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Merry Christmas

New video Blog:

Well its Christmas here in Bangkok, and of course we miss everyone. We plan on being up very late and running out of skype credit, but it will be well worth it just to be able to talk to all of you our faithful crew.
As you can tell by our pictures it is freezing here in Thailand, several feet of snow have fallen and we are snowed in! Can you hear the sarcasm. The only thing white about this Christmas is the salty sweat stains on our sweet Tulsa tank tops that we wore everyday while working in the balmy south of Phuket, google it its gorgeous!
It is a little weird being out of the country during the holidays, but i was actually thinking that when i grow up, ha ya right, that i would make my kids spend at least one Christmas overseas. It would really teach them, and has already taught me, the real meaning of Christmas. Its funny what i miss...its for sure not presents. Its the times spent with family and friends over an amazing meal, not noodles of fire please I'm dying, catching up on whats going on with the fam, and he stupid traditions that only we get.
My extended family does secret santa, and it never fails that something exciting will occur. The best time i remember was one Christmas my cousin forgot to buy my little brother a present. It was so funny, he just grabbes 60 bucks and gave it to him, it ended uop being a hilarious story and turned out to be the most expensive gift given. Then next year we rigged the raffle so that he drew his name again, and he baught him a African American History board game, such a great memory.
Thailand however has braught many amazing memories and experiencies. Last night me and Josh feeling a little nastalgic, watched Charlie Brown Christmas. As we sat there silently attentive, it felt like home, and all was normal in the world!

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!! - Oliver

In case you haven't watched them this season yet:
Charlie Brown Christmas part 1, 2, & 3
Garfield Christmas part 1, 2, & 3

Welcome to Christmas in Asia, this is actually what it feels like over here!!!

Last Two Days

Monday:

We served some excellent Thai food to an elderly community for a Christmas celebration. Oliver worked as backwait staff, and I got to bust out my server skills. It was a lot of fun. I felt like I was back at my high school job at Fox Run Retirement Community. We joined a YWAM team for the outreach and it looks like we are going to be working with them a bunch in the next couple days.

Tuesday:

While talking on monday with one of the YWAM team members they suggested we visit a temple in order to get a better feel for the nation's spiritual atmosphere. So we jumped on a bus and rode it all the way downtown (1.5 hours).

We spent also of time in silence praying, observing, and journaling while in the grounds of Wat Pho. After walking out of the forty-six meters long and fifteen meter high Reclining Buddha, I was a little shaken up from the intensity of the atmosphere, but Oliver had one thing to say. He said, "Is that the biggest one they got!?" I was glad we went and experienced the temple, it pushes me on much stronger to make known the Good News. Speaking of Good News, while walking in the temple ground we heard some Thais celebrating the birth of Christ:

Then we sat in this for three hours to make it back to the YWAM base for a Christmas Party Outreach.
We have been listening to and singing tons of Christmas carols, and I admit, despite every Christmas tradition I have done my whole life is near impossible here in Bangkok, it is beginning to feel like Christmas.

-Josh

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Well...It has been a crazy first two weeks in Thailand! To give you a lil taste of the craziness we came here having never met anyone, and only having contact with one faceless person. Well two weeks later and we still have not met this hombre, and we have made three other contacts just by Gods providence. Our trip to the south started off with a 12 hour bus ride to Krabi. From there we went to Railai Beach and camped out in a backpacker village, living on mango and sticky rice for two days. We then got onto another bus, four hours this time, and headed to Phuket, one of the areas hit hardest by the tsunami of 2004. We worked with a couple from So Cal, who have been living in a poor part of the island for ten months. WIth them, we practiced the common catch phrase, "Preace the Gospel, using words if you have too." SInce March, the man we were staying with has been clearing out vacant lots of weeds and overgrowth, and cleaning up the roads which were a complete mess. It is an awesome testimony to sweat for the salvation of a community, and it opens so many doors. The simplest forms of ministry can often lead to the biggest breakthroughs. We then went to a small village in Krabi, Thailande worked with a national there by the name of Radt. From her, the biggest thing I learned was that ministry starts in your own backyard. Her father is a local pastor, and his heart turned from the church he started to the poor area behind his house. The government had set up a little projects area, and he has started holding church and childrens services in the community center. We got there and immediately put on two childrens services on Saturday, and then another childrens service on Sunday, then we spoke at the adults service. We also got to pass out Christmas presents to the children thanks to the awesome donations of Operation Christmas Child. From there we went into a village called Au Nong. We stayed with a couple from San Francisco, and they LOVED Muay Thai. God can totally use all of our gifts, and fighting is no exceptoin. Because of their Muay Thai affiliations, they gained access to a Muslim village that is completely closed off to Christianity, but they are treated like family. God can use any of our giftings and our talents to proclaim his name. We then went back to Phuket to clean more streets and clear out more vacant lots. Now we are back in Bangkok after an all night bus ride. What does Father have in store for us...your guess is as good as mine, but I know that it will change Thailand, and shape this country into exactly what God's sovreign plan wants it to be!

- Oliver
This is Dana. He is one dude with an attitude! Five days a week he goes into the community and does yardwork on public land that has been neglected since the tsunami. The other two days he pastors a church, and takes his wife out on a whole day date.
Dana and Cindy are missionaries from So Cal and thats their dog Muttly who totally has three legs. This is Radt...she is rad...so is her dad...dont be mad...be glad!
Heads shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes
First off hilarious in the fact that he was wearin a full outfit of masked rider gear, and i really look like i ate some bad noodles but i didn't.
This is Radt's father, a man that we lovingly refer to as the road warrior. He is an intense man of God, a great pastor, and a pheonominal community leader. He retired from pastoring, but then built a church behind his home so that those living in the government land in his community would have a place to go for church. He also had a sick protective vest that Rhys is striking a pose with while riding on the back of this motorbike-with-a-sick-side-cart.
There is nothing quite like a little red light, green light to re-inforce the good news.
Radt's father, the road warrior, agganged for the children in his community to recieve Christmas presents through Operation Christmas Child. I have been on the side of making these boxes, but it was an awesome experience to see children recieving the boxes.
One of the many photo-ops that the road warrior had us pose for.
When you pack boxes be sure to inculde winner items like this. This little guy wore those glasses for most of the church service and sharing a testimony while looking at that was just plain sweet!
Some missionaries of Muay Thai...super legit and some peeps that you really wouldnt wanna mess with!
We did take some time to hit the beach and saw lots of sun. This was my favorite.
Here's those feet! They have held up so far, keep praying they follow Christ's footsteps.

Road Warriors

We have been on the road a lot. On our first bus ride to the south this movie played:

Seems fitting... More to come on Friday.

-Josh

Quick update:


The most epic song about the game of Chess circa 1984 (also about Bangkok!). Also made me laugh a lot!


Last night as I was journaling I was thinking about what I have learned so far and what this trip has been, and a few of the thoughts I had were as follows.

-We got here and I expected to hit the ground running (like most missions trips I have been on), but I found that I couldn't. We arrived on a holiday weekend and the ministries have all been very low key. I was praying about it and asking God what I should be doing, and He communicated to me that I need to not be discontented in the lack of tangible ministry, but to be content and trust that I am in His will. This sent my brain into a lot of thought (could be why I hardly slept last night). I have a feeling that this trip down South is going to be a time where I learn to minister to the Lord, in refreshed ways. In order for the Lord to do His will for this trip I think He needs to do some heart work and then ministry will flow from a fresh heart. Gosh, I feel like it has been such a long time since I have really allowed, or even asked the Lord to truly work on my heart and refresh me. Don't let routine and business make your heart grow cold! I luckly think I have caught mine before it became cool. What an amazing journey Poppa is taking us on!!

-Josh

Well dadgum, to be honest guys words do not describe all of the thoughts that are racing through my head. I was facebook chattin it up today with a friend back home, and i said " After this trip, I'm gonna be a Man" and i hope i will be. I have already learned so much about myself. Most of it involves me being very fickle and flakey not trusting in the leading of Pappa. But really, God has already given and provided us with so much and i am learning to look at those realities versus dwealing on the unknowns that lay ahead. I have been really thinkin about psamls 23 check it...
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, ^[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

It means so so much having these promises in scripture man i can sleep well with that verse on my heart. Anyway some legistics for you guys. In bangkok till tomorrow night then a 12 hour bus ride to the south of thailand. Man, thanks for everything guys, whether it be prayer or finacnial, all is appreciated.

MUCH LOVE

OLIVER LARRABEE

Us from Japan!! Turn your volume up, the video is really quiet. We arrived safely and got a flight into Bangkok. Thanks for the prayers. Now much else has happened. I stated reading "Practicing the Presence of God" and Oliver "The Irresistible Revolution." We both journaled a lot on the plane. And strangely all the journaling has made us really greasy and smelly...who knew?

-Josh