11 DEC - 11:15AM - ORPHANAGE - BETHANY HOUSE

[Craig, Jono and John D went to teach at an OT Theology Seminar conference to go and equip local pastors.]

The rest of us went back to Bethany House to spend the day playing with the kids. We sang with them, painted with water colours, made plasticine models, prepared lunch and played Uno.

They served us lunch, fried chicken, papaya sald (which we made with them), black sticky rice and pork rinds. Dessert was taro ball soup.

In the afternoon we played cricket, soccer, volleyball & handball outside in the paddock.

We took the kids across the road to a local restaurant. It was built on top of a pond filled with fish. We walked around the pond to a pen with a peacock in it, and a pen with an ostrich in it. Further around we came to a gaggle of geese living on the other side of the pond. The geese decided they didn't like Luke very much.

Dinner was sweet and sour chicken, vegetable soup, deep friend vegetables, rice, rice noodles, penang veges and white curry chicken.

After dinner we went back to the orhanage. The kids sang for us several songs from scripture (in Thai) and then did several chreographed dances. One of the girls stood up and said how much fun they'd had and how much they appreciated us coming.

REFLECTIONS FROM THE TEAM [HILIGHTS]
Astrid:
"The hilight for me was when Bau took my hand and wouldn't let go just before dinner. [Very shy girl who had lost family days ago.] That was an amazing experience."

Jo:
"The hilight was connecting with children with really hard backgrounds & language, particularly two kids, Nuan and Nikki, having dinner at the restaurant where the kids didn't eat the vegetables & other foods they didn't like, reminded me of kids in Australia."

Jono:
"The hilight was seeing kids with exceptionally hard backgrounds being loved by Godly Christian people - and seeing and hearing the love Jesus has shown them that otherwise wouldn't have been."

Caitlin:
"Good. Playing on the train [swing] with Timmy and Mimi."

Luke:
"Right at the end I connected with Pop and Pookie."

Sophie:
"Bonding with the kids, playing with them, even though I didn't understand the stories behind them, just connecting with them."

Dave S:
"Seeing kids change from being scared and unsure of us & themselves to really enjoying themselves and seeing what love can do to a bunch of kids with really terrible backgrounds & seeing the woman who runs the place and her incredible way."

Lauren:
"Getting to know some very beautiful & very special children & sharing their lives."