. It's amazing how much we can learn about each others and ourselves through an exercise that appears to be quite simple...

*Picture of the view of Ambergris Caye from the airplane...view of the streets of San Pedro

*Some of the other students and staff kids hanging out in the pool...3 of us diving

iguanas, boas, and bats...

The other night as I went to get my laundry bag out of the laundry room my friend yelled for me to watch out for the boa constrictors. "Real funny!" I replied. Little did I know she wasn't joking. As I turned on the light in the laundry room there was a little boa constrictor sitting atop the washing machine to greet me. This lead into a pretty eventful evening revolving around Jeff (one of the staff), a mop, and bucket vs. the boa constrictor. By the way things appeared I think the mosquitoes were on the snake's side too. Boa constrictors are really harmless, but there are a lot of dangerous snakes around here, so we're told not to assume any are harmless. This is the second snake we've found on base in the last week. Not to mention the bat that was flying around the dining hall one evening; and iguanas/geckos are more numerous than deer in Wisconsin!

We're already starting week 3 of our Discipleship Training School!! Each week we have a new guest speaker who comes down to Belize to teach on different topics. Last week our guest speaker was Karen Padgett. She is from Vancouver, British Columbia and taught about abundant life and personal development. Some of the topics included conflict resolution, different leadership personalities, and our individual personalities. It was a pretty intense week of learning about ourselves and releasing the characteristics that are in us that are being held back in some way. We gained a lot of insight about the differences in each of our personalities within the students and staff. What is even more important is that we've begun to understand the importance of each individual and how we can all work together to make the best team possible.
The majority of our time here is spent learning, working, and having fun. We spend the mornings in lecture and some afternoons are given time to work on a variety of assignments that are due throughout the next three months. Assignments look like anything from oral book reports to gospel presentations to geography quizzes. We've spent time growing as a team through different activities and challenges and also have learned more about each other through sharing our testimonies. We also share work duties. Work duties vary from things like raking sand to planning our menus to tutoring the staff's kids in math. My work duty is hospitality host. I mainly take care of the guest speaker's accommodations, which has a bonus of getting to know the guest speaker a little better. Each of us is assigned to a cooking team and end up cooking and cleaning up for about two meals a week.
We are very intentional about our learning and growing, which also means we get to be intentional about our having fun too! One of the "fun factors" about this DTS is that we can get certified in scuba diving during our training. We did our first dive last week and are finishing our certification this afternoon. We've done a total of four dives so far. And who else would be certifying us than SCUBA STEVE? Yes, he goes by Scuba Steve. Even though we haven't done a ton of diving yet, we're all hooked on it. I can't believe we're already starting week three. That means we have ten weeks of training left before we go to outreach. I am hoping to get into town next weekend and then I will be able to upload some pictures for everyone to see what is happening down here. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement! I appreciate them!

What exactly will you be doing??

This has been a pretty common question I've been hearing the past several weeks. Well here's the scoop:

On Tuesday I'll be flying to San Pedro, Belize to start the first of a three phase program with Youth With A Mission (YWAM). This particular program is called Destination Paradise and is located in San Pedro, Belize in Central America.

The three phases:
Lecture Phase in Belize August 25-November 13
Outreach Phase in another location November 13-January 8
Internship Phase in yet another location January 8-April 30

So far, I know I am one of eight students who will be showing up on Tuesday. One of the things that drew me to this particular program is that the outreach location is not predetermined. As a group we get to pray, listen, and discern where exactly God wants to take us during outreach. That is also what I will be doing to determine where God wants me to go for the internship phase. Check out the following link for more details about the different phases. www.destinationparadise.org/program_dts.html.

It has been amazing to see how God has been aligning every detail of this transition in my life. His timing truly is perfect and I am so thankful to have been able to see so many friends and family members throughout the summer. I am very excited for this next step of the journey God is taking me on. I know there will be challenges. I know He will completely exceed my expectations. I know that He will refine me, bless me, and continually draw me closer. I am SO excited to share it with you!! Please keep me updated on how I can be praying for you. I'll be updating the prayer requests on the bottom of the page when I write new posts. Adios!

map taken from http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/facts.html